Home > Consumer Reviews > Panasonic Dect 6.0 Expandable Silver Digital Cordless Answering System - 3 Handset System (KX-TG9343S)

Here is a list of items that I would have liked to have know about, or have had clarified, before buying this excellent phone:
- The base-station operates as a speakerphone.
- Each phone can operate as a speakerphone.
- Each phone also has a jack for a headset.
- Sound is very clear with no echo.
- Dial illuminates when touching a button.
- All controls (incl. the answering machine) are easy to use.
- The menu system is surprisingly easy to use.
- The transformer is not white, it's dark gray (better than black... IMHO).
- Each phone can be set not to ring at night between specified times.
- Spec says 5 hours talk time; or 11 days without charging.
- Batteries are two AAA NiMH cells (no silly little plug to fiddle with).
- Each phone has a clip (removable); if you like to move around doing things while using a headset.
- Two or more phones can participate in the same call.
- Vivaldi and a few other ring tones to choose from (not great, but fun).
- Each phone can call any other phone (intercom function).
- Quality seems very good (only had it a couple of weeks).
- Each handset's small orange light (see below) flashes if a message is waiting (saves checking the ans mach)
The only thing missing is having the number of calls displayed on the answering machine. Instead there's a button which illuminates if there are any calls to be heard. However, this turns out to be much less of an annoyance than I'd anticipated. A small orange light illuminates when a handset is in a charging stand (or in the base station). It's rather bright in a dark bedroom. Nice if you value having a night light, but we put a small piece of tape over it. Overall, a delightful phone!

This is my third panasonic phone in 11 years. I have been using them for 3 weeks now and i can only find positives. The set charged in 5-6 hours the first time. The voice quality is unsurpassed and there are no clarity issues in any of the handsets. The speaker phone and answering machine on the base unit are good to have. The answering machine could be greater than 18 minutes.

Pros:

- Quality soft touch buttons.
- Backlighting of the handset buttons which is a big plus.
- Ergonomic design to hold against shoulder and ear (i use the phone while working on the laptop and need both my hands to type.)
- Clip ons to hold the phone to trousers is a good to have
- Speaker and dialing functionality on base unit is a good to have feature
- Speaker on each handset is a plus
- Volume control on each handset
- Shared phone book across handsets
- Night mode is a big plus esp when you have kids at home who could be disturbed during sleep
- Standby time of 3.5 days with about 1 hour of talking every day before the battery drained out.

Cons

- 18 minutes in answering machine might not be sufficient esp when you are out of town and expect lots of calls.
- Handsets come with preset names. Cannot customize the names like 'Living room', 'Kitchen' 'Bedroom' etc.
- Same old ringtones. (Have been hearing these ringtones since 10 years on older sets).

Overall, i am happy with the new features and improved handset quality.I am sure that these will last for atleast 4-5 years without any problems if they are maintained properly without abuse.

I replaced a panasonic talking caller id phone (kx tg2238) with this model. The kx tg9343s has excellent range in a two story house, and no intereference with wireless network or microwave oven. The unit does not come with a bracket to mount base unit to the wall. It had to be ordered seperately through amazon (PNKL1001Z2) for about $10. Once it was mounted on the wall it sat too high to see the base unit buttons(I had mine mounted on the kitchen wall above the counters). This unit is more suitable for a desk. I liked the talking ID on this unit because it comes across the base unit as well as all of the handsets. If a VM (Voice Mail Service)call is waiting for you, there is no flashing VM light on the base unit, only on the handsets, which is difficult to see on the handset for the wall mounted base. There is not a speed dial button on the base unit to retrieve VM calls, only on the handsets. I liked the intercom feature allowing communication between handsets. I bought an additional handset through amazon for $25 and had no problem setting it up. All in all, a good phone.

I thought this would be the best replacement to a V-Tech phone that I had for nearly 5 years. That phone seemed to have all the critical features and more. I've now used this phone for about 4-5 months. The quality of the sound, reliability of the equipment, ease of programming, handset size/weight, etc. are just excellent. I've loved the fact that the handsets have alarm clocks; lighted keypads; and speakerphone, mute, and hold buttons. I've also loved the fact that the handsets don't seem to lose their charge, even if I keep them in their cradles MOST of the time (a problem with my previous V-Tech). I THOUGHT I'd like the auto-talk feature (but I can't see who's calling unless I'm positioned to see the handset display before I pick up the phone). The Talking Caller ID was never important to me (and mispronunciations make it laughable). I never use phonebooks (which this unit has) or one-digit dialing (which it doesn't have), so neither was important to me.

I'm writing this review, because I've slowly realized that features the phone DOESN'T have are just too important, and now I'm actively looking for another phone. First and foremost, I wanted a phone with a base-unit keypad, but the fact that this base unit has no display is just too problematic. If the handset for the base is elsewhere, there's no way to know who is calling. As I'm searching for another phone WITH features that I want, I thought I'd mention some of the other issues that I have with this phone (but which are not "deal-breakers" for me), including (in no particular order):
--Doesn't display number of messages
--If you answer the phone on one handset, other handsets show the call as "missed"
--The display on the handsets only stays lit for a short time, so if you answer the phone in the dark (and are half-asleep) or want to call someone, it's hard to find the "talk/off" buttons.
--Although I THINK the phone has call waiting ID, I have yet to be able to see who is on call-waiting when I'm on another call--either the display doesn't stay lit long enough or it takes too long for the ID to show (not sure which one is the problem ... maybe both?). I think this is actually the second-most problematic issue for me.
--I often dial out on the base unit keypad using the speakerphone (to stay "hands-free" during a call). Unfortunately, the display on the handset doesn't light up, which is getting more and more annoying for some reason.
--I find it annoying that the date/time on a voice mail message comes AFTER the message (but I realize a LOT of answering machines do this, unless you use the phone company voice mail system).
--When I'm using the speakerphone on the base unit, callers have a hard time hearing unless I'm specifically speaking close to--and right over--the phone.

So--I'd recommend this phone to ANYONE if the base-unit issue isn't a problem. It's a very high-quality phone. Unfortunately, I'm willing to give up a little quality in order to have some critical features.

This is another hit for Panasonic. In my opinion they have the best call clarity and most natural sounding quality of the phones on the market.
Pros:
Answering machine does not record messages when a caller hangs up. We get a lot of telemarketers and it has not recorded a single hang up. Also date and time stamp of each message is at the end of the message.
Can listen to your messages from any handset in the house.
Night mode that lets you individualize each handset. You set the time of day you do not want a handset to ring and it does not, although the machine will still take a message.
Shared phonebook. What you put in one handset shows up in all! This also applies to the missed call log and CID. When you got through them they show up as checked in each registered handset. A handset must be registered properly for all this sharing to work.
Block call list. When a number on CID is one you never want to hear from again you save it to the Block list and they get a busy signal from then on. You can also preprogram numbers you already know you do not want.
Awesome call clarity. Even on the lowest volume setting you can hear crystal clear. The loudest sound setting is way too loud, but it is made for hearing aid users.
Nice overall look and feel to the whole unit.
White backlight on handsets makes them easy to see and read as well as easy on the eyes.
Speakerphones on all the handsets as well as the base.
CID talks which can be amusing. On this phone if you have programmed a number into your phonebook then the talking CID will announce what you programmed. That is really handy for cellular calls.
Only takes 7 hours for the initial charge.
No interference from any of our appliances including our home computer which is in the same room as the base of this unit.

Cons:
You cannot set the base to Night Mode so you have to turn the base ringer off (which only rings when the handset is not present on it anyway) and turn down the volume for call screening OR simply turn call screening off.
Only can have 20 numbers in the Block list.
Backlight on handset only stays on for a few seconds without you pressing a button.
Speakerphones are easy for you to hear on but the person on the other end can have a tough time hearing you. We have found turning the volume up all the way on the speakerphone solves this for us. Once we do that callers say they hear us perfectly. You do have to be within a few feet of the phone for people to hear you which is true of almost all speakerphones. The idea behind a speakerphone is the convenience of having your hands free.
Cannot name the handsets they are numbered by the order they are registered.
Call screening not on individual handsets. You can only hear it on the base. Our old model had the ability to listen to call screening from any of the handsets.

The overall comment I would make is that this is a great phone with few drawbacks and I would recommend it and buy it again.