Customer Reviews
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42 of 44 people found the following review helpful.
A Piece of History with Modern Features
By J.P.F.
I wrote this the day after I got the phone, and now having owned it for about a year, this review deserves a revamp. Any ratings which have changed since version 1 will be noted with (+/-x) afterward. Without further ado...This is, obviously, an old candlestick-style telephone. It comes nearly as pictured, but the silver/chrome is actually brass-coloured plastic. It is of good quality, will last a good deal of time, and the merchant at the time was reliable. What this phone is not is a perfect replica with modern features. It is significantly lighter in weight than the originals, and the handset and mouthpiece are both plastic; and, of course, it dials with buttons, which are also plastic.Otherwise, this phone includes all of the features mentioned in the description including pulse dialing, although they seem to have made a last minute change on how to implement it: On the bottom of the phone, there is a hole where the Tone<->Pulse switch should be; I know this because it has a "P" on the left, a "T" on the right, and the manual says the feature should be there; yet, I look "there" only to see a void. There is, however, a small button elsewhere which toggles the same function. There is no caller ID, but nor does this unit claim that feature - just get a separate CID box if you really need one, as they're very cheap right now. My only real gripe as regards the features is that there are two switches (ringer/volume) on the bottom of the unit, which becomes a pain if you're trying to turn it off while it's ringing (see "Ringer" below).I would rate the phone in various categories as follows:Features: 5/5 (+1) - Everything I was told it would have, despite the manual being a tad misleading on how to utilize pulse dialing.Sound Quality: 5/5 - It's what I expect of a quality phone today.Sound In/Out: 5/5 - I can hear people well, and they can hear me well. I don't have to yell at the phone, or even speak directly into the mouthpiece, to be understood. The 'megaphone' mouthpiece style is more than for show - it does, in my experience, make it far easier to be heard. Quite helpful for speaking with elderly relatives.Ringer: 3/5 (-1) - This is the one thing I've been displeased about. I do have sensitive hearing, so take this for what it's worth, but it is very loud and blatant. True, it's meant to get your attention, not be pleasing, and it has a volume control which includes 'off,' but the lowest audible volume setting is still piercing if it's nearby when it goes off. The best solution I've found is to tape a small piece of cotton over the ringer speaker on 'low' volume; believe me, it'll still be plenty loud enough. This leads to one other ringer issue: the button to turn it off is beneath it. Not a problem, per se, just don't forget when rushing to save your ears that you can easily answer by accident, with a bit of help from gravity.Handling: 4/5 - The circular dialing pattern can take getting used to, but isn't a problem. Also, its weight: the difference from an original to this is like that of a medicine ball to a nerf ball. It's as if someone opened it up and took a lead brick out. Whether that's good or not is yours to decide.Cosmetic: 5/5 - It's what I expected, nothing more, nothing less, and more than I paid for. It's not a brilliantly hand carved work of art, but the wood is real and has a nice design in it near the base. The fact that it's an antique style also makes it a nice conversation piece if prominently displayed.Overall, 4/5 and a great deal for $50 (~$37.50 +shipping) if you're looking for a candlestick-style phone with a wood motif and modern features. If that's what you're looking for, this is your phone. If not, move along.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful.
Nice...ish ok phone
By Nameless Faceless User
For novelty phone, compared to other phones out there, I suppose this one is ok. It's much bigger than I had expected. It looks good on a small table. It would have been more cool if it were rotary but that was not meant to be. It's a bit lightweight, so it dances around on the table while dialing or just lifting up the ear piece. The handset cord has a woven fabric over it - nice touch, but it's really short. The tones sound "weird" but they work. The hook seems sort of fragile; in fact, the whole phone is made of lightweight molded plastic i.e. you probably won't mistake this for the original. The ringer is just awful. Voice and sound quality is surprisingly good. As for a practical design - it's not. This was designed for an old fashioned telephone table to recline in while chatting on the phone. I'm moderately happy with it but it's mostly for show.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful.
Disconnect Switch Poor Design
By Dragonfly Lover
After waiting with much anticipation, I was so very disappointed to see that the disconnect switch was broken off. After inspecting the broken switch, I see that it is plastic inside the phone and metal only covers the visible part. Too bad what a poor design. The phone is really quite nice looking. But because of this flaw I will not order another and do not recommend this item.
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