GE 26989GE9 900 MHz Analog Cordless Shop Phone (Yellow and Black)

Rating:
Summary: Not loud enough for a shop phone
Review: I got one of these (the Sears Craftsman version) as a gift, so the price was right- otherwise I'd say it's overpriced.

The maximum volume is much too low to be used in a noisy environment. The handset is thick, so if you hang it from your belt, (upside down because of how the belt clip is attached)then you're going to scrape it off and have it fall to the floor. The keypad numbers are sealed, but the buttons themselves are very small.

If this is really a shop phone, then why isn't there some sort of bright flashing light that lets you know visually when a call is coming in? If you're wearing ear plugs, or running a noisy tool you'll never hear the ring.

I haven't found the extra battery to be necessary or usefull. I think it's just a gimmick to appeal to the "cordless tool" crowd. I'm sure that the "spare" battery won't last any longer than the one you leave permanently attached to the phone.

One supposed selling point for this phone is that you can put in a garage or shop where you have no phone line installed. You can do this because it comes with a transmitter/receiver unit that you can plug in anywhere in the house there's a phone jack. Don't try to use this phone very far from the trans./receiver unit because its range is pretty low.

I'm giving this phone only one star because it has some useless features, is missing several other necessary features, costs too much for what you get, and doesn't perform very well, ESPECIALLY considering it's billed as a specialized shop phone.

Rating:
Summary: Bad Design, Poor Reception
Review: I value the Amazon Product Reviews and have purchased many items based on customer feedback. I purchased this phone from Home Depot for $69.95. I am returning it today. It is to large for comfort, the reception is bad, the letters too small for those of us who need reading glasses... I could go on.

Rating:
Summary: Good idea poorly executed
Review: Sears sells this phone as a Craftsman model for $80. Circuit City for $50. I bought two (one for me, one for dad) and discovered, to my horror, that the base station is a GIANT wall-wart (no power cord) that takes up all of a duplex outlet. The wall-wart is as big as the base of the phone. REALLY stupid, idiotic design. Also, the one I bought was defective in that it would not ring. Worked to call out, but no indication of incoming calls. Took it back. My dad's example works.

Handset is also large and not comfortable to hold - sharp edges. It's supposed to have a load ringer, but judging from the test settings I tried, it's not very load at all at its loadest.

I'd buy it at a close-out price of under $40, but not for a cent more.