Uniden EXI 4246C 2.4 GHz 1-Line Cordless Phone
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- Multi-Line Operation: Single Line Operation
- Transmission Band: 2.4 GHz
- Type: Cordless Phone
- Features: Caller ID Call Waiting Handset Locator LCD Display
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The Uniden EXI4246 : Keep It Simple
Pros
Price, reputation, price, overall build, price, easy use . . . did I mention price?
Cons
None really, the clock is ticking, lets see how long it works
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
A decent little phone for the money.
A Little Background
I have had a couple of Uniden phones, but it has been awhile since I haven't had a land line for around 10 years. I needed to get a phone for the parental unit as all she had were a couple of circa 1980 rotary phones and a "Supersonik" corded phone that had a keypad, but rarely worked. Although I have had very good success with Panasonic phones, I didn't want to drop a load on this phone and I didn't need a lot of features that she was never going to use or may, quite frankly, be confused by.
The next name in the ol noggin was Uniden as my experience suggested it was the way to go. Well, it was my own experience and I know a fair amount of people with them and like them just fine, specifically the newer 5.8gig phones which seem to be very nice, but again, the intent was not to spend a lot of cash. I didn't actually go out that day to buy a phone, I was out and about getting car parts (when am I not) at my local shop and epoxy, screws, electrical wire etc from Home Depot. Who knew they stocked phones, but apparently they do.
Being that the phone was bone basic, devoid of most of the high dollar features (twin pads, IC, macros, etc), and an attractive $17.99 plus tax, I snapped it up and tossed it in the basket. My thoughts on this were as follows; no research was really necessary, I knew it was going to be a throw away purchase though I'd be happy to get more than 2-3 yrs out of it, and I know from Uniden having owned a couple, so for barely $18, it wasn't too much of gamble.
First Impressions and Use
The phone itself is very light, weighing maybe 6oz, but that's just a guess, it is very light though. The phone itself fits on ones head well, although it is still a classic brick, it is a little swoopy (if you will) so you can hold it on your shoulder with your cheek fairly easily. The battery is cheap (one of the first things I googled when I unpacked it) and used a lot of their phones, so availability should never be an issue, even five years down the line.
The little front lit LCD screen is very easy to read and the phone is very easy to program and has 10 slots for quick dial numbers. One thing I noticed as I looked it over is that the little contact points for charging on the bottom of the phone are rigid and recessed with the corresponding spring contacts on the base unit. this might not seem like a big deal, but a lot of phones out there, even Panasonics little beauties, have spring contacts on the phones base and it doesn't take much to tear them off, so this is a good thing.
The phone has only two ring tones with only two volume levels. The low volume is very quiet with the high volume not being a whole lot louder, but it should suffice in most situations. There are few buttons other than the main key pad that account for the rest of the features. Vol/speed dial/call up down, end, talk, redial, flash, etc. Nothing to be confused about, which as I mentioned was a concern. There is a little locator button on the front of the phone which will activate the current ring tone and volume to help you find it. Know the expression "...I'd lose my head if it wasn't screwed on...", well, I'd like to meet the person who has never lost a phone whether cell, home, or otherwise. A locate feature is good to have.
The sound quality is as good as it needs to be. This isn't home audio, fidelity really doesn't come into play, but thats not to say a phone doesn't have to sound good, just minus static or fuzz. The antenna is the little soft stub variety with a tiny amount of flex and doesn't get in the way. The phone appears durable, but I am not going to go dropping it from ear height onto concrete to prove that theory.
The base is very easily wall mountable, though i will be honest, it looks a little odd wall mounted and does have to be plugged into an a/c outlet for charging, so its not as neat as I spose it could be, but for $17.99, what do you want. The pohone comes with the base and charger obviously, but also includes a short length of phone cable as well. This unit may not fit on all standard mounts. For the old folks reading this, back in the days of Ma Bell everything was rigidly standardized, so if it was a wall unit, the plug itselk was on a little slider and would fit any wall jack. This phone as it has to be plugged in by phone line then mounted may not always have enough room.
Final Thoughts
Granted this was not one of my 11ty billion word reviews, but how hardcore can you really get reviewing a base model phone. The bottom line is this. If you need a good little phone that is cheap enough to be throw away, but reliable enough for most use, it's certainly ought to be a consideration. I got mine at Home Depot, but I have a recolection that Circuit City carries Uniden as well. I hope this has helped!
I have had a couple of Uniden phones, but it has been awhile since I haven't had a land line for around 10 years. I needed to get a phone for the parental unit as all she had were a couple of circa 1980 rotary phones and a "Supersonik" corded phone that had a keypad, but rarely worked. Although I have had very good success with Panasonic phones, I didn't want to drop a load on this phone and I didn't need a lot of features that she was never going to use or may, quite frankly, be confused by.
The next name in the ol noggin was Uniden as my experience suggested it was the way to go. Well, it was my own experience and I know a fair amount of people with them and like them just fine, specifically the newer 5.8gig phones which seem to be very nice, but again, the intent was not to spend a lot of cash. I didn't actually go out that day to buy a phone, I was out and about getting car parts (when am I not) at my local shop and epoxy, screws, electrical wire etc from Home Depot. Who knew they stocked phones, but apparently they do.
Being that the phone was bone basic, devoid of most of the high dollar features (twin pads, IC, macros, etc), and an attractive $17.99 plus tax, I snapped it up and tossed it in the basket. My thoughts on this were as follows; no research was really necessary, I knew it was going to be a throw away purchase though I'd be happy to get more than 2-3 yrs out of it, and I know from Uniden having owned a couple, so for barely $18, it wasn't too much of gamble.
First Impressions and Use
The phone itself is very light, weighing maybe 6oz, but that's just a guess, it is very light though. The phone itself fits on ones head well, although it is still a classic brick, it is a little swoopy (if you will) so you can hold it on your shoulder with your cheek fairly easily. The battery is cheap (one of the first things I googled when I unpacked it) and used a lot of their phones, so availability should never be an issue, even five years down the line.
The little front lit LCD screen is very easy to read and the phone is very easy to program and has 10 slots for quick dial numbers. One thing I noticed as I looked it over is that the little contact points for charging on the bottom of the phone are rigid and recessed with the corresponding spring contacts on the base unit. this might not seem like a big deal, but a lot of phones out there, even Panasonics little beauties, have spring contacts on the phones base and it doesn't take much to tear them off, so this is a good thing.
The phone has only two ring tones with only two volume levels. The low volume is very quiet with the high volume not being a whole lot louder, but it should suffice in most situations. There are few buttons other than the main key pad that account for the rest of the features. Vol/speed dial/call up down, end, talk, redial, flash, etc. Nothing to be confused about, which as I mentioned was a concern. There is a little locator button on the front of the phone which will activate the current ring tone and volume to help you find it. Know the expression "...I'd lose my head if it wasn't screwed on...", well, I'd like to meet the person who has never lost a phone whether cell, home, or otherwise. A locate feature is good to have.
The sound quality is as good as it needs to be. This isn't home audio, fidelity really doesn't come into play, but thats not to say a phone doesn't have to sound good, just minus static or fuzz. The antenna is the little soft stub variety with a tiny amount of flex and doesn't get in the way. The phone appears durable, but I am not going to go dropping it from ear height onto concrete to prove that theory.
The base is very easily wall mountable, though i will be honest, it looks a little odd wall mounted and does have to be plugged into an a/c outlet for charging, so its not as neat as I spose it could be, but for $17.99, what do you want. The pohone comes with the base and charger obviously, but also includes a short length of phone cable as well. This unit may not fit on all standard mounts. For the old folks reading this, back in the days of Ma Bell everything was rigidly standardized, so if it was a wall unit, the plug itselk was on a little slider and would fit any wall jack. This phone as it has to be plugged in by phone line then mounted may not always have enough room.
Final Thoughts
Granted this was not one of my 11ty billion word reviews, but how hardcore can you really get reviewing a base model phone. The bottom line is this. If you need a good little phone that is cheap enough to be throw away, but reliable enough for most use, it's certainly ought to be a consideration. I got mine at Home Depot, but I have a recolection that Circuit City carries Uniden as well. I hope this has helped!
