I have just bought a Uniden XDECT 8355+1 cordless phone. I asked the salesman in Bing Lee how long the battery lasts, and he said that it depends onhow much it is used. I also asked how much a battery pack costs and he said $19.00 each. That is obviously $38.00 per year minimum as the manual says that the battery lasts up to a year. I had read in Choice March 2017 about cordless phones, but no mention was made of this obvious scam. What is Choice going to do about it? Please.
Ken Johansson
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Thanks for highlighting the issue Ken, I’ll be sure to pass on your comments to our product testers.
HI Ken
Generally, same as with electric tooth-brushes, the problem is that the batteries they use are the cheap (for them) old fashioned ones, and not the newer & better Li-ion or other new technology ones.
Cheaper replacement batteries can be bought out of China for a fraction of the price. I have a multi-handset Uniden, and the last time I bought batteries (from AliExpress) I believe I paid considerably less for six batteries than the cost of one locally.
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Unless you are on the phone constantly (resulting in frequent charge and discharge cycles), I suspect your batteries will last more than 12 months.
We have a Panasonic cordless where tge batteries are about 4 years old and still performing well…phone has normal use.
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I have a Uniden Dect 6 Cordless with 2 handsets . Is over 5 years old . Batteries are fine . I think you will find the batteries will last more than 1 year . Just sales spin from the seller at Bing Lee .
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We have just today purchased a new cordless handset based on the most recent Choice cordless phones review which detailed battery type (AAA vs other). We chose to buy a Panasonic which uses AAA batteries rather than the very expensive alternatives. I think Choice did a pretty good job of outlining the options available!
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Bing Lee has agreed for us to return the Uniden phone and we have decided to buy a Panasonic KX-TGM420 with 2 AAA rechargeable batteries. Thanks to all who responded. I still maintain that no-one told us that the battery pack system could potentially force us to shell out $38.00 per year ( according to Uniden’s manual) during the life of the phone.
Thanks
alexsson
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I use Eneloop rechargables in a Panasonic phone that was recommended by CHOICE many years ago and have not had any issues with either the phone nor the batteries.
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Like many radios, MP3 players etc, these use nickle-metal-hydride batteries. The supposedly good quality ones cost about $40 from the local battery supplier, which I have always regarded as a rip off. You can buy them online for less than $10 and the people selling them there are probably laughing themselves silly over it. They may not last as long but at the price who cares? Like others I have never had a problem with cordless phone batteries.
In relation to electric toothbrushes - don’t waste your money on them. But if you must, avoid those with rechargeable batteries for $50 or more and go for the $10 ones with replaceable batteries. Buying 30 at a time will cost you about 30 ¢ each.
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FWIW I have 2 x 8 year old Oral-B 3000s and their batteries are fine. This link is a good overview of the + / - of the lot of them. Choice’s buying guide is here. Both reference replaceable batteries and neither is especially kind to them.
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