Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

UPDATE April 2015: A few more lines of dots on the LCD display have failed, making one character position on the display almost unreadable. All other phone functions working fine . 2 1/2 years service from an LCD display that's on 24/7 is pretty good! I've ordered the same model again to replace it. UPDATE October 2014: After two years of trouble-free service a couple vertical lines on the LCD display stopped working -- each vertical line is only about 1/4 of a text letter wide so the affected text characters are still easily legible. All other phone functions are working well. I intend to replace with the same unit when the time comes, even with the minor display issue after two years this unit is still a 'best buy' IMO. ORIGINAL REVIEW August 2012: I purchased my AT&T CL4940 locally because I needed a that-day replacement for a long-time-in-service Nortel. I'm writing this review based on initial quality as I have only owned the phone for 24 hours. Thus far I am impressed by: 1. Sound quality through both the handset and speaker. This is adjustable with a 4 setting equalizer, I'm using the default 'Natural' setting, there are two treble boost settings and one bass boost setting available. 2. Volume available through both handset and speaker is individually adjustable and can be made very loud on the highest settings. 3. Answering machine ease of operation. 4. Total message+announcement recording time of 25 minutes -- these days that's good, many answering machines have less than 15 minutes of audio storage. 60 minutes is still the target amount for manufacturers in my opinion -- the problem is that like most answering machines, this one will stop taking messages once the memory is full -- and a busy business day or some political robocalls can fill things up pretty fast and shut the system down. 5. Good human interface -- big buttons, readable and backlit display, clealy labled control buttons -- you do still need to look at the manual just a bit to see how the menu and control system is set up but it's about as simple as it can be made, IMO. The one disadvantage is the index in the user manual which has way too few entries -- I downloaded the .pdf version of the manual just to search for info on the 'equalizer' (it can only be set while you are listening to something) -- and how to reset the 'missed calls' counter (press and hold the CANCEL button). Other than the lack of a complete index, the user manual is clear and explanatory. At the time of this review there are two 2-rated reviews. The one mentioning the need for a DSL filter if you have DSL service applies to most phones and fax machines. Although I did not try the included wall mounting bracket, looking at it I would agree that this phone is not well suited for wall mounting -- I don't know of any larger desktop type phones that include an answering machine that are. Overall I give this phone high marks for design, execution, and value, with durability being the unknown factor.