Motorola - E51 MD7161-3 Trio Cordless Phone Review

I have really bad luck with phones.  Seems like every year I buy a new cordless phone system because the current system we own goes on the blink or just mysteriously stops working altogether. Our latest phone, the Motorola 5.8 Digital Cordless Phone w/ Answering Machine, MD7161-3, has held up awesomely for a long time and we are very happy with it. 

The system includes 3 handsets and answering machine which we got on sale at Target for $88. Normal price was $119. This phone system is absolutely loaded with features.  For starters it has three handsets.  One goes with the base unit which must be plugged into the phone jack as well as an electrical outlet. The cool thing about the other 2 handsets is that their bases don't need to be plugged into a phone jack. All you need do is plug them into a regular electrical outlet and they work fine. The handsets are smaller than other phones we've owned. They're about 5 inches long, 3 inches wide, and about an inch thick. Very compact, yet not too small. Each handset comes with belt clips that fasten to the back. 

This system can be used as an intercom! I love this feature because it has completely halted all of the yelling in our household. If I want to talk to my husband while he's outside, upstairs, under the car, in the pool or wherever on our property, all I have to do is push the intercom button and the # of the handset he has with him and he's just a ring away. No more shouting. Yay. 

There are 10 different ringtones from which to choose. Some are kind of cool, some are downright annoying, some play a happy little tune, but there are plenty to choose from and a ring for any personality. I found three that I like. Not only can you choose a ringtone for incoming, external calls, you can also select one for intercom calls. In addition to that, each handset can have a different ringtone so there is lots of flexibility in the ringtone department.

Each handset can be used as a speakerphone. Simply push the speaker button on the handset to change to speakerphone mode. Push it again to use as a regular phone. There is also a headset jack which allows the user to attach a headset with a microphone for handsfree talking.

Reception is really good too.  We only use it in the house and yard but it works fine all over our half acre yard and thru out the house.  Sometimes people on cordless phones sound like they're talking into a tin can but everyone sounds good using these phones. 
The phone also has caller ID, call waiting, a phonebook, an answering system with 3 different mailboxes, a memo option so you can leave someone in the family a message right there from home.

The phones charge up pretty quickly as well and hold their charge for a long time.  Some phones I've had lose their charge after a day off of the charger but these will hold a charge for a few days off the charger. 

Setting it was really easy although when the power goes out and I have to re-program the time and date I always have to get the user guide out because I've forgotten how to do it. 

This phone is still working out great for us after almost a year (knock wood) which I believe is a new record.  If it died today, I'd absolutely buy another of the same model to replace it.  We're really happy.