Description
The initial checkout of a Uniden 5.8 GHz cordless phone with caller ID and digital answering system model DXAI5688. This was purchased from the questionable will thrift store which seems to have some kind of vendetta against cordless phones. Nearly every single cordless phone I find at that store is incomplete, sometimes parts can be found in completely different sections of the store. This is one of the most complete sets I've found; all it was missing was the second handset.
It came in a box of Panasonic KX-TG4033 DECT 6 Plus cordless phones, which had the model KX-TG9341S written on it. I suspect the previous owner of the KX-TG9341S purchased the 4033 as a replacement set and donated the 9341 to the thrift store in the box. I have no idea how this Uniden DXAI5688 ended up in there, I can only imagine it was some dirty work of the thrift store.
This series of economy grade 5.8 GHz models from Uniden have a very distinct aesthetic to them and are very nostalgic to me. When I was in high school, I found a Uniden CXAI5698 in a cabinet in the computer classroom. The instructor let me take it home. It was a big deal to get a new cordless phone at the time. I remember that set vividly.
This particular one was likely manufactured in 2007. I've seen these as late as 2008. These were great quality phones, but suffered from extremely poor range which probably cost Uniden a lot of economy customers. Vtech had many competitive offerings at the time which were were arguably better due to far superior range. The CXAI5698 has among the worst range of any phone I've tested. This form factor isn't great either, but it seems notably better. If this was positioned in the center of the house, it might provide adequate coverage indoors. I wouldn't expect anything outside.
It's a shame the range is so poor since these were otherwise excellent phones for the price. The sound quality is excellent, the unit is easy to use, the answering machine quality is reasonable, the ringer volume is decent, the battery life is long, and these seem to last many years.