apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I have an old rotary phone and the sound quality is amazing!

I have an old Panasonic 2-line office phone from the the 1990s. There are times when the other end is actually too loud. During the blackout I was the only one of my friends and family that could make phone calls. I have a cordless somewhere but I never use it. I got tired of worrying about low battery life in the middle of a conversation.

I agree that corded phones sound better... While is it true that a cordless phone uses more energy than a corded one, the amount of energy saved over a cordless phone is also pretty negligible.

Lets do some math... If a cordless phone uses 3 watts of power and electricity is measured in watt hours, then the cordless phone uses 72 watt hours a day (3x24). A kilowatt hour of electricity in New York City (among the highest rates in the country) is .18 per kilowatt hour. At that rate, your phone uses a single kilowatt of power every 13.9 days or $4.73 per year in power.

I think the luxury of not having a cord is worth paying less than five dollars a year for.

i keep a corded phone around because when the shit hits the fan, cell phones and cordless phones won't be very helpful. i say this in jest, but like...during the nyc blackout a few summers ago, having my corded phone meant i could still talk to the world! my cordless phone and my brother's cell were both out of the commission.

Although the FCC has made it illegal, some modified scanners can pick up older analog cell phone frequencies and older cordless phone frequencies. This means that if you have an older generation cordless phone, a nosy neighbor with a modified scanner (and no life) can possibly eavesdrop your conversation.

With any of the newer cordless phones or cell phones, this isn't theoretically possible -- but with a corded phone, it's absolutely guaranteed to be impossible.

I have an old olive green rotary phone I use in the basement. I keep thinking I'm going to bring it upstairs and put it in my kitchen. Besides looking cool, it sounds great. When you lose power, you can still call out on your corded phone.

Hmm. I rarely use a home phone, I mean, I don't even have an home phone LINE (don't feel like paying $5/mo for something I literally never use). But I think having a vintage (and working) corded phone around would be neat. They look cute and would make a nice little dècor piece near the entry way, AND they'd be functional in an emergency. Granted without paying for a line I wouldn't be able to call anyone except 9-1-1. :)

oh I need to get one, there sure are some cute antique phones.

unfortunately, the building I live in disrupts the cell phone signal. I, and my bank account, wish I didn't need both a cell phone and a land line.

I have a cordless phone and a corded phone. the cordless is nice, but the batteries drain so quickly. the corded is huge and slightly inconvenient, but I've never lost a call and the sound is great.

Corded phones are essential for power losses. I'll never be without one.