which would you use

[Kenny C]

I am deciding and need your opinion

[Jim Stettler]

My vote is for the 500 set. followed by a 554. The reason is simple. The 500/554 have the best sound and the most comfortable handset. I choose the 500 over the 554 because it can have a long base cord for roaming.

Jim
I had an aunt with a beige 500 set. She had the longest base cord and handset cord available on her phone. She could roam the entire house and out the front and back doors with that set.

[Dan]

Wifey likes the touchtone princess, I like a 500, even though the basement has an AE50 jukebox.

[McHeath]

The 500 is perhaps the peak of usability, though the 2500 continues that.  Especially the ones with adjustable volume control handsets.

The 554 is a close second, but it's stuck in one place. 

[Shovelhead]

I have a 202 with the subset in our living room. I love the "real" ring vs. the electronic tone from modern phones.

I'm going to use my 302 in the spare bedroom as soon as I finish the hardwood flooring in there.

It is a pain though when you need to "touch one for English"............

[bellsystemproperty]

Can you add the 564 multiline phone (similar to a 500)? That is my most used phone. The only thing is you have to connect it with 25pair cable and a KSU.

[jsowers]

I prefer the ring of a 500 or a 554. Music to my ears. My kitchen 554 rings so loud, I can hear it through an insulated brick wall outside in the driveway. As evidenced by the Saturday three weeks ago when the phone company installer had to replace my overhead line and while we were both outside, he called my number with his cell phone. I said "I have old phones--you can hear them ring outside." And right about then, there it rang, loud enough to wake the dead. I loved it.

BTW, he said there were ants in my overhead phone line, if you can believe that. They had eaten away some of the insulation and water got in. It goes from a pole at the end of my driveway across the road. The rest of my line is underground. Donna, have you ever seen that happen in Michigan? I have a mental picture of the ants dancing on the phone wire in a conga line.

I've also had lightning hit my phone line and destroy a laptop modem and an electronic AT&T phone. The 500s that were connected that same day escaped without a problem and are still going strong 15 years later.

[HarrySmith]

I have a 554 on my kitchen wall with a 15 foot handset cord and a 302 in my office. I prefer the 302 over the Panasonic speakerphone that is also on the desk but my wife needs the speakerphone and I have not found a 302 with a speakerphone yet.

[Just4Phones]

Well lets see    Why not different ones in every room?  I have a hardwired yellow '74 2500 in my bedroom since I need touchtone to call my mom with a phone card, a '55 red 500 in my living room, a yellow '59 554 in the kitchen,  a green princess in the dining room.  Who can decide which is best so I switch them out (from storage so they all get a shot at stardom) once or twice a month for variety. Only you guys would understand....my friends are like.... wasn't that phone green last time I was here  ?  Um yeah it was  and next month it might be blue LOL

[AET]

I've got a 302 in my living room, a 500 in my bedroom, as well as one in my sitting room, and a 554 in my kitchen.  Anyone here have a 500 in their kitchen?

[McHeath]

No, but my kitchen was designed for a 500.  There was no wall mount, house built in 66', and instead there is a wall plug down low and a built in counter desk area.  The folks who built the house reportedly kept a white 500 on the that counter space area.  Kinda odd really, for that time period.  I've since installed a wall mount and rotate out phone whenever the whim hits me.

[Jim Stettler]

Well lets see    Why not different ones in every room?  I have a hardwired yellow '74 2500 in my bedroom since I need touchtone to call my mom with a phone card, a '55 red 500 in my living room, a yellow '59 554 in the kitchen,  a green princess in the dining room.  Who can decide which is best so I switch them out (from storage so they all get a shot at stardom) once or twice a month for variety. Only you guys would understand....my friends are like.... wasn't that phone green last time I was here  ?  Um yeah it was  and next month it might be blue LOL

I used to use a repratory dialer (speed dialer) with phone cards. #1 was the access# and the cards would get loaded into the other positions. The 2nd half of the dialer was the folks that I typically called long distance. Made it quick and easy.

Jim

[AET]

I was just in a 1920s bungalow house that has a corner shelf and the AE subset is still mounted below it.  Needless to say, I got excited!

[Greg G.]

I was just in a 1920s bungalow house that has a corner shelf and the AE subset is still mounted below it.  Needless to say, I got excited!

Was the house occupied? 

[Tonyrotary]

I like the feel of the 500 for daily use but my wife loves the 302 so that is what is sitting on the computer desk.