WE 302, What handset looks better

[southernphoneman]

i am brand new to this very cool organization, and this is my first post. as for which one looks better, they both look nice but the f 1 handset looks more period correct for that phone.i had a coiled handset cord on my 302 and removed it and put a straight line cloth cord on the f 1 handset to make it more period correct, but the 302 is yours and both photos of it look really good.

[Sargeguy]

Welcome aboard.  I have all sorts of cords on 302s.  Early ones have brown, late 40s have vinyl, and 50s era have coiled. I am still looking for a 37 so I can have one with an E-1

[southernphoneman]

as i am sure you know,e 1 handsets are very hard to find. i have a 1936 we 202 with an f 1 handset but i think it would look better with the e 1, but the f 1 is acceptable for me. it seems that when an e 1 comes up for auction on ebay, they sell as fast as they come up and some can turn into a bidding war.the 302 is my favorite phone in my collection.the 202 is a very close second because that is the first phone that i restored. the 202 is my oldest.it seems that with all the phones in my collection the older they get the better they work. what can i say, that is a western electric for you.you just can t kill them.they will never make something with that quality again.

[Dan/Panther]

E1 fits, F1 looks too big.

D/P

[Mr. Bones]

<snip>.I did not like how the F1 handset and cord looked on it. I bought an E1 handset and brown cord, I placed them on the 302 and what a huge difference. I think it makes the phone look more prestigious. What do you think ? Anyone agree with me.

Persido,

    I greatly enjoy the look of the E1 handset on a 302 base. Same for the F1 on same... both are quite sexy, and glamorous... just one man's opinion, as requested.

    I have a few 302's, and fully intend to amass more. All mine have the F1/F1W, which is great! I love them all, and use them daily. That being said, however; I very much wish to acquire an E1 handset for one, to show people some of the evolution/timeline of the development of this milestone in telephony.

    I would never represent one as a '36/'37 to anybody, but,nonetheless, want one to use/display, as a representative example.

    Perhaps, to some, it looks 'Frankenphone'...we can see literally hundreds of 302's for sale each day, if we have the time to surf our favorite cyber-haunts...

    For the most part, they share one thing in common; the F1 handset.

    When I, personally, see a 302 with an E1, I think "Rare, Interesting, Exotic, Highly-Desirable, Gotta Have It, etc.!!!" Right gets the ol' pulse to racing, whether it is for sale, or not!! Thanks for your photos, by the way.

    We 'bottom-feeders' of the collecting world can only dream of landing some of the 'Big Catches', but we can have phones that ease us through the tough times, make us happy, and look cool! (With extreme diligence, patience, and industriousness...)

    I look at the whole thing from a very Bob Ross perspective. It's (your/my) own little world.

    Whaddya say we paint a couple happy little trees over here? Over there,
too? 'Bout like that...

Best Regards.

     Feel free to post more Glamour Shots of the 302/E1. Large, high-resolution would be favourite...

Some of us have to live vicariously, until an opportunity happens along...

Straight-cord man, for looks,  all the way, myself, (cloth-covered, preferably) except for my daily driver, as George pointed out. Then, coiled rules...

[Sargeguy]

as i am sure you know,e 1 handsets are very hard to find.

I wouldn't say they are very hard to find, but I do agree that they can be a little on the pricey side. What is your budget?