12 out of 12 people found this review helpful.
An excellent deal if you need a basic fax
Date of Review: Oct 6, 2004
The Bottom Line: A good basic unit for light use, and an excellent deal for the money!
I purchased this since I needed a very basic home fax (and was tired of using the office fax or running out to Kinko's whenever I had to dash something off). Having found this at Staples for $40 after two rebates, I feel that I have gotten more than my money's worth -- especially considering that this unit also acts as a quick photocopier!
First of all, this unit transmits faxes well -- this is the thing that matters most (I have an e-fax setup, so I don't use the Panasonic to receive faxes). If you're going up to the specified ten pages, don't expect any problems; however, beyond that (even eleven!), I have experienced jams and skipped pages.
Second, the feature set is really excellent for the price: sheet copier (fast and of satisfactory quality for quick copies); built-in speakerphone; electronic directory; log printing; and even built-in printing of "help" instructions!
Third, the ergonomics are quite good, even if it takes a bit of time to learn to navigate the four-way jog dial properly for options selection. The buttons respond crisply, all controls are marked well, setup is a breeze, and there are different audio cues for successful and unsuccessful end-of-transmission.
Finally, the unit is reasonably attractive, if not exciting.
Negatives: I've hinted that paper handling could be better. But let's remember that this is a sub-$50 unit, after all! Given that, you won't find this reviewer complaining about its relative lack of robustness; if you want solidity, feel free to buy a Pitney-Bowes for several times the price of this puppy!
