sundance-communications.com/forum Forums Other TDM Phone Systems 1A2 and Comkey Telephones & Systems Nice WE 2565

Picked up a nice WE 2565 today. It was cheap and appeared to be in great condition. I had a brown ITT 2564 on my desk, but it had a fixed handset cord that seems to be 50 ft long. Plus, it's brown. Anyway, there seems to be some quality differences between the two. Metal bell frame vs plastic, better transmitter, more robust network, the key assembly is metal instead of plastic and even the Amphenol plug is metal instead of plastic. The WE is from '81 and the ITT is from '83. It that pretty much the norm for ITT, or is it just a newer cheaper version?

Yes, ITT made the switch to predominantly plastic parts quite a while back. I think part of the reason for the difference in quality had a lot to do with the fact that ITT sets were generally marketed to interconnect companies who actually sold them to end users. In these instances, any cost savings made their prices lower to the customer.

Western Electric sets on the other hand were primarily made for rental to customers by Bell companies. These sets were much more solid in an effort to reduce maintenance expenses. Not to mention, they were often factory refurbished many times over the life of the sets.

I have often been accused of being a WE chauvinist. Now you see the reason. Ed is absolutely correct. It's all about making a product that will last 5 years as opposed to one that will last 50. Planned obsolescence vs planned immortality.

Now that I've had some time with the WE, I've noticed that there is a noticeable difference in sound quality. I am partial to the WE products myself. All of my other phones are WE, except a Northern Electric 18 line that is MIA. I just assumed the ITT stuff was very similar.

Somewhat related, I did some reading and it sounds like ITT had some political dealings that were not so ethical. Pretty crazy.

Northern's equipment was of comparable quality to WE since it was manufactured the to fulfill the same leasing arrangements to end users by Bell Canada. They also refurbished equipment that was built to last a lifetime.

I don't remember the exact details, but Bell Canada wasn't ever a true component of the Bell System. If I recall correctly, AT&T who owned the Bell System also owned a major chunk of Bell Canada's stock and operations. That relationship ended in the 1960s. Maybe someone here can chime in on that subject.

I'm not aware of any of any of ITT's dealings except to say that they were involved in nearly every type of business in their heyday. Sort of like Tyco Electronics is today.

Click

ITT's history includes a lot of shenanigans ranging from donations to Hitler's campaigns, to assisting in South American Coups, to interfering with the Democratic process here at home.

Basically, not a very nice bunch of people.