Looks classy. Good and heavy, just like phones used to be. Okay, you don't get the modern additions that, say, a cordless digital phone has. However, you get style and substance. The base is a brick, so it stays firmly in place when you pick up the receiver. The chrome-like finish seems permanent, but I haven't had it long enough to judge. One niggle: the handpiece has a raised ridge on top, so it is hard to nestle the phone in your shoulder while talking. The sound quality is fine -- the earpiece gives a deeper sound than my digital phone. As a phone it works well, but you are buying this for the looks, which I think are grand.