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Garmin Vista C Or Magellan Explorist 500

megwatson

By megwatson
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megwatson

megwatson

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I am looking to get my husband a GPS for Christmas to start him on his caching way. These are the two that I have come down to...I think. <_< Which would y'all recomend and why? Or have I totally missed the boat and should look somewhere else. I went to REI over the weekend and I swear the guy there would not listen that I didn't want to spend over $400.

 

I want something good, with all the features he could want so that he doesnt get frustrated and it ends up in a drawer somewhere. <_<

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JohnnyVegas

+JohnnyVegas

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Posted (edited)

Bioth would work just fine.

 

I use an explorist 500 because it use an SD memory card so I can store more maps on my explorist 500 and more cache waypoints (data) than any Garmin can hold. I also like the computer file structure in the magellan 500, I have files that contain geocaches broken down by geographic area. If I am in Sacramento I just activate the file of caches for sacramento, if I am in San Francisco I just activate the file for san francisco. I also like the Li Ion rechargable battery in my Explorist 500.

 

As far as REI, I have never found anyone in an REI store that knows anything about GPS gear. Most of them have never used one. In most cases the training in an REI store consist of a Manufactures rep doing a one hour clinic in there product line. There is no way a rep can cover the information and answere all questons the staff will have. Add to the mix that REI only pays minimum wage regardless of experiance and you have the formula for non trained staff. But in REI defence, for them to trian their staff properly and be able to hire experiance staff they would have to raise there prices, something the american consumer will not go for.

Of cousre REI is not know for low prices anyway.

 

For a good price try Tiger GPS or one of the other online dealers

Edited by JohnnyVegas
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Miragee

+Miragee

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Posted

I love my Garmin Vista C. It has enough memory for the maps for the area I cache in most frequently. I like the small size, but the screen is large enough to see when it is auto-routing me in the car.

 

Only if your husband travels a lot should he need more memory than what the Vista offers. Changing the mapset with the USB connection doesn't take very much time however if a different area is needed.

 

The good thing about purchasing from REI is their unlimited return policy.

 

If you get the Vista C and decide it isn't the right one after all and you want to get the Map 76CS, they will exchange it. ;)

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Chuy!

+Chuy!

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Posted (edited)

A local cacher swears by REI, primarily 'cause if you register as a member, you can take your GPS there for any problems and they will replace it with same or better unit, no questions asked. Additionally, if you buy software from them, you can exchange it for any future upgrades, for free! forever!

 

I recommend the Legend C; they go to $200 and compared to the Vista C, only lack an electronic compass and altimeter. The Legend C has a longer batter life expectency. The memory capacity is the same for both.

 

Don't forget to get the optional software: I recommend the navigation kit that includes the software, DC adapter, and two auto mounting adapters, a windshield suction-type adapter, and a sandbag dashtop adapter.

Edited by Chuy
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JohnnyVegas

+JohnnyVegas

Posted
Posted
A local cacher swears by REI, primarily 'cause if you register as a member, you can take your GPS there for any problems and they will replace it with same or better unit, no questions asked. Additionally, if you buy software from them, you can exchange it for any future upgrades, for free! forever!

 

I recommend the Legend C; they go to $200 and compared to the Vista C, only lack an electronic compass and altimeter. The Legend C has a longer batter life expectency. The memory capacity is the same for both.

 

Don't forget to get the optional software: I recommend the navigation kit that includes the software, DC adapter, and two auto mounting adapters, a windshield suction-type adapter, and a sandbag dashtop adapter.

Of cousre there is a cost to become a reg. REI member, add that to their high prices.

If there is a problem with a new GPS you are going to know in most cases within a few days and the warranty from the manufacture is going to take care of the problem.

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briansnat

+briansnat

Posted
Posted (edited)
The good thing about purchasing from REI is their unlimited return policy.

 

The bad thing is the price. They usually charge MSRP. You can save big bucks by shopping online at amazon.com, or a similar place.

 

If I had to choose between the Vista C or eXplorist 500, I'd go with the Vista C. Its easier to use and the Garmin mapping software (City Select) has the edge over Magellan's similar software. Though the expandable memory in the eXplorist is nice, the 24 megs in the Vista C provides enough map map memory to cover anyplace I'm likely to drive in two hours in each direction. If I'm heading out of the coverage area it takes 2-3 minutes to load new maps.

 

You might also want to consider the Garmin 60C. It has double the map memory of the Vista C and has both a serial and USB connection (If you have an older PC this may come in handy). It also holds 1,000 waypoints to the Vista C's 500.

 

Downside of the 60C is that its larger than the Vista C.

Edited by briansnat
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briansnat

+briansnat

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Posted
I second the vote for the Legend C. But REI exacts quite a premium for their units.

 

Garmin Legend C at REI $245.

 

Garmin Legend C at GPSNow $207.95.

 

I am looking to get my husband a GPS for Christmas to start him on his caching way.

Does your husband have *any idea* how lucky he is to have a wife like you???

She said Vista C

 

Here are some prices:

 

 

REI - $300

 

Amazon.com - $255

 

Offroute.com - $239

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megwatson

megwatson

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Thank y'all so much! I have been doing most of this research by myself and so I am a little nervous about making such a large purchase with out my husbands opinions. That being said, it will be much more fun to see his face Christmas morning! ;)

Does your husband have *any idea* how lucky he is to have a wife like you???
You are too sweet! I just hope he likes it!

 

I think i am going to go for it!

 

Any final words of wisdom?

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Chuy!

+Chuy!

Posted
Posted

Of cousre there is a cost to become a reg. REI member, add that to their high prices.

If there is a problem with a new GPS you are going to know in most cases within a few days and the warranty from the manufacture is going to take care of the problem.

Our cacher would counter why wait 1-2 weeks for a new unit to be mailed when you can go in and come out with a brand new unit ready to use the same hour?

 

Plus you can upgrade to a fancier unit with the full purchase price of the old unit.

 

And your unit is covered by their plan outside Garmin's 1yr warranty period.

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briansnat

+briansnat

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Posted
Our cacher would counter why wait 1-2 weeks for a new unit to be mailed when you can go in and come out with a brand new unit ready to use the same hour?

 

My experience with Amazon.com is that you receive the item anywhere between 2 and 5 days after ordering. Personally I think that is worth saving as much as 70 bucks (that can be put towards mapping sofware).

 

Of course its up to Meg to decide which is more important.

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CompassCollector

+CompassCollector

Posted
Posted
Thank y'all so much! I have been doing most of this research by myself and so I am a little nervous about making such a large purchase with out my husbands opinions. That being said, it will be much more fun to see his face Christmas morning! :lol:

Does your husband have *any idea* how lucky he is to have a wife like you???
You are too sweet! I just hope he likes it!

 

I think i am going to go for it!

 

Any final words of wisdom?

Buy him a 1 year membership at geocaching.com to go along with the brand new GPS, and if you're up to it, download some local waypoints for him. :-)

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Bluesman63

+Bluesman63

Posted
Posted (edited)

I use epinions.com to compare prices. Enter your zip code to get shipping rates and sales tax (if applicable).

 

I used this site to get the best price with free shipping on my map60cs. User reviews can be flakey at times so take them with a grain of salt.

Edited by Bluesman63
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