Explorist 100 vs Etrex GEKO vs Garmin 72 vs Ifinder GO

[spatrick911]

Looking for accuracy in a low priced unit. I don't care about mapping, color, or computer interface. I'm not a geocacher...yet. It seems the Explorist 100 is the best of the bunch.

 

I'm also interested in the backlight of these units, which looks better at night?

[+briansnat]

They are all about as accurate. Any difference would be a matter of a foot or two which is of no consequence unless you are a surveyor (in which case you would not be using any of these).

 

Of these I've only used the Geko, Garmin 72 and iFinder GO. I never looked at the backlight side by side, but I don't recally any being significantly better or worse than the others.

 

If you ever do become a geocacher you will want a PC interface. The Geko and Garmin 72 are the only ones of these 4 that have that capability.

[+budd-rdc]

To avoid confusion, you might want to specify which model of Geko you are comparing. 101 does not support waypoint downloads, but 201 and 301 do.

 

By the way, it's just Geko, NOT eTrex Geko.

 

I can't speak for the eXplorist 100 and the Garmin 72, but I've used both the Geko 201 and iFinder GO. Both are accurate enough for Geocaching, but I prefer the Geko 201 for its quicker response. I prefer the iFinder GO for its unbeatable battery life, 30 hours, even on NiMH rechargeables.

 

Although I don't recommend iFinder GO for casual buyers, it does have an amber backlight with two levels of brightness, if you care about using it at night.

Edited October 31, 2006 by budd-rdc

[FlagFinder]

ive got an explorist 100 and a 210 yes pc capability is xtremely helpful my first gps the 100 was a christmas gift and is was very easy to see at night the backlights red if thats a problem now the other gps's i never heard of much and what ever happened to the geckos they like dissapeared from the shelves but i have used a garmin etrex in geography class (we actually did a geocaching game and i won then he asked if i was a geocacher and turns out he is to.) well anyway the garmins ive seen last longer but maggelans can do more for the money expecially the 210. ***watch for the chrismas and after christmas sales!!! best time to buy.

[ossumguywill]

Explorist is extreeeeeeemlyyyy accurate!!!!!!! So accurate I use it for land surveys! Usually around 3-5 feet (compared to pro coords and gov marker) even when it says 10 feet accuracy.

[spatrick911]

Decided on the Explorist 100, $79 bucks at Walmart. I like the averaging function on them plus it felt good in my hand. And the orange color means a dummy like me won't lose it as easily when I am hiking. Thanks for the comments. I'll try some geocaches this weekend with it now that you guys got me interested.

[+HaLiJuSaPa]

Although I don't recommend iFinder GO for casual buyers, it does have an amber backlight with two levels of brightness, if you care about using it at night.

 

Why not? I didn't find it that hard to use.....

[+budd-rdc]

Although I don't recommend iFinder GO for casual buyers, it does have an amber backlight with two levels of brightness, if you care about using it at night.

 

Why not? I didn't find it that hard to use.....

For starters, I don't expect new buyers to hunt around for the data cable (which are available only from select vendors), then figure out how to download waypoints via NMEA sentences. FYI, the newest version of EasyGPS lists iFinder GO as a supported device, but it simply generates a file. The user still has to find a way to download it to the GPSr.

 

Lowrance can change my mind by documenting some of their features, then maybe software developers can support waypoint downloads (and other undocumented features) better.

 

I've consistently steered people toward buying GPSr's with full support for waypoint downloads. For that reason, I don't recommend it to casual buyers.

[+HaLiJuSaPa]

Although I don't recommend iFinder GO for casual buyers, it does have an amber backlight with two levels of brightness, if you care about using it at night.

 

Why not? I didn't find it that hard to use.....

For starters, I don't expect new buyers to hunt around for the data cable (which are available only from select vendors), then figure out how to download waypoints via NMEA sentences. FYI, the newest version of EasyGPS lists iFinder GO as a supported device, but it simply generates a file. The user still has to find a way to download it to the GPSr.

 

Lowrance can change my mind by documenting some of their features, then maybe software developers can support waypoint downloads (and other undocumented features) better.

 

I've consistently steered people toward buying GPSr's with full support for waypoint downloads. For that reason, I don't recommend it to casual buyers.

 

OK we understand now. We have many, many times in noting our rave reviews for this model cautioned against it if you cache often enough to download waypoints. Our "cache rate" is low enough to do the manual entry thing, but we agree that the process on this unit is complicated enough to assume that you can't download waypoints to it if you're a casual user. Thanks for the clarification.

[+Fuzzywhip]

Good choice in the eXplorist 100.

 

I have been using my 100 for almost a year with over 130 caches found. I find the unit very accurate and easy to use. Plus the large lettering is easy to read (I'm not that old, but I find the lettering and screen on my eTrex Legend a bit small).

 

Good price. Wish I had found that price when I bought mine!

 

Fuzzywhip