Help Picking First GPS Unit

[pshlax4]

OK. I have looked around the forum a bit and looked through some helpful posts. I have weighed my options and have narrowed it down to three GPS Units:

• Garmin eTrex Legend
  
• Magellan eXplorist 210
  
• Garmin GPS 60
  

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Also if you have a different GPS Unit in mind feel free to post ur suggestion. Please keep in mind i am on a budget though of somewhere around $200. Thanks in advance.

 

-Kyle

Edited June 6, 2007 by pshlax4

[+Semper Questio]

The main thing s to consider how you plan to use it, how you may use, and what features (screen size, weight, driving directions, color or b/w, etc.) are important to you then select which of these devices meet your needs and preferences best.

 

I don't have experience with these particular units so I can't speak to one vs the other, but when it comes to getting you close to a cache, they should all perform pretty much equally well. Its the bells & whistles you want that will really make the difference.

 

Beyond that, I can say without a doubt after having owned a Maggie and a Garmin, that Garmin's customer service, in my experience, is FAR superior to Magellan's. That alone would be a major issue for me.

[+briansnat]

The Legend is an older unit with a limited 8 megs of map memory. It was a good unit in its day, but is a bit long of tooth and there is a lot better out there.

 

The Magellan eXplorist 210 is a good unit, but a little more difficult to use than the Garmin and heaven forbid if you have a problem and need to call customer service.

 

The GPS 60 is a pretty decent basic unit.

 

Since you said under $200, why not look at the Garmin Venture CX. It is around $180 and the kind of unit you won't look at in a year and wish you had something better. You can grow into the Venture CX by adding map memory (up to 2 gigs), mapping with autorouting (turn by turn driving directions). It also has a color display, while the others you mentioned are all B/W.

 

Another very good choice would be the Lowrance iFinder H20. It's around $140 just for the unit and like the Venture CX you can add mapping and more memory at a later date. The only negative that the H20 has is that it doesn't support autorouting.

[pshlax4]

Thanks for the suggestions, but while I was looking at the Garmin Venture Cx, I noticed the Garmin Vista Cx. I found the Vista for a pretty good price, but the only main differences are the electronic compass, the barometric altimeter, and the included memory card. The altimeter doesn't really mean a lot to me but I was wondering how valueable the electronic compass feature was?

[+admo1972]

The usefulness of the electronic compass varies from person to person. I specifically wanted the Vista because of the electronic compass.

 

I find that when far from the cache, the EC isn't needed. You are generally walking at a good pace on a trail and the GPSr will point towards the cache based on your movement.

 

When at a medium distance from the cache (say 200 feet+), I find it very useful. You can stand still and get a decent bearing to the cache. You can walk a wide loop of the where the cache ought to be, and get a good, constant fix on it's general location. No need to worry about walking erratically or which way you point the GPSr. A GPSr without an EC will point all over the place in this situation.

 

When very close to the cache (<40 feet), it is not so useful. Occasionally it may point to the cache, if you are getting accurate readings. Otherwise it will just as often point behind you.

[+StarBrand]

The need to re-calibrate the electronic compass regularly is frustrating. I only used one on a GHPS for 2 days but I did not find it all that useful. Of course my watch includes a compass so I tend to use that anyway. Keep moving if it looks funny and you will be ok.

 

Let me also throw in for the Garmin venture Cx - nice unit.

 

If you can wait a bit - the forthcoming garmin Legend Hcx looks like it will be a rock solid unit. However it will be a bit over $200.

[pshlax4]

Right now i am leaning very strongly towards the Venture Cx. It has lots of the higher end features and is a great price. Thank you for all the help and if anyone else has a suggest feel free to post it.

[+tokencollector]

I don't have any experience with the specific models that interest you. My general advice would be to think about what things you are likely to use the GPSr for.

 

As an example: When I bought my unit, I was thinking of using it for scouting, so I wanted on that would load topo maps. Color was also a big plus. I also figured it might be useful for getting around places I a was unfamiliar with so I wanted a decent map. While researching GPSrs I discovred geocaching and the ability to easily load waypoints became a plus too. I chose what seemed to be the best value for the combination of features that interested me. I'm still quite happy with the unit today (3 years later), though I am starting to consider a replacement.

 

The bottom line is: Think about what you might want to do with the GPSr, and within your budget choose the unit with the most appopriate range of features.

 

Personally, I wouldn't get hung up on brand. I suspect that most manufacturers make good units. There are those that like to have "Ford" vs. "Chevy" debates around the different mfgs. Don't get sucked into those too deeply. Both of the major brands have many strengths and I suspect that the others do too. In the long run, differences in accuracy of 2-3' won't significantly affect your ability to find geocaches. Useful features will be indispensible.

[+Soup Clan]

We own a Garmin Vista Cx. I have used a few other, this one is great. Does everything i need it to. I use it while on my mountain bike and in the car. Best of both worlds. thats just my $.02

[+briansnat]

Thanks for the suggestions, but while I was looking at the Garmin Venture Cx, I noticed the Garmin Vista Cx. I found the Vista for a pretty good price, but the only main differences are the electronic compass, the barometric altimeter, and the included memory card. The altimeter doesn't really mean a lot to me but I was wondering how valueable the electronic compass feature was?

 

Don't confuse the Vista with the Vista CX. The Vista will be about the same price as the Venture CX. The Vista isn't close to the same unit. It's an older B/W unit that doesn't have expandable memory, autorouting or a USB connection. The Vista CX does, but should cost at least $100 more than the Venture CX.

 

Some people (I'm one of them) wouldn't buy a unit without an electronic compass. Others don't find them to be worth the extra expense. They have to be calibrated every time you change the batteries and you can get as good or better results with a $10 handheld comapss.

[roy&roz]

I've used a Lowrance iFinder GoII from the beginning. It was $99. I have used this unit while caching with friends that had much more expensive units that could not keep a signal. The Lowrance put us on the cache everytime.

 

I have learned just this week, that geocaching.com ONLY supports GARMIN with downloading waypoints directly to the unit. That was the only reason I was considering a premium membership. Hopefully they will expand that feature to include other makers.

[pshlax4]

 

Don't confuse the Vista with the Vista CX. The Vista will be about the same price as the Venture CX. The Vista isn't close to the same unit. It's an older B/W unit that doesn't have expandable memory, autorouting or a USB connection. The Vista CX does, but should cost at least $100 more than the Venture CX.

 

 

Yea, I found the Vista Cx for a good price. It is $220 from Walmart's online store, but I am still leaning towards the Venture Cx.

[+gcfishguy]

I just picked up a Legend CX for $199 (Canadian). Absolutely happy with it.

Before that I had a Venture, and a yellow eTrex before that.

 

I thought about the barometer and electronic compass, then decided that the baromater was of no use to me.

As for the compass, a good quality magnetic compass works much better. And, I always have a good compass with me anyway.