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OR vs CO which should I buy?


llovasco

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o.k. So I am going to purchase a new GPS for geocaching. This is the only thing that it will be used for. I am currently using an Etrex Legend. Which new unit, the CO or the OR should I purchase? I understand there are some small differences in the geocaching modes on them both. I would like to hear from people who have experience with both as to which is the better unit for geocaching. All help would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance!

 

llovasco

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o.k. So I am going to purchase a new GPS for geocaching. This is the only thing that it will be used for. I am currently using an Etrex Legend. Which new unit, the CO or the OR should I purchase? I understand there are some small differences in the geocaching modes on them both. I would like to hear from people who have experience with both as to which is the better unit for geocaching. All help would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance!

 

llovasco

 

I own (for the moment) both a Colorado 300 and an Oregon 300. I can't imagine entering notes/logs, or text in general with the Colorado. I didn't think it was too much of a pain until I used the Oregon. I can't imagine going back to the Colorado. The touchscreen makes it soo much easier.

 

Good luck.

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I live in Michigan but I am somewhat of a fair weather cacher ;) . If it is cold where I need really heavy gloves I probably will not be out.

 

I tried out an Oregon last week at my local Sportman's Warehouse store using heavy winter gloves they had for sale. The touchscreen works with heavy gloves you just loose some of the precision that you get with just your finger. It was easy to accidentially bring up the wrong screen because of the lack of feel with the gloves and because the large fingers covered up a lot of what you were pressing. With a little practice I quickly realized if I used the side of the finger (where the seam was) I had more control of where the pressure was being directed to the screen. It is definitely doable with gloves, not great but doable. Wouldn't want to operate it all the time this way but for occasional use it wouldn't keep me from getting it.

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A factor to consider is where you live as well. I can't imagine trying to use a touchscreen in the dead of winter here with gloves on.

 

No doubt the kind of winter gloves DanOCan will be using in Alberta will be much thicker then those used during a mild/short Tennessee winter. Even so....the glove usability comments on the OR Wiki look like things work very well even with gloves that work around -20c. As bad as Alberta winters are, let's face it, only 20 of them actually have days with highs below that. I think you should be good to go with the OR.

Edited by ryleyinstl
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A factor to consider is where you live as well. I can't imagine trying to use a touchscreen in the dead of winter here with gloves on.

 

No doubt the kind of winter gloves DanOCan will be using in Alberta will be much thicker then those used during a mild/short Tennessee winter. Even so....the glove usability comments on the OR Wiki look like things work very well even with gloves that work around -20c. As bad as Alberta winters are, let's face it, only 20 of them actually have days with highs below that. I think you should be good to go with the OR.

 

Oh, and by the way the gloves I used were not for our TN typical winter weather. Sportsman's Warehouse carries similar merchandise as Cabelas, REI, and Bass Pro Shops. The gloves I tried were gloves that I would use on my hunting expeditions in the Rockies when I am out all day. I wanted to try the worst case scenario with the gloves. The lighter the gloves would greatly enhance the operation.

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I live in Michigan but I am somewhat of a fair weather cacher ;) . If it is cold where I need really heavy gloves I probably will not be out.

 

I tried out an Oregon last week at my local Sportman's Warehouse store using heavy winter gloves they had for sale. The touchscreen works with heavy gloves you just loose some of the precision that you get with just your finger. It was easy to accidentially bring up the wrong screen because of the lack of feel with the gloves and because the large fingers covered up a lot of what you were pressing. With a little practice I quickly realized if I used the side of the finger (where the seam was) I had more control of where the pressure was being directed to the screen. It is definitely doable with gloves, not great but doable. Wouldn't want to operate it all the time this way but for occasional use it wouldn't keep me from getting it.

I imagine, though, with gloves, you are using both hands to operate the touch screen, not one hand as I am using when using my Oregon down in Arizona ... no snow or cold weather down in Phoenix.

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Another thing to consider is the type of memory used. OR uses microSD where CO uses SD. Chances are you have other devices that use SD cards vs. microSD. I think the touch screen is a very cool feature. I also like the idea of having a full keyboard to type on vs using the wheel. I did end up buying the CO 300 a week ago. So far it is awesome. I can't wait to get out and really use it. Either way I think you will really enjoy both units.

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What about the screen? I thought about trading in my CO for an OR until I looked at one. The screen appears to be much harder to see. I don't enter that much text when caching. I enter my logs when I get back. So I decided to keep my CO since I think screen visability is much more important than entering text.

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I imagine, though, with gloves, you are using both hands to operate the touch screen, not one hand as I am using when using my Oregon down in Arizona ... no snow or cold weather down in Phoenix.

 

Yes, 2 hands required from what I saw with heavy gloves on, I don't see how it would be possible to operate it one-handed. With all the talk about operation with gloves, does anyone know what the minimum real world operating temperature of the Oregon is? With the 60CSx Garmin states 5 degrees F is the min., I would think it may be less with the touchscreen display, but just speculating.

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What about the screen? I thought about trading in my CO for an OR until I looked at one. The screen appears to be much harder to see. I don't enter that much text when caching. I enter my logs when I get back. So I decided to keep my CO since I think screen visability is much more important than entering text.

Interesting point. I didn't even think about which screen was better. I too would rather have a better screen over a touch keyboard.

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I own a Colorado 300 AND an Oregon 400t and the Oregon HANDS DOWN is the better unit! I haven't even turned the Colorado on again (after doing accuracy comparisons and the Oregon was WAY better!)

 

I was in the direct sun with my Oregon and could see the screen easily.

 

Just my 2 cents

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I own a Colorado 300 AND an Oregon 400t and the Oregon HANDS DOWN is the better unit! I haven't even turned the Colorado on again (after doing accuracy comparisons and the Oregon was WAY better!)

 

I was in the direct sun with my Oregon and could see the screen easily.

 

Just my 2 cents

 

I find that on my colorado, direct sunlight does not pose a problem, it's near dusk that i have a hard time to see it. My pupils are still constricted from the sunlight, wish Garmin would add a night mode like my 60Cx.

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Don’t purchase either of these ill-conceived units. $500 for a device that is harder to see, less accurate than the older devices it’s replacing and has more bugs then the initial release of Windows Vista. WTF is that?

 

 

Wait a month, go buy a PN-40.

 

Actually, since I DO have BOTH units, and have used BOTH extensively outdoors IN direct sun and shade, I can attest to the fact that the Oregon looks FINE outside AND is very accurate. Last Thursday, 5 caches posted in a mini series. I was 8 miles away from them but FTF'd all 5 of them, 3 of which were right under other cachers noses! My Oregon took me right to the caches. 2 of the others had 60CSx's and mine took me right to the cache! My Colorado would ALWAYS be off at least 10 feet and acts "lethargic" a good bit of the time. Not so with my Oregon! Coming from a 60CSx, I never really did trust the Colorado. It is a poor performer and accuracy is an issue. Add to that the drifts of 170 feet or more!

 

I have NEVER experienced ANY drift with my Oregon! Even under tree cover! And no, I don't work for the Oregon team at Garmin. It is only my HONEST opinion! I trust my Oregon completely. My 60CSx can now stay in the drawer (which I ALWAYS took along with my Colorado because of accuracy problems!)

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I sell Garmin GPSr's in an outdoor store and have had pretty in depth experience with both units. The previous posters are right: the Oregon blows the Colorado away!

Seems like to me that the Colorado was sort of a miscarriage for Garmin. Its displayis a little more visible, but not worth the other short comings of the Colorado. The Colorado's I used were very problematic. The Oregon is truly a pleasure to use!

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My opinion.... The ability to add notes easier is the only real advantage to the Oregon, so it depends on whether this is important to you or not.

 

I find the interface better and faster on the Colorado for most things, but it is close enough to be a personal choice thing.

 

The Oregon screen is much harder to see and REQUIRES backlight all of the time. I rarely feel the need for backlight on the Colorado. So expect to use batteries at twice the rate if you have an Oregon.

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I sell Garmin GPSr's in an outdoor store and have had pretty in depth experience with both units. The previous posters are right: the Oregon blows the Colorado away!

Seems like to me that the Colorado was sort of a miscarriage for Garmin. Its displayis a little more visible, but not worth the other short comings of the Colorado. The Colorado's I used were very problematic. The Oregon is truly a pleasure to use!

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