+Cacheoholic Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 I just went out to get my mail and found a REI sale flyer in the box. This is a decent price at a place with an awesome return policy. Quote Link to comment
+michaelnel Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 (edited) There is a $50 rebate too, through 9/30/11. Edited August 24, 2011 by michaelnel Quote Link to comment
+Chrysalides Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 I was just going to post this, but didn't know about the rebate (thanks, michaelnel). Link to rebate PDF : http://garmin.blogs.com/files/oregon_rebate-1.pdf If you'd rather pull it off REI's page : http://www.rei.com/rei/coupons/rebates/#garmin-oregon Quote Link to comment
+michaelnel Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 After my experience with a $369.00 Oregon 450, I still wouldn't buy one for $199, but many will. Quote Link to comment
+Triple Crown Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 REI Labor Day Sale Here's the link to the flyer... Quote Link to comment
+Chrysalides Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 After my experience with a $369.00 Oregon 450, I still wouldn't buy one for $199, but many will. What's the issues you have with the 450? I knew you were unhappy with the Montana. Quote Link to comment
MtnHermit Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 Same REI sale as last Labor Day, $250. The OR 450, now 1 YO, is my go to GPS. No Montana lust here. Quote Link to comment
+michaelnel Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 (edited) After my experience with a $369.00 Oregon 450, I still wouldn't buy one for $199, but many will. What's the issues you have with the 450? I knew you were unhappy with the Montana. This is what I wrote at the time (March 2011): 1) The high resolution display is extremely difficult to read in sunlight. Since I didn't buy it to use indoors, that's a real problem. If you hold it at just the right angle to the sun it looks good, but if you have it on a bicycle mount it is almost never at that angle, which means you can almost never read it. 2) Battery consumption is terrible. I use 2700 mah NiMH Powercell batteries in it and have to carry extras if I am going to be out for a full day. 3) It loses sat sync easily and won't regain it no matter how long I wait unless I power cycle it 4) The "paperless" caching will bite you if you do any caches where pictures are important clues, as it won't download the pics and display them unless you do it all manually (download the pics from geocaching.com to your computer, then transfer them to the gps like any other photo. Unless you think this through before you leave the house, you won't have access to the picturs in the field. 5) It comes with that stupid carabiner clip but no lanyard. If you like to walk with the GPS in your hand, the carabiner clip makes that uncomfortable and you don't have the security against dropping it that a simple lanyard would provide. 6) The Birdseye imagery is a joke. It looks good in the Basecamp application on the computer but on the tiny screen of the Oregon 450 it just clutters stuff up. Downloading enough of it to be useful can be an exercise in futility, I kept on running into "you have exceeded the server limit", even though I had paid the $25 for a year's subscription. 7) The built-in map is useless. If you geocache in the city as I do, you need a detailed auto-routing map, which means buying City Navigator for about $75. 8) The WAAS accuracy enhancement is a joke. It seldom locks on to WAAS signals and even when it does, the accuracy bounces around all over the place. It's TERRIBLE for geocaching. I sent it back to Amazon for a refund. Edited August 24, 2011 by michaelnel Quote Link to comment
+Chrysalides Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 I sent it back to Amazon for a refund. Thanks for the feedback. I won't debate them as this is not the thread for that (and I suspect there's already a thread somewhere where someone did), and that is good info for any potential buyers to know. The good thing about buying from REI is that returning the unit is hassle free. Quote Link to comment
+michaelnel Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Some of the stuff I had problems with has undoubtedly been fixed by firmware upgrades in the interim, but I still don't want another one. Quote Link to comment
+fooleish Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Outstanding. I was gonna pull the trigger and get one this weekend elsewhere; now I'm gonna wait for this sale. Quote Link to comment
+BAMBOOZLE Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 This is a GREAT price on , what I believe, to be the best of the newer paperless units. Field testing , side by side, on well over 1000 hunts has shown that 80-90 % of the time they are as accurate as anything out there.For the other 10% or so they have issues ( discussed in other threads ) that prevent them from getting to GZ as accurately as some older units. My wife uses one as she does the logging and likes having everything on one unit......if these were 100% at getting to GZ I'd get another for me in a heartbeat. I would buy ONE all over again but I would prefer to use my older ones than get a second one. Quote Link to comment
+CacheFreakTim Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Does anyone know if this is online, or in store only? Quote Link to comment
+michaelnel Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 It'll be online too, with free shipping. Quote Link to comment
savant9 Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 It'll be online too, with free shipping. I wonder if they still offer free shipping instore......... Quote Link to comment
+Chrysalides Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 It'll be online too, with free shipping. I wonder if they still offer free shipping instore......... Free standard shipping for all orders above $50. And sale is on now online, apparently. http://www.rei.com/product/798879/garmin-oregon-450-gps Quote Link to comment
+BAMBOOZLE Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 Free shiping,$50 rebate , REI return any time policy.....this is a no-brainer for anyone needing a new unit. All those dozens of what should I buy, paperless, electronic compass, etc threads......just forget about it and buy this unit. Quote Link to comment
+BAMBOOZLE Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 I have a question. Most rebates are cash rebates after a unit has been purchased and comes from the manufacturer. What would prevent someone from paying REI $250, collecting $50 from Garmin and then later returning the unit to REI for a $250 refund thereby making a $50 profit. Just wondering Quote Link to comment
+Chrysalides Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 (edited) I have a question. Most rebates are cash rebates after a unit has been purchased and comes from the manufacturer. What would prevent someone from paying REI $250, collecting $50 from Garmin and then later returning the unit to REI for a $250 refund thereby making a $50 profit. Just wondering Many places will not accept returns without the original box, or if the UPC have been removed from the box. They would exchange if defective, however. I'm not sure what is REI's policy on this. Edited August 26, 2011 by Chrysalides Quote Link to comment
+BAMBOOZLE Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 I have a question. Most rebates are cash rebates after a unit has been purchased and comes from the manufacturer. What would prevent someone from paying REI $250, collecting $50 from Garmin and then later returning the unit to REI for a $250 refund thereby making a $50 profit. Just wondering Many places will not accept returns without the original box, or if the UPC have been removed from the box. They would exchange if defective, however. I'm not sure what is REI's policy on this. I remember now about the UPC....there had to be a way to prevent that kind of scam. Quote Link to comment
+BAMBOOZLE Posted August 27, 2011 Share Posted August 27, 2011 I have a question. Most rebates are cash rebates after a unit has been purchased and comes from the manufacturer. What would prevent someone from paying REI $250, collecting $50 from Garmin and then later returning the unit to REI for a $250 refund thereby making a $50 profit. Just wondering Many places will not accept returns without the original box, or if the UPC have been removed from the box. They would exchange if defective, however. I'm not sure what is REI's policy on this. I remember now about the UPC....there had to be a way to prevent that kind of scam. If receiving a rebate meant you could not return an item it would make you think twice about a rebate especially when buying from someone with as good a return policy as REI. Quote Link to comment
+michaelnel Posted August 27, 2011 Share Posted August 27, 2011 REI's 100% satisfaction guarantee doesn't have any restrictions about UPC codes. You don't even have to return the item in its original packaging. This is the return policy: http://www.rei.com/help/returns-and-exchanges Quote Link to comment
+michaelnel Posted August 27, 2011 Share Posted August 27, 2011 What would prevent someone from paying REI $250, collecting $50 from Garmin and then later returning the unit to REI for a $250 refund thereby making a $50 profit. Nothing but your conscience. Quote Link to comment
+coggins Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 (edited) I have a question. Most rebates are cash rebates after a unit has been purchased and comes from the manufacturer. What would prevent someone from paying REI $250, collecting $50 from Garmin and then later returning the unit to REI for a $250 refund thereby making a $50 profit. Just wondering Without the UPC, they only refund $199.99 Besides that would be theft or fraud. These thing have serial numbers that go along with the rebate form, box, etc... Edited August 28, 2011 by coggins Quote Link to comment
+BAMBOOZLE Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 I have a question. Most rebates are cash rebates after a unit has been purchased and comes from the manufacturer. What would prevent someone from paying REI $250, collecting $50 from Garmin and then later returning the unit to REI for a $250 refund thereby making a $50 profit. Just wondering Without the UPC, they only refund $199.99 Besides that would be theft or fraud. These thing have serial numbers that go along with the rebate form, box, etc... I had no intention of doing that, I just wondered what the protections were against it. Again, while we enjoy having one 450 on the hunt I like to carry a Magellan Platinum or 60 CSx. Yesterday on about 40 hunts the 450 became unresponsive on two or three, all with fairly thick canopy....the older units were dead on all of them. Quote Link to comment
+BAMBOOZLE Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 For $199 this is a great deal. Bumping to the top so folks will be aware of it. Quote Link to comment
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