60cs Vs 76cs

[+WxGuesser]

I did the comparison and it looks to me like the only differance is the memory. Is 56 megs enough for having topo and street nav maps? also it looks to me like the 60cs is designed alittle better.. (easier to use the buttons) comments please....

[+Sputnik 57]

The 76 is a little larger, has twice the memory, and it floats. Floating is great if you drop the unit out of your canoe on the lake. Not so good if you drop it in a fast moving stream while hiking.

 

I got the 60C because I liked the feel better, but to each his (or her) own.

 

With 56MB of memory, I have loaded both City Select and Topo maps for Houston and the surrounding area to a radius of about 60 miles, but City Select maps have lots of waypoint and turn-by-turn data. Topo maps take up less room. As I recall, you can load all of Washington and Oregon, or all of Arizona and New Mexico into 56 MB. I can't quite get all of Texas in 56MB, but can get about 2/3s of it (Remember that El Paso is closer to LA than it is to Beaumont).

[+TheHFamily]

Boy -- this topic comes up a lot.

 

Is 56MB enough? Some would say you can never have enough

 

I suggest you be specific about what areas you want to "hold" in your GPS and someone (including me) will look and give you feedback on storage requirements.

 

In terms of "easier" it really is a matter of preference. I actually prefer the 76c (the one I own) because of how the buttons are placed. The software and functionality are the exact same. Also the 76c/cs has better basemaps then the 60c/cs. I really suggest you do what I did: go to someplace like Galayans and look and hold both and see what you think. I like the extra memory for basically the same price or at most $50 more.

 

Good luck.

 

TheHFamily

[+Renegade Knight]

My take.

 

60 Smaller better to hold. less memory, geocaching mode.

76 larger, floats better, more memory.

 

Buttons are a matter of preference. Top is easy to use with your thumb while hiking. Bottom isn't too bad either but I do like the top better.

[Hankhan]

Doesn't the 76 series have the same geocaching mode as the 60 series?

 

I'd suggest you do a search for this topic, it's been discussed a lot here.

[robertlipe]

Yes, the 76C and 76CS have geocaching mode, just like the 60 brothers do.

[+TheHFamily]

The 76c/cs series is larger but not like a car vs a breadbox that is for sure. When I held them both, I could not tell much of a difference at all.

 

Here are the exact dimension numbers:

 

76c/cs: 6.2" H x 2.7" W x 1.4" D unit dimensions and 7.6 ounces with batteries

 

60c/cs: 6.1" H x 2.4" W x 1.3" D unit dimensions and 7.5 ounces with batteries

 

And yes, the 76c/cs has the exact same firmware and functionality as the 60c/cs and I love my 76c for geocaching.

 

The bigger question you might want to ask yourself is do you really need the cs vs the c.

 

I have not looked up recent pricing, but I would think the 60cs is approx the same price as a 76c.

 

TheHFamily

Edited December 18, 2004 by TheHFamily

[+lakedawgs]

I have a 60C and chose it over the 76 series simply by the way it felt in my hand. The 76 series felt like a large remote control. But as someone else mentioned, thats strictly up to your own taste.

I can fit street level and topo maps for my entire home state, Indiana on the 60C, which I felt was plenty. Also, we just took a trip to DC for Thanksgiveing and I fit street level mapping for the entire route and also fit topo maps for the DC area. I have felt, after some usage, that the 56 megs has been plenty.

I was going to go with the CS and the store I bought from did not have it but the salesman said take the 60C and 'test drive' it, if I wanted to bring it back and get my $ back that was fine. I have NEVER felt like I am missing anything by not having the compass or barometer. I also carry a small compass in my pack that rarely sees the light of day.

Good luck, its an agonizing but fun process to choose a GPSr.

lakedawgs

[+GOT GPS?]

Those PDA screen Protectors will be easier to put on a 76CS than the 60CS. I got both the 76S and 60C, and the Plastic screen on the 60C is beveled, making it hard to put a screen protector on the 60C. I can wrap my fingers around the 60C much easier than the 76S. Kinda wished I could trade in my 76S for a 76CS, but the 76S does have a nice big screen that is 180x240 resolution, making it better in resolution than the 76CS.

 

Alot of people are saying that color screens are not needed, but in my case, I find that the tracklogs on B&W screens get lost in the grey area of Park Lands on a B&W screen, so I do like color.

 

Edited in:

The way I see it the 76C is good for driving, and the 60C is good for on foot.

Edited December 18, 2004 by GOT GPS?

[peter]

I don't think anyone mentioned yet that the basemap is considerably more detailed in the 76c/cs (13 MB) compared to the 60c/cs (8MB).

 

It makes it more practical to use the basemap for routing between destinations and only download detailed maps for the destination areas.

[+jollybgood]

The 60CS does float by the way.

 

I'm seen it with my own eyes. ;D

 

Also someone posted a video here a while back showing one floating in the kitchen sink.

 

The bob like a fishing bobber vertically rather than on thier side like a bar of soap.

 

But they do float.

[+Sputnik 57]

The 60CS does float by the way.

 

I'm seen it with my own eyes. ;D

 

Also someone posted a video here a while back showing one floating in the kitchen sink.

 

The bob like a fishing bobber vertically rather than on thier side like a bar of soap.

 

But they do float.

In my experience, they are sort of neutrally buoyant. They certainly don't sink like a rock.

[+Team DEMP]

If you tell one of us where you are located, we can tell you, for that immediate area, how much fits into 56MB on the 60 and how much into 115MB on the 76.

 

For me, I looked to see what would allow me to take all the meg segments along a route I often take between northern NJ and southeastern NC. I couldn't fit all the detailed map segments into the 60. It's important to fit the detailed segments along a route if you want to take a specific route defined on the PC and downloaded. You can't use the basemap for that.

 

Also, my previous unit was a GPS V and when held in the vertical mode, the buttons were on top so it was more "normal" for me to have the buttons on the top of the screen. Also, as someone else mentioned, using your them to press the buttons isn't a problem.

 

I don't think there's a belt clip like on the 60 series, but from many reports here, it's been less then fully functional for many, with it breaking off and sending the GPS flying. I got a neoprene case for my 76CS at http://www.thegpsstore.com/detail.asp?product_id=BE200 which provides some protection for it and also has a clip that allows you to, if you used it, have the GPS hang in the proper orientation. Others I saw had it hanging upside down. Also, the clip is very comfortable when holding in your hand (as I do on 10+ mi hikes). The entire open area on the case is covered in thick clear plastic but you can still push the buttons with your thumb.

 

Give us specifics on where you are and what you want to do with it - drive a lot? boat with it? just geocaching/hiking with it and how far out from your home location do you normally go?

 

The good thing is, vs my serial GPS V, the USB on the unit allows for much, much, much quicker updating of the map segments so if you decide to go with the lesser memory, updating for the new area won't take a long time.

[+WxGuesser]

I'm currently in South Korea! But in Feb I'll be in Fairfield Ca. Near the Bay Area. I want to use the gps for: 1. Geocaching 2. Hiking 3. Traveling to Utah/Idaho/and to New York. I want to have street maps and Topo maps stored on it....I was leaning toward the 60cs, but now I'm thinking that I might need to get the 76cs due to the memory issues. I really like the design of the 60 series much better so I'm still kind of torn. I still think the buttons on the bottom of the gpsr would be more convienent.. but maybe I'll just have to get used to them on the top. I could always take a laptop and upload maps when I get to where I'm going. Hummm..

[+Team DEMP]

I did a quick sweep of where you are going to live and the area you can fit in the 60C(S) where you load both City Sleect 6 and Topo for the map segments extends from about the following places:

 

Fort Bragg along the north west point

Just west of Reno on the north east point

Big Sur on the south west point

Avenal on the south east point

[+Klatch]

Not so good if you drop it in a fast moving stream while hiking.

 

In my experience, they are sort of neutrally buoyant. They certainly don't sink like a rock.

 

Then it really wouldn't make much difference which one got dropped into a stream.

 

I have a 76CS only because I got it for a very good price and I have been very happy with it. I like the way the 60 series looks, but I'm glad I have the extra memory and the basemap works surprisingly well for on road navigation.

[+fosterbass]

There's a $50 rebate on the 76 series now (through Jan 15th) making the net price only about $20 more for all that extra memory. Hmm. That sure is tempting. The rebate brings the price down to about $400 from amazon.

 

I think I lost my Rino120 yesterday. I haven't given up looking yet, but if I can't find it tomorrow, I think I'll buy a 76CS.

[+Three Bees]

I bought the 76CS because it also included a screen for tide charts (I don't believe the 60 series has this). There are a few geocaches in my area that are dependant upon low tide for accessibility and I though it would be better to have it on my GPS than to carry another reference guide.

[CenTexDodger]

The 60 series also does tide predictions. Garmin does not provide support for this, but it does work.

[+WxGuesser]

anybody who has held both of them.... which one feels more comfortable/ease of use for the buttons? Does it feel awkward with the buttons ontop?

[+ShowStop]

anybody who has held both of them.... which one feels more comfortable/ease of use for the buttons? Does it feel awkward with the buttons ontop?

I have used both the 76s and now have the 60c. I like the buttons on the 76 better, simply because they are a little larger. The buttons on the 60 are fine ergonomically, but they are smaller making them a little harder to work with. Personally, I like the feel of the 60 in my hand better then the 76. I think the button issue will just work itself out the more I use it.

[+TheHFamily]

I compared both before I bought. Neither felt especially bad to me. I think you will quickly adapt to either one.

[+WxGuesser]

now i'm starting to lean toward the 76cs.. humm... maybe i'll have my mind made up intime for the after xmas sales... Hopefully they'll have some after xmas sales

[+eureeky]

I have a 76cs and I'm very hapy with the button placement on top. It gives you more GPS to hang on to while pressing the buttons with one hand. I have remote controls at home that are more awkward to operate with one hand than my GPS. The extra memory is extra nice too. With the $50.00 rebate being offered on the 76c/cs series, a more detailed base map and the extra memory, it made my decision between a 60cs and the 76cs an easy one. Good luck and happy shopping.

[+G O Casher]

I bought the 76cs a couple of weeks ago at GPSNOW.COM. It was the best price I could find at a reputable place, and came to $435.00. After the $50.00 rebate, it comes to $385.00, which is only about $20-25 more than the 60cs. gpsnow.com also goes by the name 4x4books.com, and they are listed on the Garmin website as an authorized dealer, and they send an original invoice to send in with the rebate.

Good luck

[+WxGuesser]

I just won a garmin 60cs for 345.00... thank you ebay...

[+fosterbass]

I bought the 76cs a couple of weeks ago at GPSNOW.COM.

Thanks for the tip G O Cacher. I ordered my 76CS from GPSNOW.COM and I'm expecting it tomorrow - just in time for a New Year's Day Hike!

[+G O Casher]

Thanks for the tip G O Cacher.

 

Your welcome. Hope you enjoy your new toy.