Garmin or Magallan which one is the best?

[GG1]

I am new to the GPS thing. On a recent trip down south one of my campsite neighbors allowed me to use the Magellan 700 for a 30 mile trip, now my wife has to have one. I am trying to do some research before a purchase, so far I have seen on the web site mostly Garmin and Magellan. So very simply put which one is the best for the money and user friendly.

[GG1]

I am new to the GPS thing. On a recent trip down south one of my campsite neighbors allowed me to use the Magellan 700 for a 30 mile trip, now my wife has to have one. I am trying to do some research before a purchase, so far I have seen on the web site mostly Garmin and Magellan. So very simply put which one is the best for the money and user friendly.

[UPS 34]

We have the Garmin and love it. EZ to use. All loaded with the entire usa. No downloads needed.
screen is a good size. Can see well at night or daylight. Simple to use.

[UPS 34]

GG1
I received your e mail but would not let me answer it?
I have a freind that has the magallan and likes it. I only tryed the Garmin. I did this because I bought it at Best Buys and could get an extra 2 year warrenty for 50 bucks.
I did call for service the day i set it up. You have to do an upload when you first set it up. I did it under trees and lost signal and only had 1/2 the infor. Service was great. No problems in almost 2 years. Good luck on your decision. I don't tink you could go wrong no matter what one you buy. I would look at how it mounts. I did like the mount on the Garmin better. I move it between Motor Home and Cars. Hope this helps...

[LandHo]

I use the garmin 2610. I really like it. I have the mapsource software on my pc so that I can do the trip planning on a laptop too. Get a ram mount (gpscity.com), it makes the installation much easier and stable.

[Jeff_in_The_Dalles]

I have a Magellan 315, which works fine, but my buddy has a Garmin and his can get a lock in places mine won't. Granted, his is on the higher end of their line, where mine is a basic unit.

I have an easier time finding my way through the various features on mine, but my buddy thinks the Garmin is more intrinsic, so it is probably just a case of what you are used to using.

Were I to do it again, I'd seriously consider one of those Rhino things. As I understand it, they are a GPS/FRS 2-way radio combo, and they also use the radio frequency to send their locations back and forth.

Apparently your buddy's location will appear on your map screen, and vice versa. Currently, if I'm out in the woods and need a friend or two at my location, I can just radio over the coordinates, but these would be way handier.

[Stan Birch]

Unless you need pocket portability, laptop computer programs packaged with GPS receivers, like Microsoft Streets & Trips with GPS, outperform hand-held units by a wide margin. See:

MS S&T 2005 GPS Review

[Denali]

I have a Garmin Street Pilot III that crapped out after almost two years. Assuming the one-year warranty was expired, I bought a Garmin 2610. That are both great GPS units.

A couple days after I bought the 2610, I sent an email to Garmin about my Street Pilot III. They said "send it in". I did, and about a week later I received a factory overhauled Street Pilot III from Garmin. It looks like new. Now THAT is customer service!

(Anybody want to buy a Street Pilot III? Send me an email at denali@alaska.net.)

[KD4SHK]

I agree about Garmin's great customer service. The rubber cover on the rear power connection broke off of my Garmin GPSIII (an older unit). I sent Garmin an email, asking about the cost of a replacement cover. About 2 weeks later, I received an envelope in the mail, containing TWO replacement covers, at no charge! Needless to say, when I decided to upgrade to a newer GPS unit a year or so later, I stayed with Garmin.
Sam

[zetron]

I have a eTrex by Garmin. It works great and gives readings accurate to 5 feet or so.

I use it when boondocking to be certain of whose or what's land I spend the night or longer on.

I do not like the fact that this unit does not have an external antenna input on it. I have to take it outside the motorhome and move around to get a reading. However, it would be great for biking or hiking.

David/zetron

[claudio]

I HAVE GARMIN GPS MAP 76 ITS A FEW YEARS OLD I AM VERY HAPPY WITH IT I BOUGHT THE MARINE DOWNLOAD SOFTWARE FOR IT ALSO. THIS IS MY SECOND GPS UNIT THE ONLY ADVICE I THINK WOULD BE GOOD TO GIVE SOMEONE IS NOT TO BUY THE LEAST EXPENSIVE MODEL BECAUSE YOU WILL WANT TO UPGRADE SOON. BUY ONE OF THE BETTER UNITS. I USE MINE IN THE BOAT, WHEN I GO HUNTING, AND WHEN I AM ON THE ATV. IT WORKS LIKE A CHARM AND I HAVE NOT BEEN LOST SINCE I BOUGHT IT.