Dutch Master Posted December 31, 2005 Share Posted December 31, 2005 Hi, I would like to purchase my first handheld GPS unit for geocaching. There are so many to choose from and so many options that my head is spinning. I would like to keep it in the $200 range (great prices on Amazon.com) and have narrowed it down (I think) to the Garmin Etrex Vista or the Magellan Explorist 210. If you use either of these models would you please share the pros and cons of them? Or if you have a better suggestion for what I should get, please let me know. The main reason for getting this would be geocaching but it might be nice to be able to use it while traveling (directions) as well. Thanks for your help! Quote Link to comment
+JohnnyVegas Posted December 31, 2005 Share Posted December 31, 2005 Between those two. I would go with the Explorist 210. I has about the same memory as the Vista. but it will have a new receiver, THe 210 also has a sytem that allows you to keep you caches saved in file that you can break down into geographic ares, or in files of cache types. AS far as the magnetic compass in the vista, I am not a real big of a Magnetic compass in a GPS and less of a fan of the one that Garmin uses. Unless you hols the GPS leval it will not be accurate and you can get a real baseplate compass for a lot less. I also see no need for a barometer in a GPS. Quote Link to comment
Photobuff Posted January 1, 2006 Share Posted January 1, 2006 They all suck or they're all great, depending on your world outlook. Try to choose one that sucks in a way that doesn't bother you. IMO, the 210 is a lot of unit for the dollar. It has a great receiver and that results in very good accuracy under most conditions. As I noted in another post, it doesn't update the time, and will require a reset every month or so. The file system is the same as Windows, so it's extremely easy to upload and download POIs and the like. Battery life is good- I cycle two pairs of NiMH AAs, and never run out of juice in the field. I prefer the screens to the Garmins, but a Garmin user would probably prefer what he/she started with as well! They *all* have somewhat buggy software. Quote Link to comment
+allory Posted January 1, 2006 Share Posted January 1, 2006 i have one of each, and for geocaching with a bit of vehicle nav thrown in i would go with the eX 210. there are certainly places where i would take the vista, but in the greyscale version it won't do autorouting and doesn't do some of the geocaching tricks as smoothly as the newer models. Quote Link to comment
+Cowboy59 Posted January 1, 2006 Share Posted January 1, 2006 (edited) I rcently purchased the etrex vista and explorist 210 and used both for 3 weeks before returning the vista unit in favor of the 210. I should be completing my complete review this week. User friendliness of the 210 was a major factor and the fact that it connected to my laptop via usb (couldn't use serial) and the fact that the 210 kept a signal lock when in my car (not sitting on the dashboard) much better than the vista. Hope this helps and will send you a copy of my final review. You can email me through geocaching.com at Cowboy59 and I will reply to you with my finished review as that may be sooner then when I get it posted up to the web. Edited January 1, 2006 by Cowboy59 Quote Link to comment
Dutch Master Posted January 1, 2006 Author Share Posted January 1, 2006 What about the Magellan Explorist 400 versus the 210? I've got the specifications for both in front of me and it's very confusing. I'm a newbie. It looks like the main difference is the SD card capability for the 400. Is this worth the extra money? Quote Link to comment
+Redwoods Mtn Biker Posted January 1, 2006 Share Posted January 1, 2006 I've got some consolidated review info here on the eXplorist 210 and Vista. Sorry, I don't have the 400 up yet. Rich Owings www.MakeYourOwnMaps.com www.GPStracklog.com “We were desert mystics, my friends and I, poring over our maps as others do their holy books.” – Edward Abbey Quote Link to comment
+GOT GPS? Posted January 1, 2006 Share Posted January 1, 2006 The Vista has not been a good GPS, and I had one for about 4 years. The reception is pretty bad. The better one on the Garmin side is the Legend C, with long battery life, and a Trip Computer Page, that actually shows things like TRIP TIME, and TIME MOVING, that the Magellans don't show. So both the Magellans and Garmins, have limitations, but you can do alot with the Explorist 210, and save a bunch of Track and waypoint files on it, like it's an external USB drive of a PC. Quote Link to comment
+VtEds Posted January 2, 2006 Share Posted January 2, 2006 Hello! I'm totally a newbie here and am in the process of researching the purchase of my first GPS unit. I too have been somewhat overwhelmed with the choices. In reading these posts I almost detect a bias toward the Megellan side of things as opposed to the Garmin? (as has been said they both have pros and cons) I am also looking to buy in the $200 range and followed with interest the discussion comparing the Vista and Explorist 210. But I've been drawn to the Legend C and would appreciate any feedback on that unit. To go with that am I just buying more bells and whistles? Would I get more bang for the buck by getting the less expensive unit with less frills? I was a little concerned that it did not seem to have external antenna or 12 volt adaptor capability. Any thoughts would be appreciated! Thanks in advance... Quote Link to comment
+embra Posted January 2, 2006 Share Posted January 2, 2006 What about the Magellan Explorist 400 versus the 210? I've got the specifications for both in front of me and it's very confusing. I'm a newbie. It looks like the main difference is the SD card capability for the 400. Is this worth the extra money? You are right; the SD capability of the 400 enhances the usefulness of the unit. Whether the price difference is worth it to you or not is your call. My personal opinion is that it *is* worth the bucks, since it allows you to grow in your use of the unit. You might just start out with the basic unit and no additional detail map software--either unit would be comparable at that level. Both of them will hold a lot of POI data. You might soon decide that detail maps are a Good Thing (the basemap doesn't have much more than main highways and large town/city names). You can buy MapSend DirectRoute, which allows for autorouting with turn-by-turn street directions, or MapSend Topo3D, which has the same street data but also topo contours...but no autorouting. Here the 400 starts to have an advantage, because the limited memory of the 210 keeps you in a relatively small section of detail map coverage. The 400 can hold larger detail map files (allowing for autorouting over longer distances) and it will also hold as many detail map files as the size of the card allows...a 1gb card will hold *almost* the entire US. With the rebate being offered, the step to the 400 is not much. Once you start inching up, though, you may need to also give consideration to the other Garmin models a notch up from the Vista (yep, here you go into increasing complexity again!) I don't know too much about those units so I can't say much useful in that regard. If you are finding it overwhelming, I think there is a lot to say for your instinct to start with an entry-level model and use it for a while. You probably will outgrow it in a year or so, but by then you will have a good feel for what features are and are not important to you. *Then* you can make an informed decision for your ideal unit. There's a good market here or on eBay for re-selling your first purchase (think of it as a one-year lease), or maybe you'll decide to gift it to someone else or even keep it for a backup. Quote Link to comment
+JohnnyVegas Posted January 2, 2006 Share Posted January 2, 2006 Hello! I'm totally a newbie here and am in the process of researching the purchase of my first GPS unit. I too have been somewhat overwhelmed with the choices. In reading these posts I almost detect a bias toward the Megellan side of things as opposed to the Garmin? (as has been said they both have pros and cons) I am also looking to buy in the $200 range and followed with interest the discussion comparing the Vista and Explorist 210. But I've been drawn to the Legend C and would appreciate any feedback on that unit. To go with that am I just buying more bells and whistles? Would I get more bang for the buck by getting the less expensive unit with less frills? I was a little concerned that it did not seem to have external antenna or 12 volt adaptor capability. Any thoughts would be appreciated! Thanks in advance... There is no bias, the Explorist 210 for it's price is a very good deal. Between the Garmin Vista and the Explorist 210 the Explorist 210 is a better unit. The Explorst 210 has a newer receiver technology which is going to maintain a better lock, the Vista has been on the market for a very long time and is older technology. The only other Garmin GPS in the same price as the Explorist 210 is the Legend which is as old as the Vista but only has 8MB of memory compared to the 22MB in the Explorist 210. It has nothing to do with Bias, it is just the way it is. You would be hard [pressed to find a GPS that offers as much as the 210 in the same price range. I have seen the explorist 210 for about $155.00 in some places. Quote Link to comment
+GOT GPS? Posted January 2, 2006 Share Posted January 2, 2006 (edited) Amazon prices: Etrex Legend C = $229.99 Explorist 210 = $164.99 Explorist 400 = $279.99 <-A Bit higher than $200 Edited January 2, 2006 by GOT GPS? Quote Link to comment
+embra Posted January 2, 2006 Share Posted January 2, 2006 Compuplus and Harmony Computers are the places I usually check for Magellan prices. I didn't look at Harmony, but Compuplus is listing it for $240 - 50 rebate = $190. (of course, they'll hit you up for a little S&H charge in there). Quote Link to comment
+Team SAR-Dogs Posted January 2, 2006 Share Posted January 2, 2006 We've had our 210 for a few weeks after using an old 310 for a few years. The 210 is great compared to our old Magellan. And, we paid around $165 through The GPS Store. The only thing I don't like about it is that geocache waypoints cannot be deleted "in the field" (or I'm missing something). Regular POI's can be deleted as you go but not geocaches. They must be deleted using a PC. I'm having a little trouble fully understanding the Magellan Geocache Manager but I'm sure that will come as I use it more. I highly recommend this unit for the money! Quote Link to comment
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