July 23, 2005

Handheld GPS Reviews this month in Money Magazine

Five handheld GPS units are reviewed in the August issue of Money Magazine. Not exactly an in depth review of all handhelds, but they take a look at a decently broad range, and evaluate them for their overall value. The highest rated handheld was the Magellan eXplorist 600 with an "A" rating, and then Garmin GPSMAP 60CS with an "A-". The handhelds range from a low price (and low feature set) of $126 on the Magellan eXplorist 100 to the high of $536 on the Garmin GPSMAP 60CS (approx. street prices). (continued)

The article takes a very basic approach to explaining what a GPS can do for you, and how to potentially use one. Despite this basic approach, the article evaluates on some very good attributes: Simple interface, speed, level of customization, display quality, and ease of use.

Overall Ratings Winner: Magellan eXplorist 600 Rating: "A"
Liked for its built in altimeter, barometer and compass. Its user friendly interface, and its expandable memory able to handle a lot of base map details. Dislikes: Tough to use buttons.

Note: Wired Magazine also Rated the Magellan eXplorist 600 best in their review. See related article here.

Garmin GPSMAP 60CS Rating: "A-"
Liked for its clear display, speed of satellite locks, fast USB downloads. Dislikes: challenging set-up, and the thought that the explorist is just as good for a lot less money.

Our Take: In looking at the two units, I can't say that I agree. If you want the larger screen, go with the Garmin. If you value the expandability, and the smaller size overall, the eXplorist 600 looks good. Once you spend this much for a GPS unit, the money difference should be minimal.

Lowrance iFinder H2O Rating: "B+"
Liked for its dual processor speed for quick updatesand the big screen and easy to use buttons. Disliked for for the tough install of the SD Memory cards.

Magellan eXplorist 100 Rating "B"
Liked mostly for its low price and decent set of features. Disliked for the lack of a basemap.

Our Take: Here at the GPS lodge, we can't really see using a GPS without a basemap for anything but the most basic uses. The addition of a basemap adds so much richness that its well worth the upgrade to the next model. For about $40 more, you can upgrade to the Magellan eXplorist 200 which has built in basic maps. The Magellan eXplorist 200 can't receive downloaded detailed maps from optional software but has the basic interstates and state highways.

Brunton Atlas MNS Rating: "B-"
Liked for its large screen its built in altimeter, barometer, and compass, and the expandability through optional add on Governmet grade maps that include back roads. Disliked for its slow satellite fix.