Garmin Etrex Legend Color GPS Receiver - 010-00358-00

I have used the monochrome version of this GPS for ...

Strengths: COLOR!!!, very readable screen, great battery life, very intuitive interface, routing (read below), 24M RAM, great small size, FEATURES GALORE.

Weaknesses: High price, need to buy a Routing mapset to get the full functionality, very limited base map. The manuals cover the basics very nicely, but leave quite a few sub-menu details and options unexplained.

Summary: I have used the monochrome version of this GPS for years (the Legend), and its screen was pathetic BUT the included base map was AWESOME. Garmin switched these features with the Legend C.

Take no short cuts, buy this unit AND City Selects NA Version 6 (an extra $125 or so), because the included base maps do NOTHING for you as far as streets go. Together, this thing does everything except talk to you. As the other reviewer made note, the routing capabilities are awesome.

For example, let's say you are in a town you are unfamiliar with, but you have the address of the pizza joint you are dying to try. While you will probably be able to find that pizza joint right on the Legend C itself BY NAME (with the City Select NA map set), no worries if all you have is a street address. Use the little joystick/clicker, type in the number, then the street name (it narrows your search as you enter letters). When you have it entered (takes 30 seconds or so typically), then you click Go To, and it calculates a route right on the GPS and gives you turn-by-turn directions (that, unlike Mapquest, actually REFLECT the real turns you will make) and takes you there. It even counts down the miles and alerts you when a turn is coming up.

What if you want to be adventurous and check out a food place, gas station, store, etc. that you never heard of? Well, just click on Find, then choose your category. It returns the names of the places that are nearest to you and then it will take you to those, too. It's all very PG, so no bars are in their directory .

Enough on Routing. Let's talk other extremely useful features. Like an alarm that you can set, shut the unit off and it will turn on and sound the alarm at the appointed time. Then you can easily click Snooze, too!

Want to go geocaching? It was designed with geocaching in mind, it even has cool little icons for "found" and "not found yet" caches. It has a whole geocaching section of its features.

Batteries- I used it for an entire 4-day weekend, mostly at night, on a single charge of NiMH AA's. I'll bet I got 24+ hours of actual on-time, even though I used the backlight a lot. Plus, while you are plugged in to your computer, it powers the unit through the UPS port, saving battery life while transferring data.

If you have ever had to deal with Garmin units connected through your computer's serial port, you will LOVE the fact that this thing is USB connected. Map data, routes, waypoints are transferred in a matter of seconds, not minutes, and forget interruptions like you get with serial ports.

This thing is nicely ruggedized with rubber in all the right places, and it includes a "wrist" strap (long enough to be a neck strap, nicely). I haven't dropped it yet, but it stays put on the dashboard with all that rubber on it. It's also waterproof down to a few feet for a minute of more (gotta check the specs), so geocaching in the rain isn't going to bother it. Get a stick-on screen protector for PDA's (the shiny ones, not the textured ones) and trim it to protect that awesome display.

Finally, you know this thing was designed by HUMANS (read the other review about knowing day vs. night). When you register and load the City Selects mapset, it creates a waypoint on your new GPS called "Home" at the address you enter for home when registering. It also puts several Garmin locations on it, so you know there was a salesman in that design phase somewhere .

Stop whining, get out the VISA and plunk down the $400 or so that this thing costs with the City Selects maps, and make your favorite geocacher (or yourself!) extremely happy.

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The eTrex LegendC (C for color) significantly ...

Strengths: Color, 24 MB memory, does routing (if you have the maps).

Weaknesses: More expensive, requires City Select maps to take full advantage of street routing capabilities.

Summary:

The eTrex LegendC (C for color) significantly improves upon the eTrex Legend in almost every respect.

- The biggest change is color TFT screen. Maps need to be in color, in order to sort out all their detail. The route you are following is now a fat pink line rather than the indistinguishable black line on the older model. The quality (TFT vs. reflective) and better backlighting also improve readability tremendously. It even senses whether it’s day or night and adjusts the color scheme accordingly. (This attention to detail is shown throughout.)

- The second biggest change was the increase in memory from 8MB to 24MB. 8MB wasn’t enough to hold even half of Boston, whereas 24MB can hold most of eastern Massachusetts. Now I can load it up with all nearby maps and not have to worry about whether I’ve got the right maps for an outing.

- In picking up the satellite signals, it seems to have better sensitivity (not losing the signal in the car or under trees) and precision. (My old Legend never told me it achieved accuracy of 10 feet, but the LegendC does.)

- The LegendC can do on the fly routing, whereas the Legend could only draw a straight line to your destination. To take full advantage of this, though, I will have to upgrade my MapSource MetroGuide maps to the routable MapSource City Select maps. It’s quite impressive to see it recalculating a new route after you deviated from its original route. ("Miss a turn? No problem, let me give you a new route.") It also gives turn by turn directions, and pops a warning when a turn is approaching.

- The claimed battery life is improved, although I haven’t been too careful to verify.

- Overall, the interface seems more intuitive and much more configurable.

- There are many new features: geocaching features, proximity alarm, 3-D perspective highway view, six games (including some GPS games, e.g., one that will having you running around a field or parking lot trying to catch imaginary markers), sunrise/sunset/phase of moon/moonrise/moonset, stopwatch, alarm clock, anchor drag alarm and several others.

Overall, I am very happy with the LegendC. I paid $275 for it, but I was able to sell my old Legend (along with the MetroGuide maps) for $175 on Craigs List. However, I still need to get the City Select maps (about $100).

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Garmin Etrex Legend Color GPS Receiver

Strengths: Sharp color screen, size, features, battery life, auto routing, easy software updates.

Weaknesses: Menu is not quite as easy to use as the regular Legend, no case specifically for this model yet, memory card slot would be nice.

Summary: I had the regular Legend for a couple of years and really liked it. It did everything I needed and I thought the screen was very sharp. I didn't think the color model was worth the extra money until I saw how much nicer the display is in person - it really is a big difference. The display is very easy to see both night and day. I did notice that once in a while using the backlight that the lighting level will dim one step. It's very slight and not a problem and may be fixed in a future software update. The "C" does everything the mono version does and more. I did think the menu on the mono Legend was easier to use but maybe I just need some more time to get used to it.

Software updates are quick and easy to do with the included USB cable. I have already updated mine to the latest software version.

I also bought the "City Select N.A. Ver. 7" and I really like it. However, I have found a few minor mistakes when I have been following its directions to an address. When it tells me the destination is on the right side of the road for example, I have found it on the left. Also, I have noticed at least one road with the wrong name. I suspect this is a result of faulty mapping information provided to Garmin, and anyways, it really has nothing to do with the Legend C itself.

24 MB of memory is pretty good but it would REALLY have been nice if Garmin put in a small memory card slot like a Transflash (micro SD?)

The only other thing I wish Garmin would do is make a case that fits this model correctly. The regular Legend case will not fit properly.

In summary, I think the performance of the unit is excellent and I couldn't ask for anything more in a GPS of this size (except for the memory card slot). I would highly recommend it.

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Made the decision to purchase another Garmin produ ...

Strengths: Color screen is nice in this price range. Battery life is better than the old etrex.

Weaknesses: Fixed amount of memory. Detailed mapping software is extra.

Summary: Made the decision to purchase another Garmin product based on the excellent service obtained from an older unit. The color display is bright and customizable for different environments. The battery life has been very good so far. The "click stick" is intuitive and easy to operate. The downside is that detailed maps are a separate purchase, and I would recommend getting a car adapter cord if this unit will be used for long trips.

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Unlike some Magellan models, WAAS mode can be easi ...

Strengths: WAAS capable. Nice color screen. Amazing battery life w/ typical use. Large built-in memory capacity. Rugged Construction. Very small and light.

Weaknesses: "Click stick" not as easy to use as D-pad style control. Doesn't accept flash memory.

Summary: Unlike some Magellan models, WAAS mode can be easily deactivated to preserve battery life. The transflective color screen is easy to read in sunlight without the backlight, which further extends battery life in normal use. Although memory isn't upgradeable, the built-in 24mb can hold a lot of maps data. The small "Click Stick" controller isn't as convenient as a larger pad would be, but is necesitated by the small size of the device.

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A couple of my co-workers have the B&W Legend and ...

Strengths: COLOR SCREEN!!! Long battery life so far. Easy to navigate menues.

Weaknesses: None so far.

Summary: A couple of my co-workers have the B&W Legend and the added feature of color is awesome! This unit is very easy to use, menus are easy to navigate. Battery life seems to be really good - specs say 36 hours - I got more than 20 out of a set of Alkaline. Now I have re-chargables in it - so far so good.

Took it out geocaching a couple nights ago - found our first cache with my kids.

What really surprised me was the other night I was sitting inside the house downloading some waypoints and I flipped over to the satellite screen and it had acquired 3 of them - inside the house! Its still early spring here in WI so the leaves aren't out on the trees yet but I curious to see how this unit does with some overhead cover.

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Nice Little Unit

Strengths: Color screen (readable in daylight!), compact size, battery life, good signal

Weaknesses: limited basemaps, can't directly import waypoints from Geocaching.com (this may be more a weakness with the site than with the unit)

Summary: This is our first GPS unit (primarily purchased for Geocaching), so we don't know how this rates relative to other units, but as newbies we found this to be extremely user friendly. So far we are just using the base maps, but I can see where buying detailed maps would be necessary for driving. We are very pleased thus far and have used it successfully at least 10 times.

It would be nice to be able to directly import waypoints into the unit using the Garmin software, MapPoints (comes with the unit), but it appears that the software doesn't support the Geocaching.com file types.

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Nice

Strengths: Compact, water resistant, good attention to detail

Weaknesses: No memory card (corrected now), Poor tech support, expensive/unavailable maps (for India)

Summary: My background - I live in India, and travel a lot on my bike all over India. First GPS unit, bought after doing a lot of research on the net.

The display is extremely good, and hot fixes are fast. I had ridden to Delhi recently, and even though I did not have a map, the tracking feature ensured that there was really no problem finding my way back in a strange city. The trip computer is very useful too.The unit is very easy to use, though I've not used it for navigation (no maps).

Unfortunately, Garmin has no India city maps. The default map only has some of the major highways and some of the major cities. The India dealer does sell maps that are supposedly compatible, but they cost the equivalent of USD 350. (He also sells this unit for the equiv of USD 800!).

For some reason, the unit was not being recognised by the computer. Tech support advised updating the Trip and waypoint manager. Didn't work, the T&W manager kept claiming that files were missing. Reloading the program from the CD did not help. Tech support was silent thereafter.

Fortunately the missing file was on the CD, and once that file was transferred to the Garmin folder, (wonder why it did not go there in the first place), there was no problem interfacing it. And I think tech support could have tried a bit harder to help solve the problem.

These grumbles aside, I think it is a good buy. The compass does not work at a standstill, but the moment you start moving it re orients itself (not the same as the E compass on the Vista but nearly there). The memory slot on the new Cx would be a big step forward.

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Great little GPS

Strengths: Small Size. Nice maps. Can do lots of "stuff". Price

Weaknesses: The maps are not as detailed as I thought would be. A slightly difficult learning curve for us old people.

Summary: This is a Great Little machine that certainly knows a lot. It will take me a lot longer to learn it than my previous GPS - a Forerunner 101. You definitely have to read the instructions with this one unless you are well versed in GPS properties and abilities. I was disappointed that the maps are not more detailed but they are just fine for a road trip. I think the extra maps you can buy are a little pricey-even if you find them used. I have not tried the geo-caching abilities yet but it seems like it will be a big help in this activity. This unit is definitely small enough to carry around your neck without getting in the way too much. I think a stronger lanyard may be needed as you wouldn't want to lose this pricey unit in the woods. I found it for $202 shipped but I see it is even lower now. All in all I think it is well worth the money.

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