Handheld GPS Reviews

Magellan eXplorist 200 Water Resistant Hiking GPS Product Reviews

Terrific GPS for Family Geocaching, August 20, 2004

My 8-year old son read an article about Geocaching and really got excited. I wanted to get a GPS handheld that offered great value and ease-of-use. I tried the Garmin eTrex, eTrex Legend, Geko and the Magellan eXplorist 200 (a local Geocaching club let me field test the units) and I downloaded the manuals from the Garmin/Magellan websites and poured over them.
The verdict — I bought the eXplorist 200. The base map gives you the major freeways, highways, and cities — even parks and national landmarks. The buttons and functions were the most intuitive of any of the models tested — very important when you have children operating the unit. The LCD screen is as big as the expensive models and highly legible in ambient light. My son loves it and the entire family is getting lots of hikes and geocaching done in the great outdoors.
What happens next? I will save up for a more powerful unit with a PC connection, map software, etc, now that we are hooked on GPS navigation. The eXplorist will remain with my son — like cell phones, it is always a good idea to have an extra one around…

Explorist 200 has no PC interface, April 7, 2006

Why does this handheld need 16 mb of memory when the unit only comes with 10 mb of maps loaded and no PC interface. The specs are misleading and I feel stupid having not done more research before purchasing this unit. The Explorist 210 has a PC interface and 22 mb of space to load more maps if needed. My main gripe is that I work with GIS and I wanted to be able to grab my waypoints off the unit via a usb, but now I have to enter them manually. Normally this wouldn’t be a huge deal, but I may have hundreds by the time I’m done. I recommend this unit if you want a nice, light, good display, and feature for the money, but if your looking for PC interconnectivity, then buy the Explorist 210 or 400. The Explorist 100/200/and 300 don’t have this feature. Also don’t buy the PC cable at the bottom of the page that Amazon recommends because it fits a different Magellan series all together.

F Scot

Entry Level–Not too durable, December 16, 2005

This Magellan GPS unit is a good entry level GPS device. It tells you where you are and keeps a track log. The reported accuracy never got to the 10 feet WAAS accuracy, but it was fair. There was a 45ft difference between the 1st and 2nd stories of my house when infact there is only 8ft.

Pros:
Good entry unit for the price
Shows you where you are

Cons:
Maps are pretty much useless, it shows you the interstates and highways as of 3-4 years ago. Don’t count on it to find anything.
No PC interface — spend a few dollars more
Not very rugged

I had this unit and in less than 12 hours, my screen was broken. There is a weak spot betwen the eXplorist 200 logo and the magellan name on the screen protector. The area there pushes on a weak spot on the LCD glass/screen on the inside. Too much pressure cracks the screen. I had it in my pocket just testing it out. I drove home and when I pulled it out, the screen was broken. No drops, bangs, or jarations; just maybe a slight pressure on that weak spot. The replacement price for the LCD screen is $60. Don’t bother buying the amazon warranty because it doesn’t cover anything like that.

Great Starter GPS, June 5, 2005

I just started Geocaching a few months ago and after doing research on available GPSs in my price range, I decided to choose this one. It is a great starter unit that does not have so many functions that the directions on usage overwhelm you (we all know about VCR programming!) It has great screen readout, easy-to-program waypoints, and a nice size.

On the downside, it can be a bit slow initiating at startup and there is no PC connection capabilities. But then again, it’s supposed to be a simple unit and with 16MB it should serve you well. However, I wouldn’t recommend it for driving since it’s not designed for that and there are models out there better suited for that purpose.

All in all, if you’re looking for a great basic model, I would recommend it. The Garmin eTrex Legend is comparable but this Magellan has better accuracy, more channels, and more route capabilities.

I haven’t regretted this purchase.

Mediocre Quality GPS, May 20, 2005

Being an owner of both the Garmin eTrex, and the Magellan 200, I find that:

DOWNSIDE
—————-
1) The Magellan is slow to lock on and frequently cannot get 3D accuracy with even 4 satellites.
2) The carrying case *blows chunks*. A _cheap_ zipper bag that you have to take your belt off to wear it or remove it. Garmin’s is form-fitting with a belt clip, clear viewing port, and velcro– much better.
3) The Magellan has *no* interface for a PC, which even the most basic Garmin eTrex has, which is important because the PC interface is used for (cigarette power adapter, PC data uplink, and firmware ugprade to GPS downlink).
4) The battery compartment holdig-bolt requires numerous turns to to loosen, whereas the Garm etrex requires 1/2 turn.
5) No lanyard comes with the unit, although it has a molded place for one to be attached to. eTrex’ come with lanyards.
6) Screen has a tendency to repaint, even if you’re not moving
7) GUI interface is clumsy, and has a “cluttered” look to it.
the ‘joystick’ or jog-stick too easily depressed causing you to select something when you were only trying to scroll.
9) It has an option to erase the contents of the unit entirely. Why? there is NO WAY TO RELOAD IT.
10) This does not show you *where* the satellites are in relation to you, which the Garmin eTrex does.

UPSIDE:
—————
1) Backlight is very nice
2) Screen is larger
3) Has a field in it to put identity info or “reward” message

PRICEWISE:
—————
Pricewise, the basic eTrex costs $89, whereas this ran me $139. I don’t care for the mapping function, it’s annoying. I don’t use it for road navigation. And I don’t know how it would update the maps anyway, without a PC interface to upgrade it.

OVERALL:
—————
Overall, not worth the money. It falls down in almost all the areas a serious, fast-paced user requires. I rate it about $60 too much in comparison to the Garmin.

As it is, I disliked the crummy carrying pouch so much, I found it will barely fit in the extra Garmin eTrex Holster I had. Garmin’s are also smaller on the hip. I would not have bought this, but lost my Garmin.

I have to say I found the Garmin to be much more professional, functional, and useful, and will end up buying one again. this Magellan goes up on eBay, today.

good for what it is, September 26, 2006

I see a lot of reviews saying, “Good entry level GPS!” I do not agree with this statement at all. With a GPS you should always START with the best one you can afford that does what you need. That way you are not buying one to practice on just to realize you need another one. Then you are out of $100 for your “entry level” and $400 for the fancy pants Garmin. I own two GPS systems which are exactly what I need for the applications I use them for. If you need to do these things and nothing else. Buy this one and don’t worry that you cannot monitor barometric pressure (I am a meteorologist and I don’t need a barometer or a thermometer). Here is what this one will do wonderfully for you. If you are anywhere and you get lost. This one will easily get you to a city, lake, river, interstate, highway, or major road. My main reason for this is to save locations for future use such as: good fishing spots, tree stands for hunting, important businesses, etc. What makes this GPS so practical is it’s simplicity. You cannot load a bunch of useless stuff on here that will just slow it down. Who really needs topo? What is great about hiking is NOT knowing what is over the next hill. Another great thing about this unit is it is light weight. I backpack with a lot of folks, some of which are scared of anything that weighs over half a pound. These same folks haul a huge, heavy GPS handheld in their backpack and never use it the whole trip! Another cool thing you can use this GPS for is bicycle and motorcycle application. It is easily mountable on a bike. The screen is large enough to be easily read on the go and the backlight works well at night. It won’t hurt this thing if you crash either. It is built like a tank. If it starts to rain, you do not have to worry because it is almost totally waterproof. In everyday application, I keep this thing in my cargo pocket. If I find a neat store or a great view along a mountain road I can quickly save the spot, give it a name, and cool little icon from the list. For everyday use I would recommend this to anyone other than a civil engineer on a job site.

Great for the Explorer, November 29, 2004

I have really enjoyed this product. I’ve found that most of the Magellan products have a fairly similar control/interface setup. It is easy for people of all ages to learn and enjoy. The maps aren’t very detailed but I find they are detailed enough. If you are looking for something that will show you city streets in detail this is not for you. However if you still want a little bit of adventure give it a try. The backlight is great you can use it well after dark and still see perfectly. The battery life is fairly standard and the satellite lock is great. The only thing I don’t like about the model is the joystick in the center. I find the unit often thinks I’m pressing enter instead of trying to scroll in a certain direction. Thankfully they have put the ESC button right below it. Sometimes this is a nuisance but I am learning and it definitely does not stop me from highly recommending this unit.

Hard to use, gets lost in trees and has a short battery life, August 4, 2006

I’ve been using this unit for bike training, and I have to admit that I’m not impressed. The user interface is cumbersome, and the displays cannot be customized. For instance, I’d like to see a map, speed and trip distance on the same screen. No dice with this unit. You have to click NAV, then scroll through three screens then hit enter to see the trip odometer. Not easy to do while you’re riding. All of the other features are just as cumbersome to use.

Lately I’ve been measuring it against a $40 cycle computer. The cyele computer wins hands down. The Explorist takes up to 10 minutes to acquire a position, and doesn’t accurately report speed until it does. Out in the open, it works just fine, but once a few leaves (very few) get in the way, it gets totally lost, and can measure neither speed nor position. It just freezes on the last known position. One time I stopped under some trees and it registered my speed as 17.3 MPH for nearly two minutes while the bike was completely motionless.

Battery life is another problem. It takes 2 AA batteries, and they last about three hours when the unit is on. They last only for about 2 days if the unit is turned off the entire time!

excellent for entry level geocaching, May 24, 2006

I’ve tried several GPS receivers, mostly loaned from friends, and settled for this one for various reasons. The main activity was going to be GEOCACHING with my children, and was planning to give it to them for use. I fully expect that the children will eventually break it, either from a fall, or whatever. I tried a friend’s Garmin 60cs, which is a marvel of electronics and usability, but quite frankly, if my child was going to break it, its cost of over $400 would have given me a heart attack. I noticed that both Magellan and Garmin are pushing color displays, but at twice the price of the grayscale displays. That is really only needed for maps, to discriminate a state road from a local road. For geocaching, grayscale is good enough. From reading the previous reviews, one good comment made was on the fact that the 200 does not allow uploads or downloads (you’ll need a 210 for that). But is it worth it $100 more ? the electronic compass can be replaced by a regular $10 compass, and the barometric altimeter is subject to atmospheric nuances that can make its reading inaccurate with a margin of error of 10 meters anyway. So I don’t consider these two features a must-have. Also noted is that the color displays drain batteries much faster. Another reason for choosing this model. Also noted was that on long camping trips away from a rechargeable-from-car appliance, a model that uses disposable batteries is better than rechargeables. From reading the reports and reviews, I had some concerns on the time-to-first-signal (could be too long) and the accuracy of the position given, and loss of signal. It proved to be not a problem. As for the uploading of geocaching data, I am printing the pages describing the cache, printing a topo map, and then, entering them manually as I start a trip. Entered 20 coordinates in 30 minutes, and the joystick interface worked out great when picking the alphaletters to name the mark, better than with a Garmin. One beef I do however is that the names of the mark cannot be more than six chars long. The 210 allows up to 20. Life ain’t perfect. To summarize, my biggest determinant on chossing this model was price, since I completely expect that the kids will break it. If it takes a year for that to happen, a hundred is a price I can live with for a year of activity. More than a hundred, I would get upset.

Perfect starter and then some, December 11, 2005

The first thing that amazed me about this unit is it is so light weight, compact, and fits in the palm of your hand. I purchased a Magellan GPS unit back in 1997 and wanted to update and upgrade. GPS has come a long way since my first unit. This unit was easy to setup and navigate. The onscreen menu system is easy to understand, and the navigation buttons are easy enough to use with one hand. The screen was sharp and clear, and the backlight is more than enough for low light and dark areas. The built in maps of North America (while not side street detailed) are very detailed and accurate for major highways and throughways. It acquired a 4 or more satellite signal within about 1 minute after a cold boot up. It got signal inside my condo unit which is under another second story condo unit!! In the car it worked just as good laying on the seat next to me. I used the built in maps to navigate to another city perfectly. Overall I’m very pleased, recommend this unit, and I’m looking forward to using it for some Geocaching soon.