Tomtom v Garmin (1 Viewer)

[iandsm]

i have always been a fan of Tomtom and I have a 1005. my services and map updates expire before long and I don't want to pay for another year.

I have researched Garmin and am thinking about the 3597/8 LMDT (lifetime maps & digital Traffic. Looks a nise piece of kit, but before I splash out near £300 does anyone have any experience of this or similar models they can share with me please ?

 

[MikeandCarolyn]

As far as navigation is concerned I doubt there's much between any of them these days.But, one feature that I liked on Navman and I understand is on Tom Tom is the ability to set alerts for Custom POI's. ie,you are looking for an Aire,any Aire,I had my Navman set to alert me of any Aire within 1k, same for LPG stations-brilliant :thumb:

When I got my garmin 1490 a couple of yrs ago I couldn't find out how to set alerts in the same way :Angry: Garmnin told me that facilty didn't exsist and they had no plans for putting it on in future.
For me that would be a selling point.

Mike

 

[JeanLuc]

I have only used Garmin (and the built-in system in my car - which is not as good but much more expensive) so cannot offer any comparative point of view between Garmin and TomTom. However, I can say that I like the Garmin products. First I had a Nüvi 250W and last year replaced it with a Dězl 560 LMT. This is a truck SatNav and I am very happy with it: a significant step up from the previous Nüvi. Having input the motorhome's dimensions, the avoidance routing is pretty good, although sometimes it can be a little trying when one has decided to ignore the lorry prohibition and it keeps trying to take you away from the quickest route. This is noticeable in France where it cannot distinguish between a 3.5 tonne 'any vehicle' prohibition, and a 3.5 tonne 'lorry only' prohibition.
On balance - a great product though.

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[scottie58]

I have just changed to garmin 3597 lmt which was on offer for £139 in PC world. The reason is so that I can plot routes using waypoints on the unit or using base camp on my laptop. You can also copy the routes you have taken and store on base camp (which is free to download) Tom Tom now seems to only allow you you calculate a route via one point. My ancient tom tom had itineraries which allowed you to plan routes to suit yourself. Base camp is much more powerful than Tom Tom home software, bit daunting at first but the basics are soon mastered!

Software on unit seems straightforward but yet to really put it to the test.

 

[GJH]

As far as navigation is concerned I doubt there's much between any of them these days.[HI]But, one feature that I liked on Navman and I understand is on Tom Tom is the ability to set alerts for Custom POI's. [/HI] ie,you are looking for an Aire,any Aire,I had my Navman set to alert me of any Aire within 1k, same for LPG stations-brilliant :thumb:

When I got my garmin 1490 a couple of yrs ago I couldn't find out how to set alerts in the same way :Angry: Garmnin told me that facilty didn't exsist and they had no plans for putting it on in future.
For me that would be a selling point.

Mike

That's the reason I went back to TomTom from Garmin.

Generally speaking (irrespective of manufacturer) it's worth having a look round various retailer web sites (even including the likes of Halfords and Currys) as they sometimes have deals on older models with lifetime mapping, which can be quite a saving.

 

[busby]

That's the reason I went back to TomTom from Garmin.

Generally speaking (irrespective of manufacturer) it's worth having a look round various retailer web sites (even including the likes of Halfords and Currys) as they sometimes have deals on older models with lifetime mapping, which can be quite a saving.

TRUE..was looking at £129 GARMIN in Halfords last week. It appears it was last one in stock and they would not be having this model again. Let me have it for £40.. BARGAIN...BUSBY

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[iandsm]

Garmin

TRUE..was looking at £129 GARMIN in Halfords last week. It appears it was last one in stock and they would not be having this model again. Let me have it for £40.. BARGAIN...BUSBY

Well done!

I decided to give the Garmin 3598LMTD a try. £279 at Amazon but with £25 accessories.

Looking at the Garmin website and reading the reviews, although its not perfect it seems streets ahead of my Tomtom 1005 in many ways and I am not at all impressed by the new Tomtom 5000/6000 odes which are very restricted.

I bought through Amazon so that if it does not work out, at least I can send it back nd think again.

 

[SomeoneElse]

I have had a Garmin 1490 with the traffic option for two or three years. My opinion is that the traffic option is useless for varios reasons.
Firstly its unreliable I've had times when it was saying 30 minutes delay and continued at 60mph only to watch the delay drop by a minute every mile I traveled.
Secondly it shows the delay for the whole journey the delay may well be many miles ahead and it turns back to green after a while, so we have learned not to worry when it shows a 10 or 20 minute delay.
Finally the traffic info is only for the main routes and when it diverts around a traffic delay it assumes that all the minor roads are clear, this is rarely the case.

I wouldn't pay extra for the traffic service.

Gordon

 

[GJH]

I have had a Garmin 1490 with the traffic option for two or three years. My opinion is that the traffic option is useless for varios reasons.
Firstly its unreliable I've had times when it was saying 30 minutes delay and continued at 60mph only to watch the delay drop by a minute every mile I traveled.
Secondly it shows the delay for the whole journey the delay may well be many miles ahead and it turns back to green after a while, so we have learned not to worry when it shows a 10 or 20 minute delay.
Finally the traffic info is only for the main routes and when it diverts around a traffic delay it assumes that all the minor roads are clear, this is rarely the case.

[HI]I wouldn't pay extra for the traffic service.[/HI]

Gordon

Agreed. We were once stuck in a four hour delay on the A168/A1. Garmin Traffic constantly told us that the delay was 7 minutes.

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