PRODUCTS AND PRODUCT REVIEWS - CONFUSED?

wingman

wingman

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Why is it that when you want to buy something, you build yourself up, do the research and then reviews leave you totally confused. Here's an example........

I fancy a new satnav. Nothing wrong with the existing of one, but with a birthday and Christmas coming, (plus money burning a hole in pocket) I start to look for a bit of retail therapy and something to cover both.

I fancied one of the trucking types; spent hours trawling through the internet and came up with a Garmin 760LMT-D. See? I'm so sad I can even quote the model number including the hyphen! :)

And so my quest begins....... Watch 7 how-to pages on YouTube - I'm impressed. Not only does it warn of bridges and overhanging trees, but probably plague and pestilence too! This baby is the dog's genitalia.

WANT ONE and proceed to read the reviews. Firstly, I find that there is open warfare between the users of Garmin and TomTom with Snooper users about as welcome as a Christian in an I.S. camp!

Each one in turn says the other is crap and they are reverting to their original make. Even the MH Fun SatNav section doesn't have a post newer than August. Then, I learn that unless you get a micro SD card, there ain't enough memory to load those marvellous map updates! Various users complain about being still routed down farm tracks, spending hours on the phone to cust' services or backing the item completely.
To cap it all, there is the "I'm delighted...... best kit ever" lobby or adverse comments are levelled at all of the units, doesn't matter which one you pick (n)

I'm now confused and depressed and need counselling, so please don't post back and say "Map book's never failed me in 15 years of motorhoming" or it's only as good as the authority's input info.

So WTF do I buy EH?
 
you need dawn or joy for counselling. but always take sweets with you.
 
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Stick with what you have and buy beer. Easy innitt. :D
 
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get some paper maps . work for me . driven all over eu, asia and lots of africa . only ever used maps .
 
They are all crap, get a cheap Chinese truck one off Ebay, they are very good, fifty odd quid and they do what is required get you there ! 7inch screen. Loads of posts on here will put you right.

So Start again, by Xmas you will have come to my former view (y)

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Moodybrook said:
They are all crap, get a cheap Chinese truck one off Ebay, they are very good, fifty odd quid and they do what is required get you there ! 7inch screen. Loads of posts on here will put you right.

So Start again, by Xmas you will have come to my former view (y)
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Beat me to it. That's what I did (after reading threads on here) and well satisfied.
 
A bit like trip advisor reviews - always read the bad ones to Eliminate the cranks (and have a good laugh at them as well) disregard every 5 star review to remove the sycophants and read what is in between for the real reviews.

Of course there are things/places etc where there are genuinely every 4 or 5 star reviews but these are obvious.

As for a new Nag Nav - as above. Get a cheap one
 
Any product review is going to be subjective. If someone likes the product the review will be good, the next person doesn't = bad review. Ignore the reviews and go with what you personally prefer. FWIW I've always much preferred TomTom over Garmin and I wouldn't even contemplate a cheap Chinese one but that's just me. At the moment not using either - the car has a built in one which is good and the MH has the Pioneer F160 truck/camper one which is excellent, probably the best I've used.
 
Hi , I bought tomtom caravan unit it's OK !!. but I still find common sense and keeping your eyes on the the road / direction which it's telling you to go is still needed , if in doubt ,use your own judgement. No sat nav is perfect !! They are only as good as the information which is available , most lane's /side road's are not mapped as 6ft 6in ,but most are not suitable for larger vehicles. I find the sat nav's that use truck mapping take considerably longer routes , if I drove by using the old way using map book and intuition I'd save on fuel & time but got so used to sat nav now that I can't be bothered.
Terry FIDGET

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FIDGET said:
They are only as good as the information which is available ,
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Very good point. Going to Brunton on Friday the sat nav told us to stay on the A1 until the B6347. Thinking it may be an awkward right turn we left the A1 earlier onto the B1340 where we could use the bridge over the A1. It was OK but very narrow in places so coming back we decided to use the B6347 on the grounds that it was a better road and turning left onto the A1 would not be a problem. Bloomin' sat nav told us to turn on to the B1340!

Presumably there is very little in it either speed or distance wise so, like all computers, it makes a decision without using intelligence. A good map and judgement are still essential.
 
I would stick with Garmin if you are used to them...that's what I do and have had garmin since 2000. Everyone has their favourite makes. and that's stupid, but if your used to a system why change and have to learn all over!

The support used to be excellent, now it's barely OK. But between forums and Garmin forum you vans muddle through. Garmin have always had he ability to plan your trips on a PC/laptop using Mapsource or Basecamp and downloading routes the sat nag...that's what drew me to them initally. Currently trying to get my head around a Garmin cycling edge unit and it's driving me nuts!


Just remember sat navs pretty dumb..don't depend on them to take the appropriate route! treat everything it says with cynism..."
 
Cheap Chinese one, I paid 50 quid including a 32gb SD card, then use it to find a place selling cheap beer/wine, no more cash burning hole in pocket. Sorted.

I have had one of these for 6 months now, put it in the car for 3 months with the van set up on it to check the routing, never steered me wrong, put it in the van, used it in Belgium, Holland, France and at home, works great.

Hymie

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As many systems use the same or similar software on the "trucking side" buy something that you thing will be backed up I the future, from some one you trust.

I agree that reviews are confusing and often used by competitors to rubbish rival products. Read the reviews of McDonalds! Then counter that with the queues at every MaccyD's
 
As many have already said get this one, if you don't get on with it (it works for me) then you haven't lost too much unlike the hundreds spent on a snooper or similar trucknavs.
 
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Thanks all. Funster wisdom and a few laughs too!

The prospect of SatNav Aversion Therapy springs to mind. I can picture a lady therapist in a darkened room spreading a range of units before me and asking me how I feel about being so close to them and prescribing some sort of coping strategy :eek:

Being serious, I have a Navman at the moment. It was cheap-ish, but it's got traffic info, lane assist etc and took me all the way to Italy via Switzerland in the MH without too many probs this year. Like y'all say; you just have to use your Filbert when using these units. I've learned never to turn down anything with the name 'Lane' in it or a European road that sounds dicey.

Oh well, started looking at CoPilot but don't think it has traffic info?? Arghhhh!
 
Just don't get a Falcon. They are simply £50 Chinese sat navs with a bit of extra software thrown in and the price ramped up to anywhere between £299 and £399 depending on where you bought it. They still have the Chinese charging problems (which I believe Snoopers have as well) and dull screen. I have been out several times with two sat navs running together ( a £79 Garmin being the other) and in every way prefer the Garmin. I have books with campsites and postcodes listed which work fine, unlike the Falcon which occasionally throws a hissy fit and turns into a psychedelic flashing light machine when it's battery gets low........

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but was it a arranged marriage
 
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wingman said:
Oh well, started looking at CoPilot but don't think it has traffic info?? Arghhhh!
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I am running CoPilot on an iPad and it DOES have traffic info. Free for first year and quite affordable thereafter. Since I have the wifi only version of the iPad with no internal GPS, I have bought a Garmin Glo that provides GPS over Bluetooth. It all works far better than I could have expected and the option to select RV as vehicle type suits us very well.
 
Sounds like you have a large bank account ------- I have a small one that accepts donations. Now you can fulfill your desire to offload dosh(retail therapy) and have that cosy feeling that it would be going to a worthy cause. Large donations would not embarrass me, thanks in anticipation, your poor fellow funster (y) ;)
 
I use a built in TomTom in my van anything up to a thousand miles a week. I put the addy in so I know how long it says it's going to take me and I can ring my customer with my eta then I mostly ignore it till I get close.
Tip, if it tells you to turn down a lane with grass growing in the middle, drive on. It will reconfigure :LOL:

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Moodybrook said:
Sounds like you have a large bank account ------- I have a small one that accepts donations. Now you can fulfill your desire to offload dosh(retail therapy) and have that cosy feeling that it would be going to a worthy cause. Large donations would not embarrass me, thanks in anticipation, your poor fellow funster (y) ;)
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It's all in your imagination! I already have an iPad for my business so paying £28 for a program that saves me spending £££ on a dedicated SatNav (with a tiny screen and not very much functionality) is the cheap solution. It can also be moved between vehicles without any extra wiring needed - just like the missus who also does excellent navigation!
 
ericroy said:
It's all in your imagination! I already have an iPad for my business so paying £28 for a program that saves me spending £££ on a dedicated SatNav (with a tiny screen and not very much functionality) is the cheap solution. It can also be moved between vehicles without any extra wiring needed - just like the missus who also does excellent navigation!
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You listen to a WUMMAN :rofl::rofl::rofl: about DIRECTIONS :rofl::rofl::rofl: :wink:
 
Thanks once again all. Yep, you're right Ericroy - should have read the blurb better. It's the Premium version that has traffic info. And, I have a GNS 2000 that I use for other purposes that I can use to slave to the iPad.

Sorry to disappoint Moodybrook but no large bank balance here. Just want to spend a bit before I head off the that Aire in the sky!

So, the CoPilot is now priced at £34.99 which leaves me a few extra bob to blow on a Snipe Sat TV unit. Unless the reviews are crap :D
 
When maps get updated there can be roadworks which the new map thinks are permanent. As a result you get taken on diversions that don't still exist. My tip is to use your sat nav (any) but also look at the maps to see which major towns you are going through. Don't let the sat nav divert you onto a tiny road for the sake of saving 100 yards. If the town signs are not sending you down the tiny road then ignore it.

But, I think the most important thing is that we learn the tricky bits on our sat nav and figure out how to do stuff that seems impossible if you swap brands. If you've really figured out how Tomtom works and then buy Garmin it seems incapable of doing the most simple tasks. After a bit of perseverance you figure stuff out.
 
Moodybrook said:
They are all crap, get a cheap Chinese truck one off Ebay, they are very good, fifty odd quid and they do what is required get you there ! 7inch screen. Loads of posts on here will put you right.

So Start again, by Xmas you will have come to my former view (y)
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I agree bought Chinese one of ebay 2 years ago £70 still going strong large 7" screen has blue tooth etc allowing the phone to go through it hands free. Also tells me if I'm speeding. Also has many other functions

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