I bought this GPS on a clearance sale from Galyons(a sporting goods store) so I got an incredible value for the product, but that does not overshadow the performance of this GPS. The GPS EATS batteries so in order to take it on longer than a day hike, you have to bring and extra set of batteries just to make it thru the hike. Also this GPS gets terrible reception, if there is any coverage of trees the Brunton cannot get a signal. It takes forever to warm up in the beginning and if it aquires a signal before you launch off into the woods, it quickly loses it. The features are nice, I especially like the digital compass, but I dislike having to level the unit first to get an accurate reading on the compass. The weather prediction function seemed like a nice addition too, however for me it pretty much just stayed on parly cloudy at all times. The user interface is not intuitive and finding some of the functions while in the woods without the manual can take some time. My recommendation is do NOT buy this GPS, save your money and get a garmin.

Customer Service

I did not interact directly with Brunton, however I did find it extremely disappointing that I had to buy and extra cable to "upgrade" the firmware. If you(the manufacturer) are going to plan to release and upgrade then why not include this $3.00 (not real price, but sure looked like it cost $3 to make) cable so that the end user can keep up to date. Not only that but there is a very specific order in which you must upgrade the firemware and if you mess it up then the device will no longer work. Disappointing and narrow-sighted is the scope of Brunton's GPS

Worst GPS on the market? I used it under the name "Silva" (but it is the same product) during crossing of the Ice Cap of Greenland 2001. I will never use it again. I also used Garmin 12, it works.

It uses battery with incredible speed, even when not used (I use Energizer AA Lithium and they last for ever in the Garmin)

It has a software error, and must be rebootet by taking out batteries. It is provoked at random.

It has a poor display, even though it can withstand lower temperatures than others may.

Buy a different GPS, a Casio barometer watch, an ordinary deep freeze termometer and an ordinary compass. It less expensive and it WORKS.

Customer Service

They have claimed to have a software for upload of waypoints etc on their web page since very long, but it is not developed and you cannot buy it. Credibility? Not at all. This means also the software is not upgradeable right now. And so errors can only be fixed by sending in the product, if they can at all. What a mess Silva has created.

Similar Products Used:

Garmin 12

The MNS has a lot of useful gadgets, the weather forecaster function and electronic compass are particularly useful. It also has water resistance rating fairly close to Garmin and can withstand brief dunkings (something Magellans can't do). But all these gadgets do use power. The MNS is best suited to vehicle use with a 12v power feed, it uses AA batts too rapidly otherwise. It's also all to easy to turn the receiver on accidentally, and to turn the illuminated screen on accidentally, which further use up battery power. The map datum must be re-entered EACH time the receiver is used - it doesn't default to the last datum you plugged in, and this is a pain in the butt. At $400 I can't really describe it as a bargain.

Similar Products Used:

Garmin
Magellan