I recommend this unit to anyone looking for a middle of the road GPS unit. There are more than enough features including the mapping feature (a must have) and they are all easy to use. I've used it for things like hiking, caching, fishing/boating, biking, motorcycling (way better than a map), driving, and even flying (small aircraft). I wish the unit had a bigger screen at the same fantastic resolution and more memory. You don't really need an electronic compass or altimeter like the vista has cause this one does it just fine when moving. The unit DOES turn off annoyingly easily when shaken. I have friends with other units but this one is still in my opinion the best bang for the buck.

Customer Service

None yet but maybe during the winter i'll see if they can fix the shaky/off problem.

My second unit, the Legend is by far the best bang for the buck. I've put a ton of miles on it, and it has more features than I'll ever use. I've dropped it... on land, rocks, in water.. I beat the heck out of it on the handlebars of my dirt bike, and the bumpy roads it navigates while sitting in the windshield of my truck aren't too easy on it either. Only problems: 1 The plastic bar that the carry strap hooks to is not very strong, and has a tendency to break easily. 2 The battery covers that come with the windshield and handlebar mounting kits don't fit very tightly, causing the unit to turn off if you hit a bump. I haven't had this problem with the standard battery cover though. One tip: I've noticed that some AA batteries are smaller diameter than others, having the tendency to loosen in the GPS unit. Radio Shack rechargeables are an example of such. Overall, I'd recommend the Garmin Etrex Legend as an all-around consumer GPS receiver. You want reviews, check out geocaching.

Customer Service

I've never had to deal with customer service myself, but a good number of us here in Boise have Legends, as well as many other Garmin products. The consensus here is that customer support is top-notch, better than one can expect. Short turn-around times, good communication, and benefit of the doubt to the customer on expired warranties are the reports I get around here.

Similar Products Used:

Magellan GPS4000XL Magellan Meridian Platinum Garmin GPS12+

This is my first GPS unit and I am impressed with the features. It is water resistant so I take it on the boat when I go waterskiing. You can download streetmaps to it which is usefull for driving, although panning/searching the map for roads/places is more difficult than it should be. The backlight works very well to illuminate the screen. The buttons are well designed and easy to use. I take it golfing and with the track feature on, I can trace my way around the golf course. This unit gives you more info than you probably need to know, but rather too much than too little. Problems I've had are: bumping it can knock the batteries enough to turn it off and recently the screen has started going bad. I'll have to pay Garmin a hundred dollars to fix it, but nonetheless, I am happy with the features and useability of this unit; very versitile.

This is a great unit! I've found the maps provided by garmin very disappointing, and they are very inaccurate... however, I have learned how to create my own maps and this is no longer a problem. I would suggest reading up on GPS Track Maker, and MapDekode.

Customer Service

I complained about the accuracy of the maps and asked for a fix. It's been two months and I've been without a response. Very poor customer service.

I have only one problem with this unit. The battery housing unit was loose, therefore the unit would power off if slightly bumped. I emailed Garmin and they told me to send it in for free for repair. The techs there fixed it up and sent it out right away. I was out of a unit for about a week, which wasn't bad at all. I use this unit to find my way home alot, I am really bad with directions. I would recommend this unit! I also use this unit with a pocket pc ipaq and a computer for mapping. I bought this unit about 9 months ago. Paid $200 and got a $50 rebate, can't beat it!

Customer Service

Excellent, Garmin is very friendly and fast.

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Garmin GPS 3

Although fairly pricey, the Legend offered the features that I was looking for in my first GPS. It takes a while to get used to the menus and controls but is fairly easy to use once you get used to it. It came in handy on an overnight hike in the Land Between the Lakes when we ran out of water on a day with heat indexes near 100 degrees. I had mapped a route before the hike with the optional topo software and included a shelter where water was available. The shelter was out of sight of the trail but the Legend led us right to it. It is reliable in the car but of course the driver should not be using the legend while driving. The main disadvantage to the Legend is that it just cannot locate satellites when under more than light tree cover. I tried to use it on a section hike on the AT and could only acquire the satellites when out of tree cover. Overall good product with no mechanical problems in almost a year of use.

Customer Service

NA

Similar Products Used:

NA

I looked long and hard for a GPS that had the most features I required at the best price. The Legend met this requirement and hasn't let me down since! I primarily have used this GPS while hunting. But I have also used it backpacking and on road trips. Although the screen is a little smaller than the new Magellans, I find it provides very clear and ample viewing. Although, I would not recommend it for routine navigating in a vehicle. The joystick makes navigating through the different screens a snap and after a year+ of pretty heavy use, I have not had any problems as some others have mentioned. Light, small, simple to use, even simpler with the joystick and plenty of features makes this a great choice for hiking/hunting in this price range.

Customer Service

Not needed

Similar Products Used:

None

I decided to purchase a GPS when I read about Geocaching (do an Internet search for info). I considered several models, including the basic E-Trex, the Magellan 315 and the E-Trex Vista and Venture. The Legend seemed to have the best price to feature ratio. I found the Legend to be compact, lightweight and very easy to learn. The 'clic stick' is a useful feature that makes navigating the screens and entering waypoints a breeze. I've heard of some people having problems with the stick, but mine's held up after a year of heavy use. I was concerned about the 8 meg of storage not being enough, but I was able to load the Mapsource Topo of northern NJ, NY up to Albany and much of southern Vt, with room to spare. People who do a lot of extended travelling however may want to upgrade to the Vista. The base map is too basic to be useful. It only shows major roads and geographic features. If mapping capability is important to you, I suggest you purchase one of the Mapsource maps. There are some issues with reception inder heavy leaf cover, but I understand this is a problem with a lot of GPS receivers. Overall this is a very good unit and I'm glad I chose to purchase the Legend.

Customer Service

No experience yet

Similar Products Used:

Magellain 315, Garmin Map76

Use it for hiking, purchased the Garmin TOPO cd and I download the TOPO area we are hiking when heading out. We still use paper maps but with the Garmin and TOPO loaded we can tell where we are on the map. Great unit, have also used it as a street map and it is great, the screen is small but for the price can not beat it.

Customer Service

None

Similar Products Used:

None

After looking and thinking about GPS for a while, I sprang for the Etrex Legend. The map download feature is useful if traveling on road trips. Considered the lesser priced Etrex Vista and the higher priced Summit. The altimeter feature of the Summit was a luxury that I didn't need, and the Vista did not accept map downloads. People who don't need bells and whistles should get the base Etrex, at just over $100 it's hard to beat. On the other hand if you desire more fearures skip the midrange models and get something you can really customize. On the trails I find the Legend acquires quickly (~15sec). WAAS capability gives down to 3m positioning accuracy. The Garmin joystick feature makes navigating the menus a breeze. If you like to save your routes and waypoints, go for the National Geographic TOPO maps - interfacing with the Garmin's included PC link cable was easy and made upload/download a snap.