Overall Rating:

4 out of 5

Comparative review, March 3, 2009
By wolfman99

"Being completely new to the world of handheld GPS I thought I start with the best. I first bought a Garmin Colorado 400t. Unfortunately, the GPS was extremely inaccurate (about 100 feet), even after upgrading the maps and the firmware. I returned it to the store, paying the 15% re-stocking fee. The first lesson I learnt - trust the personal experiences of others listed on the Internet. There are plenty of comments about this device. The battery consumption is poor, and the base map was nothing to shout about either. They didn't even include batteries in the package. The screen is not readable without backlighting. The primitive way that the battery compartment is designed it cannot possibly be water-resistant.

I didn't want to try the Oregon 400 because this has basically the same software, and with a touch-sensitive screen it will just use even more battery power.

Then I tried the Magellan Triton 2000. The power consumption was a little better, the base map still not very good, but worst of all, I got no satellite signals whatsoever. Hooking up to the PC for a download of the latest firmware took some effort too, but the upgrade made no difference. Again, the comments from other users were not very flattering. Fortunately, I could return this unit to the store without having to pay the restocking fee, as the satellite reception was not working.

Finally, I looked at the PN-40. It has the smallest screen of them all, but the demo video on their website were quite impressive. The sales assistant went with me outside the store and we received a satellite fix in no time at all. Contrary to the screenshots on the websites, the actual screen looks clearer. The basemap is not very good, but when you look what's in the package, then I believe this is the best deal of all - by far. First of all, the unit works out of the box, although I did have to upgrade the firmware in order to get the SD card recognized by the PC. Then I loaded some topo maps onto the SD card without any trouble. These are overwhelming positives in favor of this device:

+ The menu structure is more primitive, but much easier to get acquainted to than the other units.

+ A 3-CD set of pre-cut TOPO maps for the complete US is included (although you'll have to pick a few areas, as very little will fit onto the free 1 GB SD card provided.)

+ The Windows version of Topo 7.0 for installation on the PC is helpful.

+ A $40 gift certificate for free downloads is supposed to be included, although mine was missing for some reason.

+ A $50 rebate is currently (March '09) available from DeLorme for this device.

Altogether, a good unit, a good package, and a good deal."

75 of 85 people found this review helpful.