Explorist 500 vs. 600

Macchina

Macchina

Joined
Apr 7, 2006
Messages
5,215
I have an old Magellan GPS315. It does not receive signal, so I contacted Magellan, and they said I can get half off a new GPS from them :D. Of the choices, the Explorist 500 and 600 were the only ones that I'd use. The price difference is the 500 cost $120 (brand new), and the 600 cost $210 (refurbished). The features that the 600 has over the 500 is a 3-axis compass, barometer, and thermometer. My question is: is the 3-axis compass worth $90? I didn't like having to walk to tell direction on my old GPS, so it sounds like a great feature, but I would like advice from people who have used it.

P.S. The 600 also has an 18 hour (actual runtime :thumbup:) rechargeable lithium battery, and the 500 runs on 3 AAA'z :thumbdn:. I can buy extra batteries for the 600 and have plenty of free runtime, so this feature is good too.
 
I'm not familiar with Magellan GPS models, but having a real compass is a huge advantage. I wouldn't care about the batteries since I'd buy rechargeable AAAs anyway.

Good luck deciding,
-Bob
 
You can or use to be able to get the 500 with the same rechargeable battery as the 600. I know because I have one. The new model which is the 500 LE is cheaper than the old one, but the only difference is the battery. If it were me I would go with the 600. A 3 axis compass is nice to have.
 
That's great that they'll let you trade in your GPS315 towards a new one. I've had a GPS315 for 5-6 years and it still works great. However if Magellan is willing to knock half the price off of a new one, thats quite tempting.

Jamie
 
Just send them an email via their website (it's kinda hard to find the link to send an email) and they will send you a list of the new and refurbished models they have available for this offer. I kinda want a refurbished model, because it's been tested in a way.
 
If it's available get the Xplorist 400. All the features of the original 500 minus the color screen. The 500LE is actually a downgrade from the 400, 500, and 600 series.
 
I own the 500 and it's more than enough. I don't have the lithium battery but the AAA last much longer than 3 hours if you shut down the light, I've done so far 3 X 7hrs hikes with the same set of batteries and they're still going on...Cheers
 
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