Satmap or 400t

sausage27 · Occasional Visitor Joined: Dec 13, 2006 Posts: 29

Hi All

Just come back from a recent holiday in the Lake District and while I was there I decided to buy a handheld GPS. I looked at the Satmap 10 and the sales guy put me off of that and put me onto a Garmin product. He said the Satmap wasn't 'man enough' for the job. In the end I went with his advice and bought the Garmin 400t. Although it is ok (I did also purchase the OS Lakes card) I wonder if the Satmap would have been a better buy.

I was disappointed in that the 400t doesn't follow paths but it looked as though the Satmap did.

Anyone have any ideas as to the better one? The sales guy did seem to know his stuff and had used them all. Is it perhaps a matter of personal preference?

Peter

rickwiggans · Lifetime Member Joined: Feb 09, 2006 Posts: 77

The Satmap doesn't have any kind of routing capability, if that is what you are after. You create a route, either on your PC or on the Satmap itself, and then the "you are here" marker will enable you to follow the track.

What was it about the Satmap that the sales guy put you off with? Yes - there are differences, and yes, there are personal preferences, but I'm pretty sure that "not man enough for the job" isn't a valid reason!

I use both Satmap and Garmins, (but not the one you mention) and definitley, at first preferred my Garmin - probably familiarity, but now I'm used to it, find that the Satmap is generally my preferred device. Yes it has a few issues, but overall, it is an excellent piece of kit - and seems very robust.

Darren · Posted: Fri May 22, 2009 4:08 pm Post subject:

The salesman was talking codswallop. Garmin are hardy and so is the Satmap. They have many differences but describing it as not man enough is complete rubbish.
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Darren Griffin

sausage27 · Occasional Visitor Joined: Dec 13, 2006 Posts: 29

Thanks for the replies. The salesman did dismiss the Satmap as not rugged and seemed to dismiss it with a wave of his arm, and for what he said appeared expensive. I was disappointed as I liked the look of it. I'd been thinking about buying a handheld PND for some time and walking around the lakes etc. prompted me to have a closer look at them.

In hindsight and with buying on impulse without checking reviews here first (I was on holiday) I went with his advice. Looking at the shop display of the Satmap it did look as though it set a route via paths - but obviously not.

But I am happy with the Garmin and it doubles as a PND for the roads as well.

Peter

Garmin 400t
TomTom910

Darren · Posted: Sat May 23, 2009 11:35 am Post subject:

barny_100 · Occasional Visitor Joined: Mar 05, 2007 Posts: 18

sausage27 · Occasional Visitor Joined: Dec 13, 2006 Posts: 29

barny_100 · Occasional Visitor Joined: Mar 05, 2007 Posts: 18

jjb · Occasional Visitor Joined: Sep 21, 2004 Posts: 13

Not 100% sure but I was told by one retailer that the margins on Satmap was not as great as some other GPS manufacturers.

Could this be the reason for the advice given Question

themib · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jul 13, 2008 Posts: 17

I had a Garmin etrex vista, which I used on my mountainbuke, planned routes on it, it sent me on my planned route perfectly, downside was I needed a map as well as even though I knew where I was on my planned route, I had no clue where I was on an OS map.

Now got Satmap. Perfect OS map on screen. pin point my position on an os map to 20 feet if on bike or jogging.
Downside is the onboard indicator arrow for aproaching turn is pathetic compared to the Garmin, but overall the satmap wins handsdown for me. I will buy garmin for car and motorcycle, but the Satmap is wow factor for me, its the OS maps on a clear big screen.
PC us is OK.
The satmap online routeplanner is pants, us quo to review my days route, havent planned a rout yet and uploaded it apart from the satmap site, whicheworked, download didnt

sausage27 · Occasional Visitor Joined: Dec 13, 2006 Posts: 29

sausage27 · Occasional Visitor Joined: Dec 13, 2006 Posts: 29

I'm wondering now whether to sell the 400t and buy the Setmap. Having the OS maps where I live in Oxfordshire would be handy. Nothing like that on the Garmin.

Gonna lose a bit of money though but may gain in time with cheaper maps.

Peter

nicka7 · Occasional Visitor Joined: Feb 23, 2007 Posts: 9

That's very interesting…

I was in Gaynor Sports over Easter spending far too much money on hiking gear once again!

I overheard a sales assistant giving advice to a customer regarding GPS devices; in particular about the Satmap which the customer was interested in.

It was clear from the snipits of conversation I overheard that assistant knew little about the actual functioning of the Satmap device and in fact some of the advice being given was plainly wrong. I doubt whether the sales assistant had actually tried using a Satmap as he would have known more about it if he had.

This was at a complete contrast to the previous Easter when I was enquiring about GPS devices at the shop when the sales assistant at that time was fantastic and very knowledgeable about both the Garmins and the Satmap.

I should just point out that Gaynor Sports is my most favorite hiking gear shop in the Lakes!!

Nick

sausage27 · Occasional Visitor Joined: Dec 13, 2006 Posts: 29

Yes, it had loads of stuff there. It was the only shop I'd come across that had a large selection of GPS but funnily enough they don't sell the maps.

I had to buy the Lake District Discoverer map from Cotswold in Keswick.

Peter

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