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eTrex Vista vs. Vista CX

1K views 10 replies 6 participants last post by  B R H 
#1 ·
Is the CX worth the extra cash? I was thinking the color screen would really be nice, but I've come across a screaming deal on the Vista ($169). I'm willing to spend the extra cash if need be, but just wanted to get educated input first.

Chris
 
#2 ·
igere said:
Is the CX worth the extra cash? I was thinking the color screen would really be nice, but I've come across a screaming deal on the Vista ($169). I'm willing to spend the extra cash if need be, but just wanted to get educated input first.

Chris
I think that the CX is worth the extra cash. The most important upgrade in the CX is the ability to expand memory... allowing you to load more maps into memory. It's an important feature, imo.
 
#3 ·
igere said:
Is the CX worth the extra cash? I was thinking the color screen would really be nice, but I've come across a screaming deal on the Vista ($169). I'm willing to spend the extra cash if need be, but just wanted to get educated input first.

Chris
I don't know, but I decided on the CX because it can do turn by turn navigation (i.e., tell you when to turn). I figured I'd be using it in the car as well. Also, I was unsure if the Vista had enough memory to load all the maps I wanted, so I ordered a 1 gig memory card as well. I haven't received the product yet but that was my thinking. I think the color screen is easier to see also. It also has a longer battery life (32 vs. 12 hrs.).

I think if you don't mind swapping maps in and out and don't need the turn by turn navigation feature, than go for the Vista. I believe the B&W screen on it actually has a little higher resolution than the CX's color screen (160x288 vs. 176x220 for the CX).

Go to the Garmin site and compare the two.
 
#4 ·
I just picked up the Legend Cx and I'm pretty happy with it. I had a friend who had one of the monochrome eTrex and I thought it was pretty hard to see in daylight. The color screen is easy to read though. The turn-by-turn directions are only really useful if you buy the additional roadmaps CD. The difference between the Legend Cx and the Vista Cx is the magnetic compass and the barometric altimeter. The Legend can still do GPS elevation, which is plenty accurate for me.
 
#5 ·
Also consider the Vista C.

You should also consider the C version. It has the color screen but doesn't have a flash card slot. The color screen (either "C" model) is a nice feature if you plan to use the GPS to navigate. If you're going to use the GPS primarily along with a computer, the color screen may not be worth the extra cost. It is easier to read the color screen.

My understanding is that the Cx card memory can only be used for more map data, nothing else. This could be useful if you need to have a LOT of map data with you for some reason (car navigation for long trips?). It would be more useful if the extra memory could also be used to save complete track data from multi-day trips, for example.

The Vista C has enough internal memory for enough maps for any reasonable mountain bike ride (10 times over) & will store about 12 hours of track data. I have all the maps within ~2 hour drive of my home & also a good portion of north central CO, bits of WY, & UT.

Not having enough memory for maps has never been a consideration for me, but running out of memory for track data has been. Too bad the Cx can't store track data in the external memory.
 
#6 ·
B R H said:
You should also consider the C version. It has the color screen but doesn't have a flash card slot. The color screen (either "C" model) is a nice feature if you plan to use the GPS to navigate. If you're going to use the GPS primarily along with a computer, the color screen may not be worth the extra cost. It is easier to read the color screen.

My understanding is that the Cx card memory can only be used for more map data, nothing else. This could be useful if you need to have a LOT of map data with you for some reason (car navigation for long trips?). It would be more useful if the extra memory could also be used to save complete track data from multi-day trips, for example.

The Vista C has enough internal memory for enough maps for any reasonable mountain bike ride (10 times over) & will store about 12 hours of track data. I have all the maps within ~2 hour drive of my home & also a good portion of north central CO, bits of WY, & UT.

Not having enough memory for maps has never been a consideration for me, but running out of memory for track data has been. Too bad the Cx can't store track data in the external memory.
The Vista C has been discontinued (replaced by the Cx). According to the Garmin site, both models have the same MSRP. Unless you can get a much better deal on the C model, I would buy the Cx. Other than the memory card and Tide Prediction, the features (according to the Garmin site) are identical.
 
#7 ·
Not sure about other models, but my Legend Cx does have the option of saving tracks to the SD card. It's saves it as a .GPX file on the card. With the latest update to the GPS software, you can make your GPS appear as a plain old USB external disk drive, and transfer these .GPX files without using any special software.

Another little thing I found out. When saving tracks the active track can be as long as 10,000 points or something like that. When you "save" it to the internal memory and name it, it automatically trims it down to 750 points. This may be an issue if you're interested in making really precise tracks, such as for GeoLadders.
 
#9 ·
Thanks for the info. I've used my father-in-law's Vista and can see how the color screen would be ideal. I also like the idea of expandable memory, especially since I ride in several states. I just hate to pass up a deal like that though.
 
#10 · (Edited)
Being able to save track data to the flash card would be a great option, but only if it doesn't simplify the data. That sort of defeats the purpose of having the extra memory in the first place since you can already save the simplified track info to internal memory. I believe you lose all the time & elevation data when the tracks are simplified & stored this way making it even more useless.


I've been hoping for a firmware upgrade from Garmin to allow the track data to be saved or at least give the user some control over the simplification. The UI also needs a ton of work - very unorganized.
 
#11 ·
Riding in several states still doesn't necessarily mean you need more memory. The internal memory will hold a LOT of maps - as in thousands of square miles!

The flash card option could be a great option IF Garmin added some of the really basic features extra memory would be used for in the first place. Of course they could add all these features to existing units thru a simple & free firmware upgrade (downloadable & user-installable), but they won't.
 
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