Garmin Quest Water Resistant Hiking GPS /Candence
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Garmin Quest
Although I am familiar with this product and was quite happy with it, some jerk stole it out of my car. I ordered a new one from Amazon and after a good solid month of trying to get it to work, the help people at Garmin (who were great) and I, finally figured out I had a defective unit. I returned it to Amazon who then gave me some trouble with a full refund etc., even though the unit was defective. Frustrating!! There are newer units out now that have a touch screen interface which makes them easier to use – at an increase in price though. Overall, Amazon eventually was reasonable.
GOOD FOR THE PRICE BUT YOU CAN BUY BETTER
I was looking fo an affordable GPS for my car service, It is a important tool for my job and it is something I really depend on, The Quest has served me well, so far but as I need to move forward, I will leave the Quest behind, here are the reasons.
NO TOUCHSCREEN is a problem, especialy when you need to type an adress fast, it is very hard to use the key pad.
LOW CAPACITY means if you are making a long trip chances are you wont be able to use it, beacause it won’t fit the entire maps on there
LOOSES SATTELITE more than normal and sometimes it takes an eternity to recover, by then you maybe lost.
MY RECOMMENDATION- something with preloaded maps of at least the US, touchscreen is easier to use, and something with a fast processor for fast re-routing.
Never lose your way again
I can’t live without this GPS navigator. It’s great not having to print out maps from yahoo every time I have to travel to a new destination. I love the “route home” option because I can find my place from anywhere with just a push of a button. There have been a few quirks such as steering me off into nonexistent roads and slower routes, but for the most part, this product is indispensable. Also, when you are stuck in traffic, there is a detour option I use, which is great since I live in Los Angeles. I didn’t realize there were so many back-roads I could take to avoid being stuck on the freeway. One gripe I do have is that I wish it would tell me the street I need to turn onto instead of calculating the distance by feet (i.e. “make a right in four hundred feet”).
Excelent Service
I am using this GPS for last one year and I was never lost anywhere anymore. The announcement is little bit confusing at the begining but after 2-3 months I got used to it and can’t move anywhere without it. Only the suction mount falls soon as I forgot to take out it and leave it connected to the windshield for the whole year. It can hold 4-5 state maps completely. So that should be good for one trip. Only thing is wondering me is that this GPS was sold by Amazon with 300$ last year and after one year the price is 366$ !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Great Travel Companion
The Nuvi 350 is extremely valuable whether traveling in a familiar or unfamiliar city. It recently successfully guided me out of town during post-football traffic at night when I was sure I was lost. My only complaint is that the device sometimes has difficulty acquiring the satelite, which is frustrating.
Worth the investment
I travel a great deal for work and the directions you pull online often are not very accurate. As a result I decided to invest in GPS. I did alot of research and settled on this unit based on the price and the reviews. Overall I am happy with the purchase. This unit is small enough that I can bring it on a plane and use it in rental cars. The maps are easy to lose and pretty accurate. The storage is sufficient for what I need it for. It is easy to set up and program. There are units out there with more “bells and whistles”- but for the price this unit does the job well.
good product but I like Garmin i3 street pilot better.
This a good GPS, but only good. It is fairly inexpensive and very portable. However, my father has the Garmin i3 Street Pilot and I feel that it is a better option. Even though the Quest has more option than the i3, it is so hard to navigate through that most people will not even use those options. The i3 is simple to use, quick and does the job.
Nice Product, But Garmin has TERRIBLE Customer Service
I have a problem with mine, and I have tried to call their CS line 6 times, and all 6 times I was put on hold for over 45 minutes. I finally gave up. In fact, once I left the room, and came back 90 minutes later, and I was still on hold.
I also e-mailed them and got zero response.
Everything exactly as advertised
This GPS is perfect for those who want a little more than just A-to-B navigation. I’m used to programming routes with multiple waypoints (not just individual segments), and the Quest is, as far as I can tell, the ONLY car GPS in this price range that will do that. It’s quick on the recalculations and accurate on directions. Most people have complained about the database, but no database has all updates–try comparing w/Google Maps.
PROS:
Programmable routes–not just single legs. (The main reason I bought this–this feature is only found elsewhere on MUCH more expensive models. I wonder why Garmin doesn’t seem to push the Quest…?)
Quick & Accurate Positioning
Route calculation very fast
Suction cup sticks like glue
CONS:
Can’t hold the entire US (although the Quest II can)–though carrying a laptop solves that.
Interface not entirely intuitive (but quickly fixed w/practice)
Suction cup sticks like glue
If you want a practical all-purpose GPS that gives you flexibility to do more than get directions to the next point, this is the one for you. It doesn’t have audible street names, a touch screen, or large size (but I think a lot of experienced GPS users–including me–consider those a low priority anyway). But it has everything anyone used to aviation GPS’s could want for the road, and at an incomparable price. If it could hold the entire map database, I’d give it the full five stars without any reservation.
Garmin Quest
Purchased Garmin Quest on the advice of Fred Langa (LangaList)….was not disappointed….for a relatively low price, the Garmin Quest fills all my GPS needs….software install was flawless….learning to program and use the device took about an hour….have used it on several trips two months after purchase with no mapping errors noted….solid product!
Garmin Quest GPS Navigator
This is an excellent product and meets the expectations set by Garmin’s advertising. The only glitch that I noted was that the “add-on” North American city map and POI information was furnished in DVD and not CD format. Former units were shipped with a three-disc CD (which most computers are equipped to handle). I had a problem with not being able to find a computer that could read the DVD that was sent with the unit. Garmin’s tech support was very helpful and furnished me with codes that allowed me to download city maps from a friends CD set. You will almost surely be satisfied with this product. It is a lot of fun and a real help in unfamiliar locations. Just beware that you will need access to a computer with the capacity to read DVD discs.
Garmin Quest 1 Excellent Device
I bought the Garmin because I had read here and elsewhere that Garmin had good products and good support. The device advertised all the features I wanted, so I went for it and have been extremely happy with it. I have encountered one bug, but it has an easy workaround, so no big deal. When you are in the find screen and type the same character twice too quickly, the system powers off. You just have to wait a second or so before entering the same letter. lad…der instead of ladder, just a small pause.
It has plenty of storage space, and it holds all of the maps I need, mostly North East PA. You can’t get the whole US on the device, so you use the MapSource software which is included with the device and put the data on the unit that you want. The quest 2 apparenly comes preloaded with the entire US, so you might consider that if you travel often or have an issue with hooking the Quest 1 to your computer and downloading different map sets as you traverse the country. You will pay about $100.00 more for the Quest 2.
The unit comes with a car kit. The power adapter has a built in speaker so you can get your driving directions in both audible and visual form. Be aware that if you out walking around, you won’t get the audio instructions because you have to plug the Quest into the car mount cradle which in turn is hardwired to the speaker built into the cigarette power adapter.
When you are routing to a location, you may find that the unit takes a little longer to calculate the correct series of turns if you miss a turn. For example, I was riding my Harley Fatboy in downtown Wilkes-Barre, and missed a turn. By the time the unit recalculated the route, I has already passed the next turn that it had determined I needed to take to get back on track. If you miss a turn, slow down or pull over and give it the 20 seconds or so it needs to figure out how to get you back on track.
Power consumption seems fine, no issues there at all. Batteries are built in, so no need to replace AA’s all the time. The downside is if you are out in the woods or something and cant get to a power outlet or to your cigarette adapter, both of which can be used to power up. Apparently, you get about 20 hours of run time, I’ve never used it for 20 hours straight so I can’t vouch for it, but the internal rechargable batteries are a nice option for me.
Nice color display, good battery life, easy to use, easy to find places. I am geographically challenged, and this thing takes me everywhere I want to go, effortlessly.
GREAT
ONE OF THE BEST GIFTS I’VE RECEIVED! — JUST GOT BACK FROM A TRIP AND WAS REALLY IMPRESSED!
Don’t buy the Tom Tom Rider!
The perfect motorcycle companion. I bought my Quest a few months ago and then purchased the RAM mounting hardware for both my Honda Interceptor and Yamaha Royal Star. I used to take rides in the country and get lost. No more. Now I take rides and when I’m ready to come home, I push a button. The feature I like best is the ability to avoid specific kinds of roads. For example, I’ll take a ride out west on the highway and then when returning, I’ll program the unit to avoid highways. It will then take me home on back roads. This was also useful when in traffic. I just avoid the highway and it takes me on back roads until I bypass the traffic.
Other pros – it’s so small I can easily remove it from the bike and slip it into my pocket. It’s water resistant, so don’t worry about if it rains. The lithium battery lasts 20 hours. The color screen is vivid even in direct sunlight. The 115MB of memory offers beyond plenty of ground to cover – far more than I’ll need. Software is super easy to use. Why buy the Tom Tom Rider for so much more???
software problems
It was not clear from Garmin’s website that their software is Windows only. Since I have a Mac I had to borrow someone else’s computer in order to program my GPS. When I contacted Garmin they informed me that there will be Mac compatability later this year; which is fine but it doesn’t do me any good. Other than this I am very satisfied with the performance of the product.
Good GPS with Poor Menu Design
I purchased the Garmin Quest to use in my truck, my boat and for long ATV rides in the back country mountains of Nothern California. Before purchasing it, I researched about every other GPS on the market. The Garmin Quest had all the features that I wanted, including: a compact size, water resistance and high-resolution screen with a bright display. The only missing feature that I desired was a removable memory module. This would have allowed me to pre-load different maps that could be quickly changed. However, with 115MB of available non-removable memory, the Garmin Quest has enough capacity to store all the map sets that I currently need. The only downer is that I cannot load more than one map type (e.g. street and topo) at a time.
The universal mount included has a well-designed suction device that attaches to my truck and boat window as well as the glass speedometer gage of my ATV. The mount includes the cigarette lighter adapter. This adapter also contains a speaker and volume control required for voice navigation. The suction device works very well. I have driven over some very rough trails and roads and never had it pop loose. I am considering purchasing a special mount for the ATV, but the suction mount works well enough that I may not need it.
I won’t go into all of the GPS features, because there are too many to list. You can set way points, tracks and pre-plan trip routes. These can be entered on your computer and downloaded to the GPS or entered on the GPS and saved on the computer. The map software included is surprisingly accurate and detailed. I used it for a few days and never found a missing road… and I was driving on some pretty remote (albeit paved) roads. Afterwards I loaded MapSource US Tops maps since my intended use for the GPS was backcountry and off roads. The Topo maps were pretty amazing in that they included many of the unpaved USFS roads that I regularly travel in and around Mount Lassen Park and the lake Amlanor area.
The display is small compared to what you might expect for an automobile GPS. However, it is larger and higher def than what you get in most hand-held units. In the truck and on the boat I mount it just left of center on my lower windshield and adjust the angles so it is resting on my dashboard as close to my face as possible. In this poistion I can see it well enough. On the ATV, it attached to my speedometer and is visible except when it is covered in dust.
Even riding in a dense and tall forest, the GPS rarely lost its signal. I was always able to pick up the satellite signal when it was needed.
The only downside with the Garmin GPS is that the menu seems to have been designed by a crazy person. I am a gadget guy and I design UIs and write software for a living. The menu system is attractive, uses icons, and at first appears easy to use. However, the control buttons and the menu system are not intuitive. For example, after setting the home location for a ride on Saturday, the next day while my ATV pals were waiting patiently, it took me a full 10 minutes to figure our how to reset the home location for the new trip. You can find a screen used to make certain settings and then seemingly never get back to the same screen. Other settings would inadvertently change while thumbing through the menu, thereby increasing my frustration when I could not quickly find a way to set it back.
Before the next trip I decided to set down and study the guide. However, I found this little help because it is impossible to memorize so many button and command options. The next trip I was back to pressing buttons searching for the setting or feature I needed. My conclusion is that I will need to struggle with the menu system for many trips before I will get the menu system. As long as I can set the home position so I have my breadcrumb trail back, I will be happy for now.
In conclusion, the Garmin Quest is a good compromise when you want one waterproof and durable GPS that will work in a vehicle and for backcountry and off roads. It is a small form factor, with a small but very clear and bright screen. It does a good job picking up the satellite signal even in a forest. The suction mount is well designed and works great.
The only downsides that I can report is no removable memory module and a non-intuitive menu design that will require the purchaser to invest some practice time.
LOVE IT
This is such a handy thing to have. Extremely accurate maps and details. Its small enough to be portable, and a rechargabel battery, very convenient. Thanks garmin for a great product.
You can’t believe how helpful it is until you try it!
My sense of direction is horrible. I still remember the first couple months when i drove without a GPS, I spent 4 hours on the highway having no idea where I’m heading to. But now, with this machine I can get anywhere. Also I’m a real estate broker and have to do a lot of showings every week. Thanks to this GPS, I am able to make all my appointments without wasting any time on driving around getting lost.
This GPS is working great and the price is affordable. I didn’t see any point of spending $1500 on a fancy build-in GPS which serves the same functions besides a larger screen. (The screen of this item is quite small. Probabaly it’s not a good choice for people with poor vision.)
It takes a while to get used to the way it works. Make sure you know how to identify different instructions like “turn left”, “keep left” or “bear left”. And pay attentions when you hear the machine saying you are only several hundred feet from your next turn. So you can follow the big arrow shown in the monitor. Otherwise you might miss those turns. However, if you did fail to follow the instructions sometimes, the machine will catch it right away and automatically recalculate in seconds. Then you will be given a new route base on your mistake. It’s so quick and accurate. This is its advantage over Google Map Quest.The GPS will eventually take you to your destination. I’ve been sticking with this product for a year. And I’ve never encountered an address that the machine couldn’t identify.
There are several downsides of this product. Firstly, it might not be able to always provide you the short-cuts. Secondly,it tends to lead you to highway and turnpikes more. On and off I don’t feel like spending a dollar on the turnpike even though it’s faster. That way I will have to change the setting to “Avoid highway”. Thirdly, since the GPS uses satellite, there won’t be reception when you are under tunel. That’s why I still have trouble driving to the airport.
The last thing is once you get used to your GPS, you will develop dependence on it. We couldn’t be multi-tasking especcially when driving. We have to concerntrate on driving as well as following GPS instructions. We might not distract to remember the routes at the same time. Yesterday when my GPS first time broke down, my heart was broken. I just felt I couldn’t get anywhere without it. Fortunately it survived after I pressed the reset button.
If you are not comfortable with you sense of direction but still have to do a lot of driving, the machine is stronly recommended.
Me Likey!
I do have to say that this navigator did it’s job perfectly. I took it into Chicago, and it found my hotel with no problems. I also took it with me to Michigan, and also had no problems. I should say that this navigator was the ONLY directions I used on both trips.
BUT I can only give it 4 stars, and here’s why. It’s very hard to understand what she wants you to do. She’d say “keep left” and I’d take the left ramp, and all of a sudden I was on the wrong route. It does recalculate, so I really had no problems getting back on track. My advice-keep an eye on the screen when she gives directions. “Keep left” could mean stay in the left lane, but take the right ramp.
In Chicago, we were hidden by buildings, so it had trouble getting a signal. This is with the optional external antenna. I had to get myself into an open area (totally in the wrong direction because I had no clue where I was) to get it a signal. Also, if I missed a turn in the city, it didn’t recalculate fast enough before it told me to turn again, and I had already missed that one.
I still give this two thumbs up for getting me two places, when I had no clue where I was going. I’d definitely recommend, and repurchase!
Garmin Quest gets you there (or at least close…)
I bought the Garmin quest because it was small, relatively inexpensive and had many accessories available for it. Research on Amazon revealed that others found it useful as well. I just used the Quest for the first time to navigate to Hyannis Ma. form my home in Nashua, NH. Here’s what I found. After some initial confusion I managed to set my destination address into the unit. Leaving my home the Quest successfully brought me to the Hyannis area. Along the way, while on the same stretch of road, the Quest announced I was “OFF ROUTE”, recalculated my route, and then never said another word. Strange…It did however, as mentioned above, get me to Hyannis. Once there, it announced I was at my destination (the hotel) when in fact I was nowhere near it… It stopped navigating at that time and I was left to my own devices to find the hotel. I eventually did. It was about 2 miles away from where the Quest thought it was…The trip home revealed another glitch. I entered the command for “Home” and followed the directions. It looked like it was taking me back to where it thought the hotel was. I fumbled thru the menus and eventually got it to sending me home, which it did flawlessly. Overall I found the unit to be worth the money even with the aforementioned glitches. Once I get more accustomed to the operator interface, it should be more usable. The problem with not finding the hotel correctly might be attributed to using the street address instead of picking a point on the map. Seems like the Quest does not map street addresses accurately. It determined my address to be no. 82 when in fact its no. 26. That might account for the error described above. I will use the map to determine the destination next time to see if the results are better. I am entirely satisfied with the Quest and would recommend it to anybody needing a small, inexpensive GPS. I will be mounting the Quest on my motorcycle soon, and using it for a long bike ride. I’ll update this review with the results.