Been borrowing sat navs everytime I've needed one but but it's about time I bought one. I've only ever used TomTom's and I do like them but Garmins and considerably cheaper. Whatever one I get will have to have European maps and possibly bluetooth connectivity as well. What units do people recommend and why?

Garmin only use their own mapping system which isn't compatible to anything else, but Tom Tom can use Memory Map, which is UK OS Maps.

TomTom every time...

Im not sure what's prestigious about TomTom, but I know Garmin has a healthy market share in Marine navigation and also endless amounts of hand-held GPS Units, so they do not only limit to only cars.. In that respect I would go for Garmin - if your not fussed about these things, go have a look at the interface in halfrauds or something and find which one is more 'you'. I prefer Garmin but I feel TomTom is more user-friendly to the masses.

I've tried both but Im using Co-pilot on my phone (because thats the best/only option out for android phones atm )

Edited 21 July, 201015 yr by JLneonhug

I bought a Garmin last year and the guy who sold it said that Garmin are the better out of the 2, Garmin customer service are better aswell.

I had garmin software as well as tomtom on my old N95, used the tomtom software everytime. The Garmin software was clunky to use, whereas tomtom is dead simple. Tomtom came first and have pioneered development in the car satnav market, and to me it shows with the quality of their user interface.

Tomtom have the largest market share, and the software is now being used as standard fit equipment in various cars including the new Renault Laguna and others.

You will get pros and cons of each from all over, but for me tomtom wins.

If you go for Tomtom, then have a look at their 'refurbished' Outlet Store. Mega savings potential and at worst there might be a tiny mark on the case.

http://www.tomtom.com/en_gb/products/tomtom-outlet-store/

Garmin use NavTeq maps, so that would be the same as so many other people.

Have one of each.

Garmin everytime.

Tomtom for me, but at work we used Garmin. Each to their own I guess.

There's more dubious downloadable content out there for tomtom users .... if dubious downloadable content is your thing.

Garmin over tomtom - customer service is pants from tomtom

Had tomtom on my pda and after much hassle from tomtom, i ditched it and brought a garmin. That broke, took it back to comet who messed me about. Spoke to garmin who replaced it with a better model within 5 days...........but i have just brought a NAVIGON to replace my Garmin that broke and im very happy with it.

Tomtom is just easy to use - it's the Nokia of the satnav world. Anyone can use one without needing a manual.

The Garmin I got dad, is just awkward to do anything like find POI, navigate to an address. He didnt get on with it. Lent him my tomtom One v3 and he used it without any instructions from me at all.

had a TomTom now got a Garmin, Garmin every time.

I've had both and would go TomTom over Garmin everytime.

The Garmin feature set is in my opinion better, but the primary purpose of a Sat Nav system is to get me from A to B and I found TomTom gave better routes than the Garmin...

For an all round device, get the Garmin. For better navigation, get the TomTom

This is of course only my opinion, but as someone who does around 30K a year, I found the TomTom to be the better navigator

I've just bought & returned a Garmin 3790T (That's the latest one!) as unfit for purpose.

The reasons being:

1/ POI's - Proximity Alerts - There's a software glitch in this unit which means that if you install a Custom POI & activate it, the unit will promptly deactivate it & no matter what you try they will NOT stay activated, so precludes the use of your own speedcam & other personal POI proximity alerts.

2/ Start up - Slow & you'll have to deal with all of the copyright junk & keep pressing OK each time.

3/ Satellite acquisition - I tried it on a warm sunny day, with not a cloud in the sky & it took 15-20 mins to get a satellite lock, it wasn't much better when I restarted it a 2nd & 3rd time later, it still took a good 5 mins then.

4/ Software update - You'll need a good fast ADSL connection, it updates all of the firmware/software/voices etc, I've been told the update is somewhere in the region of 3Gb, so it maybe an overnight chore.

5/ Car power cable - It's thick & unwieldy, it also has a receiver unit (non removable) + wire connection for traffic updates, so unless you like a thick (wide) wire across your dash, then forget it.

6/ Fingerprints - It's a fingerprint magnet, you'll always be cleaning it!!!

7/ No case - You'll need to buy a travel case for it, it doesn't come with one.

8/ No Mains Charger, You'll need to buy one!

All in all it's damned expensive, unreliable & utterly useless.

Edited 23 July, 201015 yr by Evening Star

I inherited a Tom Tom European sat nav and a few times I used it in France it went mental at the time I needed it most i.e.

1st time negotiating the Paris Peripherique it just sent me right into Paris and kept losing signal and couldn't find the roads and sent me in circles for an hour. Not good :(

2nd time it did exactly the same this year when we got to Rouen and tried to go around the city to find our hotel on the other side. It sent me right into the city and lost all signals and again went round in circles. I vowed never to use it again and the trip on the way back was easy.

3rd time was in the UK trying to find my mum's new place in the Shropshire sticks, at night, in a storm, and it sent me on an extra hour's journey round villages I couldn't even see it was raining that hard. When my mum showed me the route from her house to where Sat Nav went mad it was about 5 minutes away. I couldn't believe it

So, do you want to buy it off me? £50?

Does anyone else's Sat Nav suffer the same problems as above? Be interested to see if it's just mine or a general sat nav thing.

I've got a TT720 which is on its "last legs" with a manky battery, however as long as it's connected to the car charger it's fine & always been spot on, however what's made me move on is the fact that Tom Tom will not be supporting 3rd party POI's with the next generation of units.

So that means your custom POIs + Speedcam alerts on a TT will not work!

So it's time to change, but I want something that I can use my custom POIs on.

Navigon is a no no, like TT it won't accept 3rd Party POIs without buying extra software.

Navman isn't very good & is possibly pulling out of the market.

I've got a TT720 which is on its "last legs" with a manky battery, however as long as it's connected to the car charger it's fine & always been spot on, however what's made me move on is the fact that Tom Tom will not be supporting 3rd party POI's with the next generation of units.

So that means your custom POIs + Speedcam alerts on a TT will not work!

So it's time to change, but I want something that I can use my custom POIs on.

Navigon is a no no, like TT it won't accept 3rd Party POIs without buying extra software.

Navman isn't very good & is possibly pulling out of the market.

Custom POI's will still work if you know how to do the SDK hack on TomToms

Which is OK if you know what you're doing, but NOT if you're a normal average person, who's not got a clue about programming.

Anyway you can forget about the SDK hack Tom Tom haven't supported it for some considerable time & it won't be supported on the next generation either.

I've got a TT720 which is on its "last legs" with a manky battery, however as long as it's connected to the car charger it's fine & always been spot on, however what's made me move on is the fact that Tom Tom will not be supporting 3rd party POI's with the next generation of units.

So that means your custom POIs + Speedcam alerts on a TT will not work!

So it's time to change, but I want something that I can use my custom POIs on.

Navigon is a no no, like TT it won't accept 3rd Party POIs without buying extra software.

Navman isn't very good & is possibly pulling out of the market.

This is an unfounded rumour based on the fact that TomTom has introduced some very basic dumbed down units which can't use the POIs.

But you can't do better than your Go720. I've just sent mine to satnavrepairservice.com/, who quoted £24.99 to replace the battery.

For anyone looking for a first class satnav, the TomTom Go 720 is hard to come by now but there are still refurbished 730s around. They are only cosmetically different from the 720s. If you only want UK mapping, then the 530s are even better value.

Incorrect: http://www.pocketgpsworld.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2052&mode=&order=0&thold=0

I was reading an editorial on PocketGPSWorld that TomTom have made a decision not to support 3rd party POI files. I'm a Garmin user, looks like it's staying that way!

Edit: Link above explains it all

Edited 28 July, 201015 yr by Dodgy

Just don't "upgrade" to a 3790T, you'll be most disappointed.

I think people need to understand that Tom Tom are not supporting 'Proximity Audio Warnings' with third party POI files. Also, depending who you speak to at Tom Tom support, you will get a different answer as to whether it will go ahead or not. Their own speed camera database is rubbish, and people will abandon TT products in droves if they also kill the ability to do SDK modifications. As an example, I have a TT Start, very basic model, but it runs the full menu system, and has spoken audio alerts for each speed camera type.

I ain't got Sat Nav at all but allthe people I know that have them, say Garmin is the better one. I like maps, warm beer, Led Zeplin, nice bits of Totty and not very PC. So there you have it.