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Hey Folks, I purchased a explorist 400 for myself the same day my wife purchased the 600 for me as a gift. I was playing with the 400 on the way home and I liked it. Then I dug into the 600. The color screen is fantastic. This is the first color screen I've had on a GPS so I'm quite impressed on how it makes using the GPS a bit easier. My wife also got me a 1gig SD card for the unit, and I have the detail map loaded for Colorado from MapSend 3D (the CD version). I like the fact that MapSend 3D has local trails (looks like from trails.com) included on the map. You can search for specific types of trails such as Hiking or Mountain biking and it will show you where they are. This will come in handy on our camping trips away from our usual stomping grounds. The 600 has temp and barometric pressure... but I've read that they are inaccurate.. I have not checked them. For GeoCaching I like the 600 better than the 400 due to the electronic compass. You can stand in one place and line up the Bearing/Heading readings to find the cache a bit faster. I used the Magellan Geocache manager to import some local caches... pretty easy to use.. but doesnt seem to have a way to add new caches to same data file... This could be a good thing so you can select the caches to be displayed for only the area you are in? It's kinda cool because it uses the same little "green box" icons that geocaching.com uses. Battery life has been great. It is a bit longer on the 400 vs the 600, I think this is due to the backlite on the 600 being on more of the time. I read where you can use a cell phone battery ( part # SNN5595B ) for spare so I got one on ebay for about $10.00. With the two batteries should have easy 24+ hours of run time. It holds sat lock very well. I live up a canyon, and my Meridian Platinum looses sat lock in some areas, but the 600 and 400 track the entire way. Overall I would say I like the 600 more than the 400, just for the electronic compass and color screen. I would say the MapSend 3D is a MUST for this unit to meet it's full potential. But read the instructions for uploading the map info to the 600 (and 400), you have to use the conversion manager software included with the unit.. can not go directly from Mapsend to the unit. If you hike or mountain bike, the trails.com info on the GPS is nice to have. Carry On PhillRead full review
I absolutely love my eXplorist for many reasons, but besides tracking faster then my outgoing Vista etc., a few other things stand out. First, the screen on the eXplorist is crystal clear and extremely bright - much brighter then comparable Garmin GPS such as the expensive 60CSx. I can't read any of the Garmin GPS in bright day light without having to hide it in the shade (my biggest complain), but the eXplorist? No problem at all. Second, the 3D topo map from Magellan will blow you away. Granted its not a feature of the GPS itself, but there is nothing like it out there and the software is only compatible (direct-upload) with Magellan units. If you are getting a GPS for outdoor use, you own it to yourself to check it out. After using this killer-app for the last year or so, I don't know how I am going back to flat, boring 2D topo maps. You can plot your route and see it in 3D, complete with simple visual reference of all the elevation changes. There is simply no going back. Cheers and have fun!!Read full review
i have owned the explorist 600 for over 5 years. I am a an avid hunter and walk alot. i use my gps for saving hunting spots -thats it and to get me back to a truck or atv. This unit works fantastic. keeps gps signal. has eltric compass which keeps me on track even if i walk in wrong direction two steps. WAAS technology so i am always on top of deer area and deer stand. THIS is a HUNTING GPS. Screen is great - i have worn the buttons out on it after 5 years though. i am a rough guy with these things and the gps has hung in there with me all the way. Battery holds charge well. still on my first battery. if your looking for a cheaper gps without all the bells and whistles the new ones have this is the gps to have. The only bad thing to say about it is the topo maps are not on it. The buttoms do wear out over long time and lots of use.Read full review
I was not willing to pay more for a product I was not too familiar with. I am having fun and learning a lot about these type of devices and sharing the information with friends. I even hope to put it too good use, exploring around in tropical rain forest is serious business, since people get hopelessly lost by just wondering off a short distance. These type of gadgets can save lives. It is also important to keep up with a rapidly changing world so it goes beyond being an amusing toy or fun item. Thanks.
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