- Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 64 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
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7 out of 8 people found this review helpful
2.5 stars
"Average is about all that can be said..."
Pros: Accurate maps, light, bluetooth works very very well
Cons: Voices sound bad, really bad; routes are puzzling; not very customizable; died out after 2 days of use
Summary: I have both the TomTom Go910 and the Garmin c550. I've been comparing both since last Friday. Here are just some random thoughts from using both units:
- Satellite signal: the c550 gets better signal; not much better, but better.
- Mount: The c550 mount sucks. It won?t stay on the windshield of my car or the dashboard disk. Also, the socket ball is too loose. If you slightly bump the unit, you have to re-adjust it. As far as the TomTom mount is concerned, in the 2 months I?ve been using it, I haven?t had one problem; not one. It locks in securely and stays there, no matter what.
- Maps: both units have inaccurate maps. While Garmin?s Navteq maps are a bit more accurate than TomTom?s Teleatlas, they both have many faults. My home and work address are incorrect on both units.
- POI: both units have inaccurate points of interest. While the Garmin does have a lot more, they?re both fairly inaccurate. See maps above?.
- Routing: both have pretty good routing capabilities, but the TomTom does it better. The Garmin creates routes to destinations that are un-necessary to take. It also keeps re-calculating. On my 15 mile commute to work, it re-calculated 4 times. Also, it doesn?t prompt for faster trip or shorter distance, you have to change this in the settings before hand.
- Bluetooth: the c550 works better than the 910, hands down. When speaking to a caller on the c550, they can?t tell your using a car kit. On the other hand, the 910?s barely works. Callers can?t hear me on either the unit?s mic or the remote mic. I believe the mic on the 910 may not be full duplex. This isn?t an important factor to me, though.
- Traffic: I myself, not living in a metro area, don?t need it. It is clear though, that the Garmin would work a lot better than the TomTom for this function.
- Voice guidance (TTS): is completely pathetic on the c550. The voices can barely be heard, and they sound like crap. The 910?s voices properly and nearly perfectly speak names of streets and POI?s. The sound is loud, and crystal clear. I?ve had much confusion listening to the c550?s voices.
- ?In the box?: Garmin?s bundle is a bit on the skimpy side. With the TomTom, you get A LOT for $599. One really good feature of the 910 is the included remote; with the Garmin, it?s not available at all.
- Customizability: the 910 is FAR more customizable than the c550. You can barely change settings on the c550. This personally, drives me crazy. That hot pink line that shows your route on the c550 can?t be changed, while you can download at least 10 different color schemes for free for the 910. Even the keyboard on the 910 can be switched from a QWERTY to ABCDEF? this cannot be done on the c550; you?re stuck with ABCDEF?
- Overall quality: the 910 definitely feels like a better quality unit. The Garmin is lighter, but feels a lot cheaper. The mount is probably the cheapest part of the c550 bundle. The whole ball and socket thing is bad, and is going to eventually wear out. Also, I read a lot of complaints about the c550 going dead. This is true; it happened to me on Saturday. Luckily, I was able to plug it into my PC and it came back up. The TomTom 910 that I?ve owned since December has never done this; I?ve never, ever had to reset it.
My overall opinion is, they both work. They both have faults. If you need to choose either one, I?d go with the TomTom. It?s worked out better for me, and I rarely find fault with it. I?ve had it since Dec 12 and it?s never caused me a major issue. I?ve gone on many road trips using it, and it never failed. I?ve had the c550 since last Thursday and I?m ready to return it. I still haven?t made my decision on which to keep, but I?m leaning more and more towards the TomTom every day.Updated
I ended up keeping the Garmin. I got to use the traffic function on a ride to Philly, which is great. Overall, the GPS itself is more accurate than TomTom, but the mount is it's worst point. It simply will not stay still. The unit is moved to a different position every time I look at it. The ball socket is loose and just won't stay in one spot. I tried the non-skid mount, same thing. I've decided to go with a Streetpilot 2720, a more professional and solid unit.
- 1 reply to this review
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The issues you're having with the mount are mainly due to the pivot ball being loose. Simply take a Phillips head screwdriver to set your preferred tightness. Shouldn't slam a several hundred dollar electronic device due to user error!
Fully read instruction manual next time!
Where to buy
Garmin StreetPilot c550:
$399.99
| store | price | in stock? | rating |
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Amazon.com Marketplace
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$399.99 | Yes |
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