Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Being the directionless person that I am, a GPS system is a must-have tool for me in my line of work. I travel approximately 250 miles per day in the Houston and surrounding areas and getting from one appointment to the next is a very real challenge for me. In fact, I would go so far as to say that I never again want to be without a reliable GPS unit. In researching and reading a lot of views in Amazon and elsewhere, I consistently heard Garmin this and Garmin that when it came to who makes the best GPS systems. I have no bias and quite frankly, because this tool is so important to what I do, money is no object (although I unwilling to simply buy the priciest model falling into the "you get what you pay for" trap. There are more expensive models out there than either of these that I am comparing, but I feel fairly confident is saying that these are two of the best-in-class units available for the money. Having said that, let me begin. Thinking my TomTom GO LIVE 2535 had died (it hadn't), in a panic I ordered the Garmin 2595 to replace it. When I was able to get the TomTom up and running again (merely a software update issue), this gave me the opportunity to compare the two. So, for those of you who may be interested, here is a direct comparison of the two. 1. The first thing I noticed was how much lighter the Garmin Nuvi 2595 was than the TomTom. This has no real significance other than the fact that I simply make note of it. In a way, the lighter weight of the Garmin is, in my opinion, an advantage in that it does not seem as susceptible to being tossed around due fast braking, rapid turns, etc. that are the fact of every day city driving. 2. Voice Quality: The second thing I noticed immediately was that the sound quality of the Garmin voice compared to the TomTom was awful. The Garmin voice works, but after being accustomed to the pleasant human-sounding quality of the TomTom voices (there are a number to choose from), the Garmin voice sounds horribly and obviously tinny and robotic. Winner: TomTom 3. Unit Setup: The initial setup of the Garmin Nuvi 2595 using the Dashboard Updater was an initial nightmare and considerable pain. You must first download the Updater software in order to get your map updates. I had no problem with that concept; a little annoying, but what the hey. So, I dutifully downloaded and ran the Updater in the evening after I got home from work. I was informed that it would take 9 hours to download the maps. Okay. So be it. But when I woke the next morning, the Updater was still spinning its' wheels and telling me I still had nine hours to go! Major bummer. After doing some poking around and acting on some suggestions given, I tried downloading some USB drivers. No luck. That failed as well. Then when I got back on the Garmin website, I was informed the site was down for maintenance. Needless to say, I was disgusted and off to a shaky start with Garmin. Winner: TomTom Rant: One of my biggest gripes with today's tech companies is the number of hours they have wasted of my precious time trying to get their products to work. To be fair, I've had my share of issues in the past with the older TomTom site as well; although the latest TomTom site is much improved. When I invest my considerable amounts of time and money on these tech products, I expect them to work. Is that too much to ask? Is that unrealistic? In the case of this latest TomTom 2535 software, I was able to get it working again, or I would have really been up the creek without my precious GPS and not a little unhappy. 4. Although the Garmin Nuvi 2595 has a 5" screen, it appears smaller to me than the TomTom due to the way the display is setup. The Garmin is more cluttered than the TomTom. Having said that, the Garmin display is clear enough and functional. The Garmin screen splits into two parts when coming to major exits off of freeways. I don't really find that terribly useful. The TomTom performs this same function but retains the full size screen, which I prefer. Again, I'm just noting this difference and is nit-picking and of no real importance to me. Personal Preference: TomTom 5. Mount: While not directly related to this comparison, I must mention that the Garmin Portable Friction Dash Mount that I purchased for use with the Garmin 2595 is absolutely fantastic compared to the one I use for the TomTom. It holds the Garmin securely in place, even during emergency-type braking (which there is a lot of in the Houston metroplex) and quick turns. I have yet to have the Garmin go flying off of this mount. My TomTom, on the other hand, has done a number of aerial maneuvers during some frequent panic stops and other fast maneuvers I am often required to perform in the crazy Houston traffic world. I do not like having the GPS mounted on my windshield for a variety of reasons, primarily because I am in and out of my van so many times during the day, that I don't want to leave the unit exposed for potential thieves. The Garmin Dashboard Mount is an absolutely brilliant design and conforms to the shape of the dashboard. It does its' job perfectly. Winner: Garmin Dashboard Mount (sold separately). 6. Routing & Directions: Okay. This is really what GPS systems are all about and where it really matters, isn't it?. In this area, the TomTom wins hands down in terms of accuracy. I have now travelled with both the TomTom and the Garmin running at the same time over thousands of miles and the TomTom 2535 consistently gives the most accurate results as well as the most accurate arrival times. In contrast, the Garmin often comes up with some pretty strange routes that defy common sense. I often feel that the Garmin is using some kind of map database that is at least 10 or 15 years out of date. Now I don't know if that is true or not; its' just the feeling I get when using it. For example, there is a major road that runs to a major freeway that I take every day when starting off to work. This road runs directly to a major freeway; an absolute straight shot. But, for whatever strange reason, the Garmin indicates that I should take this long, roundabout loop which leaves this major road, loops around and then rejoins this same road many miles later! I happen to know from experience that the loop that the Garmin is suggesting is a very slow, winding country road. Yes, it will eventually rejoin the main road, but why bother? Then, once I am on the freeway, the Garmin wants me to turn off of that freeway to take what it determines is another "short cut" across 4 lanes of traffic heading in the opposite direction. The obvious problem is, that this is not only dangerous, but because of the heavy traffic, it means that I would have to wait until there is a break in the traffic flow in order to make that dash across those multi-lanes of very fast-moving traffic. It makes no sense considering that just a little over a mile beyond this turn-off is the main exit which puts you directly onto the road you're going to. Admittedly, you will wind up about a mile farther south than you would be if you took the turn off, but because it is a standard exit and controlled by a light, it is much safer and probably considerably faster than waiting for the opposing traffic to clear before making that mad dash across the opposing lanes. This kind of bizarre routing is a common problem with the Garmin. This is NOT to say that I have not ever had issues with the TomTom. In fact, while on a visit to San Antonio, the TomTom actually routed me onto a one-way street going the wrong way! Fortunately, it was early in the morning and I was able to whip my van around without incident. Having said that, however, the TomTom is consistently much more accurate than the Garmin 2595. One other important note is that the TomTom is much better at finding alternate routes when there is traffic congestion. This is a very important issue for me because the Houston metroplex is often one big traffic jam and the TomTom has consistently found alternate routes that have shaved as much as 20 minutes off of my commute times. The Garmin does try, but it often offers alternatives that I know are going to get me into even more of a mess. For example, during one particularly nasty traffic jam on a Friday evening, the Garmin kept nagging me to take a particular exit out of the jammed traffic situation. The only problem was that everyone else was taking this exit as well, and it was obvious at a glance that taking that exit would actually be worse than just waiting out the stalled traffic situation. Those cars that did take that exit weren't going anywhere for a very long time. I wondered at the time if some of those folks were using a Garmin. The TomTom, on the other hand, somehow correctly assessed the situation and informed me that I was "still on the best route". That's another thing I really like about the TomTom over the Garmin: it always allows me the CHOICE between staying on the original route or taking the suggested alternate route that it comes up with. The Garmin, on the other hand, simply nags me to take whatever alternate route it has determined to be the best and doesn't recalculate until I've driven past its' suggestion. I've found that the Garmin consistently suggests this kind of impractical route alternative. Yes, I have actually taken many of its' suggestions thinking that it "knew" something that I didn't. I was willing to explore the situation to see if it had actually come up with a better solution. After spending too many times looping all over the place in crazy, nonsensical routes which eventually did get me to where I was going, I learned to take the Garmin with a large grain of salt in these situations. The bottom line: TomTom wins big time. 7. The Voice Command. This is something that I just love about the Garmin. The voice command is far from perfect, but it is actually kind of a hoot to use because what it does works so well. The TomTom voice command, on the other hand, is a joke and nearly useless for most of the things that matter to me when it comes to using a voice command. What is the point of having a voice command when it requires you to make button presses on the screen like the TomTom does? This is distracting to the driver and dangerous to say the least. The Garmin voice command does not do this. It is really quite impressive and amazing, in spite of its' limitations. You simply say, "Voice Command" and it then shunts you off to a secondary screen which offers you other available voice commands. You then proceed by simply choosing from one of those commands and the Garmin unit takes care of the rest. After using the Garmin, you become familiar with the commands which means then that you don't necessarily have to even glance at the screen any more. In most cases, there are no screen presses to make. The Garmin voice command feature is generally far safer to use than the TomTom. The TomTom folks could learn a great deal from Garmin in this area. Winner: No contest; Garmin Nuvi 2595 8. Speed Limits: Both the TomTom GO LIVE 2535 and Garmin Nuvi 2595 suffer from some of the same problems when it comes to out-of-date speed limits. Again, it makes me wonder what databases these GPS systems use. There have been many new roads built in the last dozen or so years in the Houston area, and many-if not most-of these roads have been in place for at least 10 years, and yet the speed limits given by both of these GPS units are based upon much older speed limits. It causes me to wonder what we are getting when we do our map updates. Why are 10+ year's roads still showing such outdated speed limits? In the case of speed limits, then, I don't see one system superior to the other. They both are full of inaccuracies when it comes to posted speed limits. There are many roads, for example, that show up on both of these GPS units as 45 mph, when in fact, they are now 55-65 mph roads. No clear winner here. 9. Voice advance warnings: The TomTom is often much "chattier" than the Garmin; in fact, sometimes to an annoying degree, although to be honest, I would personally rather have too much info than too little, especially when dealing with new areas that I am unfamiliar with. The Garmin is often oddly silent when it comes to some rather major lane shifts or turns required and often lags behind the TomTom, but not always. Occasionally, it's just the reverse, but in general, the Garmin tends to lag behind the TomTom in terms of turning directions and other advance warnings. This is another crucial feature for me since I am dealing with an area of often very dense traffic situations, where it is absolutely necessary to know when to get into the proper lane for an exit, etc. The TomTom usually gives lane change information far enough in advance for this to take place safely (typically with a two mile warning), whereas the Garmin often tends to be either silent or makes it's warnings far too late to be of much good except in more ideal traffic situations (typically about one mile in advance, if at all). Please bear in mind, however, that this is not true in all cases. There have been many exceptions. While I often wish that the TomTom would shut up, at other times it has saved me a lot of aggravation and frustration, so in spite of its' overly chatty nature, I must give the TomTom a slight advantage here. Quite frankly, this is a somewhat tough one for me to call. There have been a number of times when the Garmin gave much clearer directions than the TomTom. The bottom line is if you drive in heavy traffic conditions and you are as directionless as I am, you may be better off having the TomTom at your side. For those of you in less densely trafficked areas, this may not be an issue between the two units. I guess I have to consider the overall consistency with this one. Winner: TomTom GO LIVE 2535 gets a slight edge. 10. Road names: You wouldn't think this would be an issue with a GPS unit, but I have found another strange anomaly with the Garmin 2595: the road names it gives for many of the back country roads where I actually live are names that have not been in place for who knows how long. For example, most of the country roads are labeled with signs that read CR123 or CR 456, etc. The Garmin, however, will announce such names as "Pleasant Bend" or "Keller's Trail" or whatever. I doubt that anyone around these parts other than some of the truly old timers has any notion as to what these country roads were once called. In any event, these names are not posted as such on any signs nor are they found on any map, including Key Maps. The TomTom, on the other hand, almost always refers to the roads by their proper posted names. Again, the TomTom is not perfect in this regard, and does struggle with some of the newer road changes, especially in cases where new roads have been built alongside older roads. But this is understandable. The Garmin, however, regularly hoses these names and for someone unfamiliar with the area, would be considerably confused when faced with turning directions just relying on the voice street names. For example, if you're told to turn onto "Buffalo Row" when the road is marked with a sign that reads CR789, you may find yourself confused. At that point, you will be forced to do a double-take on the GPS screen and hope that it's turning arrow info is accurate, which, again, to be fair, will probably be the case, but still...Winner: TomTom GO LIVE 2535 11. Parking Lot directions. Now here is an area that I haven't read much about anywhere else when researching GPS units. My job puts me in a LOT of parking lots. Getting out of those parking lots and onto the right road headed in the right direction is a constant challenge. The TomTom just whomps Garmin butt in this regard. That is to say that the Garmin provides no help whatsoever until you get back out onto the main road. The TomTom does its' best-and usually very respectable job-of getting you out of that parking lot and headed in the right direction to your next destination. Winner: TomTom GO LIVE 2535 12. Arrival Times: This is another important area for me since my work requires me to be on time for sales appointments. The Garmin & TomTom are usually within about 3 minutes of one another, with no clear winner. Perhaps a slight edge to the TomTom, especially when the Garmin unit comes up with one of its off-the-wall routes that it is prone to. 13. Street Name Pronunciation: This is really a trivial matter and of no real importance to me, but the Garmin is definitely better at pronouncing street names. Actually, I get a kick out of some of the odd pronunciations of the TomTom. For example, it pronounces a common word like "Toll way" as "TALL way". It also insists on pronouncing one major highway twice, as in "Highway Six, Highway Six". I have no idea why. Garmin has no such issues and generally pronounces most street and highway names properly. Winner: Garmin 14. Toll way Preference: Another area of importance to me is ability to choose whether or not to use a toll road. I spend about $160/month on toll road charges, so that choice matters a great deal to me. The TomTom always asks me for my permission to use a toll road. The Garmin does not. The Garmin seems to be set up to assume that you ALWAYS want to use the toll roads. There may be a way of changing this setting in the Garmin that I haven't discovered yet, but I like the fact that the TomTom asks me every time, at which point I can either say "Yes" or "No". Winner: TomTom SUMMARY: I guess at this point I've covered just about everything that is important to me in choosing a good GPS unit. Both of these units are good GPS systems. I like each of them for different reasons. As previously stated, I love the voice command feature of the Garmin. I use it--and enjoy using it--every day. For that reason, I have both units running in my car. I keep the Garmin mounted on my dash because I love the secure Garmin Dashboard Mount that I spoke of earlier. I keep the TomTom down below and listen to and consult it when there is a disparity between the two units. I generally tend to go with and trust the TomTom for most direction disputes over the Garmin. For that reason, if I had to choose just one, it would be with the TomTom GO LIVE 2535. But I would sure miss some of the features of the Garmin! I know this has been terribly long-winded, but I hope my comparison will help some of you make a decision that is right for you.