Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

While I have only had this a few days, it is clear the bar has been raised on home weather stations. It certainly costs more than the glut of other home units, but this is a case of getting what you pay for. The set up was easy, though picking the best location requires some thought. I did not want our unit on the roof, since we have no flat surface and the unit does require some periodic maintenance, cleaning the rain gauge trap, dusting off the spiders etc. Once we determined the best location, the top of a fence in our garden, it took about ten minutes to mount. The distance to the console is approximately 50 yards, with several walls between, and the reception is perfect. The console is easy to read and once you get into the well written manual, you have access to information previously only available to professional weather units. I have found all the gauges and sensors to work flawlessly and in a few days, the accumulation of information has been impressive, with trends emerging backed by data. For the home weather enthusiast, this is the best toy I've received. The console even informed me of the lunar eclipse tonight in the Eastern Hemisphere. I've also found the people at Davis to be friendly and helpful. They are justifiably proud of their products, but the new Vantage Vue is a major step toward a relatively affordable, yet comprehensive package for those of us who are weather enthusiasts. I live in a wilderness coastal environment with complex eco-systems, micro climates, and changes that can occur quickly. The Vantage Vue keeps me informed of any change, warns me of potential problems, tracks the evolution of an event with accuracy and then stores it for future reference. My only real complaint is the lack of an atomic clock, but those can be had for next to nothing these days, and the clock on the console has not changed one second from a nearby atomic clock since set up. Time will tell on durability and ease of maintenance, but the simple yet sturdy design make me believe this unit will hold up very well. I give the Vantage Vue the highest possible recommendation. And by the way, Happy New Year. ONE YEAR UPDATE--I have now been using the Vantage Vue for a little less than one year. In that time, it has performed almost flawlessly. The wind sensor failed, and was promptly replaced by Davis, as it was still under warranty. They sent me the part, and instructions how to replace it. Problem solved. I still give this five stars. I would give it more if possible. I also wanted to advise Mac users that if they want to store weather data at home and/or upload it to weather sites, like Weather Underground, the software program to use is Lightsoft. Their program is designed for Mac only and from what I've seen, is better than any pc based program on the market. In any case, it is definitely the best Mac program for storing and transmitting weather. It is not available at amazon, so here is their website: [...] I hope this helps for both potential Vue buyers and for Mac owners. TWO YEAR UPDATE--The only thing I've had to do during the second full year of use was replace the lithium battery, and take the unit down for cleaning. The battery gave approximately a week of warning before needing to be changed, and could be done without removing the unit from the stand. It has streamed information to my computer and Wunderground the entire year. It continues to be the best weather toy I've received. Do not hesitate to purchase this unit if you want to track your weather. THREE YEAR UPDATE--All I did this year was clean the unit and replace the lithium battery. They say the battery should last two years, with the solar panel handling the brunt of the work, but we live in a spot with a south facing hill that blocks the sun from the Vue during a portion of the winter, so the battery has to pick up the load. I have had to replace it annually. But that's it. Everything else has worked perfectly since we replaced the wind sensor two years ago. Still five stars, still my favorite toy. If you've got a weather enthusiast in your house, this is the best gift you could buy. FOUR YEAR UPDATE--Same as the last year, folks. I cleaned the unit and replaced the battery. I will say there have been a few more notices from my weather software (Lightsoft), saying it wasn't getting information from the station, but rebooting the software always fixes that problem. The unit itself continues to perform beautifully, and streams constantly. The console has displayed the latest information, without pause, four years and counting. FIVE YEAR UPDATE--In April, two of the sensors failed. I contacted Davis, and they suggested sending it in to replace the sensors, upgrade the firmware, and give the entire unit an overhaul. It cost $80, and I received the repaired and refurbished unit back in a week, looking and behaving brand new. I changed the battery (living in an area with a lot of winter shade, I'm resigned to changing the battery once a year), and the unit has behaved perfectly since. I have read some posts complaining about getting lemons, or the service at Davis, but that has not been my experience with them. Davis has been completely responsive, with a reasonably priced solution for my problem (rather than trying to convince me to buy something new), and the Vue has far exceeded my expectations. See you next year. SIX YEAR UPDATE--The unit worked flawlessly this year. I changed the battery, cleaned it and that was all I did. After the work I had done to it last year, it felt like it was brand new, and it performed like it was brand new this year. That's all for 2015, folks. SEVEN YEAR UPDATE--The unit worked without pause this year. I have not even changed the battery, though I'm certain I'll need to before winter is over. Also, for those keeping track of software, I switched to Weather Cat, which is the next version of Lightsoft. It is a superior weather software, but it's only for Mac. Peace to everyone. EIGHT YEAR UPDATE--Changed the battery once, cleaned it well, and it worked flawlessly this year. We had a heavy rain year, breaking out of a long drought, and the Vue tracked it without pause. Only one other issue--During the summer, I had to clean off the spider webs more than once. They were spinning their webs so tight, the wind gauge was frozen. Best wishes to all. NINTH YEAR UPDATE--Sorry this is delayed, folks. Been busy. Nothing much to report on the Vue this year. I changed the battery once and cleaned it twice. It continues working like a champ, though I will admit, the Vantage Pro is beginning to tempt me . . .