Im tapdancing between a 396LM and 595LM

[mickshere]

I wonder if people can help me to get my mind made up before the end of "black day sales/ christmas one off deals/best ever seasonal offer" well you get the idea
I currently have a 550 and was thinking of taking the map upgrade option (about £70) but heard a couple of horror stories of old sat navs dieing within a few months of upgrade, I dont think the upgrade was responsible just age perhaps being used a lot more, probably the original reason for paying for the upgrade..

Anyway, as ever why use one word when ten will do.

The 396 have a slightly larger screen than the 550 and better graphics but there appear to be a number of people on here having difficulties with them eg sound failure sd holder self destroying

The 595 has a larger screen than the 396 but some complaints about the screen type on it, oh and about £200 more.

Suppose the question is, is the 595 worth the extra money? Seems a bit cheap making you buy a carrying case on the 550 everything was included

Could I also ask are these new units actually stereo now or are they still mon like the 550?

cheers guys

[VA3TWT]

I replaced my 550 with a 396 initially to use on my Goldwing however since my Goldwing didn't have Bluetooth and there was no other option for audio out, I sent it back and got the 595. Haven't regretted it a bit. Not only does it have Bluetooth, but it also has an audio out cable that can be used for the MP3s I have stored on the unit.

Hope this helps;
Gord

[tojjer]

I've got the 346LM.
Had a problem initially with it "detecting incidents" and thinking I had had an accident. Did a full factory reset and it hasn't done it since.
It pairs everytime to everything I pair to it with no problem.
Personally, I find the screen a little too small for my liking, so might find the 595 a better option.
It works well and has been out in some horrendous weather with no probs.
I've read a couple of people on here have changed up to the 595 and find it a better unit.

I'll stick with the 346 for now, it does everything I need it to do. I suppose with anything electronic, it'll play up somehow somewhen.
I bought a case off ebay for peanuts.
Stereo? No, I don't think it is

[Sleuth]

Hi,

I was the chap with self destructing SD holder!

My opinion is: If you can afford the 595, go for it.

I am glad I switched to the 595. yes it is more expensive, but there are other considerations.

The screen is significantly larger than the 396. I have (now a reserve GPS) a BMW Nav IV and the screen size is similar to the 396. However I (and my wife) felt that the display was not as clear on the 396 as it was with the Nav IV. The road lines are narrower than on the old device.

The sd card holder on the 595 is in my opinion better than the 396.

However the Bluetooth connection on the 595 is not as good as the 396. I no longer use the phone in conjunction with the intercom, as it would keep dropping. The Bluetooth to the intercom drops periodically, but less when there is only one connection. Of course for all fairness, my intercom is very old and that might have an impact on the stability of the connection. The 396 worked perfectly with the my Bluetooth connection.

Both are supplied without a case, which I think is wrong of Garmin especially as they will be stored in bike glove compartments, pockets, etc. The possibility of the screen being scratched is quite high. I bought from my local BMW dealer a case for the NAV VI which fits the 595. Yes it was more expensive, but the Garmin one was only available after 3 plus weeks. I had tried a generic, and it was neoprene, not very safe against sharp objects!

Certainly the 595 having the audio out cable, makes having a wired intercom that much easier. The 396 does not have this option, so any connection to a wired intercom has to be via Bluetooth.

The case against the 595 is if you buy the travel edition then it is not easy to have your maps on the computer. It Is not possible to install the maps on the computer. There are ways around this, but it is not as easy has having the map already installed.

The other point to consider is mount size. The 595 mount is massive, I am limited in how far I adjust the 595 down to avoid the glare from the sun - this was not the case on the 396.

With regards to upgrading, if the 550 is showing signs of age, I certainly would upgrade. I upgraded my Nav IV a year or two back, and the updates are now infrequent, they do not fit on the internal memory. Plus it has difficulty in finding the satellites, whereas both the 396 & 595 are virtually instant connection.

Best regards
Sleuth

[Moose]

i'v got a 595 it did have a few bugs but all is fixed with their updates and I would not trade for any other one my cardo pack talk bold works perfect
directions good mp3's work great jmho

[rbentnail]

Both are supplied without a case, which I think is wrong of Garmin especially as they will be stored in bike glove compartments, pockets, etc. The possibility of the screen being scratched is quite high. I bought from my local BMW dealer a case for the NAV VI which fits the 595. Yes it was more expensive, but the Garmin one was only available after 3 plus weeks. I had tried a generic, and it was neoprene, not very safe against sharp objects!

Agreed, a case would have been nice. I found a hard case on ebay, it works well enough for what I need.

What I found more disconcerting is how, over time, the screen will scratch. I learned it the hard way. I use a film called DayVue from https://www.nushield.com/. I highly recommend it- it helps with glare too! If ever I get a new bike I'll put some sort of protective film like this on all the displays as well. Years of cleaning have worn the surfaces a bit. The DayVue film stands up extremely well to the elements, grime & dust we encounter often on bikes and has not affected the touchscreen operation, even with plain leather gloves the 595 works well with DayVue on it.

[mickshere]

thanks for the tip

[Oop North John]

Due to my 595 Bluetooth problems I'm being offered a 396 or 590. Any thoughts on which you think is the better option for me?

TVMIA

[SaltyDog]

Due to my 595 Bluetooth problems I'm being offered a 396 or 590. Any thoughts on which you think is the better option for me?

TVMIA

Not sure on the 396, but definitely don't take the 590 - it has even worse Bluetooth reliability. I was sent the 595 to replace my 590 because of Bluetooth issues about a year ago.

[Oop North John]

Not sure on the 396, but definitely don't take the 590 - it has even worse Bluetooth reliability. I was sent the 595 to replace my 590 because of Bluetooth issues about a year ago.

Thanks, I've a feeling that my options are akin to out of the frying pan into the fire!

Had a 590 before, it came with the bike, so when I sold the bike I bought a 595 as it was a similar unit. Got a nice collection of 590 / 595 mounts and batteries now which sways me towards the 590, but it's no longer sold, but has a bigger screen, decisions, decisions