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Review on πŸ—ΊοΈ Magellan RoadMate 360 Portable GPS Navigator with 2.9-Inch Screen by Bryan Fields

Revainrating 3 out of 5

Pretty Good Electronics – Terrible Mechanics

Thought I'd buy Revain for $199 on Black Friday 2006. Despite some other feedback on blocking or database issues, I decided to take a chance at such a good price. The electronics have worked well so far. The manual won't help, but if you spend a few minutes with the menu, it's pretty intuitive. My main criticism of this product relates to some of the mechanical design features. The power adapter broke after two days of use. The center pin that connects to the car's 12 volt plug fell out of the adapter and couldn't be put back together. Since I was going on a long trip the next day, I went to Radio Shack, Circuit City, and Best Buy to have the adapter replaced (instead of struggling with the lack of customer support). None of these retailers would "admit" to having a direct replacement for less than $20, so I had to assemble a $60 I-Go adapter from Radio Shaft - kids who work in these stores don't get incentives or instructions. be creative problem solvers without having the concept of specifications. With my expensive re-tuned power, the unit worked great on a 1,300-mile trip across the Midwest, but on the day of my return trip, the rotating windshield mount broke off. So, to complete my trip, I took along a thick Rube Goldberg car wash sponge and a rubber band fastener to clip onto the dashboard/windshield surface. So now I'm going to spend $20 on a crowbar made in response to a failed Magellan crowbar. So now it looks like my $199 deal is approaching the $280 I probably should have spent on a Garmin or one of its cousins. Live and learn, that's British engineering for you.

Pros
  • Great Price
Cons
  • Clarity