I picked up the Garmin 1350T Refurbished for just over $125 on sale, and what a steal it was. When I got the unit, it was like brand new. The only clue to it being refurbished is the plain white box the unit comes in. Of the several Garmin nuvi's I've had over the years, this one is by far the best having the most responsive touchscreen and fastest OS. It locks on to the satellites much quicker than previous models, the lane assist works great and the lifetime traffic is a must have. I was even able to go to Garmin's website and update the firmware and upgrade to the latest 2011.10 maps.
So far I couldn't be happier with the Garmin 1350T and love the fact I save much $$$ going with the refurbished model. I would highly recommend the 1350T and highly recommend going with the refurbished models to save some cash. Garmin nüvi 1350T 4.3-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Factory Refurbished)
The Garmin 1350 is a very decent GPS unit. The touch screen is nicely responsive, and the various features like displaying the posted speed limit on many roads, FM traffic receiver, and lane assist make it a very passable mid-range Garmin. I've read reviews in which users experienced problems with this and other Nuvi units, but I haven't had any myself. Whenever I use it I am perfectly confident I'll end up where I need to go. Also, I bought this unit refurbished and it works like new.
Amazing what this unit does. We were in a 50mph zone passing to a 40mph zone. We wondered when Karen (we nicknamed it Karen after the voice we selected) would update the speed limit display.... Well, just as we went by the 40mpg sign, the update occurred. Scary.... Also, Karen predicted our arrival time from 150 miles away. Due to good traffic flow, we arrived within 1 minute of the prediction. Scary too. Directions were right on.
Pros: 1) Easy to use and great reception. 2) A little extra $ over the regular 1350 and you get the traffic feature which we've already made good use of. 3) Easy to upgrade software/maps online. Garmin gives you one free map upgrade. My unit came loaded with North America 2010.1 and I've upgraded to 2010.2 which is the latest as of this review. 4) Size and shape. This thing is THIN and light about the size of a 3x5 index card and 1/2 inch thick (FYI...USB/power plug in rear). We used the suction mount that came with it to mount it to the dash, no problem. I was going to use a beanbag mount but the suction mount is fine. It's so light that any beanbag mount should also work. 5) easy to see screen. Backlight was fine in the sun.
Cons: non-user replaceable LiIon battery (this is a con with many Garmin units.) Smaller cons that I put in here only because I ran out of space below (basically not a big deal but should be noted): 1) for the $ you pay it should come with a simple protective case. We picked up a simple case for cheap $ locally. 2) No USB cable included - a must to update software/maps, but it's a mini USB connection and the cable I used for my camera worked perfectly. When the unit is connected to a running PC via USB it also charges the unit's battery 3) No instruction manual - only a quick start guide included, but the full manual is online at Garmin's site and is downloadable.
Other Thoughts: I've wanted to buy a GPS unit for my wife for years but we never seemed to have the extra cash for what we consider a luxury item (online map printouts did just fine). Recently we've had several incidents where a GPS would come in handy so we decided it was time. Friends of ours have Nuvis and we liked the design and usage so I knew I wanted to go with one. Looked at several of the new "slimmer line" models from the 1200-1490T. The 1350T seemed to have everything we wanted. Traffic, lane assist, etc without the extras we did not need (Bluetooth, junction view). It was a nice middle of the road version of this line. We're very happy with it. Have had it for under a week and the traffic feature already came in handy with a warning of a problem ahead. If you're looking for a solid unit and can live without bluetooth and junction view, this is a perfect fit. The only big con I could think of was the non-replaceable battery.
I ordered the Garmin nuvi 1350/1350t from Amazon after a lot of looking around. I read Consumer Reports (on line) and the reviews that are on Amazon. I did not need a bluetooth, I have OnStar, but I did want the directions spoken with the names of the streets that I would intersect. I wanted a widescreen gps and a thin overall unit. I understood that the 1350t would pick up traffic snarls, construction and detours. So far I have not found that to work (in Ft. Wayne, IN). A clerk in a Best Buy told me that function only worked in large metropolitan areas like Chicago and New York. The jury is still out on that feature. I find it a bit amusing and a little troublesome that the gps will speak a street name when it is far better known more prominently labeled as a state route. The directions it gives have all been reasonable as opposed to wild goose chases that I have heard about by owners of other brands. In short, I am very pleased with the unit and recommended it to two of my friends who purchased the same model from Amazon and will be traveling on extended trips west--no reports from them yet. If you value the features that appealed to me, you'll like it! - Portable Vehicle Gps - Garmin Nuvi - Garmin - Gps'
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