Which Garmin handheld/ comparison

[loganwayne]

Looking to update my shock collars and figured if im going to spend the money id like to get one with GPS/tracking capability.
Mostly hunt in the Southeast and North in super thick cover with fairly close working dogs.

Ive got three dogs now and my sportdog training collar handheld is only good for 2 so going to have to do something.
I had an alpha 100 and it was okay i sold it because it wasnt as useful for using training collars as i had hoped. took to long to switch dogs and correct in my opinion. That's why i was leaning towards the pro 550. but haven't seen a ton of reviews on the alpha 10. i always have a phone so i could use the app and use it to track the trails so in my mind the 100/200 are overkill for what im looking for but maybe im wrong.


what are the pros/cons of
Pro 550 plus
alpha 10
alpha 100
alpha 200

 

[Alberta Jonny]

For ease of use when running multiple dogs, take a hard look at the 200. I love mine, you can set all 3 top buttons to different dogs. As well as being able to see all you dogs on one screen. First one I used was the Sportdog and personally think they are junk. Ran the 100 for 4yrs and have had the 200I for the last 2. If your running multiple dogs, it truly can not be beat imo.

 

[tops911]

I have both the 100 and 200i, the 100 for about 10 years now and the 200i for 3 or 4 years. I like the 200i better. It's easier to see in sun light and the bigger screen is better for "older" eyes. I wish OnX supported maps for the 200i but they dont and they just quit supporting chips used in the 100. I hunt in areas with no cell coverage and never seem to download the maps on my phone, so I really like the OnX chip in my 100. I've run as many a 4 dogs on both the 100 and 200i and I prefer the 200i for ease of keeping track of the dogs

 

[cuttiebrownbow]

I hunt thick cover and the 550 plus is great for me. I have a Garmin watch and rarely even use my handheld.

 

[loganwayne]

I hunt thick cover and the 550 plus is great for me. I have a Garmin watch and rarely even use my handheld.

Im leaning towards the 550 plus. i already have a 70 for training purposes so the feel and functions are very familar. I have a young dog that may need correction from time to time which was somewhat a pain in my opinion with the 100 that i had.

 

[WiscoHoundsman]

I’m I am remembering correctly the training on the alpha 100 vs the alpha 200 or 300 is quite a bit different. Also note that the 100 and 200 are older models and garmin will likely provide less support for them. I have a 200 and the training buttons work great for multiple dogs/training commands. The training commands are customizable for your preference.

 

[simpson]

I would stay away from the 10. I'm currently running a 10 and do not like its training/toggle feature on the handheld. If you are looking for ease of training and toggling between dogs I would go with the 550+ or the 200I/300.

 

[GreenNDark Timber]

I have the Alpha 100 and really like it for hunting, not so much for everyday training. While hunting I'm typically giving very few corrections and primarily use the map and compas (gps) features. I find the touch screen adjustments for dog corrections too cumbersome for daily training. It would be even worse with multiple dogs.

I find myself grabbing my cheap sportdog collar for daily training most of the time and am now looking at upgrading to a 550 pro for training only. I think the 550 pro plus paired with a gps watch sounds like a really good option.

 

[huntineveryday]

I have a pro 550 plus and a Garmin watch I use for hunting and an older sport dog I use for training sessions. I have a friend with an alpha 200, and my breeder has a 550 pro plus and an alpha 10. They will all allow you to get some tracking features and some ability to perform corrections if needed.

If you want more training function with some tracking, a pro 550 plus is the way to go. You can run multiple dogs with it, but with tracking you have to toggle between them one at a time to see where they are on the display. Pair it with a watch and i can see direction and distance to multiple dogs on the watch and I can toggle quickly to easily avilable options for tone or correction for whichever dog needs it.

The alpha 200 seems great for tracking multiple dogs when hunting, but has less ability to quickly change correction options between multiple dogs. You can re-configure the settings to allow for more correction options, but adjusting things in the field is easier and faster with the pro 550 plus.

The alpha 10 is great if you want something small to track multiple dogs with, but even less ability to use for corrections. Again, corrections are there, but the ability to change from stim to tone to vibrate and adjust level of correction is what gets more difficult. My breeder tried it, quickly went back to the pro 550 plus and garmin watch as she is usually training one or more of the dogs she is running.

Summary: hunting/training with some tracking- pro 550 plus. Detailed tracking with less corrections/training needed- alpha 200. Tracking with minimal corrections/training and smaller size- alpha 10

(I haven't played with an alpha 300, not sure how much improvement they made with ability for corrections/training)

 

[jumpychukar]

I've used most of them and ended up selling all of them except my Alpha 100 (hunting) and pro 550(training).

Pro 550+ - the idea of this collar is great the execution is meh. I had issues with multiple handhelds not stimulating and correcting when I would push the button. Contacted Garmin and it happened with the replacement one they sent me as well. I even tested this with my own hands and a partner. I also don't like how if you are running a dog and they go on point - it would vibrate instead of beep. Running two dogs at once on the thing is useless because to see the other dogs status, you have to toggle.

Alpha 100 - This is my favorite. I like the ruggedness of the unit. The buttons are very tactile and easy to press. I run my stimulation setup across the top three buttons. That said, using the unit with gloves doesn't work well, and no SOS capabilities.

Alpha 200 - I liked the screen and dog toggling abilities over the 100. But I didn't like how the buttons felt when hunting with gloves. It's hard to know when you "pushed" one. I also didn't like how fragile the unit was - I cracked a screen even with a rubber case on it.


I use the pro 550 exclusively for training - because of what GreenNDark Timber said - it's easy to change corrections quickly on.

Lastly, I've found all of these collars and handhelds do crap out. Garmin will replace them for a refurbished one if they are out of warranty for a fee. Having the Alpha 100 replaced is way cheaper than the 200, 300, or even 550+.