Best Ortovox Beacon

[WhiteLightning]

Hi, I already have a tracker DTS beacon, but I have a bunch of cheap ass friends who don't have beacons, so nobody to ski BC with.

Anyways, I have the opportunity to pick up a 2nd beacon at a discount. I can do the m2, the x1, or the focus f1.

Any ideas which one is best? The f1 is cheapest, and x1 seems most comprable to the DTS, but I've heard people ripping on it before. Is there a good reason for that?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

[WhiteLightning]

no love?

[shantyman]

I also have a tracker and a F1 focus. I loan the tracker to my "cheap ass friends" because its easier to use. I plan to buy the Ortovox S1 later this spring (its supposed to be state of the art) however very pricey.

[Yonder_River]

If you can get the f1 focus for $100 or less, I would go with that. For the price, it's a great transceiver. I have one and have had good success using it in practice situations.

[GAtoCSU]

where can I find one for that price>

[WhiteLightning]

I think I've got pro form at $165 for that one. Is that any good? M2 or X1 I can get for $195.

Sorry in advance, I can only get the deal once for my personal purchase.

[Yonder_River]

I was referring to buying the older style used. I don't think there is any change with these new ones besides the design of the casing. I've seen them occasionally on craigslist for around $100 or a little more.

[Andy H.]

Dave,

No matter what you pay for one, it'll seem like a bargain when you see daylight and your friends' smiling faces! Hopefully that day will never happen... I'm not familiar with the particular models but recommend you get the best, easiest to operate that you can and don't worry about a $30 (15%) difference, especially considering you're getting a screaming deal with the pro form.

I've got an M1 as my first, and loan that to less experienced folks as the occasion requires, while I wear a Pieps myself that's not as easy to use but still way better than what we had back in the olden days.

I'd avoid picking up a used one - "Wow, that thing hit the concrete pretty hard but still works - I think its time to put this one on Craig's List..."

-Andy

[Yonder_River]

Beyond being concerned about buying a used transceiver, I would be more worried about handing it over to someone who doesn't own one themselves. I would assume that if you don't have your own, you probably don't have the proper experience to use one in a crisis situation.

[WhiteLightning]

I agree, maybe my Tracker becomes the one I hand over. I never hand over without testing them and/or coaching them on beacon use.

That said, I think the X1 in theory is the easiest one to use that I can order. In reality there seem to be a lot of concerns over ease of use on the web. Does anyone know if they have improved on the design based on the past models that I have read about some issues with?