Customer Reviews

Cobra GPS 500 1.1-Inch Portable GPS Navigator

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

I purchased a Cobra GPS 500 unit to upgrade from my base model Garmin Etrex. I had thought the 18 channels and FAST circuitry would make it operate better then my Etrex. I was sadly disappointed. The Cobra will not hold satellite lock in any kind of cover at all. I am an experienced GPS user and outdoorsman who does a lot of hunting, and I can tell you without any doubt that the Cobra GPS 500 is totally useless for use in the woods. The Cobra GPS 500 loses satellite lock in areas where my Garmin Etrex held it easily. (This situation appears to be common to the entire Cobra GPS line because I have a friend who purchased a GPS 100 and he complains about the same thing.) To top things off, I contacted Cobra Customer Service about these problems and they wouldn't even respond to my email. So what you have here is a truely terrible product backed by terrible customer service. I would recommend that any potential buyers of this product avoid it at all cost, and spend their money on a Garmin or Magellan unit instead.

I purchased (through the Air Miles rewards program) the COBRA GPS500, not once, but TWICE. I first purchased the unit and believed it to be faulty it performed so poorly. Signal acquisition time seemed "forever" and it frequently lost satellite lock. On several occasions, between establishing lock, loosing lock and again re-establishing lock, the unit tells me I've moved upwards to one half mile whereas I've remained stationary, only changing the direction the unit was pointing. Simply changing the direction the unit was pointing (like changing direction in your car or boat) was enough to loose satellite lock! Very poor! I was able to exchange the original unit (unfortunately NOT able to return it) and when I received the replacement unit, it, like the first one, performs very, very poorly. The features offered on the unit would led you to believe it would "shine in the dark," whereas in actual fact, it is the poorest of any GPS unit I've ever used. And to add insult to injury, while I was awaiting deliver of this second unit, believing the first one faulty, I wasted an additional $100.00 by purchasing the PC interface cable, power cord and auto mount. What is that COBRA slogan: "Nothing comes close to a COBRA" You better believe it! Not even a satellite signal is able to get close!

I've just bought this gps , and I'm gonna tell you I'm totally dissapointed with this unit.At the same time my father bought a Garmin eTrex unit and it's much better. I now regret all the fun I've made about his GPS and mine because mine has 18 satellite connection and his just 12. Fisrt of all the Garmin connects in about 45 second while the Cobra in 2 minutes.
Meanwhile the Garmin gets 9 sats the Cobra only gets 5. Now I'm working with UTM coordinates and the Garmin shows me all the info I need while the Cobra doesn't.
The unit handling is friendly user for the Garmin while the Cobra doesn't.
An overall qualification 0 out of 10.

Repeating the sentiment of the earlier reviews? Yes, I am. Important to do so? I'd say, yes, it is, since you might think the other three reviewers were just unlucky.

The Cobra 500 is absolutely useless. It locks onto the required 3 satellites ... sometimes. Usually not. But when it does lock on, it loses them within a couple of minutes. On the other hand, when you look at all the features listed in their literature and compare it to the modest price, you think it's too good to be true. Unfortunately, it is. Truly a P.O.S.

Recently upgraded a cobra 100 for a 500... first time out, it failed, leaving me in the woods all night 'till I got a bearing on the sun in AM... When they say take a compass with you, they mean use your compass and leave the gps in the car!!!
The unit looks nice, and works well enough as long as there are no trees, clouds or perhaps birds flying above you.
It's great as a childs toy, or to find the parking lot where you left your car (but not the car itself) $5.00 for a compass and twenty cases of beer, or a gps500, for about the same price... It's your choice!!!

The bargain GPS I got seemed to work fine on the trip home from town, except the build in maps only list major roads.I spent the money on the interface cables, power cable and mapping CD roms only to discover that the 500 will not allow map detail information like roads to be uploaded! What then is the point? I wanted to be able to download the routes and use them with maps. The software is horrible compared to Microsoft or Delorme.
Save your money.By a GPS package for your laptop or get a middle priced Garmin or Magellan! I understand why I got it so cheap. I got what I paid for. Just wish I hadn't spend money on the accessories!

I purchased a GPS500 for geocaching, mainly attracted by the low price and "FAST" acquistion feature. Screen resolution is terrible, acquisition times vary from 6 minutes to never, accuracy (compared to friends' GPS units) was way off, and it proved to be utterly unreliable in the field. I returned mine 10 days after I bought it and got a Garmin eTrex Legend. I am now quite pleased.

First day I got it, it had trouble connecting. Second day, it wouldnt turn on anymore. I dont understand how a company can sell something of such poor quality.

I was lost in the woods, due to the Cobra500, since it is unable to lock on any satalites, when a skunk tried to attack me. I threw my Cobra500 Gps at it, sending the skunk away. And it worked. Maybe this GPS is just a skunk defender tool of some sort. Because as a GPS it is really skunky. Seriously, This product should have never been sold to the public. It is faulty in all aspects. Stay away!! Buy the Etrex

My parents got this for me and it does not function at all. It is completely worthless. I spent many frustrated hours trying to get it to work. I'm sure it took a few years off my life.