Garmin Delta XC

The Garmin Delta XC offers a compact 3-button controller for easier use.

Editor rating: 9.2 / 10

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By NicoleK

Garmin Delta XC Review Facts

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Animals as pets offer a therapeutic type of happiness to a persons life. Dogs are considered mans best friend for a reason. They can be extremely loyal and offer love that is unconditional to their human owners. One stress that a pet owner can face is the struggles with owning a poorly trained dog. This can lead to destruction, missing pets, and general frustration. This is why it is so important to train animals while they are young. Training puppies, when they are younger, helps install positive behaviors as adults. It also creates a happier home environment for the parent. There are useful tools that can be used when training animals including articles, books and, physical tools. Physical tools are clickers which help animals with cues, treats, portable mats for pee training and electric collars. This article focuses on one tool specifically which is the electric collar. Though some trainers frown on the use of them, not all electric collars are made equally. Some rely on lighter pulses as a means of training animals and others use tones in order to assist with training.

The Garmin Delta XC use both. Garmin is a popular company commonly associated with GPS technology. They have been making handheld GPS instruments, car GPS units, and dog trackers for over 30 years. We are taking a look at the very popular Delta XC for the purpose of determining how well the product works. We looked at the technologies used in order to make this product as well as the additional features to make it more unique. We also looked at its construction and physical features like waterproofing and durability. We also looked at consumer reviews to see what others thought of the product in order to put together a comprehensive review of it. This is our review of the Garmin Delta XC. We hope that this article helps you with your next dog training product purchase.

Editor's Pros & Cons

Pros

The Garmin Delta XC is very user-friendly
The collar of the Garmin Delta XC is adjustable for different types of dogs
The Garmin Delta XC is a good quality product
The Garmin Delta XC offers reliable waterproofing

Cons

This product becomes a little unreliable at longer distances
There seems to be some charging issues with this model

BASIC FEATURES

Basic features of this type of product are associated with the minimum features that a product must have in order to effectively do its job. The product should be able to do what it is being purchased to with ease and with as little effort as possible of the individual using the instrument. This product offers both a collar for the animal and a handheld unit for the owner. The handheld unit has three buttons on it in order to control different features of the collar. The collar itself is expandable in order to fit on different sized dogs. It offers rechargeable and replaceable batteries in order to get more use of the unit. It offers momentary and continuous simulation and tone plus vibrations for the purpose of training the animal. It can be used both indoors (for kennel training) and outdoors (for recall). The transmitter of the unit has a range of about 0.8 KM. This was disputed by some reviewers, though, in that it didn't quite make it 50 meters which is a bit of an issue but there were very few of these complaints which makes us think that that was potentially a faulty unit.

ADVANCED FEATURES

The advanced features of this type of product are features that go above and beyond the basic requirements. These additional features aren't always necessary but are nice and add a level of convenience to the product that standard models don't offer. This product comes with a lithium-ion battery which means that the battery life is longer than standard batteries. Lithium-ion is considered one of the best batteries on the market today so this is positive. The battery of this unit can last up to 80 hours before recharging is required. This product is also waterproof which is a nice feature, especially when living out on an acreage or farm that is around water. The device offers an IPX7 water rating which is decent. The handheld device offers 18 levels of correction vibration as well in order to offer the right level no matter how small, big, hairy or hairless the animal is. Though the device is waterproof the collar itself does not float so it is important that the device is tightly around the neck (but not too tight) before the animal goes into the water. Note that the remote, however, does float which is good.

CONNECTIVITY

The connectivity as to do with the distance between the transmitter and the collar. There is some debate about the connectivity of this product. Though when within range this product does work quite well, which is positive, there seem to be some issues in regards to the quoted distance that the collar will work at and the actual distance that it can withstand. Some found that the distance was fairly spot on, while others even with no obstacles in the way, did not find that the collar stayed connected to the handheld device for the quoted distance. This may be unique to the exact unit the individual had though as this was not a common complaint. Overall, if within range, this product seems to stay connected fairly well. Because this unit is wireless connectivity is a fairly important aspect of this type of product. The unit needs to connect as far as the animal will run or it will lose its effectiveness. Consider walking with the unit while another person holds the remote to ensure that the area the animal is running around in is within range.

BAND

The band of the collar is expandable meaning that it can go bigger and smaller with ease. It also can fit different sizes of animals. The unit dimensions are 3.7 by 2.3 by 1.5 cm. The weight of the unit is 65 grams which isn't too heavy and would not strain the dog's neck. The band offers 18 correction levels, momentary and continuous correction (controlled by the remote), vibration correction and tone correction, and 3 training configurations. It does not offer a BarkLimiter though which means that this device is for training only and not for barking, unfortunately. The band is also lithium-ion which means that it can last (again) up to 60 hours before it needs to be recharged. And as mentioned above, this product does not float and should be properly secured to the animal's neck if they go in the water.

DURABILITY

This product is meant for animals and is quite durable. This product is meant to be used outdoors which is a little more of a rougher, wetter environment to being indoors. It is meant to be effective still even in this type of environment. Both devices are completely waterproof so can be used in the rain or in the water which is beneficial. With this type of product is important that it is durable as it is used outside and around different elements (water, dirt, sun, etc.) It is also being used with animals which tend to not like this type of item around their neck especially with the corrective component and the tones. The collar needs to fit snugly around the animal's neck but should also not impact the animal negatively. The vibrations need to be felt by the animal as well so consider where the contact points are in order to ensure that the animal can feel what the device is doing as well. The collar should also be properly fashioned so that it does not fall off. Remember that it does not float so it needs to be snug enough to not fall off even in slippier environments like the water.

CONTROLS

The controller of this unit is waterproof as well, and can also float just in case it is lost in the water. It can connect to up to three different collars which means more than one collar can be used at a time. This also means that more than one dog can be trained at a time. The remote is 5.2 CM by 13.6 CM by 2.7 CM and weighs about 106 grams (small and light enough to carry around in your pocket). The battery in the remote is also lithium-ion and can last up to 80 hours before requiring charging.

EASE OF USE

This product is pretty straightforward and easy to use. The remote has three buttons on it, the collar is easy to put on the dog and both units talk well to each other. Reviewers regularly note that this product is easy to use and found that training their animals with the collar was the most effective measure to train their animals which is the point and a highly positive response. Overall, the biggest issue people found is the connectivity over extended distances, otherwise there were very few complaints about this product.

BATTERY

As mentioned earlier in this article, the battery of both of parts of the training pack use lithium-ion batteries. The battery in the collar can last up to 60 hours before requiring recharging and the battery on the handheld unit can last up to 80 hours before needing recharging. The unit itself can plug into the wall or a vehicle as well for charging on the go. Those who used this product found that the battery lasted as it stated on their website which is positive.

PRICE

This product is pretty decently priced especially because it can be used with up to three dogs for very little additional charge (the additional collars are sold separately). The device also seems to be decent quality and doesn't fall apart very easily which means that the product has a decent lifespan. Garmin also offers a decent return and warranty which is positive. Overall, this product is quite reasonably priced and good quality so the cost is justified by its value.

ACCESSORIES

This product has a ton of additional accessories that can assist with dog training including adapters, batteries, charging clips, lanyards, cases, covers, and chargers. The product itself comes with the handheld device, the collar, a collar strap, a contact point set with wrench for installation, a charging clip, lanyard, USB cable, AC adapter and manual which is pretty impressive considering and definitely helps justify the cost of the product.

KEY FEATURES

3-button handheld receiver for easier use from anywhere
18 levels of either momentary or continuous stimulation
Tones and vibration along with stimulation
Chargeable and replaceable lithium-ion batteries for longer use
3 correction configuration specifically for behavioral issues
The ability to train up to 3 dogs with one device
9 accessories for convenience and effectiveness

BOTTOM LINE

This product is a good product made by a reputable company. Garmin has been the leader in GPS technology for a long time so it makes sense that they would make a decent training tool for animals. The unit itself offers long-lasting batteries that are top of the line. Both devices are completely waterproof, the handheld unit being able to float if accidentally dropped in deeper water. The unit has a pretty decent range but potentially not quite as long as the website states. The unit can connect to up to three different dogs which makes it easier for multiple animals. The collar itself is adjustable in order to fit different sizes of dogs. Though the collar does not float, it is waterproof which is great. It should be properly fastened to the animal's neck if the animal is going into the water. The unit has 18 different stimulation levels in order to also suit the dog and its temperament. It also offers three different correction configurations for animals with behavioral issues. Those who used this product praised it for being exactly what they were looking for in regards to training their animals and confirmed that it works well in doing so. Overall, this product is definitely worth consideration.