Garmin T5

Editor rating: 9.2 / 10

User's rating: based on 0 user ratings

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By NicoleK

Garmin T5 Review Facts

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When owning a puppy it is the owner’s responsibility to train the puppy in order to avoid inappropriate barking, running off and jumping on unsuspecting people. There are means of doing this safely and without hurting the animal like with training collars. Training collars, sometimes referred to as shock collars, offer a means for training dogs without excessive force or raising the owner’s voice. Training collars allow those who want to train their animal the ability to do so safely. They attach securely to the animals neck and use shocking or tones in order to correct the animal’s behavior specifically when an animal runs off or when they bark. They can both be used with a remote as well as when the pet owner is not there. These collars are also typically waterproof in order to work even in rainy weather. Some collars also offer GPS services in order to detect where the animal is at all times. This helps those who have animals who liked to wander and for those who want to know where their dog is at all times.

This article focuses specifically on the Garmin T5. Garmin is a popular company associated with GPS services. They make a wide range of GPS devices including watches, handheld units, and training accessories. They are arguably one of the largest retailers in GPS services and are well known for their quality customer service team. We looked at consumer reviews in order to determine what those who bought this product thought of it, both positive and negative. We also looked at the basic and advanced features of the device in order to determine it’s cost and value. Finally, we looked at the construction of the product in order to determine its quality and longevity. This is our comprehensive review of the Garmin T5. We hope that this article helps you in your next dog training device purchase.

Editor's Pros & Cons

Pros

Range and responsiveness is positive even in thicker brush
Battery life is great
This device is easy to use
This device connects well and stays connected

Cons

The GPS unit doesn't work if outside of the US

See How

What are buyers saying?

We have spent 3 hours analyzing a total of 50 reviews.

These reviews are then categoried into "Positive" and "Negative" feedback.

Below you will read a summary of them:

Positive

My Wirehair goes through all kinds of terrain and swimming holes and this thing is holding up great. It is pretty affordable for what it is and the GPS locator is great.
I love using it when hunting. Make sure to update it when you get it or you’ll have issues. I like that it is compatible with the Astro 320.
I have never had an issue with this thing, works great. My dogs ran over 800 yards and were still being mapped. Great product, i highly recommend this, especially for hunting.
I am so impressed with this thing. It is the best dog tracker I have ever used. Super easy to manage and has a great range. Way better than its predecessors and much more durable.
Second collar to use with my 320 it is a great collar and I never feel stressed about who let the dog out. I know where they are. It is super affordable as well.
This thing saved my dogs life. She got stuck in a drain ditch de to her bad back legs and man, I was able to find and save my baby. The mud and cold water did not penetrate or affect the connectivity of the color. It is fantastic, I highly recommend it. Really, if you have an old active dog to keep track of, buy it.
It popped off the dog and I was able to track where it was. This thing does exactly what it says and efficiently.
I am really impressed with how well these work. They can go through anything and seem to not be bothered by it. I mean drug through water and mud and still ticking.
The battery last good on this and I am able to track through all sorts of terrain with no issue. I swear by these things and the hounds are never lost.
I never have to worry about my bird dogs with this thing. I can let them do there job and follow without an issue. Makes my hunting more efficient and that is always a good thing.
I live on a hundred acres and it helps me keep up with my retriever. I hate keeping him in a fence. It has not let me down. This thing works phenomenal. It works better than the hand held device for sure. It lasts a couple days in a full charge.

Negative

You cannot use this outside the US. I was so disappointed as I travel with my dog. I also live outside of the US. They shipped it but didn't tell me that they cut radio signal. Oh well. Garbage.

9.9

BASIC FEATURES

The basic features of dog training equipment are features that are essential in order to properly function. Some cheaper alternatives would more than likely even lack the basic required features in order to do the job that is required in order to properly train the animal. Shock collars specifically require additional safety features in order to avoid hurting the animal but rather offer slight vibration in order to correct the animal rather than making the animal feel as though they are being punished. This device offers a top-mounted high-sensitivity sensor and GPS. The device tracks the animal up to 9 miles away from the receiver. This helps the owner avoid losing track of their animal when out in larger open or closed spaces. This is particularly handy when training very young animals who may not understand the limits they are allowed to be from their owner. The owner can track the animal and bring them back to safety without the stresses commonly associated with an animal that has gone astray. It also offers LED beacon lights as well which are activated from the handheld receiver in order to have visibility of the animal even in low lights.

ADVANCED FEATURES

Advanced features are those that go above and beyond the basic features. They aren't necessarily required in order to function or be successful, but at a level of convenience for the user. These are features like water-resistance. This product is water resistant up to 10 meters underwater. This adds peace of mind when using this device around water. If the animal jumps into a pool of water the collar will not be affected up to 10 meters below the surface of the water.

This product also offers the ability to change the straps on it in case the animal is a little rough with the collar and breaks it off. The straps are easily replaceable and come in numerous colors for those who prefer a specific aesthetic to their device. This also helps when using more than one collar or using on different sexes of animals. The collar itself is also adjustable in order to fit on different sizes of dogs and is adjustable as well. This collar offers a LED light for visibility in darker areas, water resistance, GPS abilities, and an adjustable and replaceable collar. All of these features should help those looking for a reliable training device.

USE

This device is meant for training purposes. The collar is adjustable and should be snug to the animal's neck without causing the animal discomfort. Discomfort is obviously not ideal for the animal and will cause the animal to attempt to get the collar off. The collar should just be snug enough so that the animal can't wiggle the collar off. The collar connects via bandwidths (this particular collar is compatible with Astro 320, Astro 430 and Alpha 100) and the collar can either operate on its own (when the owner is not controlling the handheld device-typically done so when the owner is not home to help with barking issues) or can be controlled with the remote. The remote can control the light in order to assist the owner with more hands-on training of the animal. The battery life of this device is between 20 to 40 hours which offers the trainer long training times in order to correct poor behavior in dogs and the device can monitor up to 9 miles away from the trainer before the signal is lost.

CONNECTIVITY

This device connects through band waves. As mentioned above, the device is compatible with Astro 320, Astro 430 and Alpha 100. The website does note that the device can be configured for operation with wither handheld but to note that it can't be tracked simultaneously with both the Astro 320 and the Astro 430.

The range of this device is up to 9 miles. Those who purchased this device did not have complaints about the range of this collar. This is a common complaint with this type of product- that the range isn't quite what the website quoted. Luckily Garmin is a very reliable company that is known for their GPS and tracking services. It seems that this device stands up to the 9-mile range and actually stays connected and continues to work even at longer distances. This is positive as the device does act as a tracker as well and offers GPS services in order to track the animal being trained. Overall, this device does seem to offer decent connectivity and does not drop even at longer distances, as long as it is kept within the 9-mile range.

POWER SOURCE

The power source for this device is via a lithium battery. Lithium is one of the top batteries offered to consumers today. Those that bought this product were impressed by the products long battery life. The battery life of this device, as mentioned above is between 20 and 40 hours depending on what aspects of the device are being used at specific times. If the product is being used at full capacity, obviously the battery does drain sooner but still between the 20 to 40-hour range. The lithium ion battery is rechargeable which is handy as this means that the battery does not need to be replaced as often, saving the consumer money. This works hand in hand with the actual price of the device which is regularly noted as being fairly inexpensive considering its reliability. This is discussed later in this article.

The battery is also completely replaceable by the consumer. It does not need to be brought into a store or sent back to Garmin in order to replace the battery if it eventually stops working to its full capacity. Rather, the consumer can replace it themselves without trouble. The battery is also sealed in order to offer water resistance for those little pups that love puddles and bodies of water.

ACCURACY

The device uses GPS services in order to offer an accurate description of where the animal is as long as the animal is within the 9-mile radius. The GPS/GLONASS receiver is highly sensitive as well in order to offer better accuracy when the animal is in motion. GLONASS is an acronym for Globalnaya Navigazionnaya Sputnikovaya Sistema. This is a system that relies on satellites in order to offer more precise positioning of the unit being monitored. The system is a space-based one that was created by the Soviet Union around the beginning of 1976. The system has since developed in order to offer more accurate readings of specific devices. This system is commonly used with GPS devices because of the amount of information the system has. One item to note about the GPS system of this device, reviewers said that the GPS system is actually disabled when outside of the United States meaning that it can't be used if traveling outside of the United States. It's unclear why this was disabled. Overall, though, if used with the enabled area, this product is regularly reviewed as being reliable and accurate which is positive.

DURABILITY

This device is meant for animals with the recognition that the animal may attempt to claw it off of themselves. It is also meant for big and small dogs so the company understands that stronger animals may attempt to rip it off. The collar itself straps securely to the device. It does have the ability to completely remove the strap but it is done so with some maneuvering that paws wouldn't be able to attempt. The device itself is sealed and stable in order to offer water resistance. The collar is thick as well which would ensure that the animal wouldn't be able to rip it off. The device itself is water resistant up to 10 meters which is fairly deep. The animal is unlikely to swim deeper than that depth. The handheld device is also water resistant which means that in a situation where it is dropped or the owner falls into water, the handheld device also won't break down due to water damage. Those who used this device did not have issues with their animals getting the collar off of their necks and there were no complaints about the waterproofing breaking down as well which is positive.

EASE OF USE

This device easily straps on the animal's necks with adjustable sizing in order to fit the animal's neck properly. The device is already connected to the handheld as well in order to avoid having to connect it yourself. The device works within its range and the handheld unit does not offer too many options. Those who used this device regularly note that it works well and is easy to use which is positive.

DISPLAY

This device does not have a display. Everything is controlled by buttons on the handheld device.

PRICE

This product is quite reasonably priced considering its durability and tracking abilities. In comparison to similar products on the market this device is in line if not slightly below others. With Garmin's name behind this product, as well, this product is fairly priced and is reliable which is positive.

KEY FEATURES

-Rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack
-20 to 40 hours of continuous battery life
-9 mile range
-10 meters (1 ATM) water rating
-Minimum 9.5-inch neck size circumference
-LED beacon lights
-Rescue model enforced
-Replaceable collar straps

BOTTOM LINE

Overall, this product is a good one. Though it does not offer vibrations or tones in order to correct behavior, it does offer GPS and LED tracking services in order to monitor where the animal is at all times. The device can work up to 9 miles which is a fairly large range and is ideal for animals that have a history of taking off on their owners. This is a good device to keep the animal safe and to train with. It is also waterproof and durable which means it can handle even the most adventurous of animals. The collar is adjustable and replaceable in order to offer better sizing and to suit individual styles and aesthetics. Those that used this product really only had positive things to say about the collar outside of not being able to use it outside of the states which may be an issue for some users, especially those who travel often with their animals. Overall, this is a reliable device, set at a decent price and should be considered for your next tracking device.