I 'll cut to the chase -- you will not find a better hand-held gp for the price . I do considerable research prior to purchase . the 450 be the best for the money -- accurate , touch menu drive -lrb- more menu option than most will ever need -rrb- -- very user friendly , however , because of the numerous feature , I recommend spend a few hour with the unit early on , so you will get the benefit of all of the feature . do a google search to find website that provide downloadable map for free that be compatible with the Garmin and have topographical feature -lrb- another reason to buy the 450 rather than the 450t -rrb- . you 'll end up with better topographical map for less $ $ . I have purchase 3 other GPS unit in the last few year , include 2 Garmin nuvi . after the initial satellite search which take a minute or so , the succeed power-up lock-on to a full compliment of satellite in seconds -lrb- often , literally 2-3 seconds -rrb- . I have never experience such a `` instant ready '' with any other GPS unit . bottom line : as good as they get !