Gun Dog Forum

Hello wise ones,

I'm looking at e collars and my price range says either a Sportdog brand or a Garmin. Both have similar features/ range so I'm wanting to know opinions on customer support/ service of the companies. I've had a good luck a while ago with Sportdog brand but that's been a decade ago so I don't know if its changed lately. Thanks for your help.
Ross

Dogtra, real reliable and best of service. Been using them for years with not one problem..

X2

https://www.google.com/search?safe=acti ... 36&bih=763

I prefer dogtra. Garmin is a close second. Sportdog is best left on the shelf.

Dogtra 2702, or it's predecessor 2502 - can't be beat!
Rugged, reliable, good range, user friendly. Don't know much about after-sales service. Haven't needed much and I use mine 5-6 days per week from hot weather to sub-zero.
A friend had a Sportdog. He doesn't now.

hunterw/newhobby wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 27, 2019 2:59 pm

Hello wise ones,

I'm looking at e collars and my price range says either a Sportdog brand or a Garmin. Both have similar features/ range so I'm wanting to know opinions on customer support/ service of the companies. I've had a good luck a while ago with Sportdog brand but that's been a decade ago so I don't know if its changed lately. Thanks for your help.
Ross

I would guess all products are what they claim to be , otherwise they would soon be out of business.
Price range for any product is market led and priced accordingly ,and a little 'marketing' along the way has a price to pay.
The 'end product' however should never be judged by those that have only used their singular choice . ..mon cher

Ah , very true Robert , however when a product has lasted 17 years(here) you don't need to compare.

When they brought out the alloy wheel , everyone said it was not steel ...and they laughed ,saying the steel wheel was better because it lasted for years

I really like the Dogtra T&B 2500.

I've used Innotek, Sportdog, Tritronics/Garmin, DT and Dogtra.
I own 2 Dogtra systems: 2502 and 2702. No, I do not wholesale or retail Dogtra e-collars, or any equipment for that matter.
I'm not saying the other brands don't work. I just know what works for me here.

Hi,

I have used Sportdog for many years. I had one collar battery fail after 2 years. The sportdog rep sent me a free upgrade collar since I purchased it through Gundog Supply.

With that being said...I like the Garmin Pro 550 for birddogs and the more basic Garmin because of lights.

I have used Tri-Tronics, now Garmin, for 40 years. Get along well with them and have had no reason to switch.

I currently own a 550, 550 Plus and an Alpha. I would not buy the Alpha again and do not use it currently, but get along great with both 550s. Since getting the GPS I don't know how I got along without it. I pair it with a mini collar and it allows me to keep track of puppies while they explore and learn which is wonderful. I have used the Garmin GPS from Canada to Texas, West to Oregon and Nevada, forest, prairies, mountains, marshes. Has never failed me. Have had to replace a couple of collars which Garmin did cost free and quickly but I use mine daily.

What do you want the collar for? Just training? Training and location? GPS mapping? Single dog or multi-dog's? Only one has it all and it's awkward to use.

If I'm using a collar for training there is one feature I absolutely demand: TO BE ABLE TO CHANGE INTENSITY WITHOUT LOOKING AT THE TRANSMITTER. If a collar won't do that, it's useless. If you have to look at the screen it's useless, to me. I use to use a TT Pro100. The equivalent of it today would be the 550 and 550+. Don't be sold the bill of goods of needing 100 levels of stimulation. That's garbage. Any dog in the world can be trained with 6 levels. The 550+ will give you training and location but not GPS mapping. If you're hunting the prairies, you don't need GPS mapping. The 550 is training only. I've relied on TT for something over 40 years now and use them exclusively. They did kind of lay an egg with the Alpha, but other than that, their products are top notch.

I have NOT used Sport Dog or Dogtra so can't comment on thier features, reliability, or ease of use. I will tell you that you can't go wrong with TT.