I don't have any experience with the combination collars but have used a Garmin Astro for a number of years now. My experience has been a positive one. It works well, battery life is reasonable(but I do not have any maps loaded), and it does what I need it to do. I only use a small part of its total functionality. My main screen is a compass rose with a color coded arrow for each dog. Arrow points to the dog and tells me how far away he is. I keep it in my pocket until the bells go silent and then get it out to get a fix on the dog, put it away and start walking. I admit to using the go to truck function a time or two. Out of curiosity I look at the distance traveled screen to see just how far the dogs run. That feature is an eye opener. I am very pleased with the unit and have had no problems with it and believe me it is not babied. The dog units are worn so hard the molded in Garmin name is barely visible - worn off in grouse cover.
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