options of good ecollar?

[Commando]

hey guys. im looking to get a ecollar for my pup soon and i was wondering what your general thoughts are on a good one. id like to keep it around 300-400. ill mainly be hunting ducks but will throw in the upland hunt on a fairly regular basis as well. i was thinking of the tri tronics flyway just cause i know that tri tronics has a good track record. thoughts? thanks guys!

[Blackjaw]

I like Dogtra, but there is nothing wrong with tri-tronics. Take a look at both and see  which has the functions you like. Sounds like you are looking for a collar for a lab/spaniel and not a pointer? I don't know what brand is best when you start getting into GPS collars.

[Happy Gilmore]

Tri-Tronics was bought by Garmin. They are discontinuing most of their lines except for the Pro 500 series and adding or, replacing that with the Pro 550. You can still get some of their collars however, big warning....they no longer fix and/or service any collars except the Pro series. I'd recommend getting a Pro 100 which are still available. I've had a Dogtra in the past and it held up well. I do not like the feel of the dogtra stimulation. It is a very sharp almost painful burst. The Tri-Tronics(TT) is more of a slower jolt in comparison. Garmin has their new series out. Not a Garmin fan. They should have stuck to the GPS business.

On a side note, I am field testing a new collar which is made in the US called Einstein E-Collar systems. Their pricing is very reasonable. I should have my demo models here in a week to test them for two months. If I like their performance, I'll become a dealer/rep for them if not, I'll ship it back and say thank you.

If you'd like to hold out for a while, I'll test this new collar system and give you a report. They start at $150 for a 1/2 mile range one dog collar. The top of the line system for two dogs will be around $350.

[LndShrk]

Love my Dogtras.
Their service is absolutely top notch as well.  Over the 10 years I have had them I have replaced the batteries once (Easy and inexpensive)
 

[AspenBud]

On a side note, I am field testing a new collar which is made in the US called Einstein E-Collar systems. Their pricing is very reasonable. I should have my demo models here in a week to test them for two months. If I like their performance, I'll become a dealer/rep for them if not, I'll ship it back and say thank you.

If you'd like to hold out for a while, I'll test this new collar system and give you a report. They start at $150 for a 1/2 mile range one dog collar. The top of the line system for two dogs will be around $350.

How long have these been out? The pricing appears VERY competitive.

[jackson7]

gents,
have used  tritronics and dogtra. they are beeper collars set to point only.
both have worked out well. check out collarclinic.com.

[KFhunter]

They won't fix the upland G3?

[AspenBud]

To the OP, I've been using a Dogtra 3502 with my Pointers for the better part of 5-6 years now and they have spent a lot of time getting the crap beat out of them in the woods chasing grouse. I've had to change the batteries once and the transmitter of all things finally had problems last summer. I sent it in and $50.00 later I had my problem fixed. I like Dogtra's collars if anything because they are reliable and I like the vibrate function.

Garmin bought TriTronics a year or two ago and as Happy Gilmore said, they are phasing out the old TriTronics products and rolling out their own. I suspect they made the move to get on the fast track to making a GPS/e-collar combo (see Garmin Alpha). Their new e-collar lineup is still new so I don't know how well vetted they are, but the Garmin Delta does offer a nice set of features in one e-collar unit.

Sportdog isn't known for their quality like the other two, but but they have fast service, are good with returns, and people like them for a reason as well.

If you're into upland it might be worth your while to look into Lovett's electronics too. They have a beeper/trainer combo that seems to get good reviews as well and it is made in the USA.  http://www.dogbeepers.com/

I have no experience with DT Systems e-collars, but I like my remote bird launcher from them.

[AspenBud]

They won't fix the upland G3?

My guess is they're trying to push everyone over to the Delta.

If you need someone who might be able to fix it, contact these guys  ->  http://www.collarclinic.com/

[KFhunter]

I've got 3 DT bird launchers and really like them,  pheasant size works great for launching pigeons



I'll start training again probably next year,  about a year out from a new pup my dog is 6 already 

[Happy Gilmore]

There is no fixing or repairing/returning of ANYTHING except PRO series collars.

The Einstein Collars just came out recently. Got an email mine is shipping today so, I should be able to start using it training when I get back from a business trip to CA next week. Stay tuned.. 

[AspenBud]

There is no fixing or repairing/returning of ANYTHING except PRO series collars.

This is probably a calculated risk, if you're a pro training dogs you're probably not using the bottom end collars and of all the groups not to make mad, it's the guys who can advertise and speak with some authority about their collars.

It would not be a good idea to have everyone at the National Bird Dog Championship at Ames drop Garmin/TriTronics because Garmin said they would not service the products they use daily.

Meanwhile they can push more price conscious buyers into the Delta  and retain their advertising base.

Personally I think they are playing with fire. Lots of people were mad at the acquisition because they knew it meant an end to TriTronics service and "Made in USA" would probably not apply anymore to their products. People were further upset when the Delta came out because it has so many features and many would like to keep the collars simple. Dropping service on the old collars is risky business.

[Commando]

thanks for the replies guys. yes i will be using thiis with my lab. he is still to young to start working with this though. i knew that Garmin had purchased them but i didnt know that they were going to discontinue most of the collars thanks for that info. there is a pro 100 at a store near me ill look into. for awhile there i was looking at the 500 but i think that might be to much collar for me.
 
 Happy Gilmore i will definitely take you up on that please let me know how they work out.

 so looks like i will look into dogtra and keep my ears open for anything else. again thanks guys

[AspenBud]

There is no fixing or repairing/returning of ANYTHING except PRO series collars.

Happy, was there a press release about this from Garmin?

[Curly]

One thing that you might consider if you plan to get another dog someday, is you may want a transmitter that can transmit to 2 separate collars.  Just a thought......if you get another dog then you can get another collar that will work with your transmitter so you only need one transmitter for both collars on your dogs.