Beacons??
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Rating Scores - The Best Avalanche Beacons - OutdoorGearLab
I bought 3 of the s+1 specials..... ortovox
I bought 3 of the s+1 specials..... ortovox
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- Staff
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Range
Since most of the beacons were rated to a 50-meter range, you would think they would all perform about the same. However, in our experience and these tests, there are some big differences. For example, the Tracker 2 is rated to 50 meters but we have found it does not always perform that high. On the other hand, the Pieps DSP and DSP Tour receive signals at 60 meters and beyond. The beacons with the best range by far were the F1, Pieps DSP and Barryvox Element and the Pulse. Of these, the Pulse, Element, the DSP, and DSP Tour get the highest marks because the they work best at the edge of their range. One advantage of the Pulse and the Element: If you are walking parallel with a flux line away from the victim, these beacons will tell you to turn around. With most other beacons, when you are at the edge of their range in coarse search, they can send you away from the victim. At that point it is up to you to notice that you are getting farther away by reading the distance indicator, which takes extra awareness and time.
Ease of finding single victim
All the beacons do relatively well at this. All were intuitive to use. The biggest difference comes in how the beacons deal with signal spikes. All the three-antennae models did great. The Backcountry Access Tracker 2, while it has other shortcomings, was one of the fastest beacons we tested. The Barryvox Element and Pulse and the Pieps DSP and DSP Tour were all super close as well.
Ease of using multiple burials
This is where the beacons really differed. The Pieps DSP and DSP Tour had very tight "flagging" zones and could flag one beacon even with two very close together a time when other beacons struggled. The S1+ was one of the best as it gives a clear readout of where the victims are and lets you flag a victim and move on to the next. The Barryvox Element and the Pulse also had easy-to-use and very effective flagging systems. The Ortovox 3+ also has similar features that let you flag victims and move on but we felt it wasn't quite as effective.
Ease of use in fine search
Here the Barryvox Pulse and Element performed near the top again, along with the Backcountry Access Tracker 2 and the Pieps DSP and DSP Tour. In our tests while in the hands of a professional guide the DSP and the Pulse were the fastest. Among slightly less experienced backcountry users the Tracker 2 would often be a little quicker but the Pulse, and Pieps DSP and DPS Tour were not far behind.
Editors' Choice - Best Avalanche Beacon
The Mammut Pulse Barryvox is our favorite beacon and winner of the Editors' Choice award. It scored near the top in every category. It is easy to use, has nearly the biggest range, and deals the multiple burials well. Best of all, there is not much price difference with the other top three-antennae beacons. Its closest competition is the Pieps DSP, which is a little simpler to use but doesn't have as much user control or as many features. In choosing between them, it comes down to if you are comfortable with the many advanced features of the Barryvox or prefer a more simple user interface and display.
Top Pick - Top Pick Avalanche Beacon
The Pieps DSP Tour was our Outdoor Gear Lab Editors' Top pick because it was one of the higher scoring beacons in every catagory. It has awesome range, one of our favorite multiple burial features, was super easy to use and it's only $350! Compared with its more expensive counterpart, the DSP it has all the same features except the "Fisher Finder" button and the frequency check button, which most people will never use, and it's $100 less. the DSP Tour is also nearly as awesome as the Pulse and is $150 cheaper.
Best Buy - Best Value Avalanche Beacon
If you are only doing a few trips a year, we recommend the Backcountry Access Tracker 2, which is $20-170 cheaper than the top three-antennae beacons and is really intuitive to use. It has only has okay range and doesn't do as well in multiple burial situations, but is super easy to use and mega fast at finding a single beacon.
Since most of the beacons were rated to a 50-meter range, you would think they would all perform about the same. However, in our experience and these tests, there are some big differences. For example, the Tracker 2 is rated to 50 meters but we have found it does not always perform that high. On the other hand, the Pieps DSP and DSP Tour receive signals at 60 meters and beyond. The beacons with the best range by far were the F1, Pieps DSP and Barryvox Element and the Pulse. Of these, the Pulse, Element, the DSP, and DSP Tour get the highest marks because the they work best at the edge of their range. One advantage of the Pulse and the Element: If you are walking parallel with a flux line away from the victim, these beacons will tell you to turn around. With most other beacons, when you are at the edge of their range in coarse search, they can send you away from the victim. At that point it is up to you to notice that you are getting farther away by reading the distance indicator, which takes extra awareness and time.
Ease of finding single victim
All the beacons do relatively well at this. All were intuitive to use. The biggest difference comes in how the beacons deal with signal spikes. All the three-antennae models did great. The Backcountry Access Tracker 2, while it has other shortcomings, was one of the fastest beacons we tested. The Barryvox Element and Pulse and the Pieps DSP and DSP Tour were all super close as well.
Ease of using multiple burials
This is where the beacons really differed. The Pieps DSP and DSP Tour had very tight "flagging" zones and could flag one beacon even with two very close together a time when other beacons struggled. The S1+ was one of the best as it gives a clear readout of where the victims are and lets you flag a victim and move on to the next. The Barryvox Element and the Pulse also had easy-to-use and very effective flagging systems. The Ortovox 3+ also has similar features that let you flag victims and move on but we felt it wasn't quite as effective.
Ease of use in fine search
Here the Barryvox Pulse and Element performed near the top again, along with the Backcountry Access Tracker 2 and the Pieps DSP and DSP Tour. In our tests while in the hands of a professional guide the DSP and the Pulse were the fastest. Among slightly less experienced backcountry users the Tracker 2 would often be a little quicker but the Pulse, and Pieps DSP and DPS Tour were not far behind.
Editors' Choice - Best Avalanche Beacon
The Mammut Pulse Barryvox is our favorite beacon and winner of the Editors' Choice award. It scored near the top in every category. It is easy to use, has nearly the biggest range, and deals the multiple burials well. Best of all, there is not much price difference with the other top three-antennae beacons. Its closest competition is the Pieps DSP, which is a little simpler to use but doesn't have as much user control or as many features. In choosing between them, it comes down to if you are comfortable with the many advanced features of the Barryvox or prefer a more simple user interface and display.
Top Pick - Top Pick Avalanche Beacon
The Pieps DSP Tour was our Outdoor Gear Lab Editors' Top pick because it was one of the higher scoring beacons in every catagory. It has awesome range, one of our favorite multiple burial features, was super easy to use and it's only $350! Compared with its more expensive counterpart, the DSP it has all the same features except the "Fisher Finder" button and the frequency check button, which most people will never use, and it's $100 less. the DSP Tour is also nearly as awesome as the Pulse and is $150 cheaper.
Best Buy - Best Value Avalanche Beacon
If you are only doing a few trips a year, we recommend the Backcountry Access Tracker 2, which is $20-170 cheaper than the top three-antennae beacons and is really intuitive to use. It has only has okay range and doesn't do as well in multiple burial situations, but is super easy to use and mega fast at finding a single beacon.
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I thought you bought the other ones, not the pieps?
neilsleder
Active VIP Member
I got the Barryvox Element and really like it. In our Avy course the guys that had these had the best range and the easiest time finding other beacons. I asked Lory from Zacs tracks which beacon she would want to find her if she was buried and she said the Barryvox Pulse or element. What every beacon you buy practice with it in know how to use it in side and out!
Sent while sitting on the toilet when I should be working!
Sent while sitting on the toilet when I should be working!
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you're right.... I was looking at the pieps, but ended up with the ortovox s+1special
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and here's why:
Street Price: Varies from $337 - $489 | Compare prices at 7 resellers
Pros: Easy to use, long range, may be the wave of the future.
Cons: More experienced users will have to slightly retrain themselves, expensive.
Best Uses: Back country skiing, back country snow boarding, snowmobiling.
Manufacturer:
Overview
The Ortovox S1+ is the most technically advanced avalanche beacon on the market but it still has a few quirks and it takes a little longer to get used to the interface. It was one of our higher performing beacons and was also fairly easy to use. However, it is different than all other beacons on the market because it doesn't follow flux lines in a conventional way. This is where very experienced users will have a harder time than less experienced users and the Beacon feels different than any others on the market. The S1+ is also a little harder to use at three meters and under; it would generally take a little longer for our rescuers to "bracket" the victim. While it is expensive, it is not that much more so than its competitors.
The range is among the best we tested, which allows large search strip widths. Its closest competitors are the Pieps DSP and Mammut Pulse Barryvox. In choosing between the three, it comes down to if you are comfortable with the more advanced digital display of the S1 or prefer a more standard display. Some of our testers (especially those with more experience) were more skeptical at first because the S1 looks for victims and assists you in finding your victim in a totally different way. Unlike all other beacons we've ever used, the S1 doesn't assist you in following a flux line to your victim. Instead it uses "sensors" (hence the name S1) and calculates distances and angles of the flux lines and takes you straight to the victim. If you are only doing a few trips a year, we recommend the Ortovox 3+, which is $110 cheaper and even easier to use, especially for beginners, but does not have nearly as large a range.
In a recent training with experienced mountain guides, we all took turns using the three devices mentioned above in practice burials. Everyone traded off in multiple burials. No matter which guide had which device, the Ortovox S1 always came out on top, followed by the Pieps DSP and then Barrybox and then the Tracker. But all devices performed great.
New for 2011, the S1 became the S1+. The + is just a feature that the Ortovox 3+ already had and now is featured in the S1+. The + is the transmitting antenna and affects only the transmit mode of the beacon and has no effect on the beacon's search abilities. It basically chooses which is the better antenna to transmit from, thus giving the wearer a better chance to be found. Kinda sweet.
Compare top rated competitors side-by-side >
| Ortovox S1+ Review | |
| Avalanche Beacons | |
|
Street Price: Varies from $337 - $489 | Compare prices at 7 resellers
Pros: Easy to use, long range, may be the wave of the future.
Cons: More experienced users will have to slightly retrain themselves, expensive.
Best Uses: Back country skiing, back country snow boarding, snowmobiling.
| User Rating: | (0.0 of 5) based on 0 reviews |
Manufacturer:
| Review by: Chris McNamara ⋅ Founder and Editor-in-Chief, OutdoorGearLab ⋅ January 3, 2013 |
Overview
The Ortovox S1+ is the most technically advanced avalanche beacon on the market but it still has a few quirks and it takes a little longer to get used to the interface. It was one of our higher performing beacons and was also fairly easy to use. However, it is different than all other beacons on the market because it doesn't follow flux lines in a conventional way. This is where very experienced users will have a harder time than less experienced users and the Beacon feels different than any others on the market. The S1+ is also a little harder to use at three meters and under; it would generally take a little longer for our rescuers to "bracket" the victim. While it is expensive, it is not that much more so than its competitors.
The range is among the best we tested, which allows large search strip widths. Its closest competitors are the Pieps DSP and Mammut Pulse Barryvox. In choosing between the three, it comes down to if you are comfortable with the more advanced digital display of the S1 or prefer a more standard display. Some of our testers (especially those with more experience) were more skeptical at first because the S1 looks for victims and assists you in finding your victim in a totally different way. Unlike all other beacons we've ever used, the S1 doesn't assist you in following a flux line to your victim. Instead it uses "sensors" (hence the name S1) and calculates distances and angles of the flux lines and takes you straight to the victim. If you are only doing a few trips a year, we recommend the Ortovox 3+, which is $110 cheaper and even easier to use, especially for beginners, but does not have nearly as large a range.
In a recent training with experienced mountain guides, we all took turns using the three devices mentioned above in practice burials. Everyone traded off in multiple burials. No matter which guide had which device, the Ortovox S1 always came out on top, followed by the Pieps DSP and then Barrybox and then the Tracker. But all devices performed great.
New for 2011, the S1 became the S1+. The + is just a feature that the Ortovox 3+ already had and now is featured in the S1+. The + is the transmitting antenna and affects only the transmit mode of the beacon and has no effect on the beacon's search abilities. It basically chooses which is the better antenna to transmit from, thus giving the wearer a better chance to be found. Kinda sweet.
Compare top rated competitors side-by-side >
Last edited:
JoHNI_T
Active VIP Member
I agree 100% Barryvox might be a bit more money but great product with a tonne of good reviews and easy to use.
good luck
neilsleder
Active VIP Member
They aren't that much money I got my Barryvox element at the sled show last year for $360. I thought that it was a fair price. I wish I would of bought the pulse cause me and my wife both sled and you can program the pulses to find each other first! And the got heart rate monitors so you can see if the person buried is still alive so you don't waste time digging out a dead victim when there an alive one still buried.
Sent while sitting on the toilet when I should be working!
the_real_wild1
Active VIP Member
Pieps DSP. I have one and every time we have tested them in the field on course I am the furthest out. It does work well but still not perfect. I haven't seen a perfect beacon yet.
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sledneck_03
Active VIP Member
I have the tracker dts..... super easy to use. Not sure on the range???
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