Here are my thoughts on the new TT25 and T20 Garmin Track and Train collars and how they compare to the previous generations of collars, especially the TT15 and T5 series.
- The TT25 has a redesigned case/body that is smaller and lighter than the TT15 series. The TT15 full size case has been used by several collars in the Garmin line and was often thought to be too big and bulky on smaller doges. There was a "mini" version of the TT15 series but it was short on battery life and had some other problems that made it not the favorite of many hunters. The TT25 is the compromise of weight and size designed to, hopefully, fit most dogs from a size and weight perspective.
TT15 - 10 ounces
TT15-mini 7.5 ounces
TT15X - 10 ounces
TT25 - 9.3 ounces
T-5 - 9.3 ounces
T-20 - 8.4 ounces
- The TT25 has a user replaceable GPS antenna, called the GPS "band". In the TT15 series, GPS antenna failure or damage is a pretty serious failure point for the unit. If a dog, hog, or any sharp object ever damaged the GPS "band", it was not at all serviceable by the end user and some might argue that the collar was never going to be 100% dependable again even after professional repair. The TT25 fixes this with a different connection that is a plug and play type connection rather than soldering of the band connection to the motherboard, making it user friendly for replacement. This is a big advantage for long term dependability.
- The battery life on the TT15 is 20 to 40 hours depending on settings of the update rate of the GPS locator. The TT15X surpassed that with up to 80 hours. The TT15 minis have a battery life of up to 30 hours. The smaller TT25 compromises with about 68 hours of battery life. Again, the update rate is very much contingent on update rate. Keep in mind, the TT25 is smaller and lighter than either the TT15 or TT15X. There is an "extended" battery pack that is larger and doubles that life on the TT25 to an impressive 136 hours. That battery is sold separately along with a matching charging clip for $99.99. Most folks will do fine with 68 hours of battery life. Big game hunters who might have dogs out multiple days or hunt in areas where recharging is a challenge are about the only ones I see needing this upgrade.
T-5 - 40 hours
T-20 - 68/136 hours
- The TT25 and T20 are the first Garmin collars that will connect to wifi and update software directly without needing to be connected to a computer and use Garmin software. The first handheld unit to do wifi updates is the 200/200i. The 300/300i series has this capability as well. For earlier collars, the updates were an intentional intervention act by the owner. Due to this, many collars went without updates for long periods of time. For the new collars, once the wifi is set up, the TT25 and T20 will update its own software while on the charger. Just be sure to charge the units where they have a good wifi signal and make sure you have it properly set up to access your wifi. It is simple to set up.
- If you like to run a beacon on your dog, the TT15 series has a white double light beacon, one on each side of the collar that you can turn on. It is a good feature to be able to see a dog and keeps it safer where there is human interaction (car traffic, etc.). The TT25 and T200 have an improved LED beacon setup with lights on each end of the collar that can be changed between 6 different light colors. These beacons are designed so that they are seen much easier than the TT15 beacons. Many people like to use this to see the pack position of the dogs, assigning different colors to different dogs in their packs.
Range and training stimulation settings are about the same on the TT15 series and the TT25.