I'm currently torn between getting another cel phone or a SPOT, actually. Money is tight and I can't afford both. One or the other will be my Christmas present this year. (Only 4 months from today.)
I've been looking at these devices as well and the Fastfind PLB appears to be the more cost effective choice.
The
McMurdo Fastfind 210 is currently running $225 locally. This is a one time cost for 5 years of service.
The
SPOT 2 is running $169 for the hardware and $99 / year for the
basic service plan. This equates to a $268 initial investment (hardware + 1 year) and a total of $664 over 5 years. There is currently also a
$50 rebate available on the purchase of the hardware which can offset some of the cost.
So, if your primary interest is the emergency use of these devices, the cost and reliability of the PLB would make it a better choice. If the non-emergency messaging of the SPOT is valuable to you, the added cost of the SPOT may still be worthwhile.