We have a trimble s6 and tsc3 with survey pro software. After using a variety of Leica robots with a variety of collectors and software I would go with trimble any day of the week. The consistency, lack of quirks, and accuracy won my vote. It's nice being able to focus on the work without having to worry about the gun.
Geomax Zoom 90 with Carlson Surveyor 2
It's easy to use
doesn't have too many complicated components that can fail
affordable
gun turns incredibly fast
gun tracks through crazy conditions (I'm often amazed it's still on me)
I think it is miles ahead of the Leica 1200 I have that's a few years old (I can't speak for the brand new Leica stuff, but that's a big price jump from Geomax)
I bought it from Allen Precision and they have great tech support if you ever need it. (I have not needed it for this gun)
My Leica TS12 and Carlson Data collector work well together.
But here's a whole field crew! (Complete with angry looking party chief.) 
Trimble S7 with an active target. TSC3 with Access. Works great, FAST!
It does everything well, control, topo.
For topo put it on track, then you can topo as fast as you can walk. I set up the tiles so I can just push code buttons,
Saw a sister agency out topo'ing with an S7 with two rods, circular prisms, looked like the old way, painful to watch, they had an I-man running the instrument and DC. I could topo twice as fast by myself. Like WTF man?
Yup. I got a refurbished S7 through Trimble complete package. Came perfect. I couldn't tell the difference between this and brand new. I think it was a demo unit and saved me about 10k.
Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
Peyton, post: 426743, member: 12539 wrote: Hands down the most powerful and versatile robot on the market.
... not named SX10.
get a trimble s6 or s5 or s7 sx10 if you have mucho dinero.
After having used Trimble 5600 and S6, I felt hamstrung by the data collector software. It worked but was missing some bells and whistles. Based on this board and the old RPLS board, I went with a Leica used TCRP 1203 with a Carlson DC. I love it. No extraneous gizmos, cables, or batteries at the range pole. I can use my circular prisms for backsites. My next one will be either a Geomax Zoom or the Carlson version. They tell me the tracking is even better.
Really this is a Ford vs. Chevy debate. You probably should go with a dealer you trust and is willing to help when you have issues.
Mark Indzeris, post: 426931, member: 1019 wrote: Really this is a Ford vs. Chevy debate. You probably should go with a dealer you trust and is willing to help when you have issues.
This +100
Mark Indzeris, post: 426931, member: 1019 wrote: No extraneous gizmos, cables, or batteries at the range pole. I can use my circular prisms for backsites.
This all refers to the 5600; that's not relevant to what they have now.
As someone who has extensive experience with both Leica and Trimble, there are two reasons that I'd go with Trimble:
1) If you get the Active Track prism you will NEVER have an erroneous shot to a taillight, safety vest, window reflection, or whatever else a passive tracker can and will bite on.
2) Trimble Access is far superior to anything Leica has. Again, 5600 users will say the data collector software wasn't good; Trimble has come a long way since then - the S6 came out in 2004.
Lee D, post: 426945, member: 7971 wrote: This all refers to the 5600; that's not relevant to what they have now.
I had a 5600, often I would take the 301B instead. There is no comparison to todays S6 or I suppose to the other brands top of the line.
The 5600 was OK in it's time, but there was a lot not to like. It was a power hog, it was heavy, the radios were quirky, the tracking wasn't coaxial with the line of sight, etc. But it was a workhorse, that's for sure, and when it came out (as the Geodimeter 600) it was state of the art. The 5600 was a Geodimeter 600 painted yellow and running on software that was still basically in a developmental stage. But you could still knock out some serious topo and stakeout with it compared to a non-robotic gun.
Coke vs. Pepsi
McDonald's vs. Burger King
GM vs Dodge
I suggest you get a demo, then try out each brand for a few days. Then decide for yourself based on performance, ease of use, dealer knowledge and available support.
I've gone from the old 5600, to an S6, to a Focus 10 (a blue 5600 with better software) and now to a Spectra Focus 35 running Survey Pro on a Ranger. The 35 isn't quite as fast as the S6, it doesn't have an active target, but the firmware is so good I've never had it lock on anything other than the prism I'm using, and the best part, it's less than half the cost of an S6. What's not to like?
IMO Focus 35 vs S6 just boils down to your preference for Access vs Survey Pro. Focus 35 is a great gun at the price it's at.
I like the Focus 35 but I sure do miss the mag drive of the S6. The servos on the 35 work good but not as smooth as the S6.
I've been using the same S6 for over 10 years and it seems like the Focus 35 picks up the prism quicker when searching. To be fair, our S6 collector does not have geolock.
I love the S6 but I went with the Focus because it's similar and I didn't want to drop a lot of cash on a used gun. You can't go wrong either way.
Gregg
i have been through many many robots. could never find the perfect combination. I am now running Survey Pro on a TSC3 with a trimble S8 with active track prism. Best combination to date. i feel like i have the ultimate setup now as i am a big survey pro fan. tried all of the spectra robots they are nice machines for the price however i had some fairly costly repairs on the servo motors etc and they just arent as smooth as the mag drives on the trimble. in fact nothing is as smooth as the mag drives. i have a few topcon robots and while they are nice units i cant stand the big clunky receivers on the pole that require a battery to operate. makes the searching function better however not worth the hassle. also i cant stand magnet software. and the topcon robots do work with survey pro however they are very laggy and buggy.
so pick yourself up an S8! but if you plan on using the vision system it comes with it will not work with survey pro only access. i opted for the S8 High precision model and ditched the vision system.