The best robotic total station ?

Leica TPS 1200 series total stations are the best from my point of view. My favorite is Leica TCRP1203+ R400, but I have to say that I didn't use Leica TS15 very much. On the other hand, I didn't have any experience with Trimble instruments at all, so I can't be 100% certain. One of my colleagues says that Trimble S8 is the best, while the other guy says that Leica TS30 is way ahead of any total station produced on this planet. Don't know what to say. I will stick to Leica TS15 probably... Just my opinion.

I like Leica TS15, but I think that Leica MS50 is much better (in many ways). Trimble S8 / S6 has excellent software, but instrument is not as good as Leica TS15 in my opinion.
I have used most of the TPS 1200 range (still have one TCRP 1205), but using Trimble S8 at the moment.

I must say that I don't like TS02 and TS06. We had a problem with brand new TS02. It was rainy day, and some water got inside the instrument for some strange reason. I was very happy that this instrument was still under warranty.

Hello BergerJ,

Is this market research or something?

You should check out [msg=307215]this thread[/msg] from a couple months ago where almost the same question was asked.

1. I like the way the Leica packs away in its case and the way all the accessories are neatly tailored to work together. The hardware is very good. The price tends to be high but in the long term it's worth it. The VIVA software I could learn to live with, but...

2. I like the Trimble Access field software. I wish Trimble would take a page from Lieca and improve the packaging and accessorizing. Their prices tend to be as high as Leica's.

3. I like the reliability of the Topcon. They just go and go.

4. The price of Spectra Precision is very low.

The precision/accuracy of all of them, when properly handled, is about the same, or at least satisfactory for most purposes.

its a pretty obvious spammer, I would think

> its a pretty obvious spammer, I would think
He has made other posts. I don't think that he is a spammer.

My company has two of the Leica TCRP1200 robots for sale, in anyone is interested. My entire company just switched to Trimble stuff and to be compatible we got a Trimble S6 and I am very impressed with it.

Trimble S6 user here, fast and reliable instrument and I like the Access software on our TSC2.

Hi Marcel, greetings from Belgium! What side of France do you live and work in?

Christof.

all about total stations...salesman, I think but then again I am not the cyber detective, plenty of sleuths on here.

At the end of the day it all depends on your budget. If you can afford Leica MS50 or Leica TS30 – good for you. I personally can not afford this kind of instrument, unless really old and scruffy second hand one 🙂 .

I do not think there is much difference between Leica and Trimble. Total stations are very powerful these days, and deliver pretty much the same results...It's more how fast you will get your head around really complicated software these days. My personal preference is Trimble S8, but I don't mind Leica TS15 either.

If choosing between the Trimble S6 or S3 I prefer the S3. The tracklight is a glorious feature I use constantly. The S6 instead has a gimmicky camera feature that I don't care for.

The S6 was available with the tracklight instead of the camera, and at a lower price to boot. In fact they didn't even have cameras available in them for the first 6 years of their existence.

There are a LOT of differences between an S3 and an S6. The S3 is a good, solid robot but it's not the same as an S6.

In any case, they've both been replaced in the Trimble lineup by the S5 and S7.

Edit - As the S3 and S6 will be discontinued once the S5 and S7 are 100% in place, there will probably be some good deals to be had on them, depending on your Trimble dealer...

Hello BergerJ,

Someone else asked this exact same question a couple of weeks ago. I'm just curious as to why you asked it again so soon. Are you marketing/sales/student/other?

The reason I have asked this question is that I can not decide which total station to buy - Leica TS15, Leica TS11 (maybe TS09) or Trimble S6 / S8. It is my first major purchase, and I am trying to collect as much information as possible before I make the decission. I have spoken to my bank manager, and they are ready to approve my loan. I really hope to get more informative advice on this topic. Thank you very much for all your posts and advice.

If anybody can suggest any other very good robotic packages (other than Leica / Trimble) – please feel free to post in this topic. Thank you.

Norman, I would like to thank you for the very informative post. However, the thread you have suggested seems to indicate that Sokkia CX-105 as well as Nikon Nivo M are not as good as Leica TS09. Some posters even advised to stay away from Nivo Series. Don't know anything about these total stations, so I would prefer not to comment.

Overall, I am thinking about Leica TS15 / TS11 (or maybe TS09) and Trimble S8 / S6.

SOKKIA makes the best robotic total stations. I think that Sokia is the best in terms of instrument accuracy and user experience (user interface / software). I have been working with a few products from this manufacturer and I must say that I am 100% satisfied.

Few things I would like to mention:

* SOKKIA is compatible with all surveying / engineering software packages
* Intuitive user interface
* Software is very easy to understand
* It is very easy to download and process all raw data
* Editing the raw data does not present a challenge (as with some other brands)
* It is very easy to transfer the files to Auto-CAD

Overall, I am SOKIA fan.

> Overall, I am thinking about Leica TS15 / TS11 (or maybe TS09) and Trimble S8 / S6.
Both of those are very good instruments. Others have suggested running the TS15 with Carlson's SurvCE, which may be a very good alternative.

I have not used the Trimble or the Leica instruments at all, but from what friends have told me they both are really good. We purchased a Topcon ps 103 robot and have liked it very much. We looked at Trimble and Topcon and went with Topcon for the price and the local support. We had a Topcon dealer here in Tulsa as opposed to going to a few hours away to get to the Trimble dealer. Other things to consider would be the support that is going to be given to you after the purchase. Good Luck

The reason most people here endorse Leica, Trimble, or both is that their hardware is hands-down better than anything else out there. I've always been an S6 guy but the Leica MS50 is an incredible machine. The main reasons I prefer the S6 over Leicas (other than the MS50) are the speed of the motors and the active targeting, but I also prefer Trimble Access over Leica's software.