My 2 cents...
A caver I know bought a Garmin eTrex Vista a couple of years ago. He loved its small size and many functions, but was not impressed when the menu toggle button broke off. That's about all I know of the eTrex.
I currently have a Lowrance Globalmap 100 GPS that I use as a navigation aid in my vehicle, and occasionally on foot (like when walking to caves). Once in a while I like to download tracks and waypoints to my computer too, but unfortunately I can't with my newer laptop (no serial port).
My old GPS was an Eagle Expedition 2 (Eagle is now Lowrance), and it served me well for about 7 years. It has some good menu options, but is a little bulky by modern standards and has no built in map. It has a 12 parallel channel receiver in it, and uses the Rockwell chipset - so the acquisition time and receive sensitivity are both really good. It uses 4-AAs so the battery life is pretty good, even with me using NiMH rechargeables. The keypad finally gave out this year and I retired it.
I pondered for a while about what to replace it with. Eventually I chose to get a used Globalmap 100. This GPS has the same body and functions similar to my old Expedition, but also has a built in map. I sacrificed getting the latest, greatest, and smallest for a reliable one that I already knew how to work the menu on. It also cost me only $80 used on eBay, which included software, data and power cables, and other accessories. I'm happy with it.
The Globalmap 100 dates back to about 2000, and was about the first consumer GPS available with a built in map. I don't know too much about the current models, but I would imagine they are a similar high quality to my older ones with more menu options in a smaller package with a better screen. Might be worth a look.