I've been totally wedded to the Etrex series since 2006. Currently Sheila and I use an etrex 30 and two Etrex 30x (we prefer the older 30 - slightly clearer screen).
Having read this page and read the Rainmaker review of the new Edge Explore 2, last week I bought one and have lived with it for a week now. Usage will be day rides and touring. While there are pros and cons, on balance it is a big improvement on the Etrex, and can be configured and used in just the same way - that is, dumbed-down without any of the connectivity stuff or ANT sensors.
I set mine up as a standalone without - I repeat without - any phone pairing or use of Garmin Connect, and it gives a bigger and better screen than the Etrex in a slimmer and lighter package, with modern USB-3 charging. Although the pre-installed map looks decent, I have added my own map file, the same one as we use in our Etrexes, and this renders perfectly.
In 'dumb' mode - that is simply viewing a map screen with a coloured Track Course overlaid - which is the way Sheila has used her Etrex for years now - the screen is bigger and clearer and especially the text fonts rendering is much improved. It's also nice to have one-touch switching between Track Up and North Up. Navigating - I must say so far we've had experiences that are 'mixed' at best. That is, both navigating an imported Track from RideWithGPS, and trying a map-based 'Go To'. We're still learning. All this is, I emphasise, without any phone pairing.
I happen to detest touchscreen UIs, and this is no exception - for me it is alternately obstinate and hair-trigger, and largely unintuitive. I think a touchscreen on the handlebars is a really bad idea. Sheila (age: late 70s) is taking to it much better and clearly expects to use the Explore 2 in preference to her Etrex 30 for her upcoming French cycle tour.
Pros:
* Bigger and clearer screen with much improved font rendering.
* Smaller and lighter physical package, better handlebar mounting system.
* Easy to add a 2nd (and 3rd) data screen. You can add graphical elements (such as an elevation plot) into the 2nd data screen. By re-ordering the screens list you can get it to swipe one way (from the map) for data screen 1, and the other way for data screen 2.
* Easy access to some things (such as Track Up/North Up, backlight brightness, alternative screens).
* Easy to switch between 3 'Profiles' (which I use for 3 different map setups).
* Sleep Mode (brief dab of the on'off button) works very well - left it in Sleep overnight and no battery drain. It can be configured to auto-Sleep.
* Rechargable (assuming you think that is a Pro) via USB-3
* Generally fast and responsive (eg Courses load quickly, long ones recalculate in background).
* The pre-installed map has optional (and easy to access on/off) 'Popular' (ie with cyclists) and 'Busy' overlays. These work without any phone pairing.
* In sum, in 'dumb' mode (viewing/following a coloured track overlayed on the map) it all works very well and improves on the Etrex (in the same mode).
* Obviously, there is all the connectivity stuff, and the sensors stuff - which I haven't explored.
* Notably, there is a 'group tracker' mode - for riding with friends, you can see their locations on your GPS screen (provided of course they are using similar kit). Great for tour leaders afflicted with a strong Duty of Care.
Cons (possibly setup via phone could overcome some of these, I don't know):
* The Start/Stop button is an irritation. I have configured it to auto-start but the minimum threshold for this is 10kph.
* Recorded tracklogs are (when converted from FIT to GPX) very over-large.
* The 'other' physical button has (for us) no useful function and cannot be reconfigured. Meanwhile the On/Off button is multi-function.
* Touch UI is (IMHO) a 'mare. (Others may love it.)
* Poor access to many of the setup options. The map options (zoom threshods, text sizes etc) are particularly obscure. Whereas on the Etrex they were easy to access.
* I haven't found a screen that displays the satellite constellation. Documentation surrounding the GPS options (GPS, Multi-GNSS) is inadequate.
* I could be wrong, but I don't think it has an electronic compass. This makes the 'Track Up' map display unstable at walking speeds. OK when cycling though.
* Navigation is limited to imported Courses (can import GPX track), or Go To, or planning on-device. (Phone pairing would obviously improve this).
* Popup navigational overlays obscure the map too much (can be turned off, but then no navigational prompts at all).
* Navigation seems (so far, early days) quirky. (Nothing new there.)
Edit to add:
The pre-installed map seems decent, but in my 'dumb' mode it's not very suitable, because an overlaid coloured Track is not very visible against the heavy rendering of the roads. Adding my own map (a mashup of Garmin Metroguide Gold, OpenStreetMap, and SMC Contours, and all carefully styled) has improved this a lot. If limited to the pre-installed map, then proper Navigation (which boldens the visual Track overlay) would seem the better option. I'll maybe do a few screendumps to illustrate this later.