GM-15 Pro Question

[WSBX851]

I recently purchased a GM-15 Pro as my first GMRS radio. I've read that it doesn't actually transmit at the full 5W that it's rated for. My questions are:

1) If this is indeed true, is there a way to edit/modify the radio to transmit at a full 5w? 

2) Are there any handhelds on the market that are "best in class"? There are seemingly a lot of conflicting opinions on what radios are better than others. Is there a groupthink consensus on what's better/best?

I do a lot of hiking in remote places and also have a few friends within a 5mi range that I'd like be able to reliably communicate with. 

[OffRoaderX]

1) your actual power output depends on what frequency you transmit on, and the luck of the draw - but no, there is no way to  fix/change anything to get more out of it.
2) "Best in class" depends on what is important to you and how you define "best" - but generally speaking Baofeng radios are not on that list

Dont make the mistake of getting overly hung-up on whether or not a radio is transmitting 5W or 3W - In most cases, usually, most of the time, on average, you will not notice any difference in FARS when comparing 5W to 3W - what you will notice however is that 5W will suck down your battery much faster.

[WRYZ926]

All of my different hand held radios vary in output power from 4 watts to 6 watts. As said, it's the luck of the draw. But one or two watts won't make a difference.

I agree that Baofeng radios are not the best even though they do work. A lot of us like the Wouxun brand radios. Check them out to see if one fits your needs.