I just wanted your opinion on if these maps are comparable to the Garmin 24k? Is it worth spending the money on the Garmin?
These are free. Try these first and then if you want "better" buy those. The largest difference is the Garmin ones will auto-route (turn by turn directions) while 99% of these won't.
The Garmin maps also have the full set of POI's, like City Navigator. So you can search for gas stations, restaurants, stores, emergency services, etc. And the Garmin maps have 3d shaded terrain from DEM (Digital Elevation Model) data. No third party maps have that feature. The Garmin maps are also designed to work seamlessly with each other. Using free maps from different authors on this site, there will probably be some issues in the areas where they overlap.
But I agree, try the free maps here first. :)