Garmin 510 vs 800

ianspeare

Ima considering purchasing my first garmin device. Ive been using my iphone, which is fine bar the battery life and having to go into my jersey pocket every time I need to check where i am. I've been looking at the 510 and 800. Is the 800 worth spending the extra few pennies on? I would prefer the mapping capabilities on the 800.

TakeTurns

Yes, the mapping capabilities have saved me many times and it's a nice bit of reassurance.

Flâneur

800 is solid, amazon had a good deal on them with all the bits (HR cadence etc) and wiggle had/have refurb ones. And always the chance of 10% if a loved one/similar buys it with a reference from you

BrandonA

I love plotting a ride at home and then following it. If this is important to you then the 800 is the way to go. Sometimes I don't follow a route and occasionally I get lost, again the 800 is good for getting back on track.

In regards to the last point though, you can use the phone as a backup for this scenario.

I think the 800 is one of the best cycling devices I've bought.

RDW

I looked at the options recently, and ended up with the 800 (bought the Amazon HRM/cadence bundle without maps, then downloaded free maps from Talkytoaster). Mapping seemed more useful to me than the new features of the 510, and the 810 didn't add enough to be worth the extra £100 or so over the 800. That said, don't expect anything like the screen quality of the iPhone - all these Garmins have small, low resolution displays (though that must help with the battery life). If I didn't want mapping, I'd probably have gone for the 500, which is significantly smaller than the 510/800/810, and quite a bit cheaper.

diy

I've got the 800 and the 500. the 800 is a great bit of kit though it can be a bit buggy. alternative option is to buy a USB power supply for about 8 quid for the iPhone. definitely go for the hr cadence option and open source maps.

neal1984

RDW wrote:

I looked at the options recently, and ended up with the 800 (bought the Amazon HRM/cadence bundle without maps, then downloaded free maps from Talkytoaster). Mapping seemed more useful to me than the new features of the 510, and the 810 didn't add enough to be worth the extra £100 or so over the 800. That said, don't expect anything like the screen quality of the iPhone - all these Garmins have small, low resolution displays (though that must help with the battery life). If I didn't want mapping, I'd probably have gone for the 500, which is significantly smaller than the 510/800/810, and quite a bit cheaper.

This is pretty much the reply I was going to put. I've just bought a 800 for the same reasons.

hatch87

I went with the 500, saved some money and you get a breadcrumb trail which is pretty easy to follow, and you can still get turn by turn navigation on it. If you go wrong just zoom out and you can see what direction to head in to get back on track or home.

But with the choice between 510 and 800, I would probably go for the 800 as the extras on the 510/810 are minimal, bluetooth would be good to save me the 5 seconds it takes to plug it in to my laptop.

slowbike

510 or 800 ...

3 major differences.
a) mapping - the mapping on the 800 is useful if you're in an unfamiliar area or just trying to find a new/quick route somewhere. Very handy for cycling abroad if you can get the free maps! If you know where you're going then it's not a concern.
b) Bluetooth connectivity - the 510 will connect via your smartphone and report a position to the interweb - handy if you've got a concerned partner/parent - not handy if you've got an interfering partner/parent - but you could just turn it off then! It's also handy if you're out on the road for days and want to upload your tracks or download new ones as you don't need a computer to do so.
c) Vector Powermeter - I've heard the new Garmin Vector pedals will give individual power readings and they're not going to write that into the 800/500 firmware - so it'll be combined power only. Whereas the 510/810 will be capable of showing that your left foot is lazy.