Thinking of buying Garming 820 - a mapping question

topcattim

My aged 810 is dying (it will no longer charge reliably or sycn to computer, so I think there are problems in the electrical connector that I can't sort). I never got on that well with it (constant crashing), but it has been much more reliable in the last year.

Although I always swore I'd never buy Garmin again, I'm thinking of replacing with an 820, as I want proper mapping, along with touch screen (over the 520). My question is about my existing SD card that I bought with full European maps which I need - will this play nicely with a new 820?

(And would anyone advise that I give Garmin a swerve completely, maybe into a Wahoo Bolt, where presumably I wouldn't need to worry about my existing SD card as that comes with maps anyway? But I like the 820's ability to reroute on the fly...tough call)

StillGoing

I went from the 810 to the 820 and regretted it. Initially, it was fine, but then the touch screen became temperamental, sometimes not responding and then over responsive and the screen glare was terrible. I'm long sighted and found the screen to be too small to display much more than a couple of pieces of data, but that's my eyesight.

I switched to the Wahoo Elemnt that has world mapping as standard. Simplistic to set up and connect and leap years ahead of Garmin in doing what you want when you want. Yes the screen is black and white, but it actually makes it easier to see in bright and dull lighting. The mapping (as yet) doesn't have the ability to get you back on course if you deviate from it, but I've no doubt it will come. Installing routes is simple and doesn't clog up the memory. The Elemnt Bolt is the same other than not having the two sets of LED indicators. If it were me, I'd be going with a Wahoo device.

paulmon

I had a 820 and sent it back after a month and replaced it with a 810 which has been perfect. Touch screen is really bad and the mapping was slow. Avoid it like the plague would be my advice.

sniper68

The 820 comes with full euro mapping.There’s no SD slot.I got fed up with all the issues and got rid.
I replaced it with an Elemnt Bolt.I don’t use the mapping so have no idea how it compares but believe it’s a bit more basic than Garmins.

topcattim

PaulMon wrote:

I had a 820 and sent it back after a month and replaced it with a 810 which has been perfect. Touch screen is really bad and the mapping was slow. Avoid it like the plague would be my advice.

ibbo68 wrote:

The 820 comes with full euro mapping.There’s no SD slot.I got fed up with all the issues and got rid.
I replaced it with an Elemnt Bolt.I don’t use the mapping so have no idea how it compares but believe it’s a bit more basic than Garmins.

hmm, interesting, thanks both, hadn't realised that I wouldn't need to get an extended map. The more I look into this, the more interested I become in the Elemnt Bolt. ibbo68 have you spotted any disadvantages of your Bolt?

pmannion9

topcattim wrote:

PaulMon wrote:

I had a 820 and sent it back after a month and replaced it with a 810 which has been perfect. Touch screen is really bad and the mapping was slow. Avoid it like the plague would be my advice.

ibbo68 wrote:

The 820 comes with full euro mapping.There’s no SD slot.I got fed up with all the issues and got rid.
I replaced it with an Elemnt Bolt.I don’t use the mapping so have no idea how it compares but believe it’s a bit more basic than Garmins.

hmm, interesting, thanks both, hadn't realised that I wouldn't need to get an extended map. The more I look into this, the more interested I become in the Elemnt Bolt. ibbo68 have you spotted any disadvantages of your Bolt?

Some comparisons on Cycling weekly website.
As always - go look at DC Rainmaker website for detailed reviews of these products..

thegreatdivide

topcattim wrote:

PaulMon wrote:

I had a 820 and sent it back after a month and replaced it with a 810 which has been perfect. Touch screen is really bad and the mapping was slow. Avoid it like the plague would be my advice.

ibbo68 wrote:

The 820 comes with full euro mapping.There’s no SD slot.I got fed up with all the issues and got rid.
I replaced it with an Elemnt Bolt.I don’t use the mapping so have no idea how it compares but believe it’s a bit more basic than Garmins.

hmm, interesting, thanks both, hadn't realised that I wouldn't need to get an extended map. The more I look into this, the more interested I become in the Elemnt Bolt. ibbo68 have you spotted any disadvantages of your Bolt?

http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... t=13088696
http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... t=13089016

https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2016/07/gar ... e-820.html
https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2017/07/bes ... wahoo.html

topcattim

thegreatdivide wrote:

topcattim wrote:

PaulMon wrote:

I had a 820 and sent it back after a month and replaced it with a 810 which has been perfect. Touch screen is really bad and the mapping was slow. Avoid it like the plague would be my advice.

ibbo68 wrote:

The 820 comes with full euro mapping.There’s no SD slot.I got fed up with all the issues and got rid.
I replaced it with an Elemnt Bolt.I don’t use the mapping so have no idea how it compares but believe it’s a bit more basic than Garmins.

hmm, interesting, thanks both, hadn't realised that I wouldn't need to get an extended map. The more I look into this, the more interested I become in the Elemnt Bolt. ibbo68 have you spotted any disadvantages of your Bolt?

http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... t=13088696
http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... t=13089016

https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2016/07/gar ... e-820.html
https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2017/07/bes ... wahoo.html

Thanks. I'd read the DCR stuff (failed to pick up abou the mapping though :oops: ) but not seen the Bolt threads here, thanks. Lunch time reading sorted....

w00dster

For me it depends on how important the mapping feature is. I had the 810 and to be frank, it was just rubbish. Unreliable garbage. As I bikepack for multi day trips, both road and off-road, I decided to invest in an eTrex. Think I paid about £180 for it at the time. This is really useful for bikepacking, came pre-loaded with European Topo Maps, but you can also install other free maps. For the majority of my road rides I'm not reliant on maps though, so I also purchased a cheap Lezyne Super GPS (£104).
In terms of my bikepacking and touring I didn't think the Wahoo was good enough in terms of navigation. I'm sure its probably suitable for most people, just not everyone. So yeah I ended up with two different devices, but I see it as two different use cases. And it means I have the best of both worlds rather than trying to find a happy medium but falling short.

sniper68

thegreatdivide wrote:

hmm, interesting, thanks both, hadn't realised that I wouldn't need to get an extended map. The more I look into this, the more interested I become in the Elemnt Bolt. ibbo68 have you spotted any disadvantages of your Bolt?

The Bolt has been faultless.
Having had two Garmins previous to the Edge 820(200 and 800) I'd never go back now.The touch screen on the 820 was terrible,Battery life even worse but the Bolt just works.Considering how well smartphone touchscreens work I can't understand how Garmin got theirs so wrong.

StillGoing

ibbo68 wrote:

thegreatdivide wrote:

hmm, interesting, thanks both, hadn't realised that I wouldn't need to get an extended map. The more I look into this, the more interested I become in the Elemnt Bolt. ibbo68 have you spotted any disadvantages of your Bolt?

The Bolt has been faultless.
Having had two Garmins previous to the Edge 820(200 and 800) I'd never go back now.The touch screen on the 820 was terrible,Battery life even worse but the Bolt just works.Considering how well smartphone touchscreens work I can't understand how Garmin got theirs so wrong.

I think it was something to do with trying to control glare and sensitivity, which they got wrong on all fronts.

Likewise, my Elemnt has been faultless from day one. Following a route is simple, operation is simple, screen data options are virtually limitless and it'll talk to you via the phone if you want audible turn by turn or Strava segment warnings.

topcattim

This is all very helpful, thanks everyone. After reading the dc rainmaker reviews and looking around for a bit, I'm going to go get me an Elemnt. I really didn't like my 810, it was very crashy, and it will give me much delight not to give any more money to Garmin....

N0bodyOfTheGoat

Get a Lezyne Super GPS for ~£100 instead?