Judging by all the threads and posts on these forums about the bugs with the unit I'm beginning to wonder if the Edge 820 is a good buy, I've been looking for a new cycling computer and quite frankly the Wahoo Elemnt seems like a better option, yes it doesn't have a touch screen, but what's the point when the one on the 820 is barely functional? On top of that the Elemnt has turn by turn navigation too and the contrast of the screen is better, really don't see why I should be getting a 820 I'm hoping to get some input from the owners on this forum as I've been a long time Garmin user and am quite reluctant to make the switch.
The Elemnt also has this Route Me Anywhere feature which is set up through their companion app. At a first glance it can seem weird to have to use a phone for this, but thinking about it, it seems much easier and less frustrating to do this on the phone's clearer and superior touch screen with higher resolution compared to any screen of any GPS. Also, the phone is probably faster and more powerful when dealing with these kind of operations. I haven't used it myself, but I kind of like the concept as long as the GPS devices aren't more powerful than they currently are. Still, the Elemnt lacks some functionality some Garmin devices have. Here's a video demonstrating Wahoo's Route Me Anywhere: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qA0Jj9x8iSA
I was in the same situation. I ordered an 820 but halfrauds didn't get it in for me. I then started looking at the bugs on it and it put me off. I was tempted by the Elemnt and nearly bought one but I really want the virtual buddy and structured training so the wife ended up ordering me a 1000.
I'm happy to see that some problems have been fixed with the 6.2 update and kinda makes me want one again but the 1000 seems stable even though its pretty big.
The Elemnt also has this Route Me Anywhere feature which is set up through their companion app. At a first glance it can seem weird to have to use a phone for this, but thinking about it, it seems much easier and less frustrating to do this on the phone's clearer and superior touch screen with higher resolution compared to any screen of any GPS.
It makes a lot of sense to have this feature (for the reasons you mention). It's not really that different than using a website like ridewithgps to create routes.
Note that the phone app is using a computer "in the cloud" to do the route calculation. It's possible to calculate routes on the smartphone (without needing cell/internet access).
One might want to be able to generate routes that don't depend on cell/internet access. That's one advantage of the Garmin on-device route generation or being able to generate routes on a smartphone that isn't connected to the internet.
Any such method produces a file (fit/tcx/gpx) that is downloaded to the GPS unit.
It would be easy to add this feature to the Garmins.
The computers in the Garmins (and the Wahoos) are slow, low-power types to save on battery life. The computers in smartphones are much more powerful.
If I'm using a course file, I often also load it to an app on my smartphone (as a backup and because it's easier to review on the phone).
If you really need maps - you may purchase garmin 820
Otherwise its just waste of money.
I'm very dissappointed about this unit. Half a year passed after purchase but i still feel like beta-tester of overprised device.
Wrong elevation calculation, wrong altitude gps-autocalibration - make this device unusefull for me. At first months i was hoped that so well known brand will fix such critical issues asap, but nothing happens. And i dont understand why 3 times less expencive devices like lezyne or sigma works flawlessly in this situation.
Poor battery life - another important issue. They said it should be up to 15 hours - thats a lie, a had 11-12 hours maximum (and 4 hour of this 12 was in power saving mode - turned off display, no info)
I used sigma rox 10 before - it was 18 hours in specification, and 18-20 hours in reality. Friend of mine using lezyne super gps - it says up to 24 hours in specification, and in reality tests - its true!
Only garmin lies to his customers.
Judging by all the threads and posts on these forums about the bugs with the unit I'm beginning to wonder if the Edge 820 is a good buy, I've been looking for a new cycling computer and quite frankly the Wahoo Elemnt seems like a better option, yes it doesn't have a touch screen, but what's the point when the one on the 820 is barely functional? On top of that the Elemnt has turn by turn navigation too and the contrast of the screen is better, really don't see why I should be getting a 820 I'm hoping to get some input from the owners on this forum as I've been a long time Garmin user and am quite reluctant to make the switch.
After some initial problems I've found the 820 to be reliable. I use it on two bikes with HR, Power Meter x 2, cadence/Speed sensor.
I use it to follow routes, on my turbo to follow workouts and in simple record mode to record my ride.
Initial problems with the touch screen were fixed by very helpful people at Garmin.
I think the first thing to do if you are having problems is to contact Garmin support rather than complaining on this forum.
These forums are useful for learning how to do stuff from other peoples experience.
Judging by all the threads and posts on these forums about the bugs with the unit I'm beginning to wonder if the Edge 820 is a good buy, I've been looking for a new cycling computer and quite frankly the Wahoo Elemnt seems like a better option, yes it doesn't have a touch screen, but what's the point when the one on the 820 is barely functional? On top of that the Elemnt has turn by turn navigation too and the contrast of the screen is better, really don't see why I should be getting a 820 I'm hoping to get some input from the owners on this forum as I've been a long time Garmin user and am quite reluctant to make the switch.
No it isn't. My original 705 was great, never had a problem with it that wasn't easily sorted. My 810 similarly until the 520 came out with its Strava segments and messed everything up with the firmware. Various updates have barely worked. The 820 was initially ok, but then that started playing up too. Screen too sensitive or not sensitive enough and the size of it makes the iConnect widgets a waste of time if you're long sighted like me. With the release of the 1100 approaching, the 820 operation is sure to be messed up even more, so I've moved to the Wahoo Elemnt. Garmin have had their day for me.
...My original 705 was great, never had a problem with it that wasn't easily sorted...
I think you may be viewing the past through rose colored glasses. The 705 was not perfect. You can check out the now closed 705 forum and see the issues and complaints. I used one for 6 years, and a 500 too. That said, it was way more usable and reliable than the 820, and I'd be happy to have it back instead.
Honestly, the only issue I had with my 705 was a simple send it to Garmin and got a refurb one back in quick time. Maybe because they weren't so huge back in the days of the 605 and 705, they were a bit more ready to resolve customer equipment issues.
