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Owners--would you buy an 830 again?

syncro87
over 5 years ago

Just before BCBS cut the Edge units from their discount program, I managed to snag one for 35% off.

The deal seemed too good to pass up, and although I own a dead reliable Fenix 1 and Cyclo 505, those units are pretty old and I justified upgrading due to the discount price on an 830.

I worked all weekend, so my unit is sitting on my stairs in a box, unopened.  Now that I have some free time, I've been perusing forums and Reddit, and have noticed a pretty significant amount of seeming dissatisfaction with the 830.  Seem to be a lot of complaints / issues / bugs.

Now, part of this may be the internet syndrome where things look worse than reality because the vocally unhappy people can be over represented on forums.  On the other hand, maybe the units really are unacceptably buggy.

So, I have the option of opening my package and dealing with any issues that come along, or returning the 830 to Garmin and either sticking with my outdated but reliable gear.

What say you, 830 folks?  Are things that bad in 830 Land, or at this point in time are the bugs getting ironed out and most owners happy that they bought the thing?


In other words, knowing what you know now, would you purchase again, or go in another direction?

Thanks.

  • 0 over 5 years ago

    Best Edge I have owned.

    I have had 500, 810, 1000 and 520

    Whilst there are still occasional issues it has been great out of the box. 

  • 0 over 5 years ago

    No.  Or maybe better phrased "not yet."  I bought mine a few months ago, when it was a relatively new device.  It has been a majorly frustrating experience trying to figure out how to get the 830 to do what I expect it to and to understand why it does what it does.  This is my first Garmin cycling computer (I've previously owned two etrex handhelds for kayaking), so some of it was me being new to the device.  But I am certainly not a techno newbie, and I cannot for the life of me imagine someone who has no patience for half-baked software being satisfied with the 830, nor can I believe that ANYONE has gotten this thing to work flawlessly (read: as intended/designed) out of the box.

    I've struggled with BT connection problems, sensor drop-outs, device lock-ups, map zoom issues, and general confusion as to if features are operating as designed or are actual bugs, e.g. Virtual Partner, autopause not working when executing a planned workout, wheel size auto-calibration, strange elevation graphs, Forksight (whatever the hell that is; no one still seems to know for certain)...  The list goes on.

    Much of the struggles could have been mitigated with proper user manuals and documentation.  The 830 has so many potentially useful features for the avid cyclist, but they simply aren't clearly explained, if at all.  (There are features of the 830 that are actually better explained in the manual for the 820, but left out of the 830 manual.)  Look at all the feedback on the write-up of ClimbPro that aweatherall received.  We users had been left scratching our heads until he created that.  And if you didn't follow these forums, how would you find that information?  Why can't the user manual explain this stuff?  If I had a nickel for every time I muttered "what the hell is it doing now?" during a ride, I could have paid for the 830.

    I don't think I would have felt such frustration (and resultantly, angst) if I had waited six months (or longer) for bugs to be addressed with software updates.  If you've owned a previous iteration of the Edge, you might be more comfortable and/or tolerant.  

    I had been using a Polar V650, which worked well, but wanted more and better features around navigation and the mountain-bike specific functionality.  Turns out the 830 has been worse.

  • 0 over 5 years ago

    It's not like there's a ton of direct apples-to-apples competition... you either buy a Garmin product for what it can be (which when everything is working is superior to any competition) or you buy one of a limited amount of competitor's products and settle for fewer features that work mostly like they're supposed to. 

    I've given up on live track working consistently and a few navigation features that I don't really use anyway but overall I wouldn't gain anything by going to a different product. 

  • 0 over 5 years ago

    Yes. Once the GPS performance issues are resolved, the Edge 830 will do everything I want and need it to do.

  • 0 over 5 years ago

    Now that the 1030 has been upgraded with the same system as the 830. I would choose 1030. I have both. Bought the 830 because I thought Garmin would never release ClimbPro on 1030, but now they have. I use both now on my bike at the same time. I always find myself looking at the 1030 rather than the 830. The larger screen size and bigger fonts are much easier to read and also more of the map displays on it than 830. Also, in certain sunlight conditions in early morning especially but also towards sunset, for some reason the 830 screen even with backlight becomes almost impossible to read whereas the 1030 screen is quite visible. So would I buy 830 again? No, I would get 1030 since I don't need the Forksight MTB integration only 830 has.

  • 0 over 5 years ago in reply to ricomundy

    I thought about the 1030, but ruled it out for a couple of reasons.  Primarily because it would have cost me significantly more money.  Secondarily because of the older processor.  But mainly because I couldn't get a 1030 anywhere near the $260 I paid for the 830.  Appreciate the reply.

  • 0 over 5 years ago

    If i would have to chose now

    - i would think four times more if I want the bigger screen(i switched from E800 to E830) and I would buy 1030

    - otherwise I would buy the 830 even if,m meanwhile, I've got also the Fenix6(which doubles a bit the things here)

    Also for me, at the moment of purchasing, 1030 was not so much on my radar and it should have been. And, with the same amount of money I would have payed for 1030 simple, I've got a 830 bundle which includes HR-dual,new version of speed and cadence sensors. 

  • 0 over 5 years ago

    Yes.  I previously had an 810 which was generally OK but prone to crashing.  I tried a Hammerhead Karoo which has a beautiful screen but nothing else to recommend it.  The 830 has worked really well for me. No real gripes except making a route on the road still doesn't work

  • 0 over 5 years ago

    Yes.  I previously had an 810 which was generally OK but prone to crashing.  I tried a Hammerhead Karoo which has a beautiful screen but nothing else to recommend it.  The 830 has worked really well for me. No real gripes except making a route on the road still doesn't work

  • 0 over 5 years ago

    I must say yes. 830 is by far the best Garmin comp I ever owned (705, 800, Montana, 520, 820, 1030 and now 830).