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my package and dealing with any issues that come along, or returning the 830 to Garmin and either sticking with my outdated but reliable gear.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

    Honestly, Yes without a doubt it is by far the best cycling computer I've ever owned (810, 820,  830, Forerunner 305, 910XT, Fenix 5X,) The only issue I've ever had/have is the bluetooth connection, the fact I have to open GCM to get it to connect is a big pain. Other than that it's been flawless, touch screen is amazing, processing speed is hugely upgraded over the 820 (the 820 should never have been released, touch screen was a nightmare, and changing data screens put the processor into lag) 

  • 0 over 5 years ago

    i have used 130, 520, 1030 and now 830. 130 by far has the best screen, high contrast and super easy to read with polarized lens, too bad it is missing must have feature such as di2 integration and on the fly ant+ light control. For actual navigation the 830 just too small, 1030 is much better even though the processor is noticeably slower. Also both 8030 and 1030 have trouble staying connected to android phone.

  • 0 over 5 years ago

    Yes I would buy it again.  I have had mine since late May.  There were some issues with lockup and sensor early on, but those cleared up with some of the firmware updates.  I have not experience the altitude or GPS issues that are common complaints in this forum.  I use it for road riding and often load coarse from RWGPS.  Turn by turn directions have worked well for me (not perfect, but well).  I do not normally leave the phone connection on, as I am not using those features.  When I have ridden with the phone connected, I often lose the connection for short periods, then it reconnects.  Why some people are having major problems and other are not, is a puzzle.

  • 0 over 5 years ago

    Would definitely buy again. Previously had an 810 which would crash occasionally when loaded with OSM. Was fine with Garmin topo maps but they were outdated by the time I upgraded.

    I've not seen any lockups or sensor issues. I always ride with my phone connected via BT, and Varia radar, HRM, speed/cadence and power meter all on ANT+.

    Routes created and transferred from Garmin Connect Web via my phone. TBT not used often, but I play with it just to see climbpro sometimes :-)

    My 830 has been rock-solid </famous last words> ;-)

  • 0 over 5 years ago

    I would look elsewhere. As a 4th generation device the s/w and h/w should be much more mature upon release. It's unacceptable that some of the navigation issues that I had with the 810 are still present.

  • 0 over 5 years ago in reply to NYanakiev7

    what exactly do you disagree with? When did opinions become unwanted on here?

  • 0 over 4 years ago

    No. I'm beginning to hate the device for the lock-up's and sometimes not switching on at all. I previously owned a 705, 820 and a edge 1000. Both the 820 and the 830 annoyed me the most. Garmin releases immature products without proper support, however the new FW releases are solving some issues these releases are introducing new even more severe problems. 

  • 0 over 4 years ago

    I like the 830's battery life. On the other hand the firmware has been a dumpster fire.

  • 0 over 4 years ago

    I purchased just to upgrade to a current model from an old etrex, it has the battery life I need and seemed like great features. I've had it freeze up on critical rides, once during a 250 mile gravel race causing me to take a wrong turn. (DAMn Race is well worth doing by the way) Really want it to work, really like it when it does, but software is not great and freezing is not acceptable.