Garmin Edge 840 Solar In-depth Review
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 ส.ค. 2024
- Garmin’s Edge 840 Solar has a host of new features and upgrades, but Liam Cahill believes you shouldn’t buy this cycling computer.
In this video, Liam gives you his in-depth review of the latest Garmin GPS device and explains why you would be better off spending your money elsewhere.
What do you think of solar technology? Is it a big step forward or an unnecessary extra cost? Let us know what you think in the comments below 👇
Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:27 New User Interface
02:51 Mapping & Navigation
04:17 Climb Pro 2.0
05:31 Climb Explore
06:00 Music Controls
06:56 The Basics
07:46 Why You Shouldn’t Buy
09:22 Outro
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Would you pay extra for solar charging? ☀
I bought the Edge 840 bundle and I definitely don't miss the solar option. An utter waste of money. As a side note, the speed sensor 2 is horrible and constantly auto pauses. A huge disappointment compared to the Wahoo speed sensor I've been using for the past 3 years which far outlived my old Wahoo Element mini which died after 2 years.
Yes. Lots of sunlight in Texas.
No, glad I bought garmin 1040 for a similar price to 840solar
What I don’t get is the 1040 solar comes with a silicone case included but the non solar doesn’t
@@gearknobzI have to get the 1040 online as it’s much cheaper for me as local it’s $200 more
I agree that solar is strange addition to the computers, and a screen size bump, or a smaller unit size, would have been more useful. But, FWIW the US street price difference between the 840 Solar and standard is ~$20. Also, while I understand the reasons why this video has the title it does, I think it was a poor editorial decision.
I bought the standard 840 and don’t regret it. The battery life is awesome, solar not required.
Same here. I ride everyday and only have to charge once a week without draining the battery. Recently did a 150 mile ride from morning to night in December weather (30 degrees F) and still had 60% battery life when I got home. Was expecting less so needless to say, I was totally impressed by its performance.
loads of footage from Cascais and Colares area! great to see you riding here. Considering 830 for MTB adventures. Helpfull video! thanks a lot.
Solar results for worked great for me. I live in Northen California. I have only needed to put on the usb c charger a handful of times since I bought it when it came out. Ive been happy with this over my 830. The one bad thing about this is the quarter turn locking tab in the back. If you flip yours over there are two small screws. They can come loose. In my case it was mounted in my mtb mount and the tab broke. It was enough for me to curse garmin. There isn't a part number to order on the website. You have to go through product support and enter in your purchase info. They got back to me to offer a good will replacement. I just needed to answer a few questions.
agreed! hope Garmin works on their interface and apps so they can be more usable :)
Thanks for the heads up. Unfortunately Garmin have cornered the market with bike computers and hence they can charge whatever they like.
Personally I will be buying the Edge Explorer 2 which is on special now here in Australia down to $AU400. It has all I need for my rides especially navigation.
perhaps considering buying from r2-bike, they have great deals
4.81 w/kg...what a flex!
The only Garmin I have now is a forerunner base model watch. And I use my Garmin connect app on the phone. No more by computers they’re gone. I have been using my one and only computer I got during the pandemic. Leyzne Maco. No it’s not as fancy as wahoo or Garman it’s kind of based on DOS but it last a long time and there’s no problems with it. Sometimes I find fault with the app at times but , for the most part, I use it on three different bikes. And I go days before I have to charge it days and telling you because it’s LCD. It’s too bad that Leyzne , it doesn’t seem to care about coming out with anything new and it’s very difficult to buy online from them unless you go to a dealer who doesn’t have it and make it complicated. I don’t think they have much interest in computers anymore but, mine works well it does the job and boots up quickly shuts down quickly and it doesn’t freeze up or have glitches so far so good and by the way, he doesn’t fly off the quick release mount like Garmin does with a twist lock that easily can come unlocked , that’s how I lost my Garmin 510 couple years ago.
I decided to go for a used edge 530 and except for type-C and the new sync feature, I feel like I'm not really missing out on anything.
(Paid 150€)
Just got a used 1040 Solar for £450. Hoping the solar functionality will help when bikepacking. A big upgrade from my 810! Question is do i use the 1040 on my commute or run the 810 in to the ground, saving the new device for weekend rides and holidays 🤔
The Solar function might help when maxing out the battery life and it certainly is a very big upgrade from the 810. I'd save the 1040 for weekend rides and run the 810 into the ground. Especially if you're commuting in weather like we've had today! Liam
Good job and good ride in portuguese roads ;)
What's the best navi for mtb and gravel bikes in your opinion?
The latest Garmin screens are very clear and the mapping has come on massively in recent years. I prefer a big screen when navigating off-road, so the Edge 1040 would be my pick. Liam
I can't understand that about solar. With a journey of approx. 2:30 hours here in Germany, on an average sunny day I easily achieve 20 minutes extra time through solar.
It depends on what you have on. I don't have Bluetogh or WLAN on, so maybe that's the reason.
You can almost get 3 wahoo element bolts for one 840 solar. It has the same features and a much better screen than even the 1040 solar.
I had the Bolt v2 v1 sold them both for the Garmin 840 sorry totally disagree Garmin eats it mapping way superior twice as fast way better battery life
@@gerard45gh Garmin's Maps is too convoluted and the wahoo has a much better screen. 14-16 hours is enough for me, if I ride longer than 6-7 hours I have a Powerbank with me anyways. The only Garmin device that's worth it is the 1040 Solar if I had a better screen.
Wild music
If there's enough demand we will release the Liam workout playlist 🎶
got a standard 840, battery life is more than sufficient. I ride mostly at night....solar is negligible
I bought an 840 Solar in October and the extra cost for solar definitely isn't worth it. 2 hour ride in full sun and I got less than 2 minutes solar. Contrast that with my Instinct Solar where I typically get 8 hours solar for a 4-5 hour hike. I can trust that in full or partial sun in days-long backpacking trips. That said, touch on the 840 is very nice compared to the non-touch 540.
The only reason I'm considering the 840 Edge over cheaper options is the address search functionality. Are there any work arounds for this on cheaper garmin devices, like the 540? For example, if i worked out my route to end destination using komoot, would Garmin still re-route me if I went off course?
Not sure about the address search function workaround, but the re-routing works with Komoot routes
Thank you!
So it charges when turned off or just in ‘standby’? I store my bike near a window…will it trickle charge when not in use?
It will trickle charge.
It will, but the gain is uselessly small
I exclusively ride at night, so, solar is completely pointless for me
I have the 840. I put it on the charger, PC is the source I use. Even when I disconnect the device safely it will not shut off. It just locks up on the power up screen.
Sounds like a warranty issue. Has Garmin offered to fix it? Liam
@@bikeradar I haven't tried to warranty it. I have learnt to hold the Power On button for about 10 seconds or more to get it to power off but then it comes right back on by itself and them when I tap the power button it will shut off. Maybe it's time to write to Garmin Support and see if it's a problem and I need to warranty it.
I can’t see screen when riding and never get any solar benefits
Can you please caption your content preferably before you upload it so other don’t have to wait until it’s available?
My reasoning exactly. I did my research and decided that gaining a dozen or so minutes of charge wasn't really worth it since you can gain that by plugging the thing in for like 60 seconds, so I opted for non solar. Then when I entered the Garmin store, saw what the 540 non solar cost and went for that instead. Going touch screen wasn't worth the difference, specially when I live in a rainy area, where the touch screen becomes finnicky at best, so I saved a chunk of cash.
The 540 is a good little unit and I'll have my full review on bikeradar.com soon. I just think the UI isn't friendly with just buttons. How are you getting on with it? Liam
4,5 W/KG FTP? Helluva Monstah! 🤙
We're expecting big things from Liam at Hill Climb Nationals 👀
I don't get it. I just bought (and quickly returned) the 840 as the graphics still look similar to my ancient 520. The connectivity is much faster and cleaner obviously, but Im not impressed at all with the still dull screen at the current price point.
I’m looking at getting the non solar 1040
I am leaning towards 1040.
It's certainly nice to have the extra screen size on the 1040
I have had the regular 840 since release. It’s an absolute pain in the ass, so many issues both software and hardware
If you don't mind me asking, what kind of issues? I have the regular 840 as well and haven't experienced anything... yet
@@rw9461 mine started off quite well (I bought it for the battery life), but there are massive software and hardware issues with the batteries with no fix in sight. My battery algorithm regularly tells me a full charge will last 4 hours, unfortunately the hardware follows the software so it cuts out in under 4hrs.
I personally find the screen hard to read in anything other than direct sunlight and I have perfect vision. The screen activates with sweat drips too which is annoying!
As far as software goes I just can’t stand the UI, it’s so unintuitive and makes me feel like a dumb ass trying to do basic things. I ride 10-20 hrs a week and follow plans from Training Peaks most rides, the days on the Garmin don’t sync up so I have to manually sync every workout, no matter what I do my £500 Garmin doesn’t know the day of the week 😂The workout screen is laughable too, the largest data field is ‘distance’ and it’s uneditable. You also can’t have auto pause during workouts which is mental if you warm up in a city or want to stop between sets. The Whoop style Garmin Connect metrics are absurd too, I wear a Garmin watch 24/7 and use the 840 for rides and it just can’t predict anything accurately.
These aren’t even all my gripes, don’t want to rant any more 😂 It’s just a mess of a product considering the price, Garmin using their customers as beta testers as usual. I had two Wahoos before and honestly they kinda sucked too (the batteries fell off a cliff super fast). We are so limited for choice in the tech space and are forced to buy these archaic over priced products.
@@johnmackenzie1831 what's interesting, your response is hidden, unless you sort comments by "Newest first". Clearly your feedback is not advertiser friendly...
I'm convinced I'm a vampire since it feels like my FTP drops by like 20w when the sun's out, consequently I like to ride when it's cloudy and cold. So solar probably does me no good either
Garmin. AKA Fisher Price & Nokia’s love child. Changed to Karoo2 and never looked back. A proper unit made by people who actually ride.
Battery life not so good. Karoo 3 will be epic.
@@adammillsindustries. I’ve not had a battery problem with all day rides so far. Just so easy to use.
i dont buy anything Garmin anymore. All the Garmin stuff i have had in the past was junk. Didn't last long, issues with operation , glitchy... just horrible. I changed to Wahoo years ago and wont ever go back.
I mean, of course you aren't going to get much solar power in the UK...
I live in the southern US so I'll get much more benefit than the reviewer. The title of this video reeks of clickbait.
Just 840 looked $739.99., guess all different models and touch screen, there Pricey and expensive for a Bicycle hopefully your rich and take your wallet
Touch-screen is completely unnecessary, it brings more problems, riding while raining is awful, the screen locked still allows for swipe movements, making the device to go crazy. Same with sweat.
Have to say that I've had zero issues with the screen on this, the Edge 1040 or the Edge 830. But The older touchscreens were terrible
I've ridden in light rain, downpours, light snow and misty conditions and had no issues with the touchscreen. The only time I've had any issue with the screen is when I store the device in a tube bag with a screen protector and not lock the Garmin, it will make the device go crazy like you said.
Don't buy Garmin buy Wahoo.