# Garmin 510 vs. 800 vs. 810



## austin_bike (Apr 2, 2005)

My garmin 500 is starting to get flaky, and I am thinking about using that opportunity to update to a newer model. The 510 goes for $329, and you can spend another $70 and get the 810 which has the ability to download a map and get turn by turn directions.

Both of those have bluetooth capability to connect to my phone and allow me to upload to the garmin website so I would not have to mess with bringing the unit inside the house. 

But you can also get a refurb 800 for $199 right now. Considering most of my garmins have been refurbs, I have pretty good confidence that the unit will work fine.

Any reasons to spend the extra money for the 510 or the 810? How easily does the ride data upload to the phone work?

While I have a strava account I don't really use it. I'm not a competitive guy, just interested in tracking my own data.


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## SimpleJon (Mar 28, 2011)

go for the 800; the 810 bluetooth / smartphone link is not worth $200 unless you are one of those narcissist types that wants to broadcast real time achievements to the world (which it doesn't appear that you are)
I had an 800 that got stolen and got an 810 off the insurance and a bit of top up cash - I didn't know the 800 was still being made when I got it otherwise I would have bought the 800 and had a few beers from the remainder of the insurance cash.
The bluetooth / smartphone is easy enough to use but I still just plug it into the computer and use Garmin connect I can't stand working on tiny little smartphone screens especially with maps


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## zombinate (Apr 27, 2009)

see, I'd go with the 510 as it incorporates GLONAS, so has more satellite connections which can help in data accuracy.


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## Tystevens (Nov 2, 2011)

The bluetooth features of the 510 have been more or less useless to me. It only connects w/ my phone maybe 20% of the time (unless I do it manually, and then, it will connect and disconnect a dozen times during a ride). You have to plug it in to the computer to recharge every few rides anyway, so I have disabled bluetooth and just upload my rides when it is ready for a recharge.

But the other features may be worth it. This is my second Edge (first was a crappy 200 that I only had for 5 weeks or so), so I don't have a lot to compare, but it gets a sat connection fast and never loses it. I have heard the 500/800 sometimes take minutes to lock on to satellites, and that certainly isn't the case w/ my 510 (never takes longer than about 20 seconds). I like the touch screen and the wide range of data I can display. I also find it easy to manipulate while riding (on the road, at least -- I hardly touch it in motion on the trail), battery life has been just fine. So overall I'm happy enough with the product, but would have been happy to pay $50 less and skip the bluetooth connectivity.


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## austin_bike (Apr 2, 2005)

Decided on the 800 as it was only $199 refurb. Should be here by Friday which is great because the 510 crapped out again today


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## TwoTone (Jul 5, 2011)

SimpleJon said:


> go for the 800; the 810 bluetooth / smartphone link is not worth $200 unless you are one of those narcissist types that wants to broadcast real time achievements to the world (which it doesn't appear that you are)
> I had an 800 that got stolen and got an 810 off the insurance and a bit of top up cash - I didn't know the 800 was still being made when I got it otherwise I would have bought the 800 and had a few beers from the remainder of the insurance cash.
> The bluetooth / smartphone is easy enough to use but I still just plug it into the computer and use Garmin connect I can't stand working on tiny little smartphone screens especially with maps


Man judgmental much?

Actually there is valid reason for the Bluetooth/smartphone connectivity. I ride at lunch alone most times I ride, on a trail with very little foot traffic. Both my wife and I like the live tracking. If I haven't moved in a while and I haven't bother to let her know, she know something is up.


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## SimpleJon (Mar 28, 2011)

TwoTone said:


> Man judgmental much?
> 
> Actually there is valid reason for the Bluetooth/smartphone connectivity. I ride at lunch alone most times I ride, on a trail with very little foot traffic. Both my wife and I like the live tracking. If I haven't moved in a while and I haven't bother to let her know, she know something is up.


Two Tone I was being a little sarcastic not intending to offend, the point was to highlight the only real difference between the 800 and the 810 is the bluetooth link and that isn't worth $200 in my opinion. My wife can use the cloud from any browser at home or on her phone and find my iPhone pinpoints my location. I am sure that there are similar android apps. 
On another point there was a claim that the battery life is better on the 810 but I have not really noticed any difference over the 800 to be honest.


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## austin_bike (Apr 2, 2005)

Yeah, I have an iphone so my wife can always see where I am. And if I crash hard, the garmin pops off the handlebars and then I try to stumble out with a broken bone, it will be the phone that tells everyone where I am, not the GPS.


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## 6thElement (Jul 17, 2006)

Does the 810 still have the ability to just overlay a course on the map rather than having the unit navigate you along it?

For MTB'ing I prefer to just set the track to always show rather than needing it to navigate for me.


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## TwoTone (Jul 5, 2011)

6thElement said:


> Does the 810 still have the ability to just overlay a course on the map rather than having the unit navigate you along it?
> 
> For MTB'ing I prefer to just set the track to always show rather than needing it to navigate for me.


Yes


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## ziscwg (May 18, 2007)

6thElement said:


> Does the 810 still have the ability to just overlay a course on the map rather than having the unit navigate you along it?
> 
> For MTB'ing I prefer to just set the track to always show rather than needing it to navigate for me.


Yes, and so does the 800

You go into the course and edit it. Then, change the map display color and turn the "visible always" trigger on. I use this method for road centuries.

The turn by turn works ok. However, it misreads where you are sometimes and keeps annoying you.


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## austin_bike (Apr 2, 2005)

Annnnndddd the refurbished 800 lasted exactly 7.7 miles into the first ride. And then died. Hard. Can't repower it, can't reset it, can't recognize it on a pc or mac.

I'm done, it's going back. Maybe a new 510 is in my future. Glad the guy that wanted to buy my 500 (even knowing the reset problems) never made it by yesterday.


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## Wherewolf (Jan 17, 2004)

*810*



austin_bike said:


> Annnnndddd the refurbished 800 lasted exactly 7.7 miles into the first ride. And then died. Hard. Can't repower it, can't reset it, can't recognize it on a pc or mac..


I recently cracked the screen on my 800 and decided to go with the 810. I'm glad I did. It is much more than an 800 with bluetooth. The interface is much better than the 800 and much easier to read.


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## 6thElement (Jul 17, 2006)

Thanks for the answers on the 810, I've had the 800 for a few years and just wondered if the 810 still allowed that functionality. I'd read something somewhere that made me believe it wasn't.


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## Abagrizzli (May 28, 2012)

Also a 810 fan for connectivity reasons. I do like the fact that it uploads the recorded ride to the Garmin connect without pc connection. And the Livetrack is just priceless - I ride almost always alone, sometimes in the middle of the day, when there is no traffic at all. It's nice to know that I have my wife as a backup.


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## TJay74 (Sep 26, 2012)

go 510/810 over the previous generations.

I just came from a 500 and started out with the 1000 (my road bike has Di2 on it) when I found out there are no bike profiles in the 1000, so you cant keep track of your miles o each bike or input tire size. Garmin does it off of GPS which I don't like due to when I use the unit on our trails there are a lot of switch backs which causes errors in mileage on the rides.

I debated the 810 or the 510, in the end I don't use the maps, if I need a map I will break out my phone.

The 510 so far has better resolution than the 500, better GPS as said by the previous poster. The 510 will lock on GPS in my garage where my 500 would have to sit outside for 5 minutes before it would lock.

The 510 is easier to use, you can change which bike you are using from the main screen, if you setup a Garmin Connect account and sync it to your phone via BT then each ride will auto upload to Garmin, then if you use Strava it will auto transfer over to Strava as well.

So far I am liking the 510 way more than my 500. Plus I got my 510 on discount, sold my 500 for $125 so the upgrade only cost me around $200.

I am a data person so I love that part of the 510 of having the data at my finger tips if I want it instead of waiting until I get home to sync to the computer.


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## Mark194 (Mar 3, 2012)

Thinking about buying a 510. I use strava to track all my rides, which model works best with the Strava app?


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Mark194 said:


> Thinking about buying a 510. I use strava to track all my rides, which model works best with the Strava app?


Upload to Garmin Connect. Set up automatic transfers to Strava. Has nothing to do with the device.


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## TJay74 (Sep 26, 2012)

Correct, the 510/810/1000 all have BT and if you have the Garmin Connect app on your phone and your phone paired to the Garmin head unit then it is seamless.

As soon as my 510 boots up it connects to my phone. Once I stop the ride and either save or discard the ride it auto uploads to Garmin and then to Strava.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

You don't need the phone in the equation, though.

I do not have an Edge, but my device does wirelessly connect to my computer for uploads and Garmin Express sends my ride to Garmin Connect (the website). Which then sends the data to Strava, in just a few minutes at most, it seems.


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## BmoreKen (Sep 27, 2004)

I've somehow lost my 500, but just as well because the thing was driving me nuts, always searching for satellite or giving me tracks that drifted all over. 

Is the 510 that much better, with GLONASS?

The 810 is appealing as it seems to give much more for an extra $70. Does it come loaded with maps, or can I use maps of my choosing (say, opencyclemap)? 

Which do you think is more likely to survive an endo, if it's mounted on the bar?

TIA


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## RS VR6 (Mar 29, 2007)

Gave my GF my 500 and got a 510. I do like the BT connection. Makes uploading the data much simpler. The GLONASS makes picking up the satellite signal much faster. I also have a 200 and a Tactix. If I'm in a really wooded area...it'll take a long time to pick up a signal. Out of all those devices...the 510 picks up the fastest...by far.


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## alphazz (Oct 12, 2012)

I don't think that anyone has mentioned that the 810 is supposed to have a longer battery life than the 800 by a couple of hours.


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## BmoreKen (Sep 27, 2004)

Found my 500, so now I'm hoping post-holidays there will be some deals out there. Leaning towards 810 but $400 is hard to swallow. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Back2MTB (Jun 4, 2014)

Im getting my first garmin, a 500 for Xmas. Should I just upgrade now or run with a 500 bundle for $200 til it dies?


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## trueblue01gt (Oct 1, 2009)

i loved my 500 and really love my 510. its much easier to switch between the bike being used and the display profile you want. it can all be done from the main touch screen


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## askibum02 (Jul 7, 2005)

Sorry to resurrect a dead thread, but I'm contemplating a 510 or an 810 right now. The reason I'm even considering the 810 is for the map overlay. I have a horrible sense of direction in the woods, and it will be nice to have a map showing me where I go on the GPS on unfamiliar trails. Does the 510 offer anything like that, with out the map overlay, but with way point turns on a planned route?


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

askibum02 said:


> Sorry to resurrect a dead thread, but I'm contemplating a 510 or an 810 right now. The reason I'm even considering the 810 is for the map overlay. I have a horrible sense of direction in the woods, and it will be nice to have a map showing me where I go on the GPS on unfamiliar trails. Does the 510 offer anything like that, with out the map overlay, but with way point turns on a planned route?


Ehhhhh....yes and no. Basically, you can load a planned route onto the 510 and it will basically tell you "This way" to stay on it. You get no other reference information at all. The 810 with the map overlay gives you a spatial reference of your surroundings IN ADDITION TO the "This way" pointers. If you have the right data loaded into the basemap, you can free navigate without the pointers (my preferred option, as I trust my own navigation skill more than GPS routing) given that you can read the map data well enough. It takes some practice to be able to read everything shown to you on a topo map.


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## askibum02 (Jul 7, 2005)

Another silly question, does the 510 and/or the 810 display cadence in real time? I used the Wahoo Fitness app on a trainer ride for the first time last night, and it only displays average cadence.


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## Back2MTB (Jun 4, 2014)

My 500 gives real time cadence but I do have the gsc10 cadence/speed sensor on my chainstay and crankarm. I'm 99% certain the 510/810 can use the same sensor.


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## askibum02 (Jul 7, 2005)

Okay thanks. I have a different sensor but it is ANT+ so I should be okay.


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## Procter (Feb 3, 2012)

Does the 510 come pre-loaded with any map? 
Does the 800 and 810?


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## pharmaboy (Nov 11, 2005)

No, they come with basemap which is a total waste of space.

If you want fee maps and don't want to pay $100 for the garmin ones - go to DCrainmakers site and read his review - everything you ever wanted to know about the subject


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## Wherewolf (Jan 17, 2004)

*No topo*



Procter said:


> Does the 510 come pre-loaded with any map?
> Does the 800 and 810?


No topos, but they are free here. I have both 800 and 810. If you can afford it go with the 810, much better interface than the 800 and, although I thought I'd never use it, the bluetooth upload feature is nice.


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## Tystevens (Nov 2, 2011)

In response to Proctor, I'm not aware of any map you can use with the 510. The "navigation" is just a line on the screen -- doesn't show any cross streets, trails, or anything else. I've toyed around with it a couple times (on routes where I already knew where I was going) and it kinda works as long as you stay on the route. But if you got lost, you would probably have a hard time getting back on track.

I suppose I should update my prior response on the 510. I've re-paired my phone with the 510 about 2 weeks ago, and it has linked up automatically and worked perfectly for ride uploading, weather reports and such. I don't know if it was one of the firmware updates over the winter or what, but ... gotta give credit where it is due, I suppose.


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## Procter (Feb 3, 2012)

Any thoughts on edge touring or edge touring plus? My priorities are route finding, ability to upload maps. HRM is nice to have but not critical.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

The Touring Plus fills an interesting place in the product lineup. A lot of the basic functions of the 810, minus most of the connectivity. You get ANT+ for HRM capability, but you don't get a bunch of the alarms or workouts. 

No Virtual Partner, but you do get Courses. So, you can still get the nav assistance and comparisons with a previous activity, but you don't get the extra training stuff that you get with VP.

The Touring Plus offers the same kind of routing/mapping as the Edge 1000, which is based on OSM maps, and can be hit or miss depending on the OSM community in your area...how good they are at keeping the maps up-to-date, accurate, and relevant for cyclists. Though it should still be able to handle GPS File Depot topo maps.

The Plus does most of what I want...but the one huge thing I would want would be GLONASS capability. So far, only the Edge 510 and the Edge 1000 offer the ability to connect to GLONASS satellites for improved accuracy and signal acquisition. I do NOT want something like the Edge 1000 and it's mountain of connectivity features, or it's enormous, battery-hungry screen. I'd really prefer something like it with eTrex-like battery life, GLONASS, and the Edge interface. And in an ideal world, 10Hz recording frequency.


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## Crankyone (Dec 8, 2014)

As a lurker, I really appreciate all the great info in this thread.


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## Swissam (Apr 8, 2008)

Harold said:


> Ehhhhh....yes and no. Basically, you can load a planned route onto the 510 and it will basically tell you "This way" to stay on it. You get no other reference information at all. The 810 with the map overlay gives you a spatial reference of your surroundings IN ADDITION TO the "This way" pointers. If you have the right data loaded into the basemap, you can free navigate without the pointers (my preferred option, as I trust my own navigation skill more than GPS routing) given that you can read the map data well enough. It takes some practice to be able to read everything shown to you on a topo map.


This is all I really need is a GPS with topo maps and route overlay. We have so many trails that's splits off from other trials and I hate pulling out my topo map to make sure I'm going the right direction. I don't need turn by turn direction or any other feature other than map reading. So it sounds like the 810 would be better or is the 510 good for topo maps?

Edit; it looks like the 510 doesn't even have topo maps? What would be the best device for topo maps?


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## gregmerz (Aug 24, 2012)

Bought and started using a 510 about six weeks ago. Nothing but good to say about this unit, no need to spend more...


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## O5-KR (May 15, 2012)

Hi, is the oregon 600/650 a good alternative to the edge 510/810? I think the oregon has no alarms when you miss the track but the 510/810 do so, is that correct?


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## BrianMc (Jan 5, 2010)

Posted in wrong thread.


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