garmin edge 840

[none]

Good day, can some please advise me if the garmin edge 840 solar is worth it vs the non solar. Currently I have the 830 and want to upgrade to the 840 but can't decide between the solar vs the non solar. 

[madmarc]

1 hour ago, none said:

Good day, can some please advise me if the garmin edge 840 solar is worth it vs the non solar. Currently I have the 830 and want to upgrade to the 840 but can't decide between the solar vs the non solar. 

Well that depends on how long you rides are and have you ever had to charge your Garmin on a ride before. If you doing normal 3 - 4 hour rides the then solar isn't a must have - I have only ever had to charge on a ride when doing the TB where a small power bank in my backpack worked better than the sun at 1:00 am in the morning.

[none]

2 minutes ago, madmarc said:

Well that depends on how long you rides are and have you ever had to charge your Garmin on a ride before. If you doing normal 3 - 4 hour rides the then solar isn't a must have - I have only ever had to charge on a ride when doing the TB where a small power bank in my backpack worked better than the sun at 1:00 am in the morning.

Thank you for the reply. That is a valid point you are making, At the moment i training for a 2 man dash, where a large portion is also at night. That is also the reason i thought of getting the solar so that the battery doesn't drain that much during the 1st 4 to 5 hours of the ride and that the battery can last in the night section. So would you say it better to go with the normal one and rather get a power pack for this event as my normal riding wouldn't be 10 to 12 hours. That is if i would need a power pack, cause according to garmin the new 840 gives you 26 hours of battery life. 

[Pandatron]

I have been researching this to death, the reviewers are saying the solar is only worth it, if you go 1040 size.

However, most of them are located in notoriously not sunny places, we get the Sun Pro+ Subscription here which might factor into it.

Need the owners to come out here

[madmarc]

Just now, none said:

Thank you for the reply. That is a valid point you are making, At the moment i training for a 2 man dash, where a large portion is also at night. That is also the reason i thought of getting the solar so that the battery doesn't drain that much during the 1st 4 to 5 hours of the ride and that the battery can last in the night section. So would you say it better to go with the normal one and rather get a power pack for this event as my normal riding wouldn't be 10 to 12 hours. That is if i would need a power pack, cause according to garmin the new 840 gives you 26 hours of battery life. 

So you be riding at night with a handle bar light - I'd get a small 10 000 mah power bank and slip it into the bag with the light battery with a short charging cable - plug it into the Garmin while riding and when the battery is needs charging -  The Garmin screen stays on while charging so its an added bonus when riding at night - on normal battery if you had it on all the time you would certainly not get 26 hours 

 

[none]

3 minutes ago, madmarc said:

So you be riding at night with a handle bar light - I'd get a small 10 000 mah power bank and slip it into the bag with the light battery with a short charging cable - plug it into the Garmin while riding and when the battery is needs charging -  The Garmin screen stays on while charging so its an added bonus when riding at night - on normal battery if you had it on all the time you would certainly not get 26 hours 

 

Thanks for the great advice and idea. Non solar it is then, with the power bank for back up.

[warrencharlesza]

i have one, my 3 hour ride in daylight gained me 12 mins of battery. Its not the solution youre looking for, sound advise above here is better

[none]

5 minutes ago, warrencharlesza said:

i have one, my 3 hour ride in daylight gained me 12 mins of battery. Its not the solution youre looking for, sound advise above here is better

For a normal saturday ride of 3 to 5 hrs 12 min+ isn't that much compare to the price difference. then as madmarc said rather just connect it to a power bank if needed.

[dasilvarsa]

After a While the Power Bank cable can Rattle Free Specially on MTB.

Prestik can Help.

[JJDT]

Now with your question answered, do you still want to upgrade if your 830 will do the same job with a power bank?

Just a curious observation.

[Furbz]

i have tested both 840 and 1040 solar units.

Solar is a total waste of time. a sales gimmick for the moment - it is cool tech, but needs tons more work.

on a clear day in summer on 3-4 hour ride in Gauteng expect to gain at the very best 7 minutes.

it adds very little value on battery life and makes your screen look dull in return.

don't waste your money.

i'm sure in a few years time it might add proper value, but for now its not worth it.

as a side it does show you how much exposure you had - but again, kinda irrelevant.

[capediver]

I have also gone down the solar rabbit hole! from 830 to 1040 solar...my main reason was to get a bigger display🥸, and the solar was the only one locally available.

So now after 3 weeks, in the Middle East nogal, I can tell you that if you are a local weekend warrior and maybe have a few more rides during the holidays, then solar is a waste. I commute every day and do longer rides on the weekends and I do see some benefit...very small. But now its coming winter, in and out from work, I get no solar at all...of course.

Also during normal daytime rides, the unit is in your shadow a lot of the time and you can see from the widget how the charge fluctuates as it goes in and out of shadows.

One last very frustrating issue: when you switch off the unit, it says place it in direct sun to get a solar charge! Nope, big nope...it is so sensitive to temperature that it will inevitable overheat and stop any solar charging. Also, no Garmin person will actually admit that solar charging does not work while it is off, despite the marketing or manuals.

However, if you do long rides like bike packing then there for sure will be some gain...from what I understand the solar actually runs the device and any excess charge goes to charging the battery. But it will mean long hours in the saddle! In the blazing sun, at midday, mostly...so yeah...

I'm happy I got mine but only for the bigger display.

Edited October 11, 2023 by capediver
Spelling

[Help.Me.]

Try the battery saver mode on the 830 I did the TB with it and it worked quit well 

3 hours ago, none said:

Thanks for the great advice and idea. Non solar it is then, with the power bank for back up.

 

[none]

2 hours ago, JJDT said:

Now with your question answered, do you still want to upgrade if your 830 will do the same job with a power bank?

Just a curious observation.

haha valid question. To be honest. Yes with the new upgrades on the 840 and my 830 giving me about 4hrs of battery life due to the fact that the charging port is lose and not charging correctly according to the garmin experts in Namibia it just make more sense to upgrade the device. 

[none]

50 minutes ago, capediver said:

I have also gone down the solar rabbit hole! from 830 to 1040 solar...my main reason was to get a bigger display🥸, and the solar was the only one locally available.

So now after 3 weeks, in the Middle East nogal, I can tell you that if you are a local weekend warrior and maybe have a few more rides during the holidays, then solar is a waste. I commute every day and do longer rides on the weekends and I do see some benefit...very small. But now its coming winter, in and out from work, I get no solar at all...of course.

Also during normal daytime rides, the unit is in your shadow a lot of the time and you can see from the widget how the charge fluctuates as it goes in and out of shadows.

One last very frustrating issue: when you switch off the unit, it says place it in direct sun to get a solar charge! Nope, big nope...it is so sensitive to temperature that it will inevitable overheat and stop any solar charging. Also, no Garmin person will actually admit that solar charging does not work while it is off, despite the marketing or manuals.

However, if you do long rides like bike packing then there for sure will be some gain...from what I understand the solar actually runs the device and any excess charge goes to charging the battery. But it will mean long hours in the saddle! In the blazing sun, at midday, mostly...so yeah...

I'm happy I got mine but only for the bigger display.

Agree the more I go down this rabat hole the more it becomes clear not to take the solar as im starting to think its a sales gamic. I also have the garmin instinct solar and to be honest it lasting for ever. Still got to charge it every month round about the same time. So yes im gona go with the non solar

[none]

3 hours ago, dasilvarsa said:

After a While the Power Bank cable can Rattle Free Specially on MTB.

Prestik can Help.

Thanks for the tip