sstorkel

I upgraded from an Edge 705 to the 800 when the 800 was replaced by the Edge 810. Between the close-out pricing on the 800 and what I was able to sell my 705 for, the upgrade only cost $30-40. Big attractions of the 800 were: better battery life, the touchscreen display, and a supposedly better mount.

Because the Edge 705 used a joystick to enter addresses and configure display fields, everything was a bit cumbersome. The Edge 800 is much better in this regard. The touchscreen does collect fingerprints, which is annoying, but works better overall.

Battery life is better on the 800 and it doesn't ever spontaneously drain the battery while powered down, as the Edge 705 liked to do on occasion.

Personally, I think the Edge 705 mount was better than the mount used by the 800. The Edge 705 mount did have a tendency for the release lever to break off, leaving the device locked to the mount (until you were able to free it using a pocket knife or screwdriver). The Edge 800 mount seems less likely to break and the install is a bit cleaner, but it doesn't hold the device as well in my opinion. I've nearly knocked the 800 off the mount a couple of times while preparing for a ride, something that was impossible with the old mount. Luckily, the 800 mount has never let go while riding but I worry that it could!

Edit: At Fatty's recommendation I bought a Tate Labs Barfly 2.0. It arrived yesterday and seems to be much more secure than the stock Garmin mount for the Edge 800! The Edge locks in very solidly and, at least initially, feels unlikely to rotate into the "release" position without human intervention.