Garmin 1050 vs Hammerhead Karoo 3?

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Hensem
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by Hensem

Hi all. Has anyone already compared Garmin 1050 vs Karoo 3 head-to-head? I urgently need to buy a GPS computer and don’t know what to choose. The function of searching for any point on a Google map and immediately creating a route to it via a computer will be very useful. Is this even possible? My Wahoo Roam V1 can't do this.

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gplama
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by gplama

Not head to head but there's a few food reviews of both out there you could use to compare the two.

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HJWS
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by HJWS

Karoo 3 - from my understanding, you can go into Google Maps on your phone and search for somewhere, then share the route/point to the Karoo directly from your phone. Does that work?

TinaStallings
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Joined: Fri Nov 01, 2024 2:57 am

by TinaStallings

I am also wondering between Garmin 1050 and Karoo 3! I heard Garmin has the feature of searching for points on Google Maps and creating routes immediately, which is very convenient. If you need a GPS with this ability, Garmin is probably a better choice. If anyone has tried it, please let me know! :)

k33z
Posts: 52
Joined: Sat Oct 23, 2010 6:13 pm

by k33z

If you can wait for a month, the 3rd of December the new Wahoo Elemnt Ace will be announced.

Leaks show a very promising computer.

Karoo 3 has sub optimal battery performance and no DI2 support, Garmin is just Garmin (I hate their UI and Garmin Connect).

I had a Karoo 2, now a 1040, but very much looking forward to the Ace.

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CJosephB
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by CJosephB

Plus to the Karoo 3, if you are in the SRAM AXS ecosystem. I bought the Red E1 system and recommend it. Cafe rider. Not a hardcore cyclist.

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Petr
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by Petr

Hensem wrote:
Fri Jun 28, 2024 10:10 am
Hi all. Has anyone already compared Garmin 1050 vs Karoo 3 head-to-head? I urgently need to buy a GPS computer and don’t know what to choose. The function of searching for any point on a Google map and immediately creating a route to it via a computer will be very useful. Is this even possible? My Wahoo Roam V1 can't do this.
Yes, that's possible with Karoo 3.
gplama wrote:
Fri Jun 28, 2024 11:04 am
Not head to head but there's a few food reviews of both out there you could use to compare the two.
I actually compared those 2 head-to-head. :-) See https://www.cyclistshub.com/garmin-edge ... d-karoo-3/ .
Overall, I enjoyed using Karoo 3 more, it's just simpler and more refined. It doesn't have as many features as Garmin (nor the ecosystem), but I don't mind. The navigation also felt easier to follow. The battery life difference was about 2 hours between those two. That is not bad, considering the Karoo is brighter. :-)
But to give E1050 a credit, the bell was really a genius idea. :-D
HJWS wrote:
Sat Jun 29, 2024 5:13 pm
Karoo 3 - from my understanding, you can go into Google Maps on your phone and search for somewhere, then share the route/point to the Karoo directly from your phone. Does that work?
Yes, it does an it's actually pretty convenient. :-) You just have to have the Hammerhead app installed.
Petr Minařík
Founder of the Cyclists Hub and avid cyclist
https://www.youtube.com/@cyclistshub

gospastic
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by gospastic

The Karoo has a bell now. It sounds a bit cheesy but it's there. They also improved battery life with the most recent software update.

toxin
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by toxin

slightly regret going edge 840 over karoo, icl. I don't really make use of the garmin ecosystem and I don't plan to. I feel like the android sideloading would be really fun to play around with, was just scared away by their refusal to release a data fields sdk for the k3. Overall I don't feel like I'm making use of my garmin in any way that I couldn't the k3, but there are some things I could've done with the k3 that I can't with the garmin.

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nickf
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by nickf

I vote for the 1040 personally. Metal quarter turn mounting ears, better battery life, lighter.

gloscherrybomb
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by gloscherrybomb

I've switched from an 840 to a K3 and whilst it lacks the community apps, otherwise it feels like a huge upgrade. With the latest update battery life covers 99.99% of use cases.

rollinslow
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by rollinslow

I have the 1050 and it was a big step forward in UI, display brightness and reliability. I no longer lose Bluetooth connections or have issues connecting to my phone. It is also good looking and much faster than prior top end Garmins. I can't compare to Karoo.

warthog101
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by warthog101

nickf wrote:
Sat Nov 02, 2024 5:18 pm
I vote for the 1040 personally. Metal quarter turn mounting ears, better battery life, lighter.
Ditto. Battery life. I have a 1030+. Using PM pedals and varia radar it uses under 3% per hour. Well more than 30hrs battery life. The very short battery life on those 2 would annoy me. Couldn't care at all about a brighter screen. I can see my older 1030 fine.

jayjay
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by jayjay

rollinslow wrote:
Sat Nov 02, 2024 9:22 pm
I have the 1050 and it was a big step forward in UI, display brightness
But you can't turn off the backlight, correct?

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SunsetRider
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Joined: Sun Jan 29, 2023 5:05 pm

by SunsetRider

rollinslow wrote:
Sat Nov 02, 2024 9:22 pm
I have the 1050 and it was a big step forward in UI, display brightness and reliability. I no longer lose Bluetooth connections or have issues connecting to my phone. It is also good looking and much faster than prior top end Garmins. I can't compare to Karoo.
I considering getting a 1050 just for the screen brightness. I have an 830 that is now 5.5 years old and while it has been extremely reliable and does everything I need, I find the screen difficult to read in certain lighting conditions. In direct overhead sunlight it is great or under a cloudy sky (a rare condition where I live) it is also easy to read. But my problem with it is when it is sunny but the sun is low in the sky as it is this time of year. Since the low sun doesn't illuminate the screen directly I find the display so dark that it is unreadable unless I manually crank up the backlight to 40-50% which kills battery life. So the 1050 would solve this problem do you think?

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