Wahoo Elemnt Bolt vs Garmin Edge 520 plus

I had a number of issues with garmin that I didn't like (their software was/is? terrible) and a 2 year old garmin 1000 turned into a brick which was he final straw so i switched to a bolt and not looked back.

The latest Garmins are meant to be good...I say as the whole garmin ecosystem has been junked due to a ransomware attack....

I had a garmin, swapped it for a Bolt, as I hated the garmins software - getting it to interact with a PC was always a gamble.

The Bolt interface via a mobile phone is great, it just works! Updates itself without drama. 

I get turn by turn nav via ride with gps - plot a route, and a painless process to get it on the Bolt. 

Wahoo every time for me

Check DC Rainmakers reviews, they give a great overview of the various pros and cons

Bolt v 520+ was exactly the choice I was faced with about 18 months ago, and what swung it in the end was the fact that while both were roughly the same headline price, I could get the 520+ at Halfords round the corner with 10% discount for being a BC member (and having had zero issues with my Edge 200 and 500 before it had no qualms about another Garmin device). 

I have found the 520+ excellent ... easy to connect all the sensors, good clear screen, more than sufficient battery life for my usage, even when navigating, and excellent navigation. 

The only issue I have had is that the BT connection with my phone has always been unreliable, but given that it always worked flawlessly with my (now deceased) iPad, I am thinking that is probably an Android rather than Garmin thing. 

I've owned an Edge 510 & 520.  I bought the 510 secondhand and it had been well used.  As a result, the battery life was never very good so I upgraded to the 520.  It works well and I've never had a problem with it.  I've had it for about three years.  

I use Ride With GPS to plan routes and that works well.  It is connected to Strava and Komoot with no problems.  My close up vision is gradually decreasing and the display is still plenty big enough for me (obviously, this means nothing to anyone else but I have to read books at arms length without glasses)

In the end, it will come down to a coin toss, experience of what a friend has got or, as someone else has said, what offers are around.

Since 2014 I've gone Edge 810 to Element to Edge 520 to Bolt to Edge 530. In my opinion, the Edge 530 is the best I've used, and actually the 520plus spec is not too far short of the 530 - but I'd still try to find the extra 10% for the 530 if possible.

To be fair, I found the Element a breath of fresh air when it was released, and as a result many observers think that it has pushed Garmin to step up a level (eg https://www.cyclingnews.com/reviews/garmin-edge-1030-plus-review/) and I agree. The screen on the Garmins is now clearer and makes better use of colour, the maps are hugely better, and though I only use a route trail for navigation even that is better - and you'll find plenty of reviews finding that navigation on the Garmins is better than the Wahoos).

I found the Bolt a great design, but the screen is a dimmer blue-ish colour and the LEDs are pretty much invisible in any decent daylight (the original Elemnt LEDs were far better). 

Away from navigation, there are big advantages to the 520plus or 530 against the Bolt - or even the Roam actually. For example, the field layout is more customisable, the backlight can be set to your own taste, the autopause speed can be set to your own choice, laps can be automatically be triggered by gps location, you can have activity profiles for different bikes/activities, Di2 support is way better (if you have Di2 this alone is enough to make a decision), and Varia Radar support is way better (especially against the Bolt which doesn't have a colour screen or very visible LEDs). And on Garmins you have Connect IQ fields available (which for example can give you coloured zone fields much better than the Wahoo LEDs). 

On one point, Wahoo is still better. Setup is easier with the Wahoo Companion app than using the 520plus or 530 buttons (but thats not true for the touch screen Garmins, see my link above).

Thats just my experience and opinion of course, when it comes down to it you can just read what we all say and make a choice. To be honest, the Bolt and 520plus are both good units, and Wahoo and Garmin both have good apps to go with them. In a way, you can't lose

Had a Garmin 520 and it was good until the charging port broke. 

Now on a Bolt and i'd say over all its better. Got the cadence, speed and HR sensors. Its all very clean and user friendly through the app. 

The route guidance ive used once through Strava so didnt have turn by turn but it was good enough for what I needed it for. 

The battery is great so far. Ive done 9-10 hr rides and its still had a good amount of juice. 

Problem i've had is Live Tracking, its very hit or miss for anyone watching the link. Lots of info through the link like HR and speed etc but itll cut out and never return or show you stopped for ages when you arent. Its essentially, aside from a few cases in which its worked flawlessly, useless for what it is intend for. 

I've got a Bolt and love it. On the navigation, the Bolt will do a breadcrumb route on a perfectly sufficient map (zooming in and out for level of detail), and whether it has turn-by-turn depends on what you plotted your route on - if RidewithGPS or Komoot (the route planners are available free of charge, the former on web not app) then it includes turn-by-turn also (but not Strava, I understand).  You can set the Bolt to alert you with sounds and/or lights for upcoming turns. I've not had a Garmin, but don't miss any  functionality and hear so many bad experiences of their devices. 
I did 2:52 hr yesterday and the battery went from 100% to 82% (one HRM paired).  
If you are relying on the cycle computer on the road to plot routes, to discover backroads, I'm not sure how good that'd be. What I do is get a rough idea of an area from a 5 minute study of cyclestreets.net (which is the Sustrans network overlaid) and then get into it. The Bolt has a "take me here" via the paired smartphone, to get you out of trouble. 
Enjoy!

I've got a Bolt having previously always had Garmins and do prefer it - everything just seems cleaner in terms of UI and the app integration is good

one thing to note is the bolt doesn't have navigation as such - it won't tell you to go left or right, you just have to keep an eye on the map. 
 

ive been intrigued by the Hammerhead Karoo but you don't seen many people selling it in the UK, not sure if it's even properly finished

I was in the same situation a few months ago and went for a bolt, partly because of an offer at the time. It's a great bit of kit though, nav works well and battery life is as advertised. The app is easy to use, link your strava/komoot/etc account and any route you create automatically shows in the Elemnt app and uploads to the bolt with a tap, easy. The screen customisation options are also pretty cool.

Only con so far is loss of signal under tree canopies, can't make a comparison ot the Garmin on that though, and it picks it up again soon enough.