I replaced my solar garmin instinct with the Forerunner 965. For the most part, the battery life didn't change. I'm still going through the settings and tweaking everything the way I like it. Soooo many settings... I've done multiple 70+ mile rides with this watch over 8+hours of active use and a ride like that typically takes the battery down 30% or so for me. Otherwise I'm liking it. I don't think it has any other real advantages over my last watch as it's still the same Garmin software running.
I chose to buy the Garmin Edge Explorer 2 because I wanted a bike computer that can display maps for navigation and that integrates with a Garmin Varia rearview radar, but that doesn't need to include the advanced training features that the more expensive Garmin units do (as I personally don't care about that).
So, for those purposes, this bike computer works well enough.
I wouldn't say it's perfect, though. The user experience is a little clunky. It kind of reminds me of cheap Android smartphones from 15 years ago, which is a little disappointing considering the Edge Explore 2's price.
The Edge 840 is a really good GPS computer. I purchased this after my Wahoo Roam started being unreliable. The detail and capabilities of the Edge are superior to the Wahoo. I do most of my riding solo and the LiveTrack on the Edge provides much more detail than the tracking on the Wahoo.
The one negative I can think of is that the setup and menus on the Edge and the Garmin Connect app are WAY to complex. It seems like any sort of configuration change on the Edge is buried three layers down in the system menu.
I've been on the fence about getting these, but decided to bite the bullet knowing they were almost likely to get more expensive. And I really should have gotten them sooner! Integration with the head unit is seamless (Edge 540), display is clear and intuitive without overloading me with information. Not many false positives (reading cars that weren't there) and no false negatives (missing cars that were). Bonus: It does a great job of picking up smaller vehicles (other bikes, scooters) that come up quickly. Light is really bright and I have no doubt it is really easy to spot.
The only thing I wouldn't use this for is my commute--it would just be going off non-stop while I ride through the city and I'm not sure the warning would outweigh the noise.
If you have a saddle bag that potentially obstructs the radar function, I'd suggest getting a mount that affixes itself to your saddle bag and maybe a protective case and lanyard to attach to the seat rails for extra peace of mind. Surprised Garmin doesn't at least provide the saddle bag mount as standard.
