Hammerhead Karoo 2 Review: Better than Garmin & Wahoo?

My 6 month long-term review of the Hammerhead Karoo 2. Is it better than Garmin and Wahoo, what is the user experience like, does the battery life really suck and what are the pros and cons?

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[CanyonWanderer]

I jumped on the Karoo II wagon so to speak around Sept. 2020, got it in hands in Jan 2021.
Loving it ever since!, navigation is snappy and instantly familiar. Software updates (some really major) roughly every 2-3 weeks.
Fellow riders turn to me when we missed a turn and have to re-join the route. Usually their units route BACK to the point where we took a wrong turn.. Karoo routes to the next opportunity to re-join the route (as one would like). With all whistles turned on it consumes about 8-12% battery an hour (depending on brightness)

[sohogaru]

Just connect the Karoo 2 to your phone Wi-Fi hotspot to easily sync data. Hands down one of the best cycling computers I’ve experienced.

[hawgwild]

I will never go back to Garmin having owned my Karoo 2 for over a year. A few tips - Buy a screen protector and silicone case from Amazon etc. Cover the USB plug with a small piece of electrical tape to prevent loss. Only use a 1amp charger as you can damage the battery. This happened to me and Hammerhead gave me a free exchange. Finally - enjoy!

[steggo]

I bought one this summer after my Wahoo Elemnt Roam developed a 'leaking screen' . It was replaced on warranty but I fancied one of these. So many good point BUT the elevation is way off for me. I'm not talking by a hundred ft of so. On my regular loop of roughly 2000ft this'll come in at 3000ft. The biggest thing I can say, is if I had my time again, I'd re-buy the Roam .

[donadams]

I have both a Karoo 2 and a Wahoo Element. Both work, but the Karoo is, in my view, much better overall, particularly for navigation. If I’m just recording a ride on my regular routes, the Wahoo is simple and does the job. But for other features the Karoo does more and is easier to work with. It’s not cheap, but in this case you do get more for your money.

[freebird]

I’ve had both the Karoo 2 and the 1040 Solar. I like both for different reasons. I actually really like using the Di2 buttons for laps and screen changes and am irritated Shimano took it away from the Karoo. I find that, in practice, there’s little difference between the routing for both the Garmin and the Karoo. Garmin wins big on the battery, but the Karoo wins on the screen (although I did have issues with glare with the Karoo 2 despite it being matte). Garmin also supports some sensors that Karoo doesn’t (Aeropod and a couple of other things). The Garmin is very buggy at times and Karoo is always pushing out helpful updates and features. The 1040 has horrible (and I mean horrible) gradient lag. 15+ seconds. The GPS on the 1040 is extremely precise.

[caet]

No hood buttons with Di2, better Battery life, more data in Dashboard, more connectivity options was reason to go with Garmin 1040 solar……and it just delivers - no bugs no Screen lag, no glare issue…..and it even helps with Music skipping back and forth.

[rsco_]

Battery life is one thing but Battery wear is another. Even if the device lasts enough for a day, you'll still be charging it more frequently than some other devices. After one year you might have been through dozens of more cycles. I say this from experience, I had a Garmin Edge 1000, did La Marmotte and almost had the battery fail, had I not charged it during the ride. That device was maybe 2 years old at the time. It's the same with modern phones, they never last as long after a years worth of usage. I also have a Fenix 3 which has a mammoth battery life and because it needs charged less often it is still going strong. That being said, the Karoo 2 looks great. Just not for me given my past experiences with battery life during important events.

[CoachKevTour]

You can use your phone as a hotspot to sync routes. Works no problem.

[jonblake]

Great review, David. Had a Karoo 1 and, now, 2. Never experienced battery issues. Their new cover accessory kit resolves the issue with the USB ‘plug’. Graphics are sharp and precise.

[jamesinrok]

Thanks for the video. Have had the K2 for a year now. Wifi connectivity is not an issue for me as when away from home I just create a hotspot on my phone. Wish that they created a smartphone app to access info quickly, though you can make a bookmark. Battery life is around 10hrs. Would love longer life for when i do rides over 250km. Typically i take a small battery pack with me and charge when stop for coffee. Usb c means that it can charge quite a bit in 15mins. Biggest issue for me is shimano’s decision regarding di2 connectivity - mainly so that i can see the battery of my di2.

[alvin]

I had the edge 205 back in the mid 2000s to late 2000s. Absolutely loved it. Life got in the way and stopped cycling for about 5 years. Then started again in 2016 and picked up the edge 820. It's a bit long in the tooth now so I'm using my fenix 6x.
Definitely in the market for a new cycling computer.

[bobzuidema]

I love my K2 so I am biased of course. The biggest downside according to many is battery life. Last week I did a 6, 5 hour bike ride with an average temprature of 8 degrees, it left me with 36% of battery life when I ended the ride. Sensors connected were HR, speed, dual sided power and radar. I was navigating the full time and showed graphical screen for the vast majority of the time. Screen brightness was 40% while it was still light (5hrs) and the remainng time it was 8%. Battery capacity works fine for me. Only thing I'd wish that Hammerhead should add is an integration app on my smartphone.

[kieranbarry]

i love my K2 but i have to say that i find the Live Segment experience a bit poor. I find the layout of the screen fussy and not clear. In fact, i find the general design, layout and font sizes not as clear (for my older eyes) as the Garmin. But for mapping and route following its much better than my Garmin 530

[JC-pttw]

I have both a garmin 1040 and Karoo 2. The Karoo 2 consistently drains at 10% per hour. The Garmin also has more stats that I enjoy keeping up with. The Garmin tells me I have roughly 55 hours when fully charged

[rayFrio]

Love your content David. Thanks for the channel.

[Ruffyxx]

What bike do you ride?
9:06

I’m thinking about buying the Trek Dual Sport 3 Gen 5.
I’m a fan of the drop handle bars and I want a bike that can do both road and light gravel.

[seanvk]

Have a Karoo 2 and a Wahoo Roam v1. Really enjoy my Karoo 2 and use it for most rides.

[orrinkelso]

In the States, the 1040 is $599, 200 more than the Karoo. And the 840 with it's tiny screen is $450, 50 more than Karoo. After the Edge 1000 died, I bought a Bryton Rider 750. It has all the features of the Edge 1000 that I need. Didn't look at the Karoo because of the lack of di2 support. But I guess you can now load an app that fixes that.

[speedsociety]

I love my Karoo 2, my only gripe is the battery life. For all day or multi day rides you will need to charge. Generally after 6-8h the battery will be very close to needing a recharge which can be a problem depending on the rides you are doing.