Magene L508 Radar vs Garmin Varia RTL515 Radar | Long Term Review

I have used the Magene and the Garmin off and on for the past 5 months. Here are my quick thoughts of the two lights. Which one is better? Check out the video to see my experience with both lights. I do not go into the details of the functions of both lights, but just focus on the differences.

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[BlackWaterCyclist]

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[JohnonaBike]

I have just got the Garmin and I was very impressed how the Garmin flashes faster as the car approaches

[tonyhanemaayer]

Thanks for doing this. I went ahead and ordered the Magene L508 today as with the Black Friday sale in Canada it was on for $131.00 plus tax but with free shipping. The Garmin here on sale is $239 so more than $100 cheaper, couldn't resist.

[msheron]

The Garmin is way brighter! The Garmin also has a more rapid blink when a vehicle approached in your test. I will stick with Garmin. Thanks for putting them side by side. I have had the Garmin now a few years and it has been flawless.

[CarlosRojasBaritono]

Thanks for this!!! Just the video tht i’ve looking for!

[strandedpaki]

My bike computer is a Hammerhead Karoo. I used to be on a Varia RTL 510, now on the Magene. A couple of less noticed features have gone missing with the Magene. With the Varia I could just start the ride and the light/radar would auto-start. Basically it had a mode where the ANT+ connection was listening for a connection though the light/radar would be off, then on ride start the Karoo could tell it to start. As far as I can tell Magene doesn't have a similar mode. Also with the Varia, I could set the initial light mode in the Karoo sensor details page, then later mid-ride change the light mode from the light page in the control panel. With the Magene, no matter what light mode I set in the sensor details p[age, or even if I try to change it mid-ride from the computer, the light stays in the mode that was set manually. So in practice I now I have to start the Magene manually if I can remember, and change the light mode manually if I want to. Both used to work flawlessly with the Varia. As far as I can tell Magene didn't implement the ANT+ light protocol completely. Bummer.

Other than that it has been flawless. Great review on the brightness, I hadn't realized that.

Cheers.

[SAMSUSAM]

Я несколько лет использую garmin 510 и с тех пор я больше не беру с собой никаких зеркал. Это потрясающее устройство, как и передняя фара garmin. Однажды я отправился в маршрут по непроходимым местам и свернув с дороги я не отключил дневной маяк. Спустя 9 часов я вернулся домой грязный и уставший, но радар продолжал работать. И это прекрасный опыт, потому что я люблю уезжать в длительные поездки. Magene - это хорошее устройство хотя бы потому что теперь у людей есть альтернатива.

[aldrinclementina]

Hi there. Thanks for sharing. The Garmin shines brighter indeed. But it seems like the Magene catches the car further away.

[deDANIEL]

How long is the battery life? You would probably still need an extra light for longer rides?

[BFmeister]

Which one to get...can't decide... 😅

[DiegoCamarero]

that Garmin light is much brighter. Is it as bright as Bontrager Flare R?

[youtubesafename]

Hopefully you can do the same comparison in a few weeks/months with Bryton's own radar when it gets released, that'd be great!

[Visualhead_Spacer]

don't cheapen out on SAFETY, Garmin looks like its totally worth the quality

[ellerybice]

Generally Making purchases based on price leads to disappointments in effectiveness and durability.

[ranjseblos]

awesome comparison! price diff was the main reason as well why i got the magene. what mount do you use btw? the default one keeps on slipping off on my round seatpost. is the kom varia mount compatible with the l508?

[vancouverphotographer]

How's the accuracy with the update? For safety devices such as radar. It would be nice to be 100%

[wge]

Question? How do u know when the Magene is truly off? When I cycle through to no light, it’s still showing it’s attached to my Wahoo?

Btw, with Magene attached to the APP, you can make the light MUCH brighter.

[fkrr]

It seems like the Garmin is much brighter, but maybe in person it's more equal.

[cdnmember]

The Garmin is currently $240 Cdn, I would go with that based on your review. Well done.

[seenstee]

One might imagine a long term review of a bike radar would include radar comparison between devices. I hear Magene lags behind Garmin with detecting cars. Stating which head unit is being used is also helpful.