Humminbird vs. Lowrance

[WalleyePhan]

I'm new here and I'm sure this thread is lacking in originality but with all the new technologies coming out I am having a hard time deciding on what to go with. I have been doing alot of research over the last couple of months and can't seem to make a decision. I have read alot of reviews on numerous sites and it seems to me that the Lowrance units have some reliability problems and very poor customer service. The HDS units are very pleasing to the eye but looks aren't everything. I guess I am just looking for some input from people who have experience running either brand, pros and cons. Another thing I was wondering about is why are 90% of the Walleye Pros running Lowrance and 90% of the Bass Pros runing Humminbirds. It seems to me that with all the money that is being paid in the major bass tournaments the angler would want to run the best electronics available and by looking at the Bass circuits that would be the Humminbirds. I'm wondering if Lowrance is sponsoring all of the Walleye pros because the Bass pros won't run their electronics.:huh:

[Manxfishing]

I'd have to say
There both good companies

I have Lowrance on my boat
And I did consider the Hummingbird before I upgraded the Lowrance units this year
The reason I bought Lowrance was they had the screens and options in my price range
(I couldn't afford the SI and there wasn't a 7" screen in my price range)

I think the reason you see more bass boats with the Hummingbird is for the side imaging
And walleye boats run the Lowrance because it just plain works
I find that walleye Fishermen have more electronics and use them more then bass fisherman myself

It's going to be interesting to see how it shakes out when Lowrance comes out with the SI
I'm hoping that the readout on the screen is upright unlike the Hummingbirds side ways view

[WalleyePhan]

Thanks Manxfishing for the input. Did you upgrade to an HDS and if so how is it working for you?

[Manxfishing]

I didn't buy the HDS
They were just coming out and I didn't know that the HDS units would be upgradeable to SI

But I'm happy with the 520 and 27 that I have (no problems in shallow water)
I run a tiller and both units are mounted on ram mounts. If I'm trolling the 520 is the GPS and the 27 (7" screen) is the finder
If I'm jigging or casting I have it wired to run either of the units up front and there both combo's
All in all after buying the units and wiring them in and selling some of the extras parts I have around 1,000 into every thing..

[colt100]

Both companies make a very good product. I have a humminbird 797 SI combo myself. I love this unit. It works well, even though I'm still learning things about the unit after owning it for 3 years. I fish panfish, walleye, and bass, in that order and would hate to not have the SI.

I mainly use the SI to find structure on the bottom and then fish it, or at least go over it with my downlooking sonar. I have found many good spots using this technique, on my home water that I never knew was there. I believe that the SI has helped me catch fish.

The SI was the major reason I went with a humminbird 3 years ago. I would not hesitate to get another bird, although my next bird is going to have a larger screen, which would help when looking at the SI.

This is kind of like which truck is better, ford or chevy. Both vehicles are good vehicles and you are going to get some opinions from brand loyalists, but either way, your going to get a good product. It just depends on what you are looking for your sonar to do.

[Juls]

Another thing I was wondering about is why are 90% of the Walleye Pros running Lowrance and 90% of the Bass Pros runing Humminbirds. It seems to me that with all the money that is being paid in the major bass tournaments the angler would want to run the best electronics available and by looking at the Bass circuits that would be the Humminbirds. I'm wondering if Lowrance is sponsoring all of the Walleye pros because the Bass pros won't run their electronics.:huh:

90 percent of the walleye pros run Lowrance? You sure about that? Here's a short list of walleye pros who are running Humminbirds! I'm sure there are more, but I don't have time to do that much searching. LOL


Brunz
LaCourse (and me)
Przekurat
Arnoldussen
Candle
Keenan
Neustrom
Neu
Gilman-John
Nick Johnson
Meleen
Takasaki
Skarlis
Bell
Rick Olson
Larry Smith
Kolinski
Riley
Fairbairn
Seelhoff
Jeff Koester
Bill Leonard
John Campbell
Kevin & Karen McQuoid
Lindner's


Humminbird has great customer service, and their products work the way they're supposed to when you need them to. ;)

Juls

[WalleyePhan]

I think everyone is making my decision alot easier. Alot of the customer reviews I read about the Lowrance is negative and especially when it comes to customer service. When you are spending between $2,000 and $3,000 for a couple of fishfinders, customer service is a really big deal. Now I have to decide whether or not to fork over the money for 997SI and 788ci or 798Si and 788ci. Thanks for all the input from everyone. Anyone else that would like to share their .02 would be much appreciated.

[whofan]

A little over a year ago I bought a 5200 globalmap and a X510c sonar. I still have the Globalmap that works good. I have since replaced the 510 because of the shallow water issue that never was fixed through software changes.
Sounds like the new HDS units are working good. I will say Lowrance has the nicest hardware in the business. Their customer service is very busy.
Some guys who have the LMS 27s and 510s that don`t have issues absolutly love them.

Based on experience I`d be more than willing the give Humminbird a try next time around.

I had the Lowrance X75 that was flawless for the eight years I ran it,in all water conditions.

Keep an eye on the HDS reviews. If the HDS pans out I`d say its a great choice.

Upgrading from the X75 to the X510c was a big let down for me.
Lowrance needs more customer service reps to handle their work load.

[CoolfinIE]

Lowrance has more choices of compatible map types than Humminbird. The HB units will only show Navionic maps right now.
This of course only matters if you're looking at GPS_sonar combos, and also your local area, and the maps best for your local area.

Humminbird has SI right now, but Lowrance not until later. Only matters if you want SI, and immediately.

Humminbrid used to show less detail than Lowrance on conventional downlooking view. Their recent upgrade of software eroded this difference to a great extent, so that it's a matter of opinion which is better now. My personal opinion is that the HB upgrade brought the Birds up to the clarity of the pre-HDS Lowrances.

Otherwise they are both main brands. More complaints about Lowrance chiefly because there are more Lowrance out there being used.

[blueicecpa]

Run Both :}

Lowrance for making Maps with Dr Depth.& Navionic's and Lakemaster

Then Side Imaging for finding Structure. And only Navionic's work !

Will be nice to see in the Fall 09 when the HDS come with Side Screen.:boohoo:

[colt100]

I think everyone is making my decision alot easier. Alot of the customer reviews I read about the Lowrance is negative and especially when it comes to customer service. When you are spending between $2,000 and $3,000 for a couple of fishfinders, customer service is a really big deal. Now I have to decide whether or not to fork over the money for 997SI and 788ci or 798Si and 788ci. Thanks for all the input from everyone. Anyone else that would like to share their .02 would be much appreciated.

I would go with the 997si if it is in your price range. Get the biggest screen you can afford. I have the 797si and would love to have a bigger screen. My next boat will have either a 997 or an 1197 (unless they come out with something else better) on it.

Also, if you get the bird, make sure that you get the little rubber thing to prevent the rooster tail issue that the bird transducers make. Just make sure to ask the dealer about it. Humminbird has this rubber thing in an instalation kit and sent the entire kit to me for free, when I called and asked for the rubber piece. Humminbird's customer service is excelent.

[reddog]

Heres my opinion I posted on another website:

I would buy as much screen as you can possibly afford, even if it hurts a little. If it hurts to buy the 798, then buy that unit, but if if doesnt hurt that bad, then buy the 997, If it doesnt hurt to bad to buy then 997, then buy the 1197. Heck, Id have a 1797, if I could afford it. If youre planning on spending 1200, you can find 997s for 1600 and change, I paid 1680 for mine.

http://www.fishingminnesota.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/1830044/Humminbird_798c_w_side_imagein#Post1830044

[WalleyePhan]

Thanks again for everybodys input. I'm going to order the 997 and 788 from cabelas for $2749. This includes all of the power and interlink cords, the interlink box, external gps module for the 997, and the side imaging transducer. I could probably get it cheaper by ordering it from other sites but I think I would rather pay a little extra and know that if I have any sort of problem Cabelas will make it right, they always have in the past. Like I posted earlier, good customer service is priceless!

[LWinches]

WalleyePhan,

I agree with you completely. Cabelas is not always the cheapest, but knowing if you have a problem that they will take care of it, no questions asked, takes a lot of worry out of a purchase. Ever since Consumer Reports rated their credit card as one of the best to have, I've had one. Things I would normally pay cash for now I charge to the card and build up shopping dollars to use at Cabelas. You also get 2% back when using it for a purchase at Cabelas. It adds up.

L.Winchester