Eagle 480 vs. Bottom Line vs. Lowrance 350A

[qtiznip]

Hi, I just got my first boat and am now looking to set it up. I'm looking at fishfinders right now and I'm leaning towards either an eagle 480 or a lowrance 350A. Also, there is now a Bottom Line Tournament Master HR Side Finder for $150 in our paper. This seems like a pretty good deal to me.

I'm trying to keep this as inexpensive as possible as Im trying to outfit the boat as best I can and all I have right now is just the small aluminum boat, a trailer, and a 15 hp engine.

Open to any other suggestions you may have for electronics or otherwise. Thanks

[perchjerker]

that 350a we told you about is remanufactured and has a 1 year warranty on it. New they went for about $600 back in about 1992. They were the top of the line Lowrance unit, all the pros used them at the time

It has a large, bright screen on it with excellent resolution

[FinsNFeet]

I have both the 350A and the Bottom Line HR. I am presently using both. I also am presently looking to replace my HR by Bottom line. I like both units and I have had the HR unit for some time now. Side by side comparison the 350 A wins in my opinion. Both units are yesterdays technology. The side image isn't all that and to be honest I rarely use it. If I was going to buy either unit and they were both in my price range I would go with the 350A. I think you will be happier and the 350a isn't as temperature temperamental as the HR. If I could find a GPS/Sonar unit that I could network in with my GlobalMap3500c at a price I could afford I would give you my BottomLine HR. :raisin:

[REW]

QT,
One thing that you want to do, when buying a new depth finder is to buy one that has been designed and released in the last year or two.
Manufacturers only support units for so many years. If you buy one that has been out for a long time, it is quite likely that you might end up buying a discontinued model and find support difficult to get.

Having said that - if possible - go with one of the color units.
The color units make things so much easier to see. Also, you actully get more detail, since you can have many different colord painting the same number of vertical and horizontal pixels. However, with a black and white or mono screen, you are only going to get so many different shades of gray to paint the same pixels.

Good luck.
REW

[rabbit]

If you will be upgrading equipment in a couple years, something to think about is what your goal is going to be and items you will need at that time. Here's what I mean by that: I recently bought a terrova Minn Kota 101 36 volt with a Universal sonar 2 and I had a x-65 Lowrance depth finder that I assumed would be compatible with the new motor"not". So after the $2500 shot getting the motor and ALL accessories I ended up bying a 500C Eagle on E-Bay $279 and $41 with shipping and tax on the US2 connector cable... Unforseen expense!!!
Take your time and get what you want so you are not struggling in the long run. It will pay-off for you and you will enjoy your fishing alot more. Ditto to color GPS and Sonar seperate or combo! Paul


I found the best prices surfing E-Bay on new units in box.