Having a hard tine deciding between a HD 5 Gen 2, a Elite 5 or the similar unit in HB, or the best value in the $500-$700 dollar range, any inupt would be appreciated. Midwest fishing, mainly Minnesota and Iowa, occasionally canada. I run 334C on the bow / trolling motor and get along fine with it. thanks

I'd recommend that you take a little time and go to one of the outdoor stores that sells both. Compare them side by side for yourself and determine what functions you are most comfortable with and which unit meets your needs the best for your $$.

The one piece of advice that I would suggest is to go with the largest screen that you can afford.

It is so much easier to read a larger screen from any where in the boat.

Small screens normally mean that it is easier for you as the viewer to miss things.

REW

Wait till you have the funds to buy an HDS-8, your eyes will be glad you did.:rolleyes:

Wait till you have the funds to buy an HDS-8, your eyes will be glad you did.:rolleyes:

I have been giving that some thought, a bigger screen, i just upgraded to a 101lb ipilot so i pan on being somehwere besides the bow all day taking waves. I am leaning lowrance, seem slike HB has beeter customer service but on the higher end units Lowrance gets better reviews.

:popc1::popc1::popc1:

Is the HB 898si for example more compact and enclosed vrs. the Lowrance?

I know with the Lowrance I have to mount and even purchase separate both the LSS-1 box and GPS Puck, in addition to the transducer on either unit.

Are they all enlcosed inside the 898si HB box for example? thanks

The components in the 898 (and, for that matter, the 998 and 1198) are:

Control head

external GPS receiver

HDSI transducer

One 12V power cable

That's it! No LSS-type box for SI/DI.

Some great advice here. I have been a Lowrance guy for 30 years and have had no reason to switch.i pre-fished the FLW at Port Clinton and all the guys i fished with had the birds. (they were sponsored) I will tell you i was guite impressed with the bird units and if i ever have a reason to switch i would look seriously at the bird. I will say the advice about the bigger screen is bang on...if you can hang on till you can afford the bigger screen you won't be disappointed.

Is the HB 898si for example more compact and enclosed vrs. the Lowrance?

I know with the Lowrance I have to mount and even purchase separate both the LSS-1 box and GPS Puck, in addition to the transducer on either unit.

Are they all enlcosed inside the 898si HB box for example? thanks

For clarification on the Lowrance units the GPS antenna is built in the unit head. No need for an external puck.

Yes, transducers and LSS units are external.

When I bought my boat it came with a HDS-10 without LSS-1, I added the LSS-1 the first year. Once you add that it make it so easy to network another HDS unit, which I have done by adding an HDS-7. IMO, by far the greatest feature of the HDS is down imaging, which you can get in the Elite series. I very seldom use side imaging, usually I'm running down and 2-D sonar on the HDS-10 and mapping on the HDS-7 (running a tiller boat so they are both in the back). I've read Lowrance MAY have a little better down image because they use a third crystal in the transducer where Humminbird "pieces" the image together off of the two side images.....maybe they have changed that now I'm not sure.
Moral of my long story is get what you can afford......If you are ever thinking of adding on the HDS with a LSS-1 is a great option. Whatever you chose to spend your hard earned money on you will never regret getting the largest screen you can afford and having down scan imaging! Either brand can do that.

Sounds like either would be a good choice, thanks for all the input.

I just finished my research to replace an old Lowrance unit I had. I have always been a faithful Lowrance guy but have switched to HB. I read a forum from a pro bass angler and he said that power and pixels are the most important thing when it come to electronics. When comparing the two brands HB wins the contest. Another key factor for me was that HB just bought Lakemaster mapping chips so they are the exclusive brand to use those for contours. HB also allows you to highlight certain depths where you are catching your fish so you can locate "like" spots on the body of water you're on to catch more fish. I went with the 597ci HD DI

Just bought my first HB product. Found that there is no icons on the screen. Do the latest Lowrance still have that feature? Use that all the time on my LCX 38.

The HDS doesn't have ICONS but I found a work around and this article will make Lowrance ICON fans happy.

http://www.hightechfishing.com/Lowrance_HDS_ICON_Method.html

The HDS doesn't have ICONS but I found a work around and this article will make Lowrance ICON fans happy.

http://www.hightechfishing.com/Lowrance_HDS_ICON_Method.html

Thanks Bruce. I'm going to miss how simple it is now. But will get use to the new way. All things change.