Gerritt Posted December 30, 2007 Report Posted December 30, 2007 Ok Guys... Time for me to bite the bullet and make a purchase.. as the unit I have will NOT cut it next year.... I have what I consider i decent budget budget for this purchase no more then 500.00 or so.. but if I can get a decent unit for alot less then I would be even happier I have had my eyes on the Lowrance x96 @ BPS for 199.99 is there any drawbacks to this unit? Why is it so inexpensive? And why is the x135 200.00 more? for what seems to me to be minor differences..? I just want a decent unit that is within my means.. I have no brand loyalty but at the same time dont want to start a brand war here.. Colour is not important to me... unless you can explain to me why is is needed and not just a fashion statement for lack of a better term thanks in advance guys, I am willing to purchase from the company that offers the best price but service is also important Bill's Bait N Tackle has always been fair to me.. even if I have to wait for it to come in... they service they provide makes it worth waiting a couple days.. so I could really use your opinions guys as I need to pull the trigger. G.
Mike the Pike Posted December 30, 2007 Report Posted December 30, 2007 Well Gerritt although I do like Lowrance products I find them a little over priced. When I purchased my boat in 2004 I made the mistake of buying a unit without a built in GPS.Yes I am happy with my Lowrance X-51 but I should have opted for the GPS. You should contact Percher you can a pretty nice quality Hummingbird that falls into your budget.A good bang for the buck.
Roy Posted December 30, 2007 Report Posted December 30, 2007 The big difference 'tween the two units Gerritt is 1,500 vs 4,000 watts. Whatever you get, trust me, go 4,000 watts as a minimum.
trapshooter Posted December 30, 2007 Report Posted December 30, 2007 Spring for a colour and GPS combo unit now and you won't be putting up a similar post in 2 years. Trust me, both are invaluable and you can only understand why after using such a unit. Oh yeah... LOWRANCE
Guest gbfisher Posted December 30, 2007 Report Posted December 30, 2007 color vs non color is the difference between night and day.
Mark Kulik Posted December 30, 2007 Report Posted December 30, 2007 Couldn't of said it better, Gerrit, Lowrance all the way! the colour is much easier to see regardless of light conditions, the color also helps you interpret the soundings more accuratly, like Roy said the power is the reason for the price diff, sometimes the resolution-pixel count also is considered in price, as for Gps, is it necassary, ?Depends what you want out of it-I wouldn't want to get out without GPS, I have the 2 Lowrance 520 on my rig, as far as fishfinding is concerned -Lowrance is the best -period-and Ive used others! Also service is here in Mississauga. Mark
Bob Devine Posted December 30, 2007 Report Posted December 30, 2007 I second what Mark Kulik said. Lowrance for sure and colour is great for interpreting and you will want GPS too. I have owned all the other brands and Lowrance's fish finding is unmatched. Good luck with your shopping!
Mike the Pike Posted December 30, 2007 Report Posted December 30, 2007 Well here we go alot of recommondations for a very expensive colored Lowrance which yes I agree Lowrance is the way to go. BUT Lets not forget Gerritt has a budget for $500 so what can he get that would be decent in that price range?
Gerritt Posted December 30, 2007 Author Report Posted December 30, 2007 I have found the 520 for 369.00 USD.... and Vatordude is in Michigan so I could have it shipped there... seems like a decent price... The Hunt continues... G
POLLIWOGG Posted December 30, 2007 Report Posted December 30, 2007 I have been looking to replace the old marinetek video. So I'm in the same place, Ive been looking at northstar or maybe a Raymarine digital but I havent done my homework on them yet. Or maybe I'll just solder up the tranducer cable again on the old marinetek .
glen Posted December 30, 2007 Report Posted December 30, 2007 Pardon me but. How many more fish is an expensive fish finder going to find compared to a cheap one???
Pigeontroller Posted December 30, 2007 Report Posted December 30, 2007 I would pick that 520 up for that price! And yes, colour is better for the above stated reasons! Not just as a fashion statement.
Mark Kulik Posted December 30, 2007 Report Posted December 30, 2007 Again it depends on what you are doing Glen, if your a begginner or not really fishing structure, or just simply fish every second weekend, it may not be for you, but you would be surprised how much more you see with a high quality unit!
Sinker Posted December 30, 2007 Report Posted December 30, 2007 I've got an X96 that I bought in the spring. Its a good unit for the price. If there are fish, it marks them. I bought it because I had an old eagle portable unit, and this one fits right into it.....so now I use it icefishing as well as on the boat. Works great on the ice too.....an improvement for sure. I have no complaints whatsoever with it. You can't find a better unit for the price IMO.....in that power range, with the same pixel count. It marks bottom at WOT in my boat (30mph).....Good size screen......I like it, and it does what I need it to do. I'm with the guys who say its not the fishfinder that catches the fish. If you can locate structure, and know how to catch fish, its all you need. Spend the rest of your budget on tackle. Sinker
Fisherman Posted December 30, 2007 Report Posted December 30, 2007 I do think there is a bit of difference between basic and high end units, one of them being quality. My old Lowrance X-40, about 20 years old now is still ticking, meanwhile I've seen the Humminbuzzard recycle pile getting bigger.
Bernie Posted December 30, 2007 Report Posted December 30, 2007 Gerritt, if you make a decision on what you would like let me know and I will find out what $ for you. For what its worth, Lowrance seems to be the top choice by most, including me. I will be looking at getting one in the spring with colour and GPS capability.
Spiel Posted December 30, 2007 Report Posted December 30, 2007 ....If money is limited (as it always is) I think I'd forgo colour in favour of the highest quality sonar you can afford. Colour will cost you more than the equivalent non-colour. You know I have 2 Lowrance x-135's and they are pretty sweet. Got one of them for a song and dance, if you want to call me I'll explain how and where. I also prefer to keep my GPS unit seperate for a number of reasons.
Guest gbfisher Posted December 30, 2007 Report Posted December 30, 2007 Could always WAIT!!! Save and get the color model........ Hey now...what an idea???!!! lol I know a few who have bought the back and white. It is not easy to see what is water and what is land when it is bright outside. Specially if the lake is NEW to you and you dont know your way around. Big difference. Check them out!!. There's no comparison.
Mark Kulik Posted December 30, 2007 Report Posted December 30, 2007 True GB, if i never used color, I wouldn't know what I'm missing, Its just so much easier on the eyes!, I even have my Lowrance ice fishing machine in color, great viewing in a dark clam!
Bernie Posted December 30, 2007 Report Posted December 30, 2007 On second thought maybe if you wait till next year there will be an on-line model so you can give updates to us all as you catch em' .
AzuluSpookd Posted December 30, 2007 Report Posted December 30, 2007 I love Lowrance products...I have the X67 and the iFinder H20...however....when I wanted to upgrade this summer to a GPS/Sonar...I did a lot of research and I opted for the Humminbird 797c2. This unit is better than I could have imagined....no changing card files if you go into a different area...no need for a different power source for the external antenna and the ultimate feature is the Birds Eye view. This is amazing. I love it. If you can see the demo of that view online, check it out. Plus...buying it on Ebay saved me 300.00
Pigeontroller Posted December 31, 2007 Report Posted December 31, 2007 I love my LMS-332C, Colour is nice but not as important as quality.
Gerritt Posted December 31, 2007 Author Report Posted December 31, 2007 http://www.anchorexpress.com/product_detail.cfm?pid=7424 Worth it? G
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