icefisherman Posted November 18, 2008 Report Share Posted November 18, 2008 (edited) OK, it is the "Upgrade your toys" season again. On the top of my list is new color fishfinder/GPS unit. Color for sure. Humminbird vs. Lowrance. Would like to start a discussion with those who have experienced both and can compare their own experience. I am mostly trolling the Great Lakes but do some Simcoe white fish/trout jogging/perch/bass fishing as well. Have Lowrance VHF radio that would be nice to connect to the new fishfinder/GPS unit. Let the Ford vs. Chevy game begin Cheers, Ice Fisherman Edited November 18, 2008 by icefisherman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Buck Posted November 18, 2008 Report Share Posted November 18, 2008 i'd say go with 2 seperate units... price wise it'll be the same or close to a bigscreen, except when you run splitscreen your screen will be less then 2 regular size units... plus if one dies, you'll always have a back up... my 2 cents worth... oh yeah, and i'd go with humminbird, more wattage for less $$ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BITEME Posted November 18, 2008 Report Share Posted November 18, 2008 HUMMINBIRD NO QUESTION Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raf Posted November 18, 2008 Report Share Posted November 18, 2008 hummingbird = toy lowrance = tool you decide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irishfield Posted November 18, 2008 Report Share Posted November 18, 2008 Thanks for the smile Raf !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walshskie Posted November 18, 2008 Report Share Posted November 18, 2008 i have a Lowrance X27c and I know it has put fish in the boat for me, and has for spilt screen when you have the color its so much easier to read the information you don't need a big screen, and learn how to use it not just turn it on and run it in maual. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fang Posted November 18, 2008 Report Share Posted November 18, 2008 I gave an Lowrance LMS522 try this summer. Unit was installed and plugged in and nothing else. It took about 10 minutes to navigate through and get comfortable with settings and options, much less than I expected. Color and detail was very impressive. We used it Laker fishing on temagami and GPS, nav tracking and weigh point features very easy to use. Even drove home in the dark using the navionic maps. Really nice to have. The internal GPS antenna took a few minutes to fired up - not too bad. I've always been a Lowrance user but like the advancements on the Hummingbird top end models. If you're gonna spend $6-700 I'd go Lowrance. On the LMS522 I would have liked to go to the bigger screen but it's a big price jump with Lowrance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BITEME Posted November 18, 2008 Report Share Posted November 18, 2008 hummingbird = toylowrance = tool you decide. TOY = FUN TOOL= WORK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roy Posted November 18, 2008 Report Share Posted November 18, 2008 LOWRANCE I've had an LCX 25-C for 3 years and it's just great. Also have an old X-85 (used to be the tournament standard) at the bow and it's still as clear and sharp as the day I bought it. I've had both Humminbird (3 units) and Bottomline (1 unit) and I much prefer the Lowrance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PERCHER Posted November 18, 2008 Report Share Posted November 18, 2008 Humminbird best unit for the money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Kulik Posted November 18, 2008 Report Share Posted November 18, 2008 As far as detail, structure , clarity and fishfinding capability, Lowrance beyond doubt, I have used both extensively and will use only Lowrance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lew Posted November 18, 2008 Report Share Posted November 18, 2008 I use Lowrance also, but prefer to use 2 seperate units rather than a single one with a split screen, but that's just my personal choice. I went with the X510c for the sonar and the Globalmap 7200 for GPS and found them both to be excellent machines and very easy to use. I use an old black/white Humminbird on the bow and it serves the purpose up there. You'll find good & bad with them all I spose, so you just have to wade thru them all till you find something that suits your needs. What I find interesting though, is most folks seem to prefer Lowrance for their boats, but when I was looking for some info a few weeks back for a GPS for my truck, the vast majority of folks on this board prefer Garmin. Here's my current set-up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest gbfisher Posted November 18, 2008 Report Share Posted November 18, 2008 Lowrance..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icefisherman Posted November 18, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 18, 2008 I knew it'll be tough decision guys Is that side imaging thing as big of a deal as some people claim to be? I guess this is the one future Humminbird has more than Lowrance... What about connecting my Lowrance VHF radio? Can it be connected to a Humminbird FF/GPS unit or do I have to have Lowrance one for that connection to happen? Cheers, Ice Fisherman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mukluk Posted November 19, 2008 Report Share Posted November 19, 2008 Lowrance all the way for me. I would be sceptical on purchasing a unit that combines both fishfinder and gps; in case one has a brain f$rt. The gps H2oc I use on my 4 wheeler and boat; all seasons. The fishfinder X-67c ; excellent clarity and speed. Both user friendly. Both get a work out on Lake Simcoe when it"s sometimes -10f no problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wild Posted November 19, 2008 Report Share Posted November 19, 2008 I have used Lowrance /Eagle in the past however the Huminbird 1197c is the cat's buttocks! Lowrance cannot compare or compete with the side imaging abilities, if you want, PM me for a link to some screen pics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPD Posted November 19, 2008 Report Share Posted November 19, 2008 I have used both and still have both on my boat but cannot do without the side imaging on a Humminbird. The technology far outweighs anything on the market that I have seen in fishing sonars. I have also found the GPS to be more reliable that my Lowrance unit which seems to get ornery every so often and misplaces the GPS Module... Two years and never had a hiccup with the Humminbird... I will give a slight advantage to the Lowrance on the graph but very marginal once you learn to read the Humminbird. The Navionics chips are instantly loaded rather than trying to figure out which part of the chip you are fishing in and the depth shading is adjustble. Plus you can save your screen shots including the side images. Pretty cool units. JP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest skeeter99 Posted November 19, 2008 Report Share Posted November 19, 2008 sorry I have to say this tooo!!! I have been a lowrance guy all my life they have a great product!! but they are falling behind!!! and there has been quite a few reliability issues lately humminbird has them all beat with the side imaging, if you have the chance to see one in action it is truly awsome!!! you can drive by shorelines and see fish and fish for them rather than fishing the whole shoreline!! ALL OTHER SONAR IS OBSOLETE!!! compared to the humminbirds now here is a link with some side imaging pics http://www.humminbird.com/on_the_water/def...y&blogid=46 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BITEME Posted November 19, 2008 Report Share Posted November 19, 2008 I knew it'll be tough decision guys Is that side imaging thing as big of a deal as some people claim to be? I guess this is the one future Humminbird has more than Lowrance... What about connecting my Lowrance VHF radio? Can it be connected to a Humminbird FF/GPS unit or do I have to have Lowrance one for that connection to happen? Cheers, Ice Fisherman whatever you buy make sure it comes with a NEMA output this will send position data to your radio if it has DSC (little red panic button)you will want to get an MMSI number for your radio so it ties your boat to the signal makes it eaiser for rescue services to find you on the water Just my 2 cents Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eye-tracker Posted November 19, 2008 Report Share Posted November 19, 2008 As you can tell from the following post I like my Lowrance Sonar and GPS units. I need a sonar that can quickly tell me what fish and bait are doing bellow my boat, I find that Lowrance has a excellent product that shows everything in the water column. I love the fact I can run at 55mph and mark bait-fish and set way-points on my sonar screen to later pass back over the fish trolling. When jigging up walleye with their belly on bottom the Lowrance also gives excellent target separation and in my opinion has one of the best transducers on the market. Here is a screen shot (I record all my sonar logs SD card every trip out to play back later at home and take notes etc.) from Bay of Quinte when others around me where marking very few fish because they had their Lowrance noise reduction turned on, sensitivity turn down or had another manufacturers product. As you can see in the image the active feeding fish is the horizontal line that is moving with the boat... Also Lowrance just released their new HDS units yesterday that have built in Broadband Sounder and High Definition mapping, so for more information visit High Definition System If you have any questions about Lowrance HDS or the present units just send me a pm and I can answer your questions. Happy shopping and enjoy fishing with which every unit or manufacturer you choose. -sheldon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sonny Posted November 19, 2008 Report Share Posted November 19, 2008 I have been running a humminbird 797si for little over a year now,,,and wouldn't trade it for any lowrance,,at the time any comparable lowrance could not match the power power and peformance for the dollar,,and still can't! humminbird is the leaders in my eye's,,oh ya ,,,and never had a problem with mine the whole time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roy Posted November 20, 2008 Report Share Posted November 20, 2008 "for the dollar" says it all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now