scugpg Posted February 27, 2010 Report Share Posted February 27, 2010 I was at the London show last night and was checking out the new Lowrance HDS units. I'm curious to see what people think of them. They sure look sharp. I've been trying to find some reviews on them and I've seen them as mixed. I noticed to get the side imaging stuff you're looking at an additional $600 or so as well. I have an LMS-522c unit now, so I was also wondering if anyone has made the jump to the HDS. Just dreaming now, but was really impressed by these units! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Posted February 27, 2010 Report Share Posted February 27, 2010 I love mine but I keep getting moisture in it time to send it in for repairs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stoty Posted February 27, 2010 Report Share Posted February 27, 2010 I have an HDS-7 unit and absolutely love it! No problems what-so-ever. I am buying the Platinum chip, which has the 3D shaded lake maps, which I cant wait to see! I am also getting an HDS-10 unit, and network both units together. I HIGHLY recommend the HDS unit, they are worth their weight in gold, IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillM Posted February 28, 2010 Report Share Posted February 28, 2010 Sounds like the HDS5 can't keep up with Lake Temagami or Simcoe. Quality! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Posted February 28, 2010 Report Share Posted February 28, 2010 anyone can make a bad unit now and then I will give them the benefit of the doubt for now........ I will report the type of service as it happens Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denisk Posted February 28, 2010 Report Share Posted February 28, 2010 I got my HDS 10 from Josh no problems at all, well worth it. Kelley Islands Ohio Lake Erie Here's my dad holding one of those targets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillM Posted February 28, 2010 Report Share Posted February 28, 2010 anyone can make a bad unit now and then I will give them the benefit of the doubt for now........ I will report the type of service as it happens I hope it works out for you dude, I'd be super pissed if I dropped the amount of coin you did on that machine and have had nothing but problems with it. Any chance of a complete replacement? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roy Posted February 28, 2010 Report Share Posted February 28, 2010 I still have the LCX-25 and I'm thrilled to death with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archie_james_c Posted February 28, 2010 Report Share Posted February 28, 2010 tagged for interest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Cliff Posted February 28, 2010 Report Share Posted February 28, 2010 I bought the HDS5 last summer and really like it. It has taken me a bit to get use to using all the different split screans but by the end of the summer I was getting very comfortable with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fshrgy99 Posted March 1, 2010 Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 (edited) I bought the HDS5 last summer and really like it. It has taken me a bit to get use to using all the different split screans but by the end of the summer I was getting very comfortable with it. I've been looking at the hds as well. Just got a boat for the 1st time and want to get the right fishfinder first. I was wondering if the 5" screen would be hard to read (esp with split screen) but the price change to the 7" is substantial. Any comments? Edited March 1, 2010 by fshrgy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trapshooter Posted March 1, 2010 Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 Get the biggest screen you can afford. There's no doubt that you will run in split screen a lot (GPS/Graph) and will appreciate the extra inches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy Bob Posted March 1, 2010 Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 (edited) You have to add up the beans for each unit but I have seen where it made more sense for some guys to put TWO LMS 520 on their console instead of moving up to a larger screen...same might be said for the HDS 5 I have two LMS units networked together.....one on the console and one at the bow when using the trolling motor or just sitting up there...I never thought I would to that but it's GREAT....I also have a Ethernet cord going from one unit to the other...this gives me a choice of which transducer I want both units to use....the one the transom or the one on the trolling motor....this is a GREAT feature, especially when you want to watch the depth finder up front but don't want to use the trolling motor, like on Lake Erie. Bob Edited March 1, 2010 by Billy Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomcat Posted March 1, 2010 Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 I purchased an HDS7 last April at Cabela's - just made sense when currency exchange was factored in. I had been using a Lowrance X-85 for 9 years. IMHO, there's just no comparison. The resolution on these HDS units is outstanding. And having a Navionics chip in it with the depth contours of your favourite fishing lake certainly enhances the fishing experience. I concur with the statement "Buy the biggest screen you can afford". The only negative in my experience was that my original HDS7 filled with water and died after 2 hours exposure to rain. However, I had a brand new head unit delivered to my door within 3 weeks of sending my HDS7 back to Lowrance in Mississauga. I rain tested the second unit for 4 hours without incident. It's easy to recommend getting an HDS unit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Posted March 1, 2010 Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 I have the 5, would love the 7 or 8 or 10 but I am going to network it with an older unit, so the gps will show up on a 7 inch screen and the hds 5 will show the fishfinder, so it willgeve the the view of a much bigger single unit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ecmilley Posted March 1, 2010 Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 I put an hds-8 on the ranger with the platinum+ chip the 3d view is amazing and can't beat the detail on the graph. pretty straight foward to use, in the futre would like to network another hds-7 for the front of the boat and get rid of the bird Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pikeie Posted March 1, 2010 Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 Terry; the lodge I worked at over the summer ran HDs-5's In all of our boats. Over half of them had issues with moisture. So bad that some of them didn't turn on the following mornings. We contacted lowrance and had everyone of our units replaced. They blamed it on a faulty o- ring and apparently put out a recall. They are by far the best units ihave ever used. It's hard to belive how sensitive they are when it comes to virtical jigging! I could see my 1/8 th ounce jig and minnow in over 30 feet of water with no problems at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Cliff Posted March 1, 2010 Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 The HDS 5 is perfect for my boat, and gives me everything I need. It is easy to switch between full and split screens so I get to see everything I need. You have so many choices and the graphics quality is fantastic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gman Posted March 1, 2010 Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 Looking forward to learning and using both the HDS8's with side imaging I'm putting on the new boat. I've been a loyal Lowrance user for a several years, previously I had an LCX-37c with dual frequency which performed flawlessly. I've had seen some great video's from some users as well as some great feedback. C'mon April Cheers G. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Posted March 2, 2010 Report Share Posted March 2, 2010 Terry; the lodge I worked at over the summer ran HDs-5's In all of our boats. Over half of them had issues with moisture. So bad that some of them didn't turn on the following mornings. We contacted lowrance and had everyone of our units replaced. They blamed it on a faulty o- ring and apparently put out a recall. They are by far the best units ihave ever used. It's hard to belive how sensitive they are when it comes to virtical jigging! I could see my 1/8 th ounce jig and minnow in over 30 feet of water with no problems at all. yeah as soon as I said a moisture problem they said send it in, I wanted to drive down and drop it off but they said they didn't have any HDS5s right now so I couldn't take one home with me so it might be better just to mail it in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irishfield Posted March 2, 2010 Report Share Posted March 2, 2010 yeah as soon as I said a moisture problem they said send it in, I wanted to drive down and drop it off but they said they didn't have any HDS5s right now so I couldn't take one home with me so it might be better just to mail it in That's probably good anyway Terry... or you'll get like I got with a 2 million serial number less 102C that as you know appears to have issues! That now I'm out of warrantee on ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron Shirley Posted March 2, 2010 Report Share Posted March 2, 2010 I am an electronics junkie, and I switched from Humminbird side imaging last year to try the impressive looking HDS units. I got an HDS7 for the dash and an HDS5 for the bow, and I couldn't believe how amazing they were. They have such incredible detail. It did take me a while to get used to the new menu system from Humminbird, but once I figured it out, I didn't look back. The HDS units are the best electronics I have had on a boat bar none. Well worth the extra money IMO. I got lucky with my units, no moisture at all, and they have been soaked with rain and snow. Guess I got mine after the recall. Aaron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scugpg Posted March 2, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 2, 2010 Does anyone have any info on this recall? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irishfield Posted March 2, 2010 Report Share Posted March 2, 2010 Most I can find.. "Posted April 14, 2009 Lowrance HDS Water Intrusion Navico is aware that some Lowrance HDS units have experienced water intrusion. This problem is limited to a small number of initial production units and has been fixed. The likelihood of an HDS unit from an early production build experiencing this defect is very low; however, customers with HDS products that exhibit water intrusion will be allowed to replace the HDS product free of charge. If you experience this issue: Contact Lowrance customer service at 1-800-324-1356. Select Customer service, then Lowrance or Eagle Products, then HDS, then select option 1. Navico will provide a pre-paid return label to the customer to cover the return shipment cost. Upon receipt of the defective unit, Navico will ship out the return unit the next business day. " Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pikeie Posted March 2, 2010 Report Share Posted March 2, 2010 Thanks wayne! i was going to post the same thing. It seemed like they caught the problem quick enough, before everyone had a unit lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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