Humminbird vs Lowrance - Yes another one of these posts

[jooleyen]

Hey all. My question today is a very common one. Humminbird or Lowrance?

I've read and searched for hours on this topic and I hope my decision will be clear within this or the next thread I make. I've seen many people who give

their depthfinder of choice a thumbs up, but I really can't make a decision based on their opinion because they don't have a comparable unit from the

other manufacturer. I'm looking for advice from people who have experience with both companies' units with the current technology of 2010-11.

Here are some things for me to consider:

I have no previous sonar experience so I am unbiased.

I might be able to get a better deal on one or the other; probably Lowrance.

I understand Lowrance has crisper image on the screen, but what good would it be if it doesn't scan as well as Humminbird. Is the technology as far as

'finding fish' goes, equal?

I tournament fish a lot and I have NO PROBLEM whatsoever with a complex unit and a large learning curve. I don't need Humminbird's user friendliness

if/when I could be better off learning the ins and outs of a Lowrance with more features.

I've also heard of the 'horror' stories of Lowrance's customer service, but it seems to be common that people say they haven't had any problems with their

service, and that it's been improving greatly over the past months. I'm not sure if this is something to be worried about - if it truly was, I would go

with a Humminbird solely for that reason.

I've also read that Lowrance becomes cheaper when more than one unit is used on a boat. I definitely don't want to ignore this factor as I may end up

getting another one next year or possibly sooner.

How about power and processor speed? I don't want to be shorted on refresh rate going with one brand and have lag of the screen - not even sure if this is

an issue or not.

What other questions should I be asking?



I'm basically looking at the HDS-8 vs 998 and the HDS-10 vs 1198.


If I come to the conclusion that both are more or less equal and it really doesn't matter which I have at the end of the day, the main factor (already a

large one) will become price. I may be able to get a better deal on Lowrance electronics or vice-versa (probably Lowrance).

Thanks in advance for your help,

Julien