Lowrance M68c S/Map: Looking for a review

[DangrsDaveO]

I would like a review of the Lowrance M68c S/Map. If possible I would like someone who has also purchased the ICE accessories.

Thanks in advance for taking the time to respond.

[Chris Haley]

If it say's "lowrance" on it. It will last for 14 months then you're out of luck and will need to buy another one.

[DangrsDaveO]

Can you give more details? Or have you generally had bad luck with Lowrance products? I have heard some things were bad about a year ago or so but thought they may have straighten things up by now. Thanks for the response.

[DangrsDaveO]

Can you be more specific? Or is it a Lowrance overall issue? I heard they had some problems awhile back especially in the repair/customer service area. I would think they have got that sorted our by now. Thanks for the response.

[Chris Haley]

Lowramce sold. Since, their quality and customer service have become the laughing stock of the industry. They do not support anything past 12 months now. Top level sponsored pros cannot even get them to return phone calls.

You decide on where you want to spend your money. I personally have been burned too many times now and will NEVER buy Lowrance again. I had an LMS 350A that lasted 5 years and then I sold it, never heard from the buyer about any issues. The list goes on for (2)X15MT, Global navs(2) LMS480, never had a problem with any of them. That was back when lLowrance was king. Now they're the court jester!

[Chris Haley]

Now I have the LCX112c and I had the global map 7300. Lasted 14 months. Now we're in MN. I only used it 7-8 months? Screen burned out (like just about all that have problems) Called and got "Oh, we're sorry I see your unit is 14 months old. We do not repair those anymore, but I can upgrade you to an HDS system for $561.45)

Long story short. If you buy Lowrance, plan on spending 1.5 times what you originally spent if you'd like to keep it longer than say 2 years.

The pathetic part is that more guy's have had my experience than guy's who will say they have never had a problem with lowrance.

[Chris Haley]

And if you have not had a problem with lowrance it means your unit is 3+ years old or it's less than a year.

[DangrsDaveO]

What direction are you thinking now? I want a unit with both GPS and Depth finder capabilites but don't have deep pockets. I know Reeds will be having a sale of some sort in the next couple of months and would like to pick one up before the opener.

Thanks again for the quick response

[Swimmer]

I too have heard a lot of hating on Lowrance. However, my Ice Machine (x67c) which is like the M68c without the GPS, has been going strong for four years, and doesn't have the interference problems that some have warned about.

[Chris Haley]

I'm heading to Humminbird. Depending on what your price range is. You can get a bird combo from under $400 for the 300 series, and under $500 for the 500 series.

Swimmer - You did not read the whole post. I said if you have not experienced problems, it's probably 3-4 years old or it's under a year. 3-4 years ago Lowrance was still king. Also if Lowrance was a sponsor of this site. I would not be a moderater. This is not just one guy voicing his opinion.

[Chris Haley]

I have even heard the words "class action lawsuit" coming out of certain circles.

[Swimmer]

Yes, Chris if you read my post you would see that I've heard a lot of negative things about Lowrance lately. What exactly happened that a good company would fall so steeply in 3-4 years (though I remember a lot of criticism of the integrated GPSs more that 4 years ago)? Change in ownership? Move to China? It doesn't seem like it is just a pile-on by sportsmen who are attacking the "king" just because he's the king; the criticism seems legit.

[Chris Haley]

Yes new "corporate owners"

[Chris Haley]

As Enron has taught us. Corporate does not care about anything but corporate!

[TooTallTom]

Hi Dave O,

I'm also a fan of Humminbird. I just saw on Reed's HSOforum that they are selling the 788ci for about $500. Keep in mind that this is a summer setup, and will have to have another $100-200 (depending on what, exactly, you decide to do) spent to convert it for winter use. The plus side to this is that you now have a four-season solution. (Of course, if you don't have a boat, it's kind of pointless.)

I think the winter conversion can also be done with the 500 series, and Humminbird sells the 300 series in a winter rig (it is also a summer model). So, there are lots of different options and lots of flexibility with their units.

Also, you'll have to buy seperate chips with map data no matter what brand you go with, this can be another $100-$200 dollars also.

I'd encourage you to look pretty hard at the features of the models (seriously, find the manuals online and read them) and compare what you'll get for what you spend. I did this and decided to put off my purchase, banks some more money for the "depth finder fund" and then get what I felt was a great combination of features for a price I was comfortable with. I feel like I got a great value in the 788ci.

Tom.

[TooTallTom]

Hi Dave O,

I tried to post this once before, but I either screwed up with the posting or the post got eaten.

I have a Humminbird 788ci (on sale at Reed's now for $500) which I love as a summer unit. You can spend about $100-$200 and convert it for winter use, which I recently did. It's working pretty good so far, but I haven't logged enough hours staring at it yet to really have an opinion. You might be able to do this same (temporary) conversion with the 500 series 'Birds, and I know that the 300 series is sold as both a summer and winter unit.

No matter which route you take, you should plan on another $100-$200 for map chips. Keep that in mind when looking at units.

You might want to look really hard at the features you're buying in whatever units you consider. Seriously, get the manuals online and read them. I was going to buy a 500 series when I was shopping, but decided to hold off and bank some more cash for the 700 series since I liked the additional features as well as the increased inter-operability I bought with the 788. I feel that I got a really good value (features/ useability versus price) with my money.

Tom.

[Swimmer]

The corporate raider formula. Cheapen the product as much as possible and then fire as many workers as possible (or move to China for cheap labor with low skills) to absolutely maximize profit (fewer workers = bad customer service and quality control). There are a few exceptions of course. Do you know who the buyers were?

[DangrsDaveO]

Thanks for the information. I have started looking at the Hummingbird units. I really like the 587ci HD Combo. It is a new unit for 2011. I see Reeds has it for $429.00. Does anyone now which unit this one replaces?

[LundProAngler]

I own-

X-71

XOG

X-102C

H2O-C

HDS-5

Never had one issue with any of them.

Lowrance makes great products and should last many years under normal use.

[TooTallTom]

As far as I know, the HD models replace the same model numbers (without the "HD"). I'm really not sure what the HD gets you, whether it's a brighter display, or a higher pixel count on some models.

The old 788ci (non-HD) is on sale right now for $500. Do some reading on both units, you might find that the older unit with more features for $70 more is a better buy.