Lowrance HDS 8 vs Humminbird

[Eastwind]

I am ready to replace my Lowrance X15 with a newer sonar/GPS unit. I have had great luck with Lowrance products for 20+ years and would just as soon stick with Lowrance products. I heard last year that Lowrance was having problems with the HDS series, water infiltration, cracked sreens, etc. I also heard that customers were having issues working with the customer serice department at Lowrance. As this is the opposite of my experiences with Lowrance over the years, I am curious. Can any of you share some recent good or bad experiences working with Lowrance in general? I would also like to hear from people that have purchsed and have been using the HDS 8 combo unit. I am deciding between the Lowrance HDS8 and the comparable Humminbird unit.

[Shawn Kellett]

I just converted my old x-15 to a bird this year and never looked back. I'm sure others will say HDS, but they are both an improvements and have features that are better then each other.

[yaggie]

I switch to HB two years ago for the reasons you stated with Lowrance. I am satisfied with the birds but I did have to send in the 898si in twice for repairs. They were very quick to get the unit back to me. We used a Lowrance unit from a friends boat for one tourny while my unit was down and I was very impressed with it. If I would be replacing my boat this year I would probably go back to Lowrance units. Either company would be excellent. I do not know how the Lakemaster chip issue will work out with Lowrance units but I prefer Navianics anyway. If you prefer the Lakemaster you may want to go to a HB unit.

[Superduty]

Get the Lowrance. Both Lowrance and Humminbird have had some issues. It's electronics and it happens sometimes unfortunately. I find the Humminbird units inferior in most every aspect except side imaging. Both brands have excellent side imaging. The lowrance color sonar and mapping is much better IMO. I have also seen Humminbird units with issues where the transducer and power cables attach to the back of the display. They use some goofy plastic bracket to hold all cables at the same time and it can work loose. The cables on Lowrance units all thread in individually for a more secure connection.

[foo]

I have both a HDS-7 and 898 Humminbird---

Hummingbird hands down and especially with Lakemaster maps now being with Humminbird. Customer service for Lowrance is a nightmare. Also google about the Lowrance transducers problems.

IMO

[Esox_Magnum]

I have not heard of any transducer issues with the HDS series, before that yes... I prefer my HDS also, 40+ hours a week all summer for 2 seasons and also used on the ice as GPS and been flawless....

[morepower02]

HDS gen 2 series are being released soon. I am getting in my demo models for the MPLS boat show. Faster processors and software upgrades are in all of the gen 2 models. Also with the new models with the side image structure scan you can record and overlay on your insight map. Awesome stuff. If you have any questions let me know as I have been in constant contact with Lowrance on the new product.

[Chode2235]

My dad and I both replaced out electronics last year. I ended up going with an HDS-5 as my previous transducer was an Airmar with a lowrance plug, and my dad went for a HB 798 SI or something like that.

Both are great units and I can only imagine how much nice a big screen one would be. I don't think you can make a wrong decision.

I will say, that the screen on the Lowrance is a bit better and a bit better in sunlight. I will say that HB is pretty user friendly and is great in the "hot keys". I wouldn't hesitate to have either on my boat, and when it came down to it I would decide based on my price, or how my boat is rigged (Lowrance still has the edge with networking and sharing between units on the same boat).

[PerchJerker]

I use HB Side Imaging a lot but I have Lowrance Structure Scan on my own boat. Both work really well. Lowrance is much farther along in networking and data sharing than HB, that was probably the biggest deciding factor for me when I rigged my own boat. Both are good units, both are good options.

The HDS-8 (and 10) have the hot keys or soft keys, the HDS-5 and HDS-7 do not. The hot keys are nice and convenient, but if you're willing to get into the menus you can access all those functions with just a couple of button pushes on the -5 and -7.

The earliest HDS units had bad seals and water intrusion problems. That was 2+ years ago. It does not seem to have been an issue in the last 2+ years. As for cracked screens, I don't think I've ever heard of that being an issue.

I talk to Lowrance and HB customer service quite frequently. Both are good. For the past year or so I usually get through to Lowrance with shorter wait times than with HB .... not always, but usually. If you need solid, technical assistance, Lowrance CS is usually better ..... not always, but usually. If you're trying to get an older, out-of-warranty unit repaired for free, HB is usually better. My opinion is that both companies have pretty solid customer service these days, especially for "legit" in-warranty customer service issues.

Hope that helps and good luck!

[delcecchi]

Yes, lowrance got acquired and is no longer the same company that produced and failed to stand behind the junk like some of us bought based on the lowrance reputation.

[Eastwind]

Thanks to all of you for the valuablr feedback. I am going to buy my HDS8 tomorrow.

[Kyhl]

I think you will like it. I went with an HDS-8 last August.

And from Pro-Fishing Supplies, aka PerchJerker.

Had a bad LSS unit and PerchJerker contacted Lowrance and had a replacement available the next day. Thanks for that by the way.

It worked flawlessly for the rest of the season.

Looking forward to getting back out there this spring and learning more. I've had a big learning curve. Maybe my curve is flatter than most.

I chose HDS for the screen size, hot keys, and networking ability over Bird. The 8" wide Bird screens are widescreen making them shorter, giving you less viewing area.

An 8" widescreen has 27.35 inches of area

An 8" 4:3 has 30.72 inches of area. That's 1 1/2" X 2" more viewing area.

They are big and heavy. If possible, I'd suggest hard mounting. I didn't have room on my dash and had to use the dogbone mount to lift it. It tends to angle down in rough seas.

[Fish Head]

I'm in the process of changing from Lowrance over to Humminbird this spring. I've already purchased my bird for the bow and I'll be getting a 998 for my dash soon. Good luck with your HDS 8, I'm sure you'll like that too.

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

I agree about the screen size. That HB unit just doesn't look right to me with that wide screen. Great unit though, so it would not prevent me from buying it.

Regarding the weight issue, why are they so heavy? No battery and solid state electronics. Other then the glass screens, what causes all the weight? Must be some type of coil inside to boost power?

[Nick Kuhn]

My guess is the weight is a lot of rubber to waterproof the units, or a large copper heatsink to cool the unit off. I've never opened one up so I can say for sure, but the actual electronics are going to be rather light.

[Fish Head]

Has anyone notice how many reconditioned Lowrance units there are for sale? It seems like everyone has had them for sale for a while. To me, that tells me they have had a LOT of units returned that went bad.

[TruthWalleyes]

The HBird units float, even with the weight, you can toss them in the lake and not worry about them sinking. Saw a youtube video where someone tossed their 1198 in the drink, not something i'd like to try though