Garmin vs Lowrance H20

[Reed1]

Hi,

I have my GPS choice narrowed down to two. The Garmin Etrex Legend and the Lowrance H20. I am looking mainly at three issues. 1. Ease of use. 2. Reliability 3. Customer service. I would appreciate all of the input I can get.

Thanks for your time,,

Reed

No fear, No meaness, No envy.

[live_2_fish]

I have the Lowrance H2O and I love it. It is easy to use. I am not a big technology person. Within a day I was marking spots and everything. I went through about 4 different GPS's. I chose the Lowrance H2O over all of them.

[caseymcq]

I have a Garmin GPS Map 76. I love it. It is really easy to use. There are a ton of accessories available for it. It is pretty easy on batteries.

With that being said if I were buying a brand new GPS I would definately get the Lowrance H2O C. My dad and my brother bought them. Wow! The color is a great feature. With the capability of using LakeMaster and/or Navionics chips they are probably the best choice for an individual wanting to use them for fishing. My dad said the only drawback to the H2O C (he had an iFinder Pro before) is that it uses batteries up quicker.

I don't have any experience with Navionics chips but I do have a LakeMaster for my LCX 15 and I am impressed with the other mapping detail it has for roads, trails, public lands, etc.

[Hookmaster]

I've had a Garmin Map76 for 5 years and it is very easy to use, haven't had a need for customer service because I have never needed it, i.e. it is dependable. I bought an H2O last winter in order to use the Lakemaster MN chip. So far it's performed well. When going to a waypoint using the arrow/compass screen, I like the Garmin better, just easier to see. If the Garmin you're looking at takes Lakemaster chips, I would get the Garmin. I didn't want to spend the extra money so I got the H2O. The black and white H2O is much easier to see in sunlight, either direct or indirect, than the H2OC. In low light the color is great. This was done as a side-by-side comparison between the two units.

[BobT]

Garmin currently offers their Minnesota Lakemaster software for $107.13 on-line. Unfortunately I bought it before the price dropped to about half but I really like it and find it to be incredibly accurate. I have noticed they also now offer lakemaster software for

Wisconsin and Michigan as well.

Bob

[Blaze]

I'm in the same spot as you are, trying to decide which unit to go with between the Legend and the H2O. Here's my take on it:

1) ease of use: Lowrance. Popping the LakeMaster chip in and out makes this thing a piece of cake, though I don't know if I'd ever remove it anyway. Garmins have to hook up to the computer to download the maps onto the internal storage. Navigating the menus, etc., seemed pretty intuitive on the H2O, too, and the Lowrance also has a bigger screen.

2) reliability: I'd have to go with Garmin. While at Cabelas the other day, there were a couple people having screen problems with their H2Os (screen splits and the bottom half scrolls to the top half - hard to explain). Cabelas said it has been a real issue with the H2Os and the Hunt model too. Check out the Bargain Cave - there were 4 or 5 of them sitting in the display case.

3) customer service: not sure. I know Lowrance has serviced their graphs, etc, pretty well in the past, but I can't speak to the Garmin support.

4) other factors:

==> I like the size of the Garmins better for non-fishing use (grouse/deer hunting, hiking), but the bigger size of the Lowrance allows for a larger screen

==> Battery life goes to the Garmin (18 hrs compared to 12 hrs for the H2O)

==> Mapping abilities - I like the Lowrance better for easily popping in SD cards as needed and it takes LakeMaster, Navionics, and HotSpots maps. I know Garmins take HotSpots maps (via CD-ROM) and may also take a different LakeMaster mapset? (someone please clarify for me).

All in all, they are both good units with their own pros and cons. Play with them both and decide which one suits you best and have at it. Your fishing will never be the same again.

Good luck,

Blaze

[Northlander]

Im very happy with my H2OC.

[schweady]

Yeah, I love my ExpeditionC, which is the same design as the H2OC with a few extras. The only thing I hate is the external power cord connection point. Mine doesn't seem to have a definite 'click' when the clip engages and I sometimes wind up draining the AA batteries when you think you're running off of the vehicle's power. I even ran into the unit telling me it was running on the AA batteries when the cord was obviously clipped into place properly. Then next time out, it works just as expected... Anyone else have those type of problems? Also the optional lanyard loops into the same connection point as the power cord connection so I wind up leaving that off. (ARE YOU LISTENING, LOWRANCE?!?!)

[sparkyaber]

I have the legend c and really like the option of using my pc or laptop to look at all of the maps and waypoint management. But-- If I get a fixed mount unit for the boat I need to buy all new software or a chip for lake maps. With the H20 you just pop the chip out and put it in the boat. Also, the screen size on the h2o is much easier to see. The legend is just to small.

I got the legend this winter and have only changed the batteries once. My friend just got the h20 and has already been through one set. It seems that they just eat the juice.

If I would do it over, I would get the lowrance.

Just my opinion.