Lowrance Vs Humminbird ?? 2024

brianwhite reply :

looking to purchase a new unit soon, any pros/cons between the two? not looking to spend a fortune but wanting to get a good unit that will help locate structure & schools better. is the structure scan worth the extra $500 on the hds units? i've notice Humminbird units are cheaper but is the quality as good? any help will be greatly appreciated

Wayne P. reply :

Both companies make quality units. You need to decide what features you want, and how much you are willing to pay for them. Visit a Bass Pro Shops, Cabelas, ect and push some buttons to decide which you like, then ask about a particular model/s.

There are promoters and detractors for both brands, only YOU can decide what suits you.

Jig Man reply :

I run a Low my bud runs a Bird. They both get the job done for us.

scbassin reply :

Hummingbird has much better customer service if you need help.

brianwhite reply :

@jig man, what units are you guys running?

jdw174 reply :

I ran nothing but Lowrance for years. Last year I made the switch to a H-bird 898 at the console. IMO the 'Bird is much simpler to run. I kept the Lowrance 334ci and mounted it to the bow. The operation menus are just easier on the 898. Don't think I'll be switching back anytime soon. If the bow unit goes (and it's on it's way I fear), I'll replace it with a 'Bird.

Long Mike reply :

On 12/23/2011 at 7:03 AM, Wayne P. said:

Both companies make quality units. You need to decide what features you want, and how much you are willing to pay for them. Visit a Bass Pro Shops, Cabelas, ect and push some buttons to decide which you like, then ask about a particular model/s.

There are promoters and detractors for both brands, only YOU can decide what suits you.

I agree with Wayne. Quality units from both companies. I run a Lowrance HDS-8 at the console and love it, but I would have no problem if Santa brought me a 'bird to replace the LMS-28-C on the bow.

Jig Man reply :

On 12/23/2011 at 9:06 PM, brianwhite said:

@jig man, what units are you guys running?

I am running 2 hds 8 units with lss1 front and back. I can't see a lot of difference in the down and side of L vs B but I don't like the B 2d sonar at all.

"BRB" reply :

Back when I was getting me a new unit I did a lot of research on both. It seem like one page would be pro lowrance and the other would be pro humminbird. But the one thing that came up in all site was lowrance had poor customer service. I'm not saying that they do or do not. I never had to deal with them. So I went with humminbird. And I'm happy with it. And plus humminbird was a little cheaper.

Nitro 882 reply :

It has been my experience that Humminbird does have much better customer service. My Nitro came with 2 small Lowrance units. I replaced the console unit with a Humminbird GPS/Sonar combo and will be replacing the front unit next spring with another Humminbird.

scrutch reply :

I have a bird 1197. Aside from the customer service issues already mentioned, I liked the plug and play features of the bird. Jut pop in the chips and they autoload.

On the other side of things, I am chasing some interference issues from my mk terrova. Customer service has been very good though so far.

Wayne P. reply :

scrutch, that trolling motor RF interference is a bear to deal with. The support that Humminbird has is the best in the industry in dealing with that issue.

What some don't realize is that it is not an issue to the unit, it is an issue with the trolling motor that needs to be "fixed".

scrutch reply :

On 12/26/2011 at 8:08 PM, Wayne P. said:

scrutch, that trolling motor RF interference is a bear to deal with. The support that Humminbird has is the best in the industry in dealing with that issue.

What some don't realize is that it is not an issue to the unit, it is an issue with the trolling motor that needs to be "fixed".

I've suspected that all along... I just haven't been able to get on the water to test the initial minor change that I made. I'll be able to do that in March and fully attack the problem. The next step if the jumper didn't work was to install an RF filter. Do you know what needs to be done with the TM to mitigate the interference? (Terrova 101lb w/ iPilot)

brianwhite reply :

thanks for all the input, leaning more towards the 'birds due to price and customer service.

McAlpine reply :

On 12/26/2011 at 11:40 AM, scrutch said:

I have a bird 1197. Aside from the customer service issues already mentioned, I liked the plug and play features of the bird. Jut pop in the chips and they autoload.

On the other side of things, I am chasing some interference issues from my mk terrova. Customer service has been very good though so far.

I have the same issue with my terrova and 788 on the bow.. There is a new software version out for the birds that is supposed to help with the noise issues, check their website. I have not upgraded the unit to this new version yet but plan to do so when I get some time this month.

McAlpine reply :

Brian you have to get what you will like. I am lucky that I have a bps locally so I went in and tried both units out side by side. I found that the processors in the loran were a bit slow and screen redraws and menus were sluggish. They are upgrading to a new process this year, which does not surprise me at all. I also found the bird to be easier to use and I didn't have to buy an external unit for side/down scanning.

I went with an 898 on the back and a 788 on the front. They network natively and can then share waypoints, gps units and transducers. It's a slick setup.

Good luck.

mikeeasttn reply :

I have used Lowrance since 1987 and have for the most part been well pleased with them. Recently purchased a Hummingbird 597 and also have been well pleased. Screen is as bright as Lowrance maybe some brighter and is easier to operate than the Lowrance in my opinon. I like the Lowrance 2D much more than the Bird but the HD DI seems very close on both units. It maybe that I am more familiar with the Lowrance 2D that makes it seem better. Both brands are very good. Try to find someone that can show you Lowrance on the water and maybe another person to show you the Bird on the water performance. If can not find anyone go to Bass Pro and they have units set up to where you can see each unit. If this is your first sonar I would recommend the Humingbird as it is much easier to operate.

brianwhite reply :

I've got the Lowrance that come with my boat but looking for something a little better but pocketbook isn't that steep. another member mentioned a 'bird for $299 that had the DI on it, i looked at it at the Memphis bass pro and it seemed to be ok but i'm the type i want to play with it more before i buy ya know. I'm actually heading back to bass pro tomorrow and will play with them some more. thanks for all the input, hopefully i'll find what i want soon

brianwhite reply : Humminbird® Fishfinder 570 DI Sonar Fishfinder this is the one i mentioned in the above post. i am thinking about this one on the trolling motor and the 788 on the console.

ATRoberts reply :

I just bought and installed a Humminbird 570 DI. I love it. I couldn't believe the views of the bottom. I installed it up on the front casting deck with the transducer mounted on the trolling motor. I'm not an expert on interpreting what the fishfinder is telling me and I'm used to those $100 or less units....so I was amazed at what I saw when I fired up the new Bird yesterday! I can plainly see treetops, logs and stumps and things on the bottom. I am very happy with my choice. I thought about the Lowrance 5 SDI that was the same price but the Lowrance only has down imaging, not regular sonar. The Bird had both.

slonezp reply :

On 1/7/2012 at 2:51 AM, brianwhite said:

Humminbird® Fishfinder 570 DI Sonar Fishfinder this is the one i mentioned in the above post. i am thinking about this one on the trolling motor and the 788 on the console.

What's your tax rate? boatersworld has the same unit for $320. No tax, no shipping. no payments, no interest for 6 months.

Hi Salenity reply :

On 1/8/2012 at 9:30 PM, ATRoberts said:

I just bought and installed a Humminbird 570 DI. I love it. I couldn't believe the views of the bottom. I installed it up on the front casting deck with the transducer mounted on the trolling motor. I'm not an expert on interpreting what the fishfinder is telling me and I'm used to those $100 or less units....so I was amazed at what I saw when I fired up the new Bird yesterday! I can plainly see treetops, logs and stumps and things on the bottom. I am very happy with my choice. I thought about the Lowrance 5 SDI that was the same price but the Lowrance only has down imaging, not regular sonar. The Bird had both.

I have the same one and I hope I don't have it dialed in yet because it doesn't show images nearly as well as the video of it on birds site. I've heard some of the 570di have problems showing depth at under 10'. I think mine may be one of them I had the ducer "clicking" and had to power it off & back on to get it to work again

This thread has some info on it. http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/95298-dsi-for-small-boat/page__fromsearch__1

ATRoberts reply :

I have not seen the video on their website yet. I have only had the chance to get out and use mine once since I bought it...that was yesterday. Remember too that I am comparing mine to a ten year old Humminbird Wide Eye. The depth readout worked great most of the day. Once I did get into water that was about two feet deep and it went a little crazy. But then I got in a couple of feet of water later in the day and it was fine. My transducer is mounted to the trolling motor and it could have been some interference too, not sure. I never had to cycle power on it to get it to work though.

brianwhite reply :

well got up to bass pro over the weekend and looked at all the units. looking at the 788ci for the console and maybe the 597 for the front. what do you guys think??

Wayne P. reply :

Which 597ci, there are two of them ---one is the DI unit and the other is regular dual frequency 2D sonar?

Which 788ci, there are three of them--788ci, 788ci HD, 788ci HD DI?

brianwhite reply :

oh dang didn't realize the diff. models ha. 597DI and the 788 hd di

Wayne P. reply :

Brian, both of those units have the same display in screen brightness, size and pixel count. The highest resolution displays in the industry.with 31,170.5 pixels per square inch.

The 788ci HD DI can be linked to another Humminbird unit to share common data with Ethernet or Interlink, The 597ci HD DI cannot be linked to another unit.

The 788ci HD DI has two card readers for mapping and/or screen snapshots, recording, unit updates and waypoint management.

The 597ci HD DI has just one card reader but can do the same.

brianwhite reply :

thanks wayne, didn't know the 597 could do the waypoints

Wayne P. reply :

brian, the whole model number for the 597 is 597ci HD DI Combo and the whole model number for the 788 is 788ci HD DI Combo

The 788 is the model series, the ( c ) is for color display, the ( i ) is for internal GPS antenna, the HD is for the screen resolution and model year, DI is for Down Imaging, and Combo is for a combinatiion of sonar and GPS functions.

Some units are Combo units but will come with an external GPS antenna so they won't have the ( i ) in the model number.

brianwhite reply :

you've been very helpful wayne, appreciate all the info. relatively new with depthfinders and this saved me some money for sure!!

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Lowrance Vs Humminbird ?? 2024

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