Garmin 440/441 ?

[Mine Now]

Is there any signifigant difference between the two models or can I save a few bucks buying the older model? Thanks

[john3976]

I have the old 440 unit it is a very good unit, however if I was buying today I would buy the 441 because you will be getting latest tech. I think they have faster processors so in my opinion you would better off with the newer model but if money is tight, you will still have an excellent unit in the older 440.

[Mine Now]

Thanks I suppose there should always be improvements with new models but sometimes new tech is worse than old tech. I was thinking of getting a 540 which is close to the cost of a 441. My eyes need all the help they can get

[NYC Wharf Rat]

Buy a 540 or 440. They changed the processor, that's about it. You won't even notice a difference unless you're using the Vision Card's top-down sat. imagery, and even then it's not worth the extra money. The 5XX and 4XX series are still using the same basic technology as they did when it first came out. The fishfinder is junk, the built in cartography is spotty in detail, you'd be better off with an HDS-5M for the same price. And I'm not exactly a Lowrance fan either, but that's a solid little unit. Just hope it works, because if you have to send it back to Mexico/Tulsa you will see it sometime in November of 2012.

[sandyda]

Can you point to a specific area where you believe Lowrance offers less "spotty" cartography, Rat? In my experience, the built in bluecharts are at least the equal of Navionic$ Gold cartridge$.

The 441 and the 541 offer another feature: Nmea 2000 connectivity. This one instrument can now display a wealth of other information, including engine and fuel data from a growing number of manufacturers. You may not be too excited about that on a small open boat with an older engine, but your investment will have a lot more value later because of that.