Lowrance vrs. Humminbird in Head to Head Competition

[Lumberjack93]

Lowrance vs. Humminbird


I'm getting ready to buy either a Lowrance LMS 332 C or a Humminbird Matrix 87 C - Unless someone here convinces me not to buy either one ;-) My fishing will consist of freshwater lake fishing in lakes that are 40 ft. deep and less.

Any of you guys have experience with either one of these models? I have heard some really negative things about Lowrance on the Hull Truth Electronics board and am now starting to look at Humminbird really hard.

Have you had any major problems with either Humminbird or Lowrance that would keep you from buying them? I have heard that Lowrance is now having their units assembled in Mexico and Humminbird products are still made here in the USA. Is this true? Lowrance customer service says that their products are assembled in the USA and that only repairs are sent to Mexico?

I will say this, when I looked at both units, the Lowrance resolution is far superior (480 x 480) as compared to the Humminbird. I saw both of these units at Bass Pro Shops in Houston. However, some folks have really said that they have had major issues with Lowrance while others love them.

Anyway, I would love to hear any suggestions or opinions that you have.

I guess, at the end of the day, you take a chance with any piece of electronics that you buy.

Thanks in advance.


Lumberjack93

[jyasaki]

Lumberjack93 - 6/6/2005 8:50 PM
Have you had any major problems with either Humminbird or Lowrance that would keep you from buying them?

Probably not applicable, but I got a Humminbird portable as a gift (bottom-of-the-line thing: Piranha 4?)

The connectors on the back for external power and transducer are, to put it mildly, total crap. They are a proprietary molded connector, with pins on the cable side, semi-keyed with a sort of D shaped hood. I have yet to get a reliable external power connection, either on or off the boat. To add to the frustration, the plugs are in-line with the cable, so when you connect them and store the unit, the cable itself gets bent over, and eventually breaks the wire conductors (which appear to be in the neighborhood of about 22 gauge stranded stuff.)

The connectors utilize gold plated contacts (I think), but the sockets on the unit seem to over-expand, making connection there a little dodgy as well.

End result: Getting connections to power and transducer takes so much fiddling around that the unit generally stays tossed to the side, and I just take a wild-a$$ed guess as to depth. Seems to be just as accurate.

My $.02, and probably not indicative of the higher end Humminbird products (at least, I hope not.)

I have a Lowrance 332 on order for the new boat.


jky

[stevec717]

I bought a Lowrancce 102C this season and love it. Color, very high res and great rendition of bottom. Not everyone loves them, but I like the display.

Steve

[CLake]

I have never used either one of these units, however I just wanted to tell you that you might want to go by the the Houston Summer Boat show this weekend and look around, I know they usually have several electronic outlets there in the past and might be able to get some good advise. You might also look at coming down to Clear Lake area for a wider retail selection.

[WVStriperhunter]

I have the Lowrance 332 and have had no problems or issues with the unit. The screen resolution is excellent even in direct sunlight, and the gps works great. The box mine came in did say it was made in Mexico.

WV Striperhunter

[xcavater]

I have a Humminbird 2000 deep that is a piece of junk.
It was given as a gift, and was supposed to be the best at the time. I've had it for 2.5 saesons, and I can't stand it.
The controls are basic, the options are basic, the screen sucks, and the transducer looses bottom at any time.
I can't beleive how much it cost then, and still does.

[JR1]

Recently bought a lowrance 107 color is great in sunlight, very easy to use. would recomend.
JR

[rubinjames]

I have never had any luck with Humminbird products. There fore I
have not bought any of their products in a long time. Maybe, they
have got better,but, not for me.