What Lowrance GPS to buy

[Fish Assassin]

Started shopping around, planning on replacing my 7" LCX with a HDS. Started looking at the HDS 7 then was lead towards the elite 7. Glad I didn't buy in cause they are not the same. The sonar is different. The elite 7 does not have the same quality of sonar that the HDS 7 has. Some stores sold them telling customers they were the same minus ad ons capabilities. Oops

The 7 only has a 6.4 inch screen well the 8 is 8.4 inch. But they are $1000 more... Ouch Go for the 10 ad another $1000.

Then comes the touch models. Wide screen, structure scan, wireless capable. But ad $500 to the price of a regular HDS model.

Then there's eBay save $1000 on any model from the US for the price of a HDS7 Touch here in Canada I can have a HDS9 Touch out of the US.

I can't stand finger print on my LCX so I am unsure about buying a touch screen. But the wide screen with the smaller profile allows a guy to have a HDS9 Touch inside the same dimensions as a 7 inch HDS.

Why can't this be easier?

Boat show in January this year not sure if I should wait and see. Sure would like to be able to buy local but $1000 savings is hard to beat.

 

[GDW]

Go and play with the touch screen. I have a gen1 HDS7. Awesome unit but I'm not joking if I want to navigate to a way point I need to press at least 10 buttons.

If I want to clear my track and start a new one its at least 18 button presses.

It's crazy, your driving the boat and need to update something on the plotter and its menu after menu, screen after screen and usually you need to scroll down list after list. The lawrance menu system is far too complicated. Sure I've got 1000 options and customizations but usually I just want to use it as a simple plotter/sounder when I say new track I don't need to name it, pick its color, pick its line thickness, pick how many points to save etc. just make the damn track!

I'd hope touchscreen makes this way simpler because if there is a list of 15 options instead of 7 down arrow presses to get to the middle one you can just touch whatever option you want. When creating a new track instead of scrolling past all the optional fields you can just hit save and come back to it later if you want to customize it.

I agree fingerprints on the screen suck but I'd look close at touch screen and if it works keep a clean shammy close by and enjoy the ease of use.

 

[bigbruce]

I have a Garmin 720s with a touch screen. I keep a microfibre cloth on the dash and wipe it down when the day is done. No issues.

 

[Sr SQ]

Heres the thing, you really need to be honest about what your going to use it for and how your going to use it before making a decision on what to buy.
Generally the all in one units excel in either plotter or sounder functions so what is the most important function to you?
IMHO price point wise there is no better all in one FF on the market than the Furuno GP1870F
Its the same FF as the Furuno587 ($1200 stand alone) and at $750 that BOE has them on for nothing can touch them http://boemarine.ecomm-search.com/redirect?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.boemarine.com%2Ffuruno-gp1870f-7-color-gps-chartplotter-fishfinder-combo%2F
As far as the lowrance HDS goes its a great unit but for the price I believe the Furuno is a way better machine.
As for buying US vs Canada a local dealer will have to send your unit in for warranty if you need it anyway so I dont really see the benefit of local support but thats just my experience.
However you must buy from an authorized dealer to get support and most ebay deals are not authorized dealers so I wouldnt recommend them.

 

[sly_karma]

Slimy fish hands on a touch screen, no thanks. HDS gen 2 has a simpler menu system than the gen 1.

 

[Fish Assassin]

Heres the thing, you really need to be honest about what your going to use it for and how your going to use it before making a decision on what to buy.
Generally the all in one units excel in either plotter or sounder functions so what is the most important function to you?
IMHO price point wise there is no better all in one FF on the market than the Furuno GP1870F
Its the same FF as the Furuno587 ($1200 stand alone) and at $750 that BOE has them on for nothing can touch them http://boemarine.ecomm-search.com/r...0f-7-color-gps-chartplotter-fishfinder-combo/
As far as the lowrance HDS goes its a great unit but for the price I believe the Furuno is a way better machine.
As for buying US vs Canada a local dealer will have to send your unit in for warranty if you need it anyway so I dont really see the benefit of local support but thats just my experience.
However you must buy from an authorized dealer to get support and most ebay deals are not authorized dealers so I wouldnt recommend them.

Thanks for this. Sure interesting. Full 7in screen, 1kw transducer, and a chart card covering Pudget Sound to the Charlottes packaged together for about $1400-$1500. Online reviews are great. Might just have to find a dealer and play with one. It will be a tuff one as I am so used to Lowrance products.

 

[Sr SQ]

There will defiantly be a bit of a learning curve but none of them are overly complicated anymore, worth a trip to a dealer to play.
A rock solid performer for pretty skinny $$......tough to find any furuno haters thats for sure.
I see BOE dropped there price again to $719 and Ill bet with the us black friday sales coming you will likely see some wicked sales on all electronics.
I know I would be holding off for a few more weeks and watching the ads.

 

[Sharphooks]

Sr SQ has it right---Furuno has been working real hard to bring prices down and the GP1870F will be hard to beat. They have some really slick chart-plotting functions on these newer units, the FF is the same as the 585/587 so you get incredible picture, noise suppression and post-signal processing (meaning you can go and analyze a target (zoom etc) AFTER you've gone over it

Furuno is the Ever Ready Rabbit----once you've got it installed and wired properly, they just keep going and going. And if for some reason you have issues, their office in Camas has guys that are ALWAYS there and ready to talk to you and walk you through the problem and will get it FIXED.

Today I just bellied up to the bar for another 1 Kw transducer for my 587--- big $$ but the new Furuno FF digital technology in the head-unit (260,267,585, 587, 1870 etc) makes it worth getting the best 1 kW transducer you can buy to get full value of that new technology.

Bust a Furuno move and don't look back!

 

[bigbruce]

Slimy fish hands on a touch screen, no thanks. HDS gen 2 has a simpler menu system than the gen 1.

One of the reasons God invented rags is so that we can wipe the slimy fish hands before we touch important things, like beer cans, gear and GPS touch screens...

 

[Sr SQ]

Sr SQ has it right---Furuno has been working real hard to bring prices down and the GP1870F will be hard to beat. They have some really slick chart-plotting functions on these newer units, the FF is the same as the 585/587 so you get incredible picture, noise suppression and post-signal processing (meaning you can go and analyze a target (zoom etc) AFTER you've gone over it

Furuno is the Ever Ready Rabbit----once you've got it installed and wired properly, they just keep going and going. And if for some reason you have issues, their office in Camas has guys that are ALWAYS there and ready to talk to you and walk you through the problem and will get it FIXED.

Today I just bellied up to the bar for another 1 Kw transducer for my 587--- big $$ but the new Furuno FF digital technology in the head-unit (260,267,585, 587, 1870 etc) makes it worth getting the best 1 kW transducer you can buy to get full value of that new technology.

Bust a Furuno move and don't look back!

Yep yep, there is a reason why they own such a large share of the commercial market

 

[Hog Tide]

Started shopping around, planning on replacing my 7" LCX with a HDS. Started looking at the HDS 7 then was lead towards the elite 7. Glad I didn't buy in cause they are not the same. The sonar is different. The elite 7 does not have the same quality of sonar that the HDS 7 has. Some stores sold them telling customers they were the same minus ad ons capabilities. Oops

The 7 only has a 6.4 inch screen well the 8 is 8.4 inch. But they are $1000 more... Ouch Go for the 10 ad another $1000.



Then comes the touch models. Wide screen, structure scan, wireless capable. But ad $500 to the price of a regular HDS model.

Then there's eBay save $1000 on any model from the US for the price of a HDS7 Touch here in Canada I can have a HDS9 Touch out of the US.

I can't stand finger print on my LCX so I am unsure about buying a touch screen. But the wide screen with the smaller profile allows a guy to have a HDS9 Touch inside the same dimensions as a 7 inch HDS.

Why can't this be easier?

Boat show in January this year not sure if I should wait and see. Sure would like to be able to buy local but $1000 savings is hard to beat.

did you buy a unit? i am looking into them too.. i read that the elite cannot be connected to dsc vhf units..

 

[Fish Assassin]

HT, look at post 6 on the first page. I am going to go look and play with a Furuno 1870 this week. Looks like a better deal and far better over all unit then the Lowrance unit. I hate to change but I think its time.

 

[Magspec]

One of the reasons God invented rags is so that we can wipe the slimy fish hands before we touch important things, like beer cans, gear and GPS touch screens...

Yep i like how people complain about the touch screen cause you get it dirty i wouldnt touch my touch screen with dirty slimy hands or for a fact wouldnt touch a non touch screen buttons with dirty slimy hands so there is really no difference but i take pride in trying to keep my stuff clean and in tip top shape. Like BIGBRUCE says paper towel and rags are cheap compared to wrecking a 1000 plus dollar unit.

 

[Magspec]

I really love the HD7 touch bought new this year from gpscity have network for radar, external antenna, marine radio, wifi for ipad with lifeproof case mounted at rear steering. Structue scan, and also the cheap transducer that comes with. The touch screen is quick and easy to use once you figure it out and can move stuff around and place certain info any where you want on screen. I have my honda motor linked as well so i can see everything , engine, temp, etc. So i can put that on screen as well. They are nice units.