I had several people tell me that the Lowrance products generally do not last as long as similar Garmin GPS units. I wanted to hear a few more opinions before I decide on which GPS to get. Howwould you compare the ease of use, and durability between lowrance and garmin GPS products? Are there any big differences between the Garmin blue charts vs Navionics?
In my line of work, I don't nescessarily do a lot of big electronics installs, but I can. But, I will put in a gps or whatever have you. The garmins are the easiest to use and absolutely by far outlast the lowrances. However the new lowrances have a lot of nice options, and large screens especially for the money. But when you think about it, a gps that is 3 yearsold is basically outdated. To put it simply if I was to have an offshore boat and only have one gps it would be garmin, so I know I can make it home. But for the money on an inshore boat the lowrances are probably the ticket, if it fails in 3 years oh well, its outdated now anyways and buy a new one.
Had a Garmin 720 on my skiff and now have a Simrad NSS8. Also looked into Lowrance (same parent company as Simrad). They all make great units these days. I think the best suggestion I can give you is to go to a West Marine, Bass Pro, Cabelas, or other and play with the units you are considering. They all have their place. Most important to me is to look at one with the software for the area you are going to fish most often. Lastly, the bigger screen you can afford (within reason) the better.
I am (was) an Garmin only guy. Of late I am not impressed with Garmin durability or customer support. I have a close friend who's boat I run from time to time and the Garmin (less than 2 years old) has not stood up like old units. The interface and UI has progressed backwards in my opinion and there has been some comparability compatibility issues. Customer support has been average at best. Compare this to Lowrance. My Scout had an old (6 plus years old) unit. I had an electrical problem on the boat which spiked power to all my electronics. The unit was DOA. I sent it to Lowrance and they tested it. They offered a new unit at a discounted price. Something that Garmin didn't offer to replace the unit which had a poorly designed water seal on the screen. I installed the new HDS7 Gen II on my Scout only to find the fuel sending unit which plugs into the GPS was also toast. I contacted Lorance to purchase a replacement and they send a new one gratis. The UI on the HDS is superior IMHO to the Garmin. The screen is clearer and better handles glare. Mapping detail is generally good but does lack some detail compared to Garmin in the areas I fish. However not to the point that I would consider changing it. Sonar capabilities and detail far exceed what I've experienced with the Garmin. I'm a stubborn SOB. I will stick with a company for a long time because I don't like change. Well, I've changed my mind. In no small part due to what I feel is a superior over all product. I highly suggest that you go to your local marine supplier. Look at each unit side by side. Then make the right decision based on your needs. Cheers
I've had garmin for over 10 years - I am just now switching to the new simrad nss7 eve 2. It is a much more advanced unit than the garmin - not even close. In addition it accepts the FMT chip. I will attach a link to see what the chip does - basically - it has loads of tracks all over the keys and the state along with much better mapping photos than the navionics chip. http://forums.floridasportsman.com/showthread.php?168890-Florida-Marine-Tracks-has-Officially-Launched
