im looking to buy one or the other. what are the pro and cons on each one? any help would be great thanks

HDS 10...........

Both are great units but the 7 is the bare minimum for sidescan. There is alot of difference in the 7 and 8.

Go with the 10!!!! You won't be sorry!!

I tried sidescan on a HDS-5 and it is just too small. The 7 really isnt much bigger and neither one has the buttons at the bottom which make using the units much easier. I then added a HDS-8 and I use it strictly for viewing underwater. The 5 is dedicated to being the GPS map. With this I think I have the square inches of screen with the two that a HDS-10 has and I'm happy with it. But still the best way to view sidescan on the 8 is to display only one side or the other. So I will agree...the best thing to do is go with the 10 but the 8 is a good compromise. (I'd really like to have two 10's) Now where is that winning lotto ticket??
PS I don't know much about the birds. But I have been told if you buy one be prepaired to buy a map chip cause it don't come preloaded with a high def map like the Lowrance units do.

A lot of guys really like the HB and it is personal choice. I have an HDS8 on my console and an HB 788ci HD DI on the bow. The HDS8 is large enough but, a 10 would be better. I can have half the screen on side/down scan and the other half split so the top is 2D sonar and the bottom GPS for finding markers. Works just fine for me. Got the HB for the bow as I wanted to see directly under the bow and I keep it split with 2D sonar on top and DI on the bottom half.
The HB is more user friendly but, even thought the screen has more pixels, the Lowrance has a lot more resolution. I see things on my HDS that I simply don't wee on the HB.
Just my opinion and as I said, lots of guys are perfectly happy with the HB and nothing else.

I've been a strong advocate for Humminbird but I was open minded. So I went to see what all the fuss was over the "better picture" that Lowarance offered. Their picture is great but I did not notice a big enough difference to make me want a 12" transducer or a complicated menu to work thru when I wanted to change screens. Humminbird is user friendly, has great customer service, and one unit one transducer all included in the box. Nothing extra to buy like an LSS1 or 2 or a Transducer. Both are great units but for me Humminbird all the way. Now I do agree, get the biggest unit you can afford. The HDS7 has no soft keys for preset screens. The 898 has 3 that you can set to whatever screen you want. It works just like a radio. You get a favorite screen, press and hold the button you want it to be on and it is set.

Agreed. I love my 898. When I get in people boats that have Lowrance, I get irritated with the units cause of the menu toggling. My 898 obviously works good......

I do agree the HB is easier to use but, the latest sw upgrade on the HDS allows you to preset multiple split screens like HB only better as you can set the screens you prefer.
Haven't had to use Lowrance service since I bought my HDS. I know they have had serious problems in the past but, understand they are greatly improved...remains to be seen.

I'm with ya Bob. I haven't had any issues with my 3 Lowrance units since I bought them either. Couldn't be to complicated for a couple of 60+ guys to have figured it out. The complicated menu is just because Lowrance has more options, and things that it will do. Not that I use a lot of the complicated stuff, but it is there for those who need/use them. My wife works on the Deep Sea Charter Boats in Galveston during the summer, and all 4 of those boats use Lowrance. So I'm sure they have requirements that we wouldn't need.

With the latest up-date on the Lowrance unit, it gives you 6 of the Quick/Favorite Buttons. Now I have ALL my Favorite Screens loaded onto the buttons, and don't haft to go throught a single menu. Once you get the unit set up the way you want it, there is no use to be running through the menus.

It may not be worth it, once you have bought a Hummingbird. But before the fact, you should be looking for the best images available by either unit. Having the additional piece to make the Side Scan is the piece that makes Lowrance have better images than the Hummingbirds. I shopped on E-Bay for several weeks when I bought mine, and I bought the HDS-10 & LSS-1 for $200 more than what I gave for my HB-1198-SI.

Didn't have my HB-1198 & HB-898 but about 6 months before I sold them and bought Lowrance. But for HB Customner Service to be a major saling point, they must need them a lot is all I can figure.

I know a couple of old guys that are still getting by with B/W Sonars/GPS, and just know how to work the equipment they own. I think that is the biggest thing a person can do for themselves. But if I am going to spend the time learning a piece of equipment, it might as well be the best unit available that I will spending my time learning.

You can get a HB-898 for a little less money, and if that was all you were giving up, I would still own my 1198 & 898. But you are giving up more than just saving a few dollars.

But then everyone has their opinion.
keith

I'm close to being 60 and I have found the HDS units to be very easy to use. And that $200 That you save buying the Humminbird has to be spent to buy an HD map chip which is preloaded on the Lowrance HDS units. So where is the savings in that?
Just Sayin...

I know you can do that on the 8 and 10". Can you do that with the HDS 7 now too? I know you can with the Humminbird 898.

No, you are correct. Only with the HDS-8 & HDS-10 has the SOFT KEYS. Also, I can't remember, but the HB-898 may be a 7" screen. Where I think that Lowrance wins the BOOB AWARD for having the HDS-5 having a 5" screen, the HDS-8 having a 8" screen, and the HDS-10 having a 10" screen, BUT the HDS-7 has a 6" screen. What BOOB came up with the consistant naming of these units.

Now, that doesn't change my mind of the units (HB or Lowrance) that has the best screen images. But when I bought my HDS-7, I did not realize that it had the 6" screen until I had already ordered it, and it was to late to change. Or I would have ordered the HDS-8.

But you are correct, the HDS-7 does not have the SOFT KEYS, but also has 1" less screen.

I am also not trying to talk anyone into a Lowrance. It really doesn't matter to me. I just wished that when I was asking these same questions, the guys with the Hummingbirds wouldn't have been blowing sunshine up my butt, wouldn't have been giving out information on the only Unit (Hummingbird) they had seen work, and giving the real scoop on the units. I didn't feel that many of the guys (General Equipment Page) that was giving out opinions on the 2 units had seen HB SI and Lowrance SI in operation, side by side. So all the info I got back was HB, HB, HB, Customner Service, this and that. And they were great.

But for 6 months they worked with me on the phone trying to get my unit (HB-1198-SI) set up to see what my brothers HDS-5 could see. But when they sent a HB Tech to Bass Pro to set up my units, my brother pulled up along side and showed us images that the 10" HB was not even picking up. He said this was as good as it will get, at that point, the Customner Service didn't mean a thing to me.

Again, not promoting Lowrance over Hummingbird. It the information that I found out, and showed to be true from my experiance. Personally I would love for everyone to buy HB Units, you would not be finding some of my Bamboo Brush Piles.

I say get the BIGGEST Unit you can possibly afford, even if you haft to save another few months to buy the bigger Units. Buying a Deal, is only a Deal if it fits your need. Buying a DEAL, then being sorry for the rest of your life because you settled for somethng, you hoped would be OK, is not a DEAL. This would be my ONLY advice. everythings else is information, do with it what you will. It will not effect me in one way or another which unit someone buys. I have owned both units, and this is what I have found out.

Good Shopping.....




keith

That's what I thought. I had an idiot tell me the other day that the HDS7's now had soft keys. Trust me this is not the only reason he qualified as an idiot.

Also, Bamboo showed up fine for me.

I've had my HSDS 7 for over a month now. I have absolutely no problems reading the screen. The defination and clarity is great. Of course I'd like to have an 8 or 10. But I had to stay within my price range.

If I'm not mistaken the 7 has an 6.5" screen which puts it right in the middle of the 5 and 8.

Bryan