Cant decide which ff/gps

[mweber02]

I'll be heading back to BPS early this week to get a new ff/gps but I can't decide on which one. The three I have been looking at are:
Lowrance elite 5 hdi (300)
Humminbird helix 5 di gps (350)
Humminbird 688 kvd combo with map chip (450 after rebate)

I know a lot of guys use the elite but the helix has a wider screen.

Anyone know why the 688 retail price is 150 more than the helix? I didn't think the chip alone would cost that much.

I'm going into this somewhat assuming everything is pretty much equal in technology and reliability. Please let me know if that is incorrect

[Cowpokey]

Lowrance. </thread>

[mweber02]

Lowrance. </thread>

Hah! I saw that one coming!

[mebe007]

I run the lowrance elite 5 dsi. i like the way it functions very well. im familiar with the lowrance so i would go with the elite 5 hdi. i hear the nice thing about hdi is you can overlay traditional sonar and dsi sonar. sometimes dsi inst necessary and i wish i had traditional. now the one thing i dont like is the transducer is friggin huge, on my dsi model its small and knife like so doesnt seem to create a ton of drag on my ram arm.

[silasvirus82]

I've got a Furuno LS4100 and really like it. This model has been out there for a long time, so you can find them pretty cheap. It isn't color, but I've yet to see that make a difference when looking for fish. Furuno is known for the best electronics in the industry, and based on my experience with a couple other major brands I can't disagree. I have mine with a thru-hull low profile transducer and it picks up everything.

[daolai]

I have the Lowrance Elite 4x DSI and looking to upgrade to the Lowrance Elite-5 Chirp. The Elite 4 DSI is good but it doesn't have the traditional sonar which I believe helps provide verification. Honestly I know little of Chirp and I go back and forth every day on whether it's worth the extra $150-$200 for Chirp. Saving up my pennies and hoping to make the purchase prior to opening day. Lowrance has simple controls but my biggest issue with Lowrance is the lack of a good manual.

Let us know what you end up with and after testing how you like it.

[skinnywater]

I sold my Elite 5 DSI and bought an Elite 5 Hdi at BP. It was $300.00 with transducer. This is the unit with GPS, DSI and convententonal sonar. The guy told me it wa being discontinued but Lowrance still has them in their catalog so I don't know. One tip I will give is they gave me a 10% discount for opening a BP MasterCard account and when I received the card in the mail there was a $10.00 coupon for my next BP purchase. In effect I got the unit for $260.00. I did not have to put the purchase on the card immediately. Don't know if if makes a difference but the new Lowrance units have two plugs instead of one, a sonar cable and a power cable.

Google CHIRP and read some reviews. From what I read it doesn't seem to me to be worth the extra money. They say Te technology works best in deep water.

Mounted correctly the bottom of the transducer should only be 1/16 inch below the bottom of the boat according to the instructions. Can't imagine that being to much of a drag.

[mweber02]

I've had the BP Mastercard since back when they were with Visa, so im out of luck for the 10% discount.

I didn't look much into CHIRP but figured it has a premium price right now that just isnt worth an extra $200 when the previous technology seemed to work quite well.

I wanted the Lowrance for a while but the wider screen of the HELIX got my attention. Not sure what got my considering the 688.

Hopefully BPS still has the Elite 5 HDI in stock when my Discovercard rewards giftcards come in the mail. They didnt have it on display but the price display was still up behind all of the other models.

[Cowpokey]

The HB 6xx series replaced the 5xx models, same 5" screens.

[skinnywater]

I had my choice between MasterCard and Visa for theb10% discount and I didn't have to use the card to buy anything at the time. I didn't have a MasterCard so now I do. Plus you I get 5% rewards with it.

[mweber02]

I had my choice between MasterCard and Visa for theb10% discount and I didn't have to use the card to buy anything at the time. I didn't have a MasterCard so now I do. Plus you I get 5% rewards with it.

5% for any BPS brands
2% for all purchses at BPS
1% for all other purchases

I dont use the BPS card that much unless places dont take discover, or I am spending a decent amount on BPS branded merchandise. I get better rewards with my discover card for all other purchases (You can buy BPS gift cards at discounted rates). When I shop at BPS, I use my rewards member # for 1% and discover for 1%, then buy gift cards for a little extra bump. When I can, I use my discover card online and get 5% cashback on bps.com + 1% on my BPS rewards account. Total cashback for the online is something like 7% that way and it doesnt matter what brand the items are.

[mweber02]

I think I've settled on the Elite 5.

BPS has discontinued stocking it and didnt have any available at Arundel Mills. They started to look into having one shipped from another store, then someone pointed out they have an unannounced special kit that will be available during the fishing classic that starts 2/6. Comes with a cover and nav chip for the same $299 price! They just cant sell them until the classic.