Looking at the Hb 998 or Hds 7 opinions on these please?

I would appreciate any input anyone has on both of these units. I should start by saying I have had Hb, lowrance and garmin products and to be frank the only units I have had issue with have been Lowrance products. So, with that said I like the looks of the Hds's and have watched a bunch of video on the hds and they just look awesome! the overlays and speed of paging thru the menus appears to be super fast. The HB's are tried and trued but, are pricey. I haven't seen much video on the 998 so, thats why I am trying to gather as much info as I possibly can. I hope to get to a Gander Mountain or Cabela's to play with them a little but until then, I would appreciate the experts on here sharing some info on these units.

Thanks in advance.

Its a Ford, Chevy, Dodge debate. Both companies make fantastic units. On the HB's the 800, 900 and 1100 series units are basically the same just a bigger screen as you go up in series. I personally run a 898 and love it. If I were buying again I'd go with the biggest screen that my budget would allow. Menus are easy to navigate and use. As with either unit the better you are at "dialing them in" the better picture you are going to get. I also like the fact that Humminbird, Minn Kota and Lakemaster are all owned under one parent company. I see great things happening in the future.

There are a couple site sponsors on here that sell both units at prices way better than you'll find see from the big stores.

I have 2 HB 898's networked together and I like them a lot. I actually only bought one from Universalmania and when I got it installed I liked it so much I bought another. And to be honest I only networked them to be able to share waypoints but being able to share all the sonar info is pretty nice too at times. I can honestly say that I have caught fish beacuse of my new electronics where my old finders basically were used for depth and water temp they were so cheap. If you do some research I am sure you will be happy no matter which brand you go with.

Universalmania has 898's for $1266.72 right now. I got mine 2 days after they were ordered.

I have the 998 on mine and couldn't be happier, don't know much about the 7

Bob, i have the HB 1197 and 997 and they're real nice units, but when and if i get a new unit, it'll be a lowrance. They may cost more and have more stuff to put together to get full usage of them, but the pictures are a lot clearer and DI is better. I was with a buddy in KY that has a 8 or 9 on his boat and i was pretty impressed with the diffrence between our units. I've got over $5K in mine so i'll be keeping them for a while before i change. May get the 12 touch when i do. And the one guy is right that said bigger is better. Get the biggest you can afford no matter what brand you choose.

Thanks for the input guys. Its still clear as mud lol but, I do know that bigger is the way to go. Chaunc, how long has your buddy had his Lowrance unit?

I've had Low for a couple of years and I'm really happy with it.
I went with Low for the clearer pic.
Whe you get ready to make your purchase give Brian @ BBG Marine a call or send him a pm. He's got good prices not matter which way you decide to go.

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Originally Posted by Bob G

Thanks for the input guys. Its still clear as mud lol but, I do know that bigger is the way to go. Chaunc, how long has your buddy had his Lowrance unit?

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Not totally sure but i believe only a couple years. Heading down soon so i'll ask him about it.

I have a 998csi on my trolling motor and a 12 Touch by my console. I can scan at 30mph. The 12 is easy to use, easy to see, and I may replace the one on my bow sooner rather than later. I am going to try and tune the 998 to what I can see with the 12 but I don't think it is going to be close. The biggest problem with the 998 is it is not bright enough. I have to take off my sunglasses and even then it is still dim. I even have one of those hoods over it. If Lowrance would make a cable that would fit down my terrova shaft like the hummingbird I would change tomorrow. Bigger is better I wish I had gotten the 1198. That is the reason I got the 12 instead of the 9 touch.

The new touch screens by Lowrance are amazing!!
Very user friendly

I am leaning towards the touches just need to figure out how much money I can get together in the next few weeks. Thanks everyone for the the help, When I get the unit and get it mounted on the boat I hope to post some screen shots here.