I've now officially used HB, Lowrance, and Garmin. My personal preference is HB because it works for me. While I enjoyed the Garmin, the mapping was a deal breaker. I was not impressed with the maps of the lakes included in my area and the fact that they do not offer a custom mapping option (ie SonarChart, AutoChart) is just plain lame. The 93sv did produce very nice images, but at a $1300 price point, it is an "entry" unit. Tough to swallow when you compare it against the others in that price range, feature for feature, and expandability. I would say that if their HD card had all the lakes you want to fish, you are good to go.
Got a good deal on a used 1198 that ships Monday and have the newest LakeMaster and AutoChart on the way! At least the second installation on the boat will be easier since I learned all the "not" to do on the first go around. My goal this year is to map a couple of the small lakes near my house and enhance some of the bigger ones. I am starting to get longlining fever...been too long since I've seen those rods bend.
All in all, the technology out there is really impressive and I have nothing against any of the brands.
