Fishfinders

[Hvalross]

I too am on my second replacement Lowrance Elite 7....The first just failed after 5-6 start ups and was replaced.
The replacement a Hook 7 is an unreliable dog of a thing. The depth information is erraticand a host of other issues.
Its brand new 4th use 3 of which have been on a boat!!!! There iz salt build up behind the screen, around the bezel. It has never had spray on it .........its just the air......

For my opinion they are trading on a name that has lost ALL value to me

[Anthony]

I've go a Raymarine Dragonfly Pro 5 and besides a few minor things I'm very happy with it. I've only had my a year but I haven't heard of anyone having issues with water ingress.

[Wind Waker]

I too am on my second replacement Lowrance Elite 7....The first just failed after 5-6 start ups and was replaced.
The replacement a Hook 7 is an unreliable dog of a thing. The depth information is erraticand a host of other issues.
Its brand new 4th use 3 of which have been on a boat!!!! There iz salt build up behind the screen, around the bezel. It has never had spray on it .........its just the air......

For my opinion they are trading on a name that has lost ALL value to me

Then make a warranty claim on it. Lowrance customer service has been easy and helpful when I have rung them. Otherwise I'll take it off your hands and glady mount it on the sport after making a warranty claim on it

[Hvalross]

I too am on my 0 replacement Lowrance Elite 7....The first just failed after 5-6 start ups and was replaced.
The replacement a Hook 7 is an unreliable dog of a thing. The depth information is erraticand a host of other issues.
Its brand new 4th use 3 of which have been on a boat!!!! There iz salt build up behind the screen, around the bezel. It has never had spray on it .........its just the air......

For my opinion they are trading on a name that has lost ALL value to me

Then make a warranty claim on it. Lowrance customer service has been easy and helpful when I have rung them. Otherwise I'll take it off your hands and glady mount it on the sport after making a warranty claim on it

Point is I shouldnt have to.......these things were once subject to quality control -not now it seems, i just spend another two weeks of my time sounderless till it is returned and replaced, they no longer repair, so its jus0t snother lottery

[Wind Waker]

What do you want them to do? Take every new sounder and dump them in a bucket of water for 30 mins? At the price point you pay they are amazing. And for the occasional unit that doesn't survive dunking, they replace it quickly and easily

Obviously I put more emphasis on how a company handles a problem rather then if they have one.

[cobby]

Explain a hds that's never removed or unplugged, never dumped, tucked under a windscreen getting minimal at worst spray, connected to twin always charged batteries that randomly decides to either:
Black screen
Throw voltage alarms when other meters display over 13v with motor running
Throw shallow water alarms whilst sitting in 30m
Refuse to acknowledge the transducer is connected, often after its been running fine for over 10 minutes
Freeze the display making navigation when fishing close to headlands next to impossible
Refuse to turn on
Backlight intermittently turns itself on and off
Pull random depths (never knew Hastings boat ramp at high tide was 80+m deep...)
Refuse to zoom
Menus that randomly close.

I used to like lowrance products, the x125/135 were the best going around in their day but navico has seriously destroyed the quality of the brand

[Wind Waker]

Same conment. Have you spoken to Lowrance and requested warranty on it? Does it have latest firmware? Have you done a full factory reset? Etc

Electronics are smarter and alot more complicated compared to 10 years ago. Hell its amazing compared to 3 years ago.

If the installation is good then its probably a software problem and thats what customer service should be able to fix. If the hardware in the unit is rooted then it should be replaced.

There is duds in every batch of every brand. I have heard same reports of garmins - doesn't mean the garmins are bad either.

On a side note, i do like the built in ram mount attachment on the dragonfly and the optional mount for the lowrances as well - suits the limited space and quick release of a kayak well. The garmins mapping is pretty nifty though compared to really having to buy maps for the others or scan your own with insight genesis.

I do find myself using insight more then the navionics now I have been building a library. Powerful little tool that feature is.

[Smish]

I have an old Lowrance Elite 5 with DSI, must be over 2 years old, no problems with it, does the job. I read Shane's comment about Garmin having better sonar, to be honest I have never considered Garmin so I had a look and the Garmin Striker 5dv GPS/CHIRP/Down Imaging is only $400, that's a pretty impressive package, I'm even tempted to pick one up.

[Hvalross]

Explain a hds that's never removed or unplugged, never dumped, tucked under a windscreen getting minimal at worst spray, connected to twin always charged batteries that randomly decides to either:
Black screen
Throw voltage alarms when other meters display over 13v with motor running
Throw shallow water alarms whilst sitting in 30m
Refuse to acknowledge the transducer is connected, often after its been running fine for over 10 minutes
Freeze the display making navigation when fishing close to headlands next to impossible
Refuse to turn on
Backlight intermittently turns itself on and off
Pull random depths (never knew Hastings boat ramp at high tide was 80+m deep...)
Refuse to zoom
Menus that randomly close.

I used to like lowrance products, the x125/135 were the best going around in their day but navico has seriously destroyed the quality of the brand

These faults and a few more I have as companions at the moment with my machine..


Having been involved in Manufacturing in one way or another for my entire working life I am very confident in stating this as a fact.


Companies run by marketers produce crap full stop.


Lowrance is now owned and run by marketers. Price point is a smoke and mirror you can follow down the proverbial rabbit hole for all I care. If a good is made to a price it will spiral stradily downwards in performance......note I did not say features...the features will continue to roll and those silly enough to be fooled by features, rather than performance will continue to be sucked in and remain satisfied little vegimites with rubbish.
Lowrance was benchmark in quality and performance once, as a tek based management they went down that road and made average profits. Marketers stepped in and introduced tinsel and razzle dazzle.........lets see it last.

I had a paper Lowrance through the 80s, 90s and recently dumped it because I could no longer source the consumables. It ran for THOUSANDS if hours, never had a service, never had a clean, and never had water ingress anywhere. My current Hook has done 11 hours on two brackish rivers 8 hours of which was on a boat protected from the elements. It has salt crystals inside the case, it has tarnished plug contacts and it malfunctions as above...the unit it replaced did not reach 11 hours before it failed to switch on at all due to the sheer number of different failures it had in its short life.

I rest my case, if you are ging to go out on a limb for a product at very least have some valid basis for your position. I have used Lowrance products and actually witnessed their decline over decades........

If your time piece, fridge, toaster, car, washing machine behaved this way, how long would it take for you to change brands.

I did not spend good money to be playing lotto to get a good one that is just a bloody silly way to go.

Having said all that, I really dont know where to go for my next sounder.

[cobby]

Same conment. Have you spoken to Lowrance and requested warranty on it? Does it have latest firmware? Have you done a full factory reset? Etc

Electronics are smarter and alot more complicated compared to 10 years ago. Hell its amazing compared to 3 years ago.

If the installation is good then its probably a software problem and thats what customer service should be able to fix. If the hardware in the unit is rooted then it should be replaced.

There is duds in every batch of every brand. I have heard same reports of garmins - doesn't mean the garmins are bad either.

On a side note, i do like the built in ram mount attachment on the dragonfly and the optional mount for the lowrances as well - suits the limited space and quick release of a kayak well. The garmins mapping is pretty nifty though compared to really having to buy maps for the others or scan your own with insight genesis.

I do find myself using insight more then the navionics now I have been building a library. Powerful little tool that feature is.

Everything up to date, no faults apparently with the little warranty that was left and now don't want to know about it, full reset numerous times. Temp mounted top notch 100% working airmar transom mount tranny to have the same problems. We're not talking a pissy couple of hundred on an elite 4, this is their supposed top of the line 4 figure greatest thing for fishing sounder that for the money, is akin to dropping that money on Brisbane to win the 2016 premiership.