Garmin versus Lowrance GPS?

[rafiki_]

Bit of advice please.

I am looking to buy a low cost Plotter. My boat is based on the River 7, but we plan the odd trip into the Bristol Channel to Portishead and Cardiff, therefore feel we need a plotter of some sort. I have seen both Garmin and Lowrance at about £300 to £350 with built-in maps.

Any thoughts on preference and why please?

 

[blueglass]

I think a lot is down to personal preferences. You get used to the operating pathways of any particular brand. FWIW I have had 5 garmins so far and have never been let down once. I find them easy to navigate (no pun intended) and the bluecharts Garmin use are superb. You will soon no doubt be regaled by equal enthusiasm for Lowrance.

 

[rafiki_]

Thanks for this. As a newbie, sometimes there is too much choice, but both manufacturers appear quite genuine, with Garmin having the broader range and stronger brand.

 

[Moody]

Here's a second vote for Garmin.

I have used Garmin nav gear for the last 10 years and it's always performed well. You can get cheaper stuff but I wouldn't think twice about buying Garmin again. But don't tell SWMBO cos last time I visited the Garmin stand at a show I came away £3k poorer.

Neil

 

[oceanfroggie]

Garmin all the way. It's simply the best, and actually the best value in the long run due to longevity of service life and reliability.

 

[wakeup]

Garmin every time, the Lowrance stiff uses windows CE on some of its range, would you want that as your primary nav??

 

[rafiki_]

Thanks all. A very clear picture here.

 

[colingr]

Got a Lowrance. Very good unit but the menus are a bit confusing. I prefer the Garmin and that's what I'll be buying next.

Plotter on a river? How can you get lost??

 

[Refueler]

[ QUOTE ]
Garmin every time, the Lowrance stiff uses windows CE on some of its range, would you want that as your primary nav??

[/ QUOTE ]

He's talking plotter not cheap hand-held. I've trusted mny Lowrance for years now and faultless ... the charting Nauticpath has proved itself good enough.
I have no reason whatever to change away from Lowrance. The only item that Lowrance is slow on the uptake is AIS display.

If you take price for price - Lowrance has the better resolution display by far.
I don't like Garmins Menu system - and I don't like that Garmin appears to change it's Chart format every few years leaving it's customers high and dry - as Garmin is a single format system only. Lowrance accepts Nauticpath and Navionics charting.... which you choose.

Very few people advise others based on real comparisons - they recc'd based on what they have ...

Me I cannot justify paying more to Garmin to get similar display quality as the Lowrance. Second my Nauticpath chart card has greater area coverage than a handful of Garmin chart cards. In fact I have whole of North Europe, in two cards and total price for that coverage was about 130 quid.

 

[trying]

When we were making the same decision (wanted a plotter and same sort of budget) I ended up with the Standard Horizon CP180i. Ticked more boxes for me. I know that was not your question!

While looking I managed to have a play with the Lowrance and Garmin units and of the two I preferred the Garmin ones.

My advice would be to try and have a play with each of the ones your looking at ideally on other peoples boats so you can see them in action and make up your own mind as I'm sure personal preference comes into it.

And maybe have a look at the Standard Horizon too.

 

[Refueler]

[ QUOTE ]
Garmin all the way. It's simply the best, and actually the best value in the long run due to longevity of service life and reliability.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'd love to see real statistics to back up a statement like that. Particularly that Garmin during the past has swapped chart formats leaving customers hanging in the breeze.

I run various GPS groups on Internet and I have never heard such claims as you've just made ...

Not trying to be rude - just surprised at such a statement without link to evidence.

 

[galeus]

Further to your last reply you will get a Standard Horizon 5 inch chartplotter with a free local C map chart for £300 complete with 3 year warranty and in PBO test came out top if I recall correctly.I,ve just upgraded to a S.Horizon chartplotter from a Garmin GPS (I to like Garmin stuff) but when we compared all the ones you have mentioned at the NEC show my wife took to the S.H. more than the others because of its ease of use.
Richard /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Rivers & creeks]

Lowrance is cheaper because it comes with free cartography. Eagle is even cheaper. Garmin are infamous for stuffing their customers by withdrawing support for plotters and refusing to issue updated charts.

Standard Horizon integrates with AIS, Lowrance does not.