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| but, i will say that the 25c is amazing though!...my 334c was a $700.00 or whatever number of dollar waste of time and money. i wish i just would have ponied up another $400 or so to go from being taken to being exceedingly pleased.
detail is ridiculously different with the higher powered units and the ability to see details at a glance is there. the smaller underpowered units aren't realistic to fish off of.
so how exactly were you "taken"?
if the difference between the high-power and lower-power units is so easy to see, why didn't you see it before deciding to buy the 334? did you check out the power differences? did you go to a store and look at the displays side-by-side? or just order them online sight unseen? i went to Reed's and compared. i knew what i was getting when in ordered my 102 and 3600, and i've been very satisfied with what i got for the price.
you make it sound as if Lowrance tricked you somehow...
everyone has their own preferences and experiences.
perhaps: not realisitic to fish off of for YOU is a more accurate statement?
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Posts: 13688
Location: minocqua, wi. | i took the advice i found on these boards and perhaps some of the advice i should have taken either wasn't available or may have been deleted because it was not considered a "positive" post?
i figure i get taken whenever i spend a lot of money for something and it doesn't work ... the 25c works and the 334 doesn't ... if i had known the maps show up differently on different units based on power i would have looked to see the difference. i just figured the map would show up the same and they just don't. i was prepared to spend 2k for new electronics ... i ended up spending about 1800 ... for another 400 bucks i would have been happy .... instead i saved 400 bucks and have one i like and one i don't ... now i've got to sell the one at a discount and purchase the other and i've lost one summer and a bunch of money to do what i should have done in the first place. i'm a user and don't like to learn all the details ... the 25c is idiot (me) proof and will overwhelm you with capability simply ...
no matter how you argue the features and functionality of the 334 ... it bottom-line does not compare to the 25c |
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Posts: 814
| Night Mode? Why should you have to put your 332 in Night Mode in the day? You shouldn't have to.. sounds like a visibility problem to me...I can see my 110 from the bow without night mode...no comparison in my eye..yeah there cheaper but you also get what you pay for...One other thing I noticed as well as others who have used the 332 is there is tons of clutter or interference on the screen under 20fow where my 110 is clear, and yes I am not in auto sensitivty mode and my sens. is set to 70%. I use my 334 for sonar only and when I get enough dough for a 25c it will be here on the boards for a Discount! |
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Posts: 5874
| Sled, No, the 334 does not compare with the X25, in size, and in some functionality. But that is why Lowrance makes 5 different sizes of all their models, so you have a choice. I don't recall a post here asking for advice on which units you might get. You can state all day long that the 334C is not a good unit, and I'll tell you into tomorrow that it is a good unit, and does exactly what it was designed for. I know exactly why I bought my 334C, and I have no regrets. There are a lot of knowledgeable people here, some even offer good advice on occaision! hehehe
When you use the term high-powered, excatly what do you mean? To me, high-power/low-power means the output rating of the Sonar. That wouldn't have any affect on the the ability to display GPS data, or mapping. Now, I do believe you cannot zoom down as much on a 334 as you can on the 25 or the 111. Is that the issue? Just like a computer monitor, you can get a lot more info/resolution on a 19" LCD monitor than you do on a 15".
ARe you going to send that 334C in to get the antenna lock issue resolved? If you do, I'm sure you won't have to discount it too much below the current market price. That would be $549, which I just saw at Fleet Farm this weekend. Not sure where Cabela's is. I did see the X25 in the Bargain Cave at $649? I think I may just pick one up, and put that on the console when I sell the boat next year.
Edited by Shep 11/6/2006 12:21 PM
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| i took the advice i found on these boards and perhaps some of the advice i should have taken either wasn't available or may have been deleted because it was not considered a "positive" post?
so it's our fault? lol...poor Sled, victim of an evil internet conspiracy! 
our editorial policy is to leave up specific personal experiences (positive or negative - much like this thread), but to not allow broad generalized bashing (ie., "this sucks because it just does").
online advice is a great place to start, but hardly the last word, especially when spending $2k on gear. get some suggestions and then use it as the basis to do your own homework.
what made you decide that the Motorguide Digital was a good trolling motor for your purposes? reading about someone's opinion online, or actually running a boat with it?
no matter how you argue the features and functionality of the 334 ... it bottom-line does not compare to the 25c
neither does it's bottom line price.
at Reed's right now the 332/334 is $600; the 25cCombo is $1150; the 111c is $1850.
why would you expect their performance to be comparable to each other? it's half the cost!
imho, the lower-price units offer performance comparable to their PRICE. i'm satisfied with mine.
i hardly expect an Abu 6500 to perform like a Shimano Calcutta, but that doesn't mean it doesn't offer good performance for it's price.
what you're saying is that you want performance only available from a more expensive unit; that's very different than "the 334 sucks"...you get what you pay for, and someone with a smaller budget might find that paying $600 for a decent graph and GPS combo to be quite cost-effective.
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Posts: 13688
Location: minocqua, wi. | i said "boards" which isn't mutually exclusive, so the answer is no to the question mike. and "poor" sled maybe could be moderated?  .... i guess i'd just hate to see somebody make the same "mistake" i made. to me if you buy a gps with the capability to use a chip you would expect to have enough definition on the chip to be able to fish a piece of structure using only the icon on the topo of the map. you cannot do it effectively on the 334c whereas you certainly can and then some on the "higher powered" 25c. also, you would think as a registered purchaser that you might be notifiied of a defect and not struggle with it all year. i'm just trying to help people not make the same mistake i did. to counter it sounds like you've recommended the unit for the complete purpose i state in this post and that being said .... i hope some at least investigate and understand the performance vs. their expectations of the purchase because it's a lot of dough.
so far most have discussed using the unit for sonar and it is great for that although i will concur that every time you hit the juice on the trolling motor you get clutter on the 334c and i can't answer for what happens on the 25, 26 or the 110's ... but i didn't have that occurance with the garmin 168 i had with a universal sonar before.
i'll be sending it in to have the antenna fixed .... any buyers? .... so far no offers.
no complaints about the site .... i think some of the products that don't deliver should be noted .... that's all.
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| I think it's kind of wierd the 334/3600c can zoom in farther without a chip in it....that being said, I have a 3600c (basically the 334c without sonar) on the front and it works fine...I don't put a chip in it, because really on most lakes I fish it is just as easy to just know how the contours lay out before putting the trolling motor down...the gps is basically just used for marking follows or to duplicate paths down an edge/break etc...the sonar next to it is how i "see" where I'm at...that being said, I can see how a 334 might be a bit small when using a chip up front...at the console a 334/332 is great...i use 2, 332's at the console and that works great...one for sonar, one for gps...
for the money they are great units and like it's been said,,,you get what you pay for...the 25 is an nice upgrade if you want something that can zoom in further with a bigger screen
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Posts: 726
Location: Eau Claire, WI | I went with the 332 because I didn't want the antenna problem of the 334. So far, I've been happy with the unit.
One positive customer service story to share....my original 332 died the very first day of my trip to Bay Store on LOTW. The case was not sealed and rain water shorted out the unit. Although Lowrance does not take calls on the weekend, I called them right away Monday morning. They told me they'd send me a new unit overnight. I get back from fishing and there it is ready for me. I was pleased to say the least that they could get that to me in pretty much the middle of nowhere.
One trick to share....you don't have to mount the puck to the boat...I made an aluminum bracket for the puck and I mounted it on the side of the 332 (using the bracket screw) so I can move the unit anywhere with no need for an extra puck or removing the puck from the boat. I've seen a few people do this. works well.
Jono
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Posts: 5874
| All of the Lowrance units zoom deeper without a chip in it. I can't answer for Garmin, or any of the others. And I do know that some units can zoom to smaller units than others. The one thing I have experienced is that I have yet to see a map that is accurate enough to show me on an actual breakline that I am on. The Lakemasters on some lakes are very close, but even they are not close enough to actaully zoom in too far. |
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Posts: 2515
Location: Waukesha & Land O Lakes, WI | Garmin is 20ft, no matter if its using a chip or not. |
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Posts: 13688
Location: minocqua, wi. | i had the garmin products before this year (b&w) and had some difficulties with them losing the bottom on plane ... running blind was frustrating and i found that i just compensated for it by knowledge of the water and less "venturing" on plane which directly relates to reluctance and potential hazards. prior to last year i was upgrading and didn't care what it took and wanted to go to color lowrance (mainly for the transducer issue i had with the garmin) ... to me lowrance shines on the transducers and then i can't imagine life without color anymore.
i guess it all has to do with expectations. my "expectations" were completely satisfied with the 25c and although there is probably a good argument for the accuracy vs. the topo shape of the structure on the higher def maps, but once you work your icon on them and combine it with your sonar it's idiot-proof which is just what i need. other than some i'm not a technician ... i expect that of the guy that makes the product. i prefer using the stuff time and time again and have it deliver to my "expectations" ... maybe i expected beyond the products technology and that was my bad ... now after learning what i've learned from the products i expect i'm getting a second 25c for next season.
again, any takers on a barely used 334c? .... it will have the antenna working by the time you buy it and you'll get it much cheaper than new ...
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Posts: 5874
| There you go, Sled. Get that thing back from Lowrance, and put it up on the swap board, here, on WF, IceFirst, and SalmonFirst. Heck, put it on Muskyhunter. Like I said, Fleet Farm is selling them now for $549. So I would expect you'll get something around $350-$450, maybe more. Remember Cabela's has the X25C for $649 now?
On second thought, put it on E-bay. You'll probably get enough to pay for a new X-111!
Edited by Shep 11/7/2006 2:53 PM
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Posts: 2024
| Shhhhh, Cabelas doesn't have a good deal on X-25s! Neither does www.boatersworld.com for the 111 ($1299)...  |
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Posts: 13688
Location: minocqua, wi. | just went to the site and i think the purchase might come early ... that's a great deal. i paid $1145.00 for mine last spring including the navionics chip and that was almost $150.00 savings at the time. it's a great unit and a bargain at these numbers!
so, lambeau ... a solution found for my "problem" from Shep of all people! whodathunkit |
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Posts: 181
| Johnysled, I emailed you about your depthfinder let me know how much. |
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