Bird or HDS8

Looking at getting either a 998c or HDS8! Maybe a 1198c Which would you choose and why? Besides I-link, that I could care less about!!

I’m a Lowrance guy and love my HDS, I feel they have better graphing and better screen resolution than the HB… Like you dont care about I Link since I dont like HB and LM is a poor choice for me on the waters I fish…Plus if next year you want to add SI/DI, Radar, Sonic hub ect you can with the HDS, cant with HB…

Assuming Gen 2 with structure scan?

Yes Gen 2 with Structure scan…and DI and SI on bird

I should add that i can get 50% off HB or 20% off Lowrance!!!!

Boy, the price on the HB would almost make the decision for me. If prices were the same, I’d go HDS. I firmly believe the imaging is better on the structure scan HD. The dedicated DI element is a true selling point. However I like the Dual Beam Plus of my HB.

Is the 998 the HD model?

Deffinitely HD!!

Yeah, that HB deal is pretty good. Get the price down on the HDS!

I like the water level offset and the depth highlight feature you get when you use the Lakemaster chip in your HB units. However, I wish HB would have done a system like Lowrance where you could add the Structure Scan at a later date. It really depends on how you plan on using the unit. That 50% off of HB would be the deal dealer for me though

I have a Gen2 HDS10 and a Gen1 HDS8. I can’t see how it can get better than the Gen2, but that I-link intrigues the heck out of me.

I’d toss a vote for the hds as well however it would be tough to pass up on that 50% off deal. I would switch to hb for that reason.

I have a 998 and paid full price and love it. I think it was worth it even at full price. I would not pass up a 998 at half price. Especially if it new. I can not speak for Hds because I have never used one. I think that either way you go you will decrease your search time and increase your catch rate.

Buy the HB at 50% off, sell it on eBay and use the proceeds to purchase the HDS at 20% off.
jdc