fish hawk X4 vs 840 probe

[mattmishler]

i all ready have the head unit and was looking into the probe what is better about the x4 i think i can pick it up for around 240. the 840 still works , wouldit be worth while buying it.

[GLF]

The X-4 probe is the way to go! It will work with the 840 head unit. I have the X-4 probe with the 840 head unit. It has less blow back and uses 4 AA batteries instead of a single 9v. There is a double seal, so water leakage is not an issue at all. It has a couple of probes that stick out the front, and when its in the water, it turns it on. So....you do not have to turn it upside down to turn it off or remove the batteries. I run 15-20 trips before I change the batteries in the probe.

[mattmishler]

so mike when r u gonna get the x4 unit it really nice it lights the dash up really good and you can seen it from you probe rigger

[GLF]

so mike when r u gonna get the x4 unit it really nice it lights the dash up really good and you can seen it from you probe rigger

If its not broken and works properly, why replace it?

[Just Hook'n]

Get the new probe.

I drown my old unit last year after I did not notice the seal had falled out.

This was largely due to the fact that you went through a 9 volt every trip so you are in and out of that thing all the time.

I went the entire season this year with only one change of 4AA batteries. It is SWEEEEET.

[scottb]

We got an X-4 last season and what a difference in the 2 probes! If anyone needed to purchase a down temp unit, that is the one. Why anyone would choose to buy the one w/ coated cable is beyond me.

[1mainiac]

Because I paid 395 bucks for my Depth Raider it is about to enter its 5th season and use less than a battery a year my first battery lasted nearly 2 seasons and was still working when I changed it. Never even unhooked the probe from the rigger untill the cable broke about the end of the second season. My fault for not checking the crimps and connections. Bought a new probe and started taking it off and on but the first 2 seasons it was attached and sealed to the cable. My bet is there are guys out there with the 840 units that have spent more on batteries alone than I have in my entire system including the second probe. If the new cannon system works it will be my next probe because of the actual depth feature rather than just guessing how much blowback effects it. Not knocking the new X4 it is a great unit but close to dbl the cost of other units that will do the job just fine and say what you want it is because of the Depth Raider the prices have came down and the unit got upgraded. Prior to the Depth Raider you pretty much had 2 choices both ugly and both expensive.

[GLF]

I will take my FishHawk with a X-4 probe any day of the week.

I am curious....How much is a set of batteries compared to a coated down rigger cable?

[1mainiac]

I guess it depends on how many batteries you use in 5 years the reason I said that is based on friend of mine who chartered with one for many years and had to change 9 volt batteries every trip. We talked about back when I bought the Depth raider he was the one who convinced me to try the Depth Raider as he said he went thru roughly 150 9volt batteries a season.

[GLF]

The first post asked if it was worth upgrading to the X-4 probe. I would upgrade before I purchased a depth raider. If I had to decided between purchasing a X-4 unit, and a depth raider, I would spend the extra money and purchase the X-4.

The x-4 probe uses 4 AA batteries. I put new batteries in mine at the beginning of the season, and change them around the beginning of August. The batteries are not dead when I change them. I sometimes loose signal past 80' around this time when they get weak. This is somewheres around 18 trips on a set of batteries.

One of the issues with the 840 probe is that it needed to be turned upside down when not in use. Turning it upside down shuts it off. Too many people put it away without turning it upside down.

The X-4 probe has two metal probes that stick out the front. These are used for turning it on and off. When the probe is put in the water, it turns on. You dont have to worry about it not being turned off when out of the water.

The electronics on the X-4 probe are sealed in acrylic. There is no way for water to get in with the electronics! There is a double O-ring seal which keeps the water away from the batteries. Notice....I said batteries. The batteries are seperate from the electronics, and there is a connector that connects them to the electronics.

[1mainiac]

I agree Mike the new X4 is a major improvement my first response was to Scottb as to why anyone would buy a differant model. When I bought mine there were only a couple of choices I did not like the display of the Sub Troll thought it looked ugly still do. The 840 was big and bulky and knew several people who had them and complained about the battery hassle and that they were killing a battery every trip. The Depth Raider has a small display unit looks nice and works great yep the coated cable is a draw back. But the price and long battery life were the things that sold me. I average well over 200 hours of trolling on a 9 volt battery. Had the current X4 been in production when I bought mine I would have given it more consideration because it has a long reputation of working and I freely admit I took a chance buying the Depth Raider but I don't regret it.

[GLF]

Yes, the 840 is big and bulky by todays standard. But...I think it came out in the 80's. For its time, it was state of the art.