My local Wal-Mart has a Minnkota Edge 40lb. foot controlled bow mount for $250 on clearance and a Minnkota Powedrive 40lb. thrust foot controlled bow mount for regular price of $350.  I am in the need for a foot controlled bow mount for my 14 ft. aluminum Lowe v-hull and I cannot decide which to buy.  Is the powerdrive worth the extra $100 for the advertised longer battery life and 18 ft. cable?  Thank you for any input.  

I am about 1 out of maybe 3 people on this message board that actually like the Power Drive.  If you have never had a foot controlled trolling motor before you might like it.  If you are used to a normal cable drive trolling motor you will probably hate it.  

Advantages:

Point the trolling motor in a direction and take your foot of the pad and it keeps going in that direction.  I will tap it left or right to make minor adjustments.  I don't have to be off balance on one foot all the time.

Maximizer saves battery life.

Infinite speed control.  It has a slide bar to pick your speed.  

Sometimes on a motor with 5 speeds, 3 is too slow but 4 is too fast.

Disadvantages

Head doesn't move as fast or as accurately as a cable steer.

Different style foot control

This is a big one and usually a deal killer.  No easy way to attach cable running to the depth finder transducer.  To stow and deploy the entire length of the shaft is used.  You can only attach the cable at the top and the bottom.  You must keep a big loop of cable in between and watch that it doesn't get caught when you are using the trolling motor.

The original foot control had reliability issues.  I am going three years on the same one but they have redesigned the contol.

If you are not totally geeked out on the power drive you should probably just get the Edge.  

You bring up some interesting points.  I definitely want to mount my transducer on my trolling motor so that is something to think about.  I have never owned a bow mount trolling motor so I would never know the speed of cable steer.  The battery life with the Power Drive is what has me most interested.  I just don't know if I am an extra $100 interested.  

I heard that the speed at which it turns can vary depending on if your going fast or slow.  

If you are going slow, it will turn quicker

If you are going fast, it will turn slower

Don't know if it's true or not, but it kept me away from buying one.  Last thing I wan't it to be cruising full bore on the TM and come to a giant rock pile and can't turn in-time.

I owned a Power drive for around 7 years or so, I'd never own another unless major changes were made to them.

Head turning speed isn't even comparable to a cable steer like the Edge.

The head turning speed is slower as your TM speed is turned up.

Stow and deploy system sucks and makes running a Graph transducer cable a pain.

The long cable is nice as well as the flat controller.  The controllers do have problems though.

Compared to my MK AT cable troller I have now, which is similar to an Edge, I really don't notice where the Power drive got me anymore battery life to offset all the disadvantages.

Power drive motors are a great idea, just poorly executed for normal bass fishing conditions most guys fish in.  They're best suited for open water applications.

CARP7 said it correctly. I too have a 65AT 24v and love it. MY good friend has a power drive on his boat. It is nice if your in open watter and jsut want ot put it on a slow speed and just concentrait on casting and not haveto worry about the motor. But if your in tight areas or just want to work a specific area the foot control is by far much better.

To be honest after awhile you wont even think about what your doing with the foot control and its second nature. It may sound stupid but your more connected to your boat and more in control.

Just My Opinion.

Good LUCK.

I really appreciate all the comments.  I guess I will run back to Wal-Mart and see if they still have the Edge motor and go that way then.