Gaaahhhh fishfinders!!!

[Nikanit]

Geezuz..
Trying to figure out a good fishfinder to buy. We had a Lowrance Mark 5 that was great but we smashed the screen (sigh). I am looking at a Garmin because they come with a flasher. Whats your opinion on the Garmin.

What say yee?

[SamSteele]

Helix units come with a flasher too.

[Willowtrail]

I would go with a Lowrance and they also have Flasher mode on sonar.

The new Elite FS is bulletproof. 7" or 9", Touchscreen, Free Genesis Social Maps, and many more features. I ran one this winter and it was an awesome unit.

[-JR-]

Originally Posted by Willowtrail

I would go with a Lowrance and they also have Flasher mode on sonar.

The new Elite FS is bulletproof. 7" or 9", Touchscreen, Free Genesis Social Maps, and many more features. I ran one this winter and it was an awesome unit.

2x

[mlee]

I'm a garmin guy....have 4 units. Sold my bird to buy more garmin. But realistically all the newer units no matter what brand are pretty darn good. I'm a huge fan of garmins active captain and I will 100% say when being used as a flasher with an ice ducer the garmin has better target separation then a helix.

[AlbertanGP]

Originally Posted by Willowtrail

I would go with a Lowrance and they also have Flasher mode on sonar.

The new Elite FS is bulletproof. 7" or 9", Touchscreen, Free Genesis Social Maps, and many more features. I ran one this winter and it was an awesome unit.

Do explain these many more features. I'm interested to know what I'm missing.

I have Lowrance Carbons on my summer boats and run Garmin EchoMaps/Lowrance HDS Gen 2's in the winter. IMO, the two brands are a wash. Lowrance is better if you want to get heavily into making your own maps (both have an "automap" feature), and Garmin still has the best live imaging if you want to go that route. I try to support Garmin because I have been $^%&ed over by Lowrance customer support so many times in the past.

[Willowtrail]

Originally Posted by AlbertanGP

Do explain these many more features. I'm interested to know what I'm missing.

I have Lowrance Carbons on my summer boats and run Garmin EchoMaps/Lowrance HDS Gen 2's in the winter. IMO, the two brands are a wash. Lowrance is better if you want to get heavily into making your own maps (both have an "automap" feature), and Garmin still has the best live imaging if you want to go that route. I try to support Garmin because I have been $^%&ed over by Lowrance customer support so many times in the past.

Genesis Social Maps is a community made map. You can get for free with no expensive Branded card, any card 32gb or less will work and you can overlay Live mapping over top of it. Users create maps for lakes and anyone has access to them.

NMEA 2000 - Engine interface, stereo, powerpole function, Outboard Auto pilot (which I use for Laker downrigging and love), Auxiliary temp sensors, etc

Ethernet - Can connect to another Elite FS or HDS and share sonar, StructureScan, Waypoints, transducers and no need to add a network box, will connect directly unit to unit.

Color Shading on C-Maps - choice of color for depth and choice of what depth to make that particular color.

Navico Canada - Located in Edmonton if you ever do have an issue and I know the emplotees personally and they will take great care of you.

ActiveTarget compatible

Any Elite FS or HDS (Gen 2 touch and newer) unit is capable of all 2D, Downscan and Sidescan, only depends on transducer

Lowrance owns the patent for Downscan, Bird buys the rights to it and Garmin doesn't, they patch the 2 sideviews to make ClearVu.

Fish Reveal - Lowrance is the only company that can overlay the 2D arches onto the downscan screen so you get 2 screens in 1

Lowrance doesn't compress side imaging to make it "Appear" more clear. You lose distance with some competitions units

Quick access programable key

There's just a few things.

[AlbertanGP]

Originally Posted by Willowtrail

Genesis Social Maps is a community made map. You can get for free with no expensive Branded card, any card 32gb or less will work and you can overlay Live mapping over top of it. Users create maps for lakes and anyone has access to them.

NMEA 2000 - Engine interface, stereo, powerpole function, Outboard Auto pilot (which I use for Laker downrigging and love), Auxiliary temp sensors, etc

Ethernet - Can connect to another Elite FS or HDS and share sonar, StructureScan, Waypoints, transducers and no need to add a network box, will connect directly unit to unit.

Color Shading on C-Maps - choice of color for depth and choice of what depth to make that particular color.

Navico Canada - Located in Edmonton if you ever do have an issue and I know the emplotees personally and they will take great care of you.

ActiveTarget compatible

Any Elite FS or HDS (Gen 2 touch and newer) unit is capable of all 2D, Downscan and Sidescan, only depends on transducer

Lowrance owns the patent for Downscan, Bird buys the rights to it and Garmin doesn't, they patch the 2 sideviews to make ClearVu.

Fish Reveal - Lowrance is the only company that can overlay the 2D arches onto the downscan screen so you get 2 screens in 1

Lowrance doesn't compress side imaging to make it "Appear" more clear. You lose distance with some competitions units

Quick access programable key

There's just a few things.

Oh , I get it. You meant just more features than you listed, not more features than Garmin. I mean they all have there little proprietary knick knacks like Fish Reveal with Lowrance. They'll all have NMEA2000 and Ethernet in comparable units...Active Target isn't really a benefit comparing Lowrance to Garmin...the 2D/DownScan/SideScan/Live Imaging battle rages on Ford/Dodge/Chevy-style...Lowrance's Social Maps is the best of a crappy lot (all three brands offer something similar, and I spent over a month with the tech staff at C-Map questioning their algorithm when it came out with no resolution of the discrepancy) with poor coverage in Alberta other than a few of the more popular lakes in the south. And I'm not even going to discuss customer service with a person listing himself as a Lowrance Pro Staff member in his signature. I mean, I can probably pick up the phone and plead my case to Wayne as well and get better service...doesn't mean much for the average Joe that has to call a 1-800 number.

Still, thanks for the clarification. Lowrance does have some good features. I was a fanboi for a long time. I look at them a lot more critically now.

[SamSteele]

Helix units come with a flasher too.

[SNAPFisher]

Originally Posted by SamSteele

Helix units come with a flasher too.

Helix...what....bueller...bueller

[Poppa]

Chevy, Dodge, Ford...... they all more or less do the same things. I've got a Lowrance Elite Ti9 on the boat, but use a Helix 7 Ice in the winter......both are great.

[58thecat]

well comes down to cash...the sky is the limit with this technology. Settled on a unit like this, very versatile in every aspect from the boat to ice fishing etc and is not a monster to lug around....

https://humminbird.johnsonoutdoors.c...-g3n?jo-page=2

[Cageyc]

I have hummingbirds in my boat and a garmin for hard water. I really like the garmin screen, ease and functions. But that’s just me.