Lowrance, Hummingbird, or Garmin

[bigbass93]

Which fishfinder should i buy for my 20 foot pontoon? right now i have a Lowrance X51 and im looking for more. i want sonar as well as GPS. What brand and model is the best and why? Not looking to spend 2000 on a gps haha

[silverking]

I've owned them all and the Garmin has been by far the easiest to use and most reliable for me. Very intuitive and user-friendly, kind of like a Mac.

I have one of the high-end units, but the Garmin 400 and 500 series chartplotter/sounders offer good features for the money ($400-700). The transducer is usually extra, however, unless you can find a deal. Some include the cartography (mapping) and some don't, so be on the lookout for that.

[woopty]

No problems with my Garmin 420s in 4 years.
They are sensitive to low voltage on an almost-drained battery or corroded connection.
Keep everything clean and charged and there is no problem.

[bigbass93]

how long has garmin been in the fishfinder business? I dont remember them years ago. But it sounds like in leaning towards them

[bigbass93]

Im looking at the Garmin 431S Chartplotter/Sounder with dual beam transducer or the Lowrance Elite-5...What others would you recommend and are these good choices?

[tallykenj]

I had the Elite-5 on my old boat. I liked it. The display was pretty nice. However, the boat I have now came with a 431s. Although the display is smaller, I like it better. The user interface is intuitive and it has some nice features.

[Hammer]

West Marine has a neat little combo LowRance GPS/sounder on sale for $215.00 right now. I bought one today since my old Garmin is 10 years old and has developed a moisture problem and I cant see the screen info anymore. The LowRance has a map already loaded on it that has detailed marking and public reefs as well.

[bigbass93]

What about the Garmin 546s? i found a good deal on one. Anyone ever use?

[Badbagger]

What about the Garmin 546s? i found a good deal on one. Anyone ever use?

Good unit. I looked at those then the 720s. Found the 545s for $627 refurbished but going to bite the bullet on the 720s.