Lookin into either a used hds 8 gen 2 or a new hds 7 touch gen 2. What makes one better over the other? I have an hds 9 touch gen 2 I'm about to install on new boat. Would like to know which would be better for the bow? Should I just stick with touch? Or go with a used electronic? Also can I run the hdi transducer on the hds 8? I'm 90% sure I can on the 7 touch. Just asking for a little feed back. Trying to make up my mind.

The HDI will only work on Touch models or with a sonar hub.

So it'd be better off buying the hds 7 touch?

I have no opinion on what is "better". The 7t has a tiny screen, kinda hard to use the touch features on it. The 8 is quite a bit bigger; but no touch features and no HDI. Sounds like you're in a pickle.


Also, be aware that odds are that if you buy a used graph it will have zero warranty. If it breaks, you're throwing it in the trash.

Have you looked at the Elite Ti lineup? More budget friendly; but they don't have Ethernet capabilities like the HDS series has.

Grout-scout is correct on the HDI transducer compatibility (not with non-Touch). Be aware that any unit with an HDI transducer attached disables sidescan. So, that means you can never sent up a Touch unit with both HDI and LSS transducers - you can't have both. Where do you plan to run the HDI transducer? Are you installing side-scan with the 9T you have?

I do not care for the tiny screen on the 7 inch models - it's a nonfunctional "wish I was grown up" price point in my view. I'll take larger screen over a newer but smaller unit every time. I would suggest the 9T up front with HDI on the TM, with the HDS8 Gen 2 at the console. The 9T will let you network the two of them with an Ethernet cable.

What I suggest may not be suitable for what you prefer. I have no idea what you were hoping to accomplish, so my suggestion is a bit of thinking out loud, so to speak.

See that's the only thing I'm worried about. I can get a used hds 8 gen 2 for $675 and a hds 7 touch gen 2 for $699.99 with a regular 83/200 skimmer.

What are the chances of an older graph having major problems? Because I strongly doubt it has warranty.

I would opt for that, I could put the hds 9 touch up front and the hds 8 gen 2 at the console. Just trying to figure out if it would be better to buy new, or buy used with a bigger screen.

The HDS 8/10 Gen 2 units seem to be solid. Case-wise I even view them as a bit more rugged than the Touch models. A unit at the console is less likely to take heavy physical abuse that could contribute to failure, so I'd think the odds of an HDS8 surviving at your console would be better than average. That said, I can't predict anything on random component failure. I think if one is working 100% when you get it, the odds are it will continue to do so for a good while. My only concern would be to insure that I didn't get taken by being sold a defective unit. For each used unit I've sold, I was always willing to guarantee to the buyer that it would be working right out of the (shipping) box, or I'd take it back.

The hds 8 that I'm looking at, the guy showed me powering it up and everything. Only reason he's getting rid of it is because he upgraded.

I installed the 9 touch at the console. It has all my waypoints from old boat. It's easier to control on the water.. I like it. Only took 2 hours.

Now to decide what to put at the bow...

You mentioned you had an HDI transducer. That will only give you DI with the 9T, so are you intending on mounting the HDI transducer in the water on the transom? That's really your only choice with the 9T at the console if you put an HDS8 Gen 2 at the bow. It's not a bad stop-gap for not having sidescan, as you at least get DI as you idle around looking for good stuff.

That was my game plan because I sure don't know how to read that side scan stuff. How much bigger is an hds 8 over the hds 7 touch?

Side imagine is so easy to learn that even a monkey can do it. All you have to do is look and think. When you buy a new/used graph if you hook them up together with an Ethernet cable all wypts will transfer to the other graph instantly.

I read many forums and the biggest complaint I see about the 7t is the screen size. Guys say it's too small to use the touch screen function.