Just say no.

Garmin is a step down from Lowrance which is a step down from Humminbird. Garmin stole Navico's (Lowrance) down imaging technology, which is funny because Navico stole side imaging from Humminbird.

If you want the best features and abilities, Humminbird is the industry leader. Helix is much better than the EchoMap. HB provides a comparable unit that has 3 programmable buttons so you have quick access to your preferred screens, Garmin doesn't. The HB is priced at $1000. Garmin was at a $1000 and recently dropped the price making me think that they are phasing it out.

All Minn Kota TM's require an adapter to fit any sonar series.

I had the Garmin 93 sv, I liked it, except for the details are not near as good as the display makes it out to be. but for me I will never go back to Garmin again. the unit has a quick release on it so you dont have to disconnect cables and unscrew anything to remove it from your boat: well that is the problem the unit at 60 MPH popped out and is at the bottom of lake Lewisville I was not even in rough water and had run the lake all morning before this happened. It is a [censored] design. I am now going to the Humminbird Mega which is the best out there right now. Good luck

The settings for Garmin, Simrad, and Lowrance are not intuitive and are more difficult to access. Their settings require much more tweaking in order to achieve the best results and require a lot of back adn forth adjustment. The available settings are fewer than HB on all of these units and the ability to access the sub-menus is more difficult.

All but HB leave the color bar off the units making it impossible to know what the available color palette has available for the softest return to the hardest echo return.

When it comes to the HB units, especially the Helix series, when units are set to my preferred standards, they are set nearly perfect. I have not been able to achieve that with any other sonar series. I have used many units and taught more than 50 students in the last 2 years and no units is as easy to get dialed in as HB.

I do agree that everyone likes and dislikes certain units and must find the one that works best for them. When assessing a unit, ignore the simulation screen! Try getting to the menus and sub-menus easily, determine what it takes to go from screen to screen, how difficult is it to mark a waypoint or alter the waypoint info. I much prefer a button unit and dislike a touchscreen as the screen gets marked up with fingerprints and smudges. Remember, you are using the unit on the water while moving and rocking, not standing still. You need to be able to go between views and screens easily and with minimum attention. If the units are not friendly enough, you spend all your time messing with it and not fishing.

The settings for Garmin, Simrad, and Lowrance are not intuitive and are more difficult to access. Their settings require much more tweaking in order to achieve the best results and require a lot of back adn forth adjustment. The available settings are fewer than HB on all of these units and the ability to access the sub-menus is more difficult.

All but HB leave the color bar off the units making it impossible to know what the available color palette has available for the softest return to the hardest echo return.

When it comes to the HB units, especially the Helix series, when units are set to my preferred standards, they are set nearly perfect. I have not been able to achieve that with any other sonar series. I have used many units and taught more than 50 students in the last 2 years and no units is as easy to get dialed in as HB.

I do agree that everyone likes and dislikes certain units and must find the one that works best for them. When assessing a unit, ignore the simulation screen! Try getting to the menus and sub-menus easily, determine what it takes to go from screen to screen, how difficult is it to mark a waypoint or alter the waypoint info. I much prefer a button unit and dislike a touchscreen as the screen gets marked up with fingerprints and smudges. Remember, you are using the unit on the water while moving and rocking, not standing still. You need to be able to go between views and screens easily and with minimum attention. If the units are not friendly enough, you spend all your time messing with it and not fishing.

I appreciate all the responses. I'm kind of a novice, so ease of use and clear image are a plus. It's taken me a while to get the Lowrance dialed in and sometimes it still feels like a lot of guesswork. I may go down to Cabela's tomorrow and try some hands-on shopping. I don't have to make a purchase right away, but I'm going up to Texhoma in two weeks and it would be nice to try out the new electronics there.