I’m relatively new to the fish finder game having grown up bass fishing. I started sand bass/hybrid fishing about five years ago. Since I started, I’ve been using a Lowrance Elite 7ti. Fishing about 30-40 times a year, I finally got comfortable identifying fish and using the side scan. It died this week. Lowrance basically told me that I’m screwed. No repair. No replacement. No suggestion as to what to do. They were kind enough to offer me a new unit at full price. I passed and now need to buy a new unit. All I really need is 2D sonar, down scan, and side scan. I don’t use much else. I’ll set waypoints here and there but that’s about it. I’m not technically savvy at all. Like, at all. A 7” screen fits my boat dash perfectly. I’ve researched the Humminbird Helix 7 units and am leaning that way. I hear Garmin is also great. Lowrance can suck it. If you’ve had any experience with these units or suggestions, please let me know. Thanks.

I used to have 2 elite ti's and a helix on my boat but I recently replaced all of them with solixes. I liked the Helix better than the ti's because the picture quality is really good. The Chirp Sonar and Mega DI and SI are awesome. It's not as user friendly but it's definitely worth it. Also, if you get Lakemaster Plus, you can see a Google Earth satellite image on your chart which I really like.

Good to know. Thanks.

Any depth finder is better than none, and any upgrade helps... Using Hummingbird helix 12 and love it. I like the low current draw of the helix vs the solix and I don't mind knobs vs the touch screen (solix). Only suggestion, go bigger than the 7". I have one Helix, and have it mounted on a ram-mount size D. I have two bases, one at the console and one up front. I picked up a extra power connector with the required cables for my TM and I just swap from the front to the back in about 30 seconds. The larger screen is nice to have.. Good luck..

Thanks for the input. I don’t think I can get a bigger screen mounted on my dash due to my windshield. Good to know about Helix vs Solix.

Go with the best side image cuz that feature helps me the most. I fish with alot of buddies on their boats and HB got the best SI as we speak. Go with Helix. I have the Solix and like it a whole alot. Good luck.

Thanks Todd. I never felt like my Lowrance SI worked terribly well. It could have been me, but when I compare what I was seeing to some of the pics you guys post, I fear it was never very accurate.