~$700 7" finder with charting+maps+sidescan/total.

[Skyler76]

Hey, I'm new and looking for some insight or advise. I started looking for a new finder with about $450. Now I am up around $750. I've narrowed it down to the following -

Lowrance 7ti

Hummingbird Helix 7 si gps

Garmin 73sv

 

 

I am strongly infavor of the Helix 7 however I am wondering if I can load maps onto it without buying their ridiculously overpriced $200 SD card? I am new to charting finders but it appears that if I want to use the charting features on the helix, I have to buy their card which pushes the price of the unit way beyond what I want to pay for it. I know I get 8 hours of livechart without the card but that won't do much for me. I'd love to use livecharts but that $200 after buying the unit is a huge turn off when I know fine well that the hardware they provide for that fee probably totals $15. Are there free charts I can load onto this unit?

 

I am not a big fan of garmin but it comes with charts which cover my areas of interest and is one of the cheaper options.

 

My previous finders have all been lowrance but I have no brand loyalty. I feel like I am paying extra for a touch screen that honestly I don't care about. I set my finder up and roll for most of the day with it in one view. The only way this unit fits my budget is with the current $100 they are offering.

 

Do you guys have any other recommended units in this price range (these already max out my budget and I really need a 7 inch due to the position in my boat I need to view it from)?