Best Fish Finder Screen ?

[ChrisD46]

Between Lowrance , Humingbird or Ray Marine  fish finders - which screen do you find easist or clearer to read ? ... The topic came up at a local bass fishermen gathering and all stated Lowrance (without hesitation)  citing they presented the cleanest , clearest screen image in all light ... Curious what your experiences have been ?

[Scott F]

I used to have 2 Lowrance units. I upgraded one of them to a Garmin. I was so impressed, I replaced the other Lowrance with another Garmin.

[JLBBass]

I like my Humminbirds. I will say, I haven’t used Lowrance for a while. Hummingbird is CRUSHING Lowrance’s sales because of their units being able to link with Minn Kota ipilot trolling motors.

[Further North]

They are all about the same.

 

A screen is a screen is a screen...compare resolution, if that's what's going to drive your purchase...

 

Personally, I'd go with the one that had menus that made the most sense to me, so I could find and use all those features I paid for.

[punch]

If you're talking actual LCD display quality the new Lowrance HDS Carbon screens are REALLY good. You can tilt and look at the screen from any angle and there's no distortion or loss of clarity. It's really impressive. I'm not sure if the bird solex's have the same thing (not played with one in person) but when you look at the new HDS carbon screens next to the current garmins/birds you can tell they are one huge step ahead in the glare reduction & viewing angle department. 

 

The guys at Cabela's get a kick out of this and like to show customers by tilting all the display models upwards, and the Carbons are the only ones that are still readable. 

 

Obviously you're paying a premium for the premium screen, which is always the downside!

 

 

[ChrisD46]

Thanks for the replies - to decide over all between Garmin , Hummingbird , Lowrance and Ray Marine is tough !

Besides the screen clarity ,  I should have asked about additional features you now find "Must Have" on a fish finder ?

[slonezp]

The only "must have" for me is easy navigation between screens and options.

[Jig Man]

You will find out more if you go to a store that sells all of them and get a knowledgeable salesman to walk you through the menu items.  Like stated above seeing what makes the most sense to you on the menus will shorten your learning curve after you purchase one.  I have Lowrances while a couple of my friends have Bird and Garmins.  I can't do anything with either one of them and they can't do anything with mine as the language and screen options are so different.

[Shimano_1]

I don't think you'll find many salesman that are gonna be able to do much more than blow smoke or try to sell you on their favorite.  They all make great units. I'm running Garmin because...feature for feature they are cheaper, much easier to navigate, and their mounting cradle makes it soooo much easier to put on and take off. My buddy runs lowrance,  if we start at the same time I'm backing my boat in while he's still connecting wires on his. If i weren't running Garmin I'd be running birds again

[Further North]

On 4/4/2018 at 5:42 AM, slonezp said:

The only "must have" for me is easy navigation between screens and options.

It's the only thing that really matters...and it has to work for the person using it, not the peanut gallery in the interwebz.

[Further North]

On 4/4/2018 at 6:47 AM, Jig Man said:

You will find out more if you go to a store that sells all of them and get a knowledgeable salesman to walk you through the menu items.  Like stated above seeing what makes the most sense to you on the menus will shorten your learning curve after you purchase one.  I have Lowrances while a couple of my friends have Bird and Garmins.  I can't do anything with either one of them and they can't do anything with mine as the language and screen options are so different.

I agree on the knowledgeable staff at the retail locations.  But...Most have a bias, and all are going to sell what they know, what they have, or what they are incentivized to sell...not what is best for the customer.

 

There are also a fair number who have no real idea how everything works...

 

Regarding the menu systems: It's kind of a Mac/PC thing, where different interfaces work better for people who think in different ways.

 

I've had to use both Macs and PCs for 30-some years because of what I do (High end printing in the corrugated box/display business) and once you become adept at both, you quickly come to the objective conclusion that they are the same for all practical purposes, but that they get there differently.

 

While I have a preference for Windows, I'll never claim it's better than macOS, and I'd have a vigorous discussion with anyone who claims one is better than the other for everyone.

 

Same with or fishing electronics.  While I have a preference for HumminBird, I won't wave the HB flag and tell everyone they are the best for them.

11 hours ago, Shimano_1 said:

I don't think you'll find many salesman that are gonna be able to do much more than blow smoke or try to sell you on their favorite.  They all make great units.

Yup.

 

11 hours ago, Shimano_1 said:

I'm running Garmin because...feature for feature they are cheaper, much easier to navigate, and their mounting cradle makes it soooo much easier to put on and take off. My buddy runs lowrance,  if we start at the same time I'm backing my boat in while he's still connecting wires on his. If i weren't running Garmin I'd be running birds again

...and I'd beat you both because I leave my HB units on my boat.

 

...but I'd do the same with any maker's units...

[WRB]

I started with Lowrance in the 60's, then Humminbird Super sixty flasher with Lowrance paper graph, replaced the paper graph and flasher with color Lowrance LCD units.

What I found is important is target separation and ability to set up my units the way they work for me and tech support. Lowrance has always set the bar in technology and tech support, all the others can be difficult to adjust to your needs or contact when you need updates or support. 

Tom

[PECo]

To answer the OP’s question, I believe that Simrad, Raymarine and Lowrance have the displays with the best viewing angles, right now. They all offer IPS displays, but other manufacturers are sure to follow.

 

In addition to the Lowrance Carbon units, you should take a look at the Raymarine Axiom units.