Garmin vs Hummingbird?

[FishinBuck07]

I am new to the whole fishfinder thing if that is even what everyone calls them!  Lol. Just wondering what thoughts are on the pros and cons of each unit.  Thinking either the Striker series in Garmin and the Helix series for Hummingbird, want at least the 7" screen.  Mainly want it to see depth changes, structure the fish may be holding on, and the fish themselves.  I don't need all the fancy stuff.  Just wondering if the price difference between the two brands is more about the brand names or if there is something more special about the Hummingbird that makes it so much more?  Sorry if this is a dumb question, but like I said I don't understand all the differences between them!

[813basstard]

I have the Garmin Striker 7cv. It’s great for what it is.

I would recommend something with charts which would be the ecomap series. 

Much like an outboard motor, not many people say I wish I had less then what I have. 

Good luck

[Further North]

There is no X vs. Y...not if you've got a pulse and an IQ above your shoe size...

 

I'm sure I'll draw incoming...but there is zero...absolutely zero...significant difference between any of the top brands of fishing electronics available today.

 

Yeah, there's a feature here, or a whiz-bang there that's different, and entertaining...

 

...But at the end of the day, pick the unit that fits your budget and that has a menu structure that makes the most sense to you.  Nothing elese makes any difference.

 

Ignore all of the hype, brand champions, and brand bad mouthing and get what works for you.

 

I'm a Humminbird guy, because what they do makes the most sense to me.  I've got buddies that like Lowrance, and some that like Garmin...because how they use it makes sense to them. 

 

You can't...and won't...use what doesn't make sense to you...ever.

 

Nothing else matters.

Edited August 12, 2019 by Further North
ਮੈਂ "ਪਿਕ" ਗਲਤ ਸ਼ਬਦਾਂ ਨਾਲ ਲਿਖ ਰਿਹਾ ਹਾਂ. ਮੈਨੂੰ ਉਮੀਦ ਹੈ ਕਿ ਤੁਸੀਂ ਇਸ ਬਾਰੇ ਖੁਸ਼ ਹੋ.

[Tennessee Boy]

I’m a committed Humminbird user simply because they have by far the best maps of the lakes I fish.  I fish mostly offshore so good maps are critical to me.   The Lakemaster map of Kentucky Lake has done more to improve my fishing than any product I have purchased  in the last 20 years.

[12poundbass]

Entry level I’d echo what @Further Northis saying. They are all basically the same. They are good units for the price. The higher end units are all good units and each brand has their selling point. Humminbird with MEGA imaging and MEGA 360. Garmin with UHD imaging, Panoptix, and now Livescope. Lowrance I’m not too familiar with but they have 3D imagining, and lease the Panoptix technology from Garmin. 

[Scott F]

Do you still have to buy map chips for the Humminbird units vs. getting the HD maps pre-installed for free on the Garmins?

[Tennessee Boy]

17 minutes ago, Scott F said:

Do you still have to buy map chips for the Humminbird units vs. getting the HD maps pre-installed for free on the Garmins?

Humminbird’s come with base maps installed.  You have to by the Lakemaster maps.  From what I have seen,  the base maps on Helix are pretty bad.  It’s possible the new Helix ship with better maps than what I’ve seen.  Base maps are much better on Solix but still nothing like Lakemaster.

[Russ E]

12 minutes ago, Tennessee Boy said:

Humminbird’s come with base maps installed.  You have to by the Lakemaster maps.  From what I have seen,  the base maps on Helix are pretty bad,  they are much better on Solix but still nothing like Lakemaster.

Hummingbird base maps reminds me of the navionics card in navigation mode. very basic contours.

I actually have lakemaster and navionics chips. The Lakemaster maps are much more refined and more accurate.

the problem with lakemaster is it does not cover most lakes under 400 acres.

the 2 power plant lakes in Kansas are also not covered.

Navionics has maps for nearly every lake around here.

[Tennessee Boy]

If good maps are important to the way you fish,  then I would recommend that you check out the maps that are available for the units you are considering.  All Lakemaster maps are not of equal quality and I think some are made from the same sources as other maps on the market.   The Kentucky Lake map was made from a recent sonar survey.  It has details that you will not find on other maps but it also has many errors.   There are many things that I don’t like about my Humminbirds but I would never consider changing just because the Kentucky Lake map is so important to me.  I have a friend that only fishes visible cover and almost never looks at a map.  It all depends on how you fish and where you fish.

[12poundbass]

1 hour ago, Scott F said:

Do you still have to buy map chips for the Humminbird units vs. getting the HD maps pre-installed for free on the Garmins?

The base maps on my Helix 7 SI G2N didn’t have any of my lakes on the unit. Garmin does. Garmin has QuickDraw with more memory than I’ll ever use. Take those two into consideration I’d have to cough up $80-100 for a zero lines card for Helix and $150-200 for a map card. That’s why my Helix is now in Virginia and I’m all Garmin now. 

[FishinBuck07]

I am leaning towards Garmin to be honest, have heard they are easier to use for a beginner than the other main brands.  Plus the price difference is something that has me scratching my head.  My buddy keeps telling me to go Hummingbird but I feel the reason for that is the guy he fishes tournaments with runs Hummingbird and that is all he knows.  I don't want to spend more money than i need to, to get what I want I guess.  I am not going to tournament fish, I have a Bass Tracker 170 with a 9.9 on the back, the reason for the 9.9 is because most of the lakes I enjoy around here in Ohio where I live are restricted horsepower, and the ones that aren't restricted I can still fish just a little slower than others.  Is there some way to figure out what maps are on each unit ahead of time?

[12poundbass]

8 hours ago, FishinBuck07 said:

I am leaning towards Garmin to be honest, have heard they are easier to use for a beginner than the other main brands.  Plus the price difference is something that has me scratching my head.  My buddy keeps telling me to go Hummingbird but I feel the reason for that is the guy he fishes tournaments with runs Hummingbird and that is all he knows.  I don't want to spend more money than i need to, to get what I want I guess.  I am not going to tournament fish, I have a Bass Tracker 170 with a 9.9 on the back, the reason for the 9.9 is because most of the lakes I enjoy around here in Ohio where I live are restricted horsepower, and the ones that aren't restricted I can still fish just a little slower than others.  Is there some way to figure out what maps are on each unit ahead of time?

With the Garmin Striker unit you get zero maps, which is part of the price difference. The Striker units have GPS but no maps. You can make waypoints so you can go back to that exact spot. The new Striker Plus units have QuickDraw which means you can create your own contour maps. 

[FishinBuck07]

9 hours ago, 12poundbass said:

With the Garmin Striker unit you get zero maps, which is part of the price difference. The Striker units have GPS but no maps. You can make waypoints so you can go back to that exact spot. The new Striker Plus units have QuickDraw which means you can create your own contour maps. 

Thank you for the clarification on that, like I said I don't understand any of this stuff!

[12poundbass]

31 minutes ago, FishinBuck07 said:

Thank you for the clarification on that, like I said I don't understand any of this stuff!

No problem. Any other questions don’t hesitate to ask. 

[Further North]

On 8/12/2019 at 12:26 PM, FishinBuck07 said:

I am leaning towards Garmin to be honest, have heard they are easier to use for a beginner than the other main brands.  Plus the price difference is something that has me scratching my head.  My buddy keeps telling me to go Hummingbird but I feel the reason for that is the guy he fishes tournaments with runs Hummingbird and that is all he knows.  I don't want to spend more money than i need to, to get what I want I guess.  I am not going to tournament fish, I have a Bass Tracker 170 with a 9.9 on the back, the reason for the 9.9 is because most of the lakes I enjoy around here in Ohio where I live are restricted horsepower, and the ones that aren't restricted I can still fish just a little slower than others.  Is there some way to figure out what maps are on each unit ahead of time?

Here's what I tell folks who ask: Ignore most of what people tell you; go to a store and play around with the display systems as though you were fishing.

 

Buy what makes the most sense to you.  Don't sweat a few $$$ one way or the other, you'll regret it later.

[jaimeastin]

I have messed around on a lot of units, but Garmin has been my favorite.  Their interfaces are always easy and well thought out.  The features in each tier are always comparable and sometimes just better.  Garmin it's also in the position where they actually seem like they give a d**n more than the other companies... They are making advances in whipping the pants off their competitors who have been in the business for much longer and trickling out features while making top dollar. Garmin came in, no one cared... They didn't make the most expensive units, and then now they are charging top dollar and have the bucks to back them up!

 

they have taken a lot of money for me this year and now I'm looking to get the force trolling motor...  their customer service is excellent. When you call you're going to get someone from America and they have been honest.  

 

Whatever you do, just don't buy a low-interest unit. I just think they're low in Miles shouldn't even be on the market. I have used better Garmin black and white unit stand any of those color cheap units. I have purchased a few lowrance units just for testing and demoing side-by-side at home and probably returned them.

[bayvalle]

I have a Garmin 94sv with UHD and a Humminbird Helix 7 MSI. Overall I prefer my Garmin for ease of use and the 2d image. The Hummingbird defintely excels in DI and SI imaging but requires constant adjustments to the settings depending on the conditions. This may not be a fair comparison since the Garmin unit I have has more features than the Humminbird, such as touch screen, shortcut keys, active captain and a larger screen. I've had lower level Garmins and from my experience Garmin is more user friendly.  Hummingbird can provide more information if your willing to work with it and it is better imaging in shallow water. Garmin for me is easier to use and I prefer it in deeper water. If you decide on Garmin with DI and SI I haven't found the UHD upgrade to be worth the investment, I would recommend sticking with the GT52 TM transducer. Both brands are good quality, the best advice I recieved is buy the largest screen you can afford.

[Krux5506]

I'm far from being any expert on electronics but I have a Garmin Striker 7dv on the bow of my Lund and I like it. Super easy to use, in my opinion. My plan is to update my old little Lowrance console unit to the Striker 9SV at some point. Seems to me like you get the most bang for your buck with Garmin, and they just seem like the underdog in this market. 

[jaimeastin]

7 hours ago, bayvalle said:

I have a Garmin 94sv with UHD and a Humminbird Helix 7 MSI. Overall I prefer my Garmin for ease of use and the 2d image. The Hummingbird defintely excels in DI and SI imaging but requires constant adjustments to the settings depending on the conditions. This may not be a fair comparison since the Garmin unit I have has more features than the Humminbird, such as touch screen, shortcut keys, active captain and a larger screen. I've had lower level Garmins and from my experience Garmin is more user friendly.  Hummingbird can provide more information if your willing to work with it and it is better imaging in shallow water. Garmin for me is easier to use and I prefer it in deeper water. If you decide on Garmin with DI and SI I haven't found the UHD upgrade to be worth the investment, I would recommend sticking with the GT52 TM transducer. Both brands are good quality, the best advice I recieved is buy the largest screen you can afford.

 

I added the UHD to my setup and it is pretty dang good.  I was okay with my transducers before, but now I actually use side imaging and down when I am scouting for fish.  The detail is nice.  Not nessecaery at all, but I would get a unit you can use panoptix or livescope on for sure.  You just never know when you might want to get one.  Livescope keeps me on active fish.

[bayvalle]

On 9/4/2019 at 2:55 PM, jaimeastin said:

 

I added the UHD to my setup and it is pretty dang good.  I was okay with my transducers before, but now I actually use side imaging and down when I am scouting for fish.  The detail is nice.  Not nessecaery at all, but I would get a unit you can use panoptix or livescope on for sure.  You just never know when you might want to get one.  Livescope keeps me on active fish.

I agree with considering Livescope in the decision making. Can you send me your settings? I use mine in the Chesapeak Bay.

[jaimeastin]

41 minutes ago, bayvalle said:

I agree with considering Livescope in the decision making. Can you send me your settings? I use mine in the Chesapeak Bay.

Settings for livescope or the UHD transducers?

[JLewis134]

21 minutes ago, jaimeastin said:

Settings for livescope or the UHD transducers?

I'd be interested in both

[bayvalle]

On 9/6/2019 at 3:14 PM, jaimeastin said:

Settings for livescope or the UHD transducers?

I just need the UHD. Thx.

FYI... An Australian fellow named Nick Bright has posts from his

Striker +9sv with a GT 52 transducer on the Facebook page "The Garmin Fishing Community" that will blow your mind with the detail he gets with his SI.

[jaimeastin]

22 hours ago, bayvalle said:

I just need the UHD. Thx.

FYI... An Australian fellow named Nick Bright has posts from his

Striker +9sv with a GT 52 transducer on the Facebook page "The Garmin Fishing Community" that will blow your mind with the detail he gets with his SI.

Yeah, depending on the water and settings, I am quite amazed what I see.  I am still learning what settings are good for what waters.  I am always changing up to makes better.  Auto works good most of the time.