Hey guys, so I am looking to replace the Lowrance x51 pro sonar that came with my boat (Bass Tracker PT 170 TX) on the console, and get into the sidescan/ GPS crowd, so I can find some offshore structure spots that aren't community holes. Preferably looking to keep it in the 500 dollar range, and in particular, have been looking closely at the two models listed in the title. Was wondering if anyone has experience with these units, especially with respect to maps, clarity of the image, and ease of installation? 

For a unit with the side looking imaging technology SIZE matters. Get the largest display size you can afford. Everything else is secondary.

Gotcha. So the 7 inches of the Strikre vs 5 inches on the Helix is the big thing? 

Yup. But Striker has gps but no maps if that is important.

Right. So I went to Field and Stream today, and had the opportunity to play around with a Helix 5 with side view and GPS, and even though it was only demo, I was able to move the cursor around in side imaging mood, and mark a waypoint. Unfortunately, they only had the Striker 7 with down imaging out as a demo. Does the striker 7 with side imaging have anything where I could mark a waypoint from what I see on side imaging?

 

Yes it does.  It has way points and I believe tracks.  Just no maps...   Navionics for $10 on your smart phone fixes that.