Hi guys, looking to purchase a new unit... this is my first serious unit that will have side imaging (structure scan) and all the other various bells and whistles...  I've pretty much decided on Lowrance because of my familiarity with their units and multi-touch screens in the specific price range I'm considering.  From what I can gather it does still seem that Humminbird has better SI quality, but in order to get a touch screen from them you have to step up to the Solix-  they don't have a touch screen model in the 7-9" range which are what sizes I'm considering.

 

that said, currently an HDS-7 Carbon or HDS-9 Gen 3 can both be had for $1,500... which one would you choose?  I know the advantages of the carbon vs the gen 3 and most of them don't effect my decision much.. the one that really does effect my choice is the screen.  The HDS-7 Carbon has a screen with greater resolution and is supposed to be clearer and easier to view under all conditions.  The HDS-9 gen 3 adds 2" for more effective viewing of split panel screens, but has less resolution (800x400) than the smaller Carbon unit..  kind of a bummer that the gen 3's have the same resolution at the 7" and 9" price point.   I've read where others say the HDS-9 gen 3 basically just stretches the 7" screen an additional two inches and the end result doesn't look great.

 

all that said, what would you prioritize?  Newest technology and better screen resolution/viewing vs. 2" bigger screen ??

 

Also-  the unit will occasionally be used on a kayak, how does power consumption of the two units compare?  Would the carbon or the 9" screen require more juice?

 

thanks!

I've tried running splits on my 7's and it's a friggin' joke, at least for me.  If you wish to run splits a lot then my advice is go big.

For me, size matters and while the difference in clarity is noticeable, it's not like you are going to miss anything.  I am in a similar situation and am considering Hummingbird.......like you said, familiarity with Garmin and Lowrance is holding me back

I've been looking into getting side scan sonar. Torn between these 2 as well. I'm also curious how effective it is in shallower water? Like average depth of less than 8'?

Remember a simpler time when we didn't need to make such difficult choices

THfishing brings up a very good point about burning up battery power.  The brightness settings of the screen makes a big difference on how much power it uses.  Think of it like your cell phone.

Ended up going with the 7"-  I'm stepping up from 4" and 5" units without structure scan so the 7" seems like a Cadillac already.  This will be bow mounted on the boat and a 9" will go at the console... decided on the Hds-7 because it will occasionally serve double duty on a kayak;  the 9 just doesn't look right on the kayak and takes up significantly more room and battery power.  I'll let you know how I like it!