I want to save for my first nice graph and I want to get out of my comfort zone and learn to fish offshore. Which unit would get me more for my money and what’s the difference between the two? Also is a 9” graph a big enough work space for being effective offshore? Thanks!

Neither, go with a HB Helix Chirp Mega 9. 

1 minute ago, racedad said:

Neither, go with a HB Helix Chirp Mega 9. 

 I would rather stay with Lowrance because I’m already somewhat used to their interface and I’m not a fan of my friends birds he has installed  on his boat

If you ever want to network units (share way points, transducers, maps, etc) between 2 units, then get the HDS. If you are looking for a single unit , then the Elite 9 TI will work great. The 9in graph is fine. That's the minimum I would use for Side scan.