Top 5 Editorial Picks

Five current fishfinders chosen for distinct buyer needs—from compact value to a premium expandable system. These are editorial selections, not Amazon or reader ratings.

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  1. 1
    Garmin Striker Vivid 4cv Fishfinder with Transducer - 4-inch LCD Display - Easy-to-Use Scanning Sonar - Color Palettes, 11.2 Ounces (010-02550-00) | Transducer, 4-inch LCD Display, Easy-to-Use Scanning Sonar, Color Palettes, 11.2 Ounces 4 Inch STRIKER Vivid 4cv Transducer

    Best Compact Value

    Garmin STRIKER Vivid 4cv

    A straightforward sonar and GPS unit for kayaks, jon boats, and small boats.

    • CHIRP and ClearVü scanning sonar in a compact package
    • A sensible pick when you do not need a chartplotter or SideVü
    • Best fit for budget-conscious small-boat anglers
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  2. 2
    Garmin Striker Vivid 7sv, Easy-to-Use 7-inch Color Fishfinder and Sonar Transducer, Vivid Scanning Sonar Color Palettes (010-02553-00) | Easy-to-Use 7-inch Color Fishfinder, Sonar Transducer, Vivid Scanning Sonar Color Palettes 010-02553-00 7 Inch STRIKER Vivid 7sv Transducer

    Best All-Around 7-Inch Fishfinder

    Garmin STRIKER Vivid 7sv

    A capable sonar-first choice for anglers who want a useful 7-inch display without moving into a full chartplotter system.

    • CHIRP, ClearVü, and SideVü sonar for fish and structure
    • Simple setup with a practical 7-inch screen
    • Strong value for most general boat anglers
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  3. 3
    Garmin ECHOMAP UHD2 73sv with GT54 Transducer, 7” Touchscreen Chartplotter, Garmin Navionics+ U.S. Inland 7' Garmin Navionics+ U.S. Inland with GT54 Transducer

    Best GPS & Chartplotter Upgrade

    Garmin ECHOMAP UHD2 73sv

    The mapping step-up for buyers who need confident navigation as well as high-quality scanning sonar.

    • Garmin Navionics+ U.S. Inland mapping and touchscreen control
    • Ultra High-Definition ClearVü and SideVü sonar
    • A better fit than STRIKER when charts matter
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  4. 4
    Humminbird XPLORE Series GPS Fish Finder MEGA Side Imaging+ & HD Touchscreen Display Transducer Included) 9-Inch Display

    Best Side-Imaging Upgrade

    Humminbird XPLORE 9

    A current 9-inch imaging platform for anglers ready to build around serious side imaging and boat integration.

    • MEGA Side Imaging+ and MEGA Down Imaging+
    • 9-inch display with touchscreen and keypad control
    • Recommended configuration: 9-inch, transducer included
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  5. 5
    Lowrance HDS PRO Fishfinder/Chartplotter with Smartphone Integration and Preloaded C-MAP U.S. & Canada Charts 10 Inch ActiveImaging HD 3-in-1

    Best Premium Expandable System

    Lowrance HDS PRO 10

    A larger-boat platform for buyers who want premium sonar, mapping, networking, and a serious expansion path.

    • Active Imaging HD and C-MAP charting
    • Wide networking support for integrated electronics
    • Ready to expand with ActiveTarget 2 and the Lowrance ecosystem
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Cobra HH425 Review

The Cobra HH425 LI is a mid-sized dual-band marine handheld VHF radio that operates on the marine and general mobile service radios bands.

It is solidly constructed on an aluminum die cast frame and weighs in at 13.3 ounces.

Buy this Cobra handheld marine VHF radio here.

Cobra HH425 handheld vhf radio

Cobra HH425

The HH425 comes from the factory with an automatic AC fast charger that requires only 4 hours to fully charge its 1900 mAH lithium ion battery pack. This charger shows a red light to indicate charging and green for a fully charged battery. A DC charger cord, belt clip, AA battery case, and wrist strap are included too.

Radio Controls

Volume and squelch control knobs on the HH425 are mounted concentrically on top of the case next to the jack where an optional external speaker or microphone connects. The push-to-talk switch and lock buttons are side-mounted.

All remaining functions are controlled using ten front-mounted pushbuttons. One button control is available for transmitter power selection, call tone, channel changing, weather channel selection, quick selection of channel 16 or 9, band selection, and some scanning options.

Scan modes include numerical, memory, and tri-watch. In the tri-watch mode 16 will always be one of the scanned channels; the other two are user selectable. The HH425 can use all Canadian, International, and US marine VHF channels, NOAA weather channels, and 15 general mobile service radios channels.

Special Features

This radio is capable of sending a call tone to other VHF radios able to receive it. When this radio receives a call tone it can be set to vibrate or sound a tone.

One very unique feature on this radio we’ve not seen before on any radio is Cobra’s “Rewind-Say-Again”. Basically what this does is record the last twenty seconds of speech received on the selected channel. So should you miss the call and want to listen to it again all you have to do is press the REW key once. We tried it and it worked as advertised.

Performance

Transceiver performance of the HH425 was average. It earned good ratings for transmitter power stability and receiver sensitivity. At temperature extremes it went slightly off frequency and only received a fair rating for transmitter frequency stability—still it remained well within industry and governmental specifications at all times. With a measured 93 dBA during our audio output test we rated the audio performance good.

We rated the HH42