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.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Best Compact Value
A straightforward sonar and GPS unit for kayaks, jon boats, and small boats.
Best All-Around 7-Inch Fishfinder
A capable sonar-first choice for anglers who want a useful 7-inch display without moving into a full chartplotter system.
Best GPS & Chartplotter Upgrade
The mapping step-up for buyers who need confident navigation as well as high-quality scanning sonar.
Best Side-Imaging Upgrade
A current 9-inch imaging platform for anglers ready to build around serious side imaging and boat integration.
Best Premium Expandable System
A larger-boat platform for buyers who want premium sonar, mapping, networking, and a serious expansion path.
The Garmin RF remote control is designed to work with and operate any 4000- or 5000-series Garmin chartplotter. We performed our testing with this unit aboard our Contender test boat on a Garmin 5212. The unit is designated RF because it uses radio signals in the 2GHz band to exercise
The Garmin Oregon 550 is a compact handheld GPS with touchscreen control, a high-sensitivity GPS sensor, 3-axis tilt-compensated electronic compass, altimeter, microSD™ card slot, and a 3.2 megapixel auto-focus camera. This Garmin portable GPS new addition sits at the pinnacle of the Oregon lineup. Memory capacity and waypoint storage have
The Garmin Oregon 450 is a compact full-mapping handheld GPS with touchscreen control of its sophisticated functionality. This Garmin portable GPS is the latest iteration in the Oregon lineup; it adds significant memory capacity and doubles the maximum number storable waypoints. The 450 features a high-sensitivity GPS sensor, built-in base
The Garmin Oregon 400c is a compact sophisticated full-mapping handheld GPS with touchscreen control. Several original Oregon models are available, the hardware in each is the same, and only the onboard cartography in each unit varies. The Oregon 300 features a world base map, while each variant of the 400
The Garmin MapSource CD is available in one of four versions, Americas, Atlantic, Atlantic Small, and Pacific. Retail prices range from $136 to $250 per CD. We reviewed the Bluechart Americas CD. It has marine chart data coverage for coastal waters of Alaska, Hawaii, the Continental U.S., Canada, South America,
The Garmin GSD22 is the latest in a line of black box sounders designed to provide fishfinder data to a number of Garmin chartplotters not equipped with an internal fish finder. This unit is capable of producing 500-, 1000-, or 2000-watts (RMS) of output power depending on the transducer coupled
We reviewed the Garmin GHC10 remote control for the Garmin GHP10 autopilot system aboard our Contender test boat. It is a waterproof wireless handheld remote control. If you haven’t already seen it, the Garmin GHP 10 is featured in in our
The Garmin eTrex Vista HCx portable GPS is one of the newer additions to the Garmin lineup. It’s a compact design and one of the smallest and lightest Garmin handheld GPS units on the market. The ‘HCx’ in the model designation means this unit has a removable memory card, high-sensitivity
The Garmin eTrex Legend H portable GPS is the latest and greatest in the eTrex lineup. It’s a compact unit that measures only 4.4 inches high, 2.2 wide, and 1.2 thick or just about the size of a bar of soap. It weighs in at a paltry 5.4 ounces with
The Garmin eTrex handheld GPS is the low price leader among units we’ve reviewed. This compact Garmin portable GPS measures only 4.4 inches high, 2.2 wide, and 1.2 thick or just about the size of a bar of soap> It weighs in at 5.3 ounces with a pair of AA
The Garmin eTrex 30 is one of three recent additions to the popular Garmin portable GPS eTrex series. This line is designed with multiple uses in mind including marine use by boaters. The eTrex 30, like its siblings, boasts a compact design and the capability of using a Garmin marine
The Garmin eTrex 20 is one of several recent additions to the Garmin portable GPS lineup with a design aimed for multiple uses including the marine environment. This unit features a compact design, the ability to use a Garmin marine chart card, and is one of the smallest and lightest
The Garmin echo 550c is the top of the line unit in a new series of moderately priced fishfinders targeted directly at freshwater anglers. These sounders are due to hit the consumer marine market in the spring of 2011. Buy one of the six available Garmin Echo fishfinders here. With
The Garmin Colorado 400c is a very sophisticated full-mapping marine handheld GPS. A variety of Colorado models are available, while the hardware remains the same in each variant, the onboard cartography in each unit is different. The Colorado 300 features a world base map, while each variant of the 400
The Garmin 76 has been around for several years and has a proven track record of reliability in the Garmin portable GPS lineup. Overall it is one of the larger handhelds we’ve tested, but we found it still fits well in one hand. It can be operated with the thumb
The Garmin 76Cx portable GPS is an upgraded version of the original mapping 76 model. It gets the ‘x’ designation for the addition of a removable memory card slot and a high-sensitivity GPS receiver. Its sister model has both an altimeter and electronic compass and carries the CSx model name.
The Garmin 740s is a standalone MFD that features a 7-inch display with touchscreen interface, an internal high-sensitivity GPS receiver, and a 1000-watt digital sounder into a single unit that comes preloaded with Garmin BlueChart g2 U.S. Coastal cartography that includes Bahamas coverage. The back panel has four connectors, one
The Garmin 740 is a multifunction display featuring a high resolution 7-inch display with a touchscreen user interface. An internal high-sensitivity GPS sensor combined with preloaded Garmin BlueChart g2 U.S. Coastal cartography gives detailed position and navigation information. The 740 package ships with the display unit, a protective front panel
The Garmin 72H is the latest version of this venerable Garmin portable GPS. Earlier versions of this handheld GPS have been around for a number of years and have a proven track record of reliability. The “H” designation added to the model number indicates this portable GPS now features a
The Garmin 62s is one of five models in the new 62-series of handheld GPS gear to hit the Garmin lineup recently. All units in the 62-series feature a high-sensitivity GPS receiver, color display screen, and world base map. The “s” designation in the model number of our test unit