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 Uniden MHS125 is the company’s first foray into the floating marine handheld VHF radio market and this radio has all the operational features you’d expect in a handheld. The radio measures approximately 6-inches high, 2.6-inches wide, and 1.8-inches deep. Overall height including the antenna is 12.5-inches. On my scale,
Uniden marine fixed mount VHF radios are just one of several marine electronics product lines produced by well-known wireless telephone maker, Uniden. This company designs, builds, and markets a wide variety of consumer electronics that includes a diverse list of products from wireless telephones to digital cameras to automotive GPS
Uniden handheld VHF radios continue to make solid inroads with boaters in the recreational and small commercial marine electronics field. The company uses its vast resources and technical skills with other communications technology like telephones and two-way radios to improve and enhance the feature set found in their handheld VHF
The Uniden Atlantis 250 is the biggest in size, heaviest, and one of the least expensive handhelds weve tested. It features a pair of top-mounted control knobs, one for on/off/volume and the other for squelch. A jack to connect an external speaker or microphone is also located in top. Eight
The Swift Sea King has the traditional look of a military-style binocular with its black stepped armor and beefy construction. Features include individual eye focus, front lens caps secured to the center hinge, and a neck strap with wide nylon webbing. Compare Best Prices on Binoculars Here. The diopter scale
The Swarovski SLC 7x50B features a roof prism design that gives these marine binoculars a very long, narrow, sleek look. This binocular review found the SLCs tipping the scale at just under 41-ounces making this set comparable in weight to other expensive binos weve reviewed. Swarovski claims patented multi-coated glass
Standard Horizon VHF handheld marine radios are available in a wide range of models from basic frill-free units to full-featured high end models with all the bells and whistles. An earlier generation of Standard Horizon handheld marine VHF radios has shown themselves to be reliable and reasonably priced. The newest
The Standard Horizon PS1000 Phantom couples a VHF radio to a RAM+ microphone and replaces the radio faceplate with a blank cover. The radio box mounts in an out-of-the-way place, and only the large hand microphone with full controls hangs at the helm. According to Scott Iverson, Standard Horizon Marketing
The full line of Standard Horizon marine VHF radios supply both recreational boaters and commercial marine businesses with top quality products. This newer series of fixed mount marine VHF radios share a few model names with the earlier line of unitsEclipse, Quest, and Matrix are still aroundbut with all the
The Standard Horizon HX851 is an updated and enhanced handheld VHF radio based on the very popular HX850S, which at the time of its release was the first marine handheld VHF to integrate a GPS receiver. This latest version of the radio adds significant navigation capabilities as well as other
The Standard Horizon HX850S is a 6-watt floating marine handheld with a self-contained GPS receiver and full-blown DSC capability. To be able to float the radio combines a large case with a relatively lightweight of 12 ounces. The HX850 comes from the factory with an automatic AC fast charger that
The Standard Horizon HX760S marine handheld is a 6-watt floating radio capable of interfacing with a Standard Horizon BH-2 Bluetooth® headset. All this capability is in a radio a tad under 6 inches tall and 2.5 inches wide. It weighs only 10.8 ounces. The HX760S ships with an automatic AC
The Standard Horizon HX751 is a recent release and updated version of the earlier HX750S radio. It has a maximum power output of 6-watts and is designed to float. That is a great feature for any marine handheld VHF radio to be used aboard a boat. Buy this new Standard
The Standard Horizon HX750S is a 6-watt floating marine handheld. To be able to float the radio combines a relatively large case with a total weight of only 10.7 ounces. The HX750S ships with an automatic AC fast charger that requires eight hours to fully charge the 1150 mAH lithium
The Standard Horizon HX600S LI was the product line leader last year in its original version. This latest version carries the LI designation to signify a new battery type. The supplied AC charger will fill the 1700 mAH lithium ion battery used in this radio in eight hours. You’ll know
The Standard Horizon HX600S was the product line leader for Vertex Standard in 2007. It features multi-band and digital-selective-calling capabilities. If it is sitting in its charger and the charger is wired to a GPS unit, this radio will transmit vessel position data along with the entered MMSI number when
The Standard Horizon HX500S-LI handheld VHF radio is a follow-on to the original that features an upgraded power source. The LI version of this radio uses a powerful 1700 mAH lithium ion battery. Charge time is a short eight hours with the supplied AC charger. You’ll know the radio is
The Standard Horizon HX500S is identical in looks to the HX600S, its more expensive sibling. It operates only on the Marine band and does not have any DSC capabilities. It has a top-mounted volume control and side-mounted pushbuttons for on-off, squelch, and push-to-talk. Seven front-mounted pushbuttons control transmitter power selection,
Even though the Standard Horizon HX471S is one of the smallest and lightest handheld radios we’ve tested, it also packs a load of features like multi-band and DSC capabilities. This radio receives voice traffic on the Marine, Aircraft, Family, AM, FM, MURS, and Aircraft bands. It can transmit on Marine
The Standard Horizon HX400 is a fully submersible commercial grade marine VHF handheld radio with a built-in voice scrambler and Land Mobile Radio (LMR) band capabilities. The HX400 package includes the radio, AC charger, DC charger cable, drop-in charge cradle, FNB-115LI battery pack housing an 2400 mAH lithium-ion battery, belt