Is A $2,000 Fish Finder Better Than An $800 Unit? (Video)

The price tag on a premium fish finder may have you wondering, “are all those bells and whistles are really worth it?” In this video from Fish the Moment, host Jonny got his hands on three Lowrance units at differing price points—the Hook Reveal, Elite FS and HDS-Live. Watch as he compares their performance, pointing out exactly what that extra money gets you.

Is a $2,000 Fish Finder Better Than an $800 Unit?

All three fish finders were tested at the same lake over multiple days, during which Jonny worked to get the best possible image quality. Focusing on bass fishing, he consulted with Lowrance engineers and developers for “comparisons are as fair as possible across these different units.”

2D Sonar

“The image clarity is pretty comparable across all three units,” reports Jonny. “You’re not really getting anything more by going up in price point if you’re just using 2D sonar.” This is not surprising, he says, because 2D sonar is a relatively mature technology.

Down Imaging

Jonny notes that his test was conducted “on a very clear lake on hard bottom, so I was kind of in the ideal conditions for this down imaging test.” Results may vary in muddy, disturbed water.

Once again, image quality was pretty consistent across all three units. The Elite FS and HDS-Live share the same upgraded transducer, so both models showed better target separation than the Hook Reveal. The biggest difference was in their performance out of the box. Jonny found the cheaper Hook Reveal required more adjustment from the factory settings to get acceptable image quality.

Side Imaging

With its basic transducer, the Hook Reveal also had significantly lower side-imaging quality. The Elite FS showed more detail, including shadows, smaller rock piles and fish. But the HDS-Live was the clear winner according to Jonny, with “far superior” image quality compared to the other two units. “This is where the HDS-Live starts justifying that $2,000 price tag,” he says.

Watch the whole video above for Jonny’s final takeaways, including suggestions to save a few bucks on your fish finder selection.