I have been using an old Furuno for the last 8-9 years and wanted to update my unit this year, but needed to do so on a budget. I am a Luddite when it comes to technology, so my wish list was relatively simple. I wanted improved resolution, a nice big screen which I could view easily from the cockpit and flexibility in screen set-up. I didn't need Bluetooth capability or touch screen. I want to see bait and structure and have decent resolution, and a good size display.
Also, I have a simple but decent quality bronze thru-hull transducer. In order to save some cost and avoid messing around with a new installation, I wanted to avoid having to swap that out, if possible.
I ended up buying a Lowrance Hook 9 from Roton on Granville Island. List price was under $900 and included the Navionics card. I bought a pigtail adapter, cut off the Furuno plugs and spliced the adaptor on so I could use my existing transducer. I took some time to splice it properly, soldering and insulating the connections.
The unit works very well and I'm happy with it so far. It gives me everything I want for under $1000 all in. I think it's a good unit for the price-point.