I just went through the same process because it was time to upgrade. I spent a lot of time doing online research, reading blogs of what others are using, and speaking with people from various retail outlets. Initially, I too, was interested in the Raymarine, but by the time I took everything into consideration, I ended up purchasing a Garmin Chirp 73sv. After everything was said and done, I felt it was the best bang for the buck. One of the biggest drawbacks of the Raymarine (in my opinion) was that the internal software could not be upgraded, and I felt as these things become more advanced and dependent upon software, that is an important option since software is something that nobody gets right the first time. More reasons I chose the Garmin was because of what others had to say... double the warranty over the Hbird, menus are the easiest to use, MUCH better maps (and they are built it), supports panoptix (if you have the $), great customer support, etc. Much of what I read came from people who also had previously owned another brand and were glad they made the switch. I recall a specific conversation from a gentleman at Gander Mountain who had purchased a Helix 5 and a Helix 7 and he told me that he would trade them both for the Garmin (GM sells both, so I didn't consider it a pitch). Personally, I believe they probably all do about the same thing, however the far better maps made the Garmin even less money than the Hbird Helix 7 si Chirp because you still have to pay for maps. I wish I could provide you with some actual "hands-on" feedback, but not even getting the unit delivered until tomorrow. I found finding the best price varies from site to site depending on which manufacturer and model you are trying to buy so spend the time surfing for the best price. Here is a link to what I found to be the cheapest price for the Garmin model I purchased:

https://www.thegpsstore.com/Garmin-e...O5MaAgRl8P8HAQ


Hope this was helpful.