I'm a Lowrance guy on FF. Have an older HDS 7 works great. Side and down scan for other lakes rarely use those on Erie. May upgrade soon, I would go to a Simrad which is the Lowrance salt water unit. Definitely a chirp transducer. I for sure want a touch screen. If you only fish Erie you could probably skip the side and down scan and go with a larger screen unless you smallmouth fish a lot. On thing, you'll never wish you would have bought a smaller screen. Sort of like building a barn, no body ever wish they built smaller.