Clint, I recently went through the same mind numbing thought and research. Ron is right when he says that the information out there is loaded with hype. I'm not trying to sale a product here, but I decided to go with the Lowrance HDS, (should be here this week). Prior to buying though, I researched on line but I made my decision on face to face word-of-mouth research. Whether I was at BPS, Gander Mountain, Dicks, Walmart, I harassed other customers for their opinions on what they used. Knowing I wanted the side imaging, everything and people talked about better imaging with the Lowrance. But.....when it came to the down imaging it seemed that Humminbird got the better remarks.
Ron, when you hold your first "Insiders Guide to Your Fishfinder" class, let me know so I can attend