Humminbird HELIX 5

Editor rating: 9.1 / 10

User's rating: based on 0 user ratings

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By NicoleK

Humminbird HELIX 5 Review Facts

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Fishing offers a nice mix of both relaxation and sport in one activity. Fishing also offers a workout for the arms, back, and chest. Those who fish tend to also have leg strength as well due to the standing and sitting motion that is frequently repeated throughout the course of the trip. Fishing also offers an opportunity for friends and family to come together and bond away from screens and social media. Another benefit of fishing is the fresh air associated with being outdoors and around more trees. The sun also provides greater levels of vitamin D than most other sources. Fishing is not only great for the body but also great for the mind in that it offers a level of relaxation and being at one with nature. Overall, fishing is an incredibly beneficial experience and offers all sorts of positive benefits to the body, mind and our personal relationships.

This article focuses on a piece of fishing equipment that helps fishermen navigate around lakes easier as well as shows where fish may be in order to enhance their fishing experience. The Humminbird Helix 5 is a fishfinder offered by the popular outdoor and lifestyle brand Humminbird. This product offers the consumer both navigation and fishfinding capabilities. We looked at consumer reviews in order to find out what those who bought this product liked and disliked about it. We also looked at the features of the product in order to find out what it offers and to compare it's cost and value proposition. Finally, we looked at the construction and durability of the product to see if this product is worth cost associated with it. This is our comprehensive review of the Humminbird Helix 5. We hope that this article helps you with your next fishfinder purchase.

Editor's Pros & Cons

Pros

This product is quite easy to install
This product is straight-forward to use
This product is quite competitive in regards to how many features it has
This product is inexpensive in price

Cons

The screen on this product is a little smaller than preferred
The battery life of this product may not be long enough for some consumers

See How

What are buyers saying?

We have spent 3.0 hours analyzing a total of 350 reviews.

These reviews are then categoried into "Positive" and "Negative" feedback.

Below you will read a summary of them:

Positive

I like that this unit allows you to see the types of fish under the boat.
Just know that without a GPS receiver you won't get time readings or GPS, this unit does what it's designed to do and that is sonar and depth reader.
So far so good, still getting to know the unit. There is a lot to look at.
For the price, I got exactly what I expected.
This unit is a great price. It has it all.
Humminbird Helix 5 works great.
Although it took a little while to figure it out it is a good finder. I got what I expected.
Humminbird Helix 5 is as expected, exactly what I ordered,
At 15 mph it working on my pontoon, the resolution is awesome and there's many setting options on the menu.
Very pleased with this unit. It's just as I expected--temp and sonar. Gets great definition of under the boat. Easy to install.
Humminbird Helix 5 is a great fish finder.
For this price it is a quality device.
Great sonar addition to my Minn Kota trolling motor.
I've had this unit for over 12 years and the only reason I had to replace it is because it was pulled off the mount in attempts to get a steady footing. Otherwise it would be still in working condition, Been a Humminbird customer for over 20 years and have two boats with this unit.
Got the settings right finally. All it took was looking at the manual.
Hubby loves the color display of this fish finder.
Humminbird Helix 5 is a nice unit and works well. Arrived quickly.
I use this unit mainly for depth. Great for trolling motors. Great fish finder, very user friendly.
Got this for my husband who loves to fish. He loves that it allows him to locate the fish in his location.
I am purchasing another on for my other boat because It's easy to use, affordable and works great.

Negative

A few buyers complained about having to buy seperate parts to make up one unit (brackets and mounting kit)
Some buyers felt misled about what all this unit does stating that the picture shows GPS and MPH but that's not the case.

9.1

Accessories

This product offers a wide range of additional accessories (for an additional cost) including a dual beam down imaging transducer which assists for trips in more shallow waters. There is also an additional trolling motor DualBeam down imaging transducer as well as an In-Hell single or DualBeam transducer. All of which connect to this model. The Helix 5 also has a GM H5 gimbal mount available in order to mount the unit to your boat. There are also some smaller accessories available for the Helix 5 including a filtered power cable, protective covers, in-dash mounting kits, and 9-pin side imaging beam splitter cables. Accessories already included when buying the unit itself are a transducer, mounting hardware, a power cable and a gimbal mounting bracket which saves the consumer a little bit of money. This product is also quite inexpensive in price when compared to competitive products on the market so the included accessories are a huge value add-on which is positive.

ADVANCED FEATURES

This product also offers SwitchFire Sonar which allows the user to customize their view through two different display modes. The user can add and remove details on the screens. It also allows the user to account or water depth, temperature, and turbulence all of which are more advanced features not commonly offered through this type of product. The Basemap that is built into the unit provides a more enhanced and clear view of the water below the boat. It also offers points of interest in order to mark favorite areas, as well as offer a more effective experience to the fisherman. The Basecamp also identifies buoys, hazards, depth markers, and marinas in order to provide a more details view of the surroundings. This is based on more than 10 K lakes plus coastal coverage throughout the United States.

BASIC FEATURES

This product offers navigation of 21,000 lakes throughout both Canada and the United States. It's SD card is updateable in order to stay up-to-date with new areas. It also works without the need for constant WI-FI access which is necessary for this type of product. It also covers down imaging which offers a clearer view of the objects beneath the boat. It offers both CHIRP sonar (a very commonly used technology used in order to identify specifically what is below the surface of the water) and down imaging detail. The CHIRP digital sonar allows the user to see specific details of the object it is identifying. It allows the fisherman to know whether the object is a fish or debris so that the fisherman is not wasting their time. It also offers a decent depth and range in order to show the user a wider and more in-depth view of the lake.

BRAND

Humminbird is a fishing and outdoors brand that started in 1971. They offer a wide range of products required by anglers in order to assist with the best fishing experience available. They are known for keeping up with technology through their advanced LCD screens, DualBeam, and MEGO Imaging software. They are based out of Eufaula, AL and are part of the Johnson Outdoor Company. Their website offers a wide range of educational videos and blog posts in order to get the most out of their equipment. All the instruction manuals are also offered on their website just in case a manual is lost or for those who prefer an electronic version of the manual. They offer in-house repairs for their equipment and their warranties are usually product dependent. The warranty for each product begins as of the date of purchase and in order to utilize the warranty, the original receipt is required. Humminbird offers a 1-year limited warranty on all their fishfinder products and accessories. Through reviews, there didn't seem to be any complaints or compliments about utilizing the warranty with Humminbird or anything about their customer service which is unfortunate but considering no news is good news that might be a good thing. Overall, the company is known for putting out a superior product which is positive.

EASE-OF-USE

This product offers an AutoChart Live feature which allows the user to create real-time maps of their favorite fishing spots. This is a patented feature offered by Humminbird. The map depth is contoured in order to provide better detail and it also offers the bottom hardness and vegetation in order to help differentiate the fish when fishing. It also offers upgrade options through their LakeMaster system. This feature is easy to read and shows real-time water levels. Those who used this product found that the product is quite easy to install with its included mounting hardware and say that the transducer works effectively even when in motion. The gimbal mounting bracket is also regularly reviewed as being handy and easy to install which is positive.

ACCURACY

This product offers numerous features that offer GPS and underwater monitoring. The transducer further extends this view with sonar technology. Those who used this product found it to be quite reliable and accurate. Some found that they caught fish right away as opposed to when they fished without the use of a fish finder. This products screen also shows contours along with vegetation in the water. The display clearly shows whether the item being detected is fish, a school of fish or debris. Those who used this product confirmed that this product offers a good level of accuracy when used, even when in motion which is positive.

DISPLAY

The display on this product is offered in a 5-inch widescreen display. The display pixel matric is 800H by 480V. The display is offered in HD and offers CHIRP down imaging which is supposed to offer s superior detailed view of what is under the surface of the water. The interface is keypad controlled as well which is sometimes preferred for users especially when in brighter areas. The display also offers an X-press menu system and offers a color TFT display type. Those who used this product found that the system is quite easy to use and definitely enhanced their trip, however, did find the screen to be quite small. Luckily with the customization of the product, the screen doesn't have to get too 'busy' as some systems tend to be with all their additional features. Though the screen may be a little small there does not seem to be issues with the visibility of the screen in the sun which is positive as this is often a problem with less expensive alternatives. Overall, the screen is small but easy to use and offers a nice and visible display when used during the day, in the sun.

POWER SOURCE

The power draw of this product is 615 mA. The power output (peak-to-peak) is 4000 watts and the power output is 500 watts. This product comes with a charging cable in order to charge the unit. Those who used this product liked the battery but there were a couple of things to note. The battery can last for two 8-hour fishing days if used on it's lightest setting. If used at full capacity using additional accessories and more recording/navigating features the battery will drain faster. This product can hook up to an external battery, though, which will greatly increase the time that this product can be used. Though the battery can drain faster it should still work, full capacity for a full fishing day and may require charging at night. This product can connect to a vehicle (with an adapter) and will charge fully that way if no power source is available which is positive. There weren't many negative comments about the battery or the power source which is positive.

PRICE

This product is actually quite inexpensive in price. There were many reviewers that were impressed by the cost of this product considering its features and its abilities. When looking at the price of a product like this we typically look at the features of the product and the products durability. This product doesn't feel cheap, based on reviews this product seems to be quite well built and there weren't many issues in regards to the product holding up even when dropped. It also has additional accessories that will protect the product further like screen protectors and a carrying case. There is nowhere on the website that states whether or not this product is waterproof or splash proof, unfortunately, however, there were no complaints about this product breaking down with splashes so that is good. This is a common complaint with this type of product. The features of this product are fairly standard. The AutoChart Live is a patented and unique feature to Humminbird which is an advanced feature and it also comes with additional accessories (the transducer, mounting hardware, and gimbal mounting bracket) which not many competitive products include. Overall, this product is definitely a good bang for your buck.

THE BOTTOM LINE

The bottom line is that this product is a pretty good one. Common complaints about it are that the screen is a little small but there are certainly smaller screens on the market and 5-inch screens are pretty common with this type of product. The screen is also colored, is offered in HD and is easy to see the bright lighting which is positive. There were few other negative comments which is positive. The battery life of this product is pretty good, lasting about 2 full fishing days (8 hour days) when used on its basic features when used with advanced additional features and accessories the battery life may only last for a day but the product can be recharged in a vehicle with proper adapting equipment. This product is also quite inexpensive despite its quality and additional (included) accessories. This product is ideal for those who are on a budget or who want a little more of a basic product (without too many bells and whistles). It is also fully customizable which is ideal for those who have specific needs when fishing. The navigation system is updatable and offers AutoChart Live navigation. Those who used this product found it to be durable, reliable and easy to use. There were several commenters that stated that this product is a good one and gets the job especially considering the price. Overall, this product is a good one with good, unique and reliable features. It is definitely worth consideration.