Lowrance Hook Reveal vs Garmin Striker: Which 5 in Unit Fits How You Fish
Lowrance HOOK Reveal 5 vs Garmin Striker Vivid 5cv: preloaded inland lake maps and FishReveal, or maker-confirmed GPS, ClearVü, and maps you record.
Updated October 29, 2026
Hook Reveal vs Striker comes down to maps in the box against specs you can confirm. According to its Amazon listing, the Lowrance HOOK Reveal 5 SplitShot arrives with C-MAP US Inland maps covering almost 4,000 lakes, Genesis Live half-foot contour mapping, and a SplitShot transducer that pairs high CHIRP sonar with DownScan Imaging. Garmin lists no preloaded charts for the Striker Vivid 5cv, only Quickdraw Contours, but confirms a built-in GPS receiver with 5,000 waypoints and ClearVü down imaging through the included GT20-TM transducer. If you trailer to new lakes and want a map on the screen before you launch, the HOOK Reveal 5 fits better, provided Lowrance confirms GPS for it (its listing does not). If you fish the same water every week and want to mark brush piles and run back to them, the Striker does.
We compare one 5 in unit from each family, each sold with a transducer that adds a down imaging view. Lowrance’s website blocked our requests, so every HOOK Reveal figure here comes from its listing and could not be checked with Lowrance; the Garmin figures come from Garmin’s product pages and owner’s manual.
This guide is general product information, not repair or electrical safety advice. Follow the installation, wiring, and charging instructions in your product’s manual, stop using any battery, charger, or electronics that overheat, swell, or smell of burning, and contact the manufacturer.
Why We Paired the HOOK Reveal 5 With the Striker Vivid 5cv
The Striker 4 is not the closest match: Garmin’s spec page for the 3.5 in Striker 4 lists traditional CHIRP sonar and no ClearVü. The Striker Vivid 5cv has a 5.0 in screen and a transducer that adds a down imaging view, like the HOOK Reveal 5 SplitShot, and both list keypad controls. This is a comparison of two units, not a ranking.
The score on each card is its AnglerTechLab Score, calculated with the published method on our How We Review page. Neither score has an editorial adjustment.
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Lowrance HOOK Reveal 5 SplitShot
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Garmin Striker Vivid 5cv with GT20-TM Transducer
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Hook Reveal vs Striker: Specs Side by Side
Sources: the Amazon listing for the HOOK Reveal 5 SplitShot, and for the Garmin, Garmin’s Striker Vivid 5cv page, Garmin’s GT20-TM transducer page, and the STRIKER Vivid owner’s manual. Where no source gives a figure, the cell says so.
| Feature | Lowrance HOOK Reveal 5 SplitShot | Garmin Striker Vivid 5cv |
|---|---|---|
| Screen | 5 in SolarMAX display (per the listing) | 5.0 in diagonal (about 2.6 x 4.3 in), WVGA color (per Garmin) |
| Resolution | Not listed | 800 x 480 pixels (per Garmin) |
| Transducer in the box | SplitShot Skimmer (per the listing) | GT20-TM (per Garmin) |
| 2D sonar | Wide-angle high CHIRP (per the listing) | Traditional CHIRP; GT20-TM at 77/200 kHz (per Garmin) |
| Down imaging | DownScan Imaging (per the listing) | ClearVü at 455 and 800 kHz with the GT20-TM (per Garmin) |
| Fish highlighting | FishReveal, which combines CHIRP target separation with DownScan structure images (per the listing) | Fish Symbol ID (per Garmin) |
| Automatic sonar settings | Autotuning sonar (per the listing) | Autogain (per Garmin) |
| GPS | No GPS receiver line in the listing | Built-in receiver with WAAS; 5,000 waypoints, 100 routes (per Garmin) |
| Preloaded maps | C-MAP, almost 4,000 U.S. inland lakes (per the listing) | None; Quickdraw Contours is the only map support Garmin lists |
| Maps you record | Genesis Live, half-foot contours, saved to microSD (per the listing) | Quickdraw Contours, 1 ft contours, up to 2 million acres (per Garmin) |
| Controls | Dedicated keypad (per the listing) | Keyed (per Garmin) |
| Power | 12 Volt DC, no range given (per the listing) | 12 to 20 Vdc (per Garmin) |
| Water rating | Not listed | IPX7 (per Garmin) |
| Warranty | 1 year (listing field; confirm terms with the seller and Lowrance) | 2-year limited (per the listing) |
Down Imaging: SplitShot With FishReveal vs ClearVü
The HOOK Reveal listing calls its down imaging view DownScan Imaging and Garmin calls its view ClearVü; the STRIKER Vivid manual compares the ClearVü beam to the beam in a copy machine, where traditional sonar uses a cone.
The difference is how each unit combines the two views. The HOOK Reveal listing says FishReveal puts CHIRP’s target separation and DownScan’s structure images on one screen, so fish light up on the display. Garmin’s 5cv page names Fish Symbol ID and split-screen zoom, and the manual describes combination pages that show two or more views at once; Garmin’s pages describe no merged view like FishReveal. If you want to see a crappie suspended over a brush pile in one picture rather than two panes, FishReveal is the reason to lean toward the HOOK.
Garmin’s GT20-TM page lists ClearVü at 455 kHz with a 2.5 x 53 degree beam and at 800 kHz with a 1.6 x 29 degree beam, and rates ClearVü to 750 ft against 1,900 ft for traditional sonar. The HOOK Reveal 5 listing gives no frequencies, beam angles, or depth rating for the SplitShot. If you jig deep basins on a big reservoir, that missing depth figure is the one to ask Lowrance about.
Neither package lists side imaging for the unit sold here. The HOOK Reveal listing mentions SideScan for the line, but it describes the included SplitShot as high CHIRP plus DownScan, does not name SideScan for it, and names TripleShot as the transducer option that includes SideScan. Garmin lists the 5cv with ClearVü and traditional CHIRP only and puts SideVü on the Striker Vivid 7sv and 9sv, per Garmin’s Striker Vivid 5cv page.
Maps and GPS: Preloaded C-MAP or a Map You Build
Maps are the HOOK Reveal 5’s strongest case. The listing says its preloaded C-MAP maps cover almost 4,000 U.S. inland lakes, and its description, written for the whole HOOK Reveal line, adds C-MAP Genesis and Navionics as other mapping options without saying which come with this unit. Genesis Live adds half-foot contour maps that you create in real time and save by putting a blank microSD card in the card slot. On a chain of lakes you are visiting for the first time, a preloaded map may already cover the water, so check the lake list first; on a farm pond no chart covers, you can draw your own.
Garmin’s spec list shows no preloaded charts for the 5cv, so a new lake starts blank until you drive it. Garmin’s footnote describes Quickdraw content as user-generated and says it “does not contain detailed mapping.” You build 1 ft contour maps as you drive, up to 2 million acres per Garmin, and the manual shows a green circle around the boat icon when depth, GPS position, and speed (under 10 mph) are right for recording.
On GPS, the sources are lopsided. Garmin lists a built-in receiver with WAAS support, 5,000 waypoints, 50 tracks, and 100 routes. The HOOK Reveal 5 listing does not list a GPS receiver, a waypoint capacity, or routes; its only mention of GPS is a phrase saying Genesis Live adds detail “over any map or GPS plotter.” The listing also does not say how Genesis Live gets the boat’s position, so treat that as one more question for Lowrance. If marking a hump and running back to it is the main reason you are buying, confirm GPS with Lowrance or your dealer before you order the HOOK.
Screen and Controls
Garmin gives you more to judge on paper, including 800 x 480 pixels and seven color options for the sonar picture. The HOOK Reveal 5 listing names a 5 in SolarMAX display with clear views even in direct sunlight, but no resolution, so the sharper screen cannot be picked from the specs.
Both list button controls (Garmin’s keyed input, the HOOK’s dedicated keypad with one-touch access) and automatic sonar adjustment (Autotuning on the HOOK, Autogain on the Garmin).
Mounting and Power
Garmin says the Vivid 5cv includes a tilt/swivel mount plus transom and trolling motor mounting hardware. The HOOK Reveal 5 listing names a SplitShot Skimmer transducer, a mounting bracket, and a power cable with fuse holder, and describes front-dash or gimbal-bracket mounting for the display, but it does not name a trolling motor mount. If you fish off a bow-mount trolling motor on a bass boat, that points to the Garmin, or to a bracket you confirm with Lowrance first.
The HOOK Reveal 5 listing gives its power source as 12 Volt DC without a range. Garmin rates the 5cv for 12 to 20 Vdc, and its manual warns that below 12 Vdc the unit will not power on. Install and wire either unit as its maker’s instructions describe, and hand any wiring question those instructions do not answer to a qualified marine electrician.
Which Should You Buy?
- You trailer to different lakes: the Lowrance HOOK Reveal 5 SplitShot, for the preloaded C-MAP inland maps, Genesis Live, and FishReveal, per its listing. Skip it if you need waypoints and routes confirmed before you buy, or want the transducer on a trolling motor.
- You fish one home lake and return to the same spots: the Garmin Striker Vivid 5cv, with 5,000 waypoints and Quickdraw maps of exactly the water you drive. Skip it if you want a lake map on the screen the first day; Garmin lists none.
- You want side imaging: neither unit here has it. The HOOK Reveal listing names a TripleShot transducer option that adds SideScan (we did not review that version), and Garmin lists SideVü on the Striker Vivid 7sv and 9sv. Skip the Garmin pair if your dash only fits a 5 in screen; they are 7 in and 9 in units, per Garmin.
- You want a smaller Garmin screen: the 3.5 in Striker 4, which Garmin’s Striker 4 page lists with a built-in GPS receiver. Skip it if you want down imaging.
If you have settled on one brand, our Lowrance lineup comparison and our list of the best Garmin fishfinders go deeper, our Lowrance HOOK Reveal 5 review and our Garmin Striker Vivid 5cv review cover each unit on its own, and our Garmin Striker 4 review covers the smaller one. Across brands, see our roundup of the best fish finders, our picks for down imaging fish finders, and our Garmin Striker vs Humminbird Helix comparison. The fish finders section collects the rest.
Why You Should Trust Us
We do not conduct our own product trials. For this comparison we read both Amazon listings and checked the Garmin against its product pages and owner’s manual; Lowrance’s site blocked our requests, so every HOOK Reveal 5 figure is credited to its listing. Amazon owner ratings set the base of each AnglerTechLab Score, and neither product here carries an editorial adjustment. Commissions from qualifying purchases have no influence on what we recommend or how we score. The full method is on our How We Review page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the Lowrance HOOK Reveal 5 have GPS?
Its Amazon listing does not list a GPS receiver, waypoints, or routes, so ask Lowrance or your dealer before you buy.
Is Lowrance DownScan the same as Garmin ClearVü?
Both are names for a down imaging view of structure under the boat, but the HOOK Reveal 5 listing gives no frequencies or beam angles while Garmin publishes them for the GT20-TM, so they cannot be matched number for number.
Which one mounts on a trolling motor?
Garmin says the Striker Vivid 5cv includes trolling motor mounting hardware; the HOOK Reveal 5 listing names no trolling motor mount, so ask Lowrance.
Do I need to buy maps for the Garmin Striker Vivid 5cv?
Garmin’s spec list names none to add: Quickdraw Contours, which you record yourself, is the only map support it lists.
About the author
Mason McKinney enjoys fishing Minnesota's lakes for crappie, walleye, and other freshwater species. He uses forward-facing sonar, GPS fish finders, and spot-lock trolling motors to locate fish around underwater structures and maintain precise boat positioning.