Raymarine AXIOM vs ELEMENT
• COMPARISON •
In short… AXIOM units are full multifunction network chartplotters with RealVison 3D sonar and the ELEMENT series is excellent fish-finder/GPS designed more as a standalone unit for fishing.
The touchscreen controlled Axiom RV is an excellent navigational and boat management system with a good built-in sonar running on the more advanced LightHouse 3 operating system.
It is easily able to connect to a range of other onboard systems like radar, instrumentation, autopilot, video cameras, thermal cameras, marine radio and additional NMEA2000 and SeaTalking compatible devices. The Axiom can even fly a DJI Mavic Drone.
It comes with a 4 channel sonar that supports RealVision 3D, CHIRP DownVision, CHIRP SideVison and a High frequency CHIRP Sonar.
The keypad controlled Element HV on the other hand was designed to get advanced sonar technology into a reasonably priced stand alone system.
It runs on the LightHouse Sport operating system and has an excellent built-in fishfinder which includes 1.2MHz HyperVision that takes inland and coastal sonar to a new level of precision.
It also comes with a Single channel built in High CHIRP Sonar, DownVision sonar(Standard/Hyper), SideVision sonar (Standard and Hyper) and RealVision 3D (Standard and Hyper).
| AXIOM | ELEMENT |
| Touchscreen | Keypad Control |
| LightHouse 3 | LightHouse Sport |
| 1200 Nits | 1500 Nits |
| WXGA IPS | WXGA LCD |
| Power 10 W | Power 15 W |
| View Angle 88° | View Angle 89° |
| Networkable | Standalone |
| Weighs 6.25lbs | Weighs 6.50lbs |
| Memory 4GB | Memory 8GB |
| Waypoints 10,000 | Waypoints 5000 |
| Routes 150 | Routes 50 |
| More Radar Options | Quantum Only |
| Thermal Camera | NA |
| Video – Up to 10 | NA |
| NMEA 0183 *Adapter | NA |
| Gyro-Stabilized | NA |
| RealVison | HyperVision |
| $2449-3099 | $1750-2000 |
So which is better, the AXIOM RV or the ELEMENT HV?
AXIOM – If you need a fully functional network chart-plotter that will be part of a bigger system or the heart of a complete boat management system, then the AXIOM is the right choice.
ELEMENT – If you want a great standalone unit with an advanced sonar, versatile mapping capabilities, and a very intuitive user experience and you don’t need all the features of the more expensive networked units, then the ELEMENT is an excellent fit.
Specs | Reviews • Current Prices
| Model | Specs|Review |  |
|---|---|---|
| AXIOM 7 |  |  |
| AXIOM 9 | | |
| AXIOM 12 | | |
| ELEMENT 7HV | | |
| ELEMENT 9HV | | |
| ELEMENT 12HV | | |
Sonar / Fishfinder – Comparison
How is the AXIOM SideVision different from the ELEMENT HyperVision?
The image below shows the AXIOM SideVision running at 350kHz (top) and the ELEMENT HyperVision running at 1.2Hz (bottom).
You can clearly see how much more detail the ELEMENT sonar shows. For details, see the individual model reviews.
AXIOM SideVision 350kHz vs Element HyperVision 1.2Hz
AXIOM & ELEMENT Rear Connections
^ AXIOM Rear Connections View ^
^ ELEMENT Rear Connections View ^
• MODEL COMPARISONS •
AXIOM 12 vs ELEMENT 12HV
How is the AXIOM 12 different from the ELEMENT 12HV?
Check out the these detailed reviews »
Full – ELEMENT 12 HV Review
Full – AXIOM 12 Review
Here are the main differences side by side:
| AXIOM 12 | ELEMENT 12 HV |
| Touch ~ Control | KeyPad ~ Control |
| LightHouse 3 OS | LightHouse Sport OS |
| 1200 Nits Bright | 1500 Nits Bright |
| 1280×800 WXGA IPS | 1280×800 WXGA |
| 88° Viewing Angle | 89° Viewing Angle |
| Power ~ 10 Watts | Power ~ 15 Watts |
| RealVision 3D | Realvision 3D |
| NA | HyperVision 1.2kHz |
| Gyro-Stabilized | NA |
| Networkable | Standalone |
| Powerful MFD | Excellent Fishfinder/Chartplotter |
| 6.23lbs | 6.5lbs |
| 12.36″x8.54″x3″ | 11.3″x6.3″x2.4″ |
| Thermal Camera | NA |
| Video – Up to 10 | NA |
| 4GB Memory | 8GB Memory |
| 10,000 Waypoints | 5,000 Waypoints |
| 150 Routes | 50 Routes |
| More Radar Options | Quantum WiFi Only |
| More Available Apps | |
| NMEA 0183 *Adapter | NA |
| $2449-3099 | $1750-2300 |
AXIOM 9 vs ELEMENT 9 HV
How is the AXIOM 9 different from the ELEMENT 9 HV?
Full – ELEMENT 9 HV review
Full – AXIOM 9 Review
Here are some of the main differences:
| AXIOM 9 | ELEMENT 9 HV |
| Touch ~ Control | KeyPad ~ Control |
| LightHouse 3 OS | LightHouse Sport OS |
| 1200 Nits Bright | 1500 Nits Bright |
| Power ~ 10 Watts | Power ~ 15 Watts |
| RealVision 3D | Realvision 3D |
| NA | HyperVision 1.2kHz |
| Gyro-Stabilized | NA |
| Networkable | Standalone |
| Powerful MFD | Excellent Fishfinder/Chartplotter |
| 9.65″x6.22″x3″ | 11.3″x6.3″x2.4″ |
| Thermal Camera | NA |
| Video – Up to 10 | NA |
| 4GB Memory | 8GB Memory |
| 10,000 Waypoints | 5,000 Waypoints |
| 150 Routes | 50 Routes |
| More Radar Options | Quantum WiFi Only |
| More Available Apps | |
| NMEA 0183 *Adapter | NA |
| $999-1599 | $849-1049 |
AXIOM 7 vs ELEMENT 7HV
How is the the AXIOM 7 different from the ELEMENT 7 HV.
Full – ELEMENT 7 HV review
Full – AXIOM 7 Review
Here are some of the main differences:
| AXIOM 7 | ELEMENT 7 HV |
| Touch ~ Control | KeyPad ~ Control |
| LightHouse 3 OS | LightHouse Sport OS |
| 1200 Nits Bright | 1500 Nits Bright |
| Power ~ 10 Watts | Power ~ 15 Watts |
| RealVision 3D | Realvision 3D |
| NA | HyperVision 1.2kHz |
| Gyro-Stabilized | NA |
| Networkable | Standalone |
| Powerful MFD | Excellent Fishfinder/Chartplotter |
| 7.92″x5.24×3.00 | 9.5″x5.3″x2.4″ |
| Thermal Camera | NA |
| Video – Up to 10 | NA |
| 4GB Memory | 8GB Memory |
| 10,000 Waypoints | 5,000 Waypoints |
| 150 Routes | 50 Routes |
| More Radar Options | Quantum WiFi Only |
| More Available Apps | |
| NMEA 0183 *Adapter | NA |
| $849-1249 | $549-749 |
☸ Crew
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- @ RM... We love NAV Gear.
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