Hand held radio

What is the best handheld marine radio for kayak fishing under 150 $

I was just curious what every one is useing any thoughts there a few on Amazon are they all the same ?

Look for non floating with the highest wattage and longest battery life you can find. Some guys like the safety button.

Thank you I would have thought floating would be good why is non floating a better  choice is it because it has more battery life ?

As you can figure, you will likely get many different answers. I am now a Standard Horizon convert as the microphone crapped out on my Cobra.

Standard Horizon HX300 VHF Floating. Try thegpsstore.com free shipping, with the $20 rebate

To me the primary features are:
Floating
Watts (up to 5 watts)
Reliable (warranty)
Battery life & Charging
Small and simple

If you want to go fancy you might consider models with the gps/msc features and may still be in your budget.

Thank you I would have thought floating would be good why is non floating a better  choice is it because it has more battery life ?

Floating units usually cost more.  I hope you're budget constrained by the $150 price point because your radio might be the second most important safety item you'll own.

there are lots of threads on here about radios.

Standard Horizon. Whether floating or not tie it to your PFD.

GPS enable with a DSC emergency location button. Gives the Coast Guard your exactlocation.
http://www.amazon.com/HX870-Floating-Handheld-Integrated-Receiver/dp/B00PM6XDNS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1430407117&sr=8-1&keywords=standard+horizon

No GPS but will work just fine.
http://www.amazon.com/Standard-Horizon-HX150-Handheld-Marine/dp/B00AJVX5L6/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1430407117&sr=8-7&keywords=standard+horizon

I will second the the tethering to your pfd and you don't need a long tether just enough to reach the top of your head, if you have to shake water out of the microphone (if it's full of water you might not be heard) but in an emergency you might not be able to swim after it if it's floating away.

Thank you for the input  I guess I'll spend a few more bucks you are correct about safety not a place to get cheep.

I've got the Icom model IC-M73, and I'm really happy with it. It's got all the features I need,  it fits nicely in the chest pocket of my PFD, and it just feels solid. I attached a little carabiner to the lanyard that came with it, and it stays attached to the key clip in that same PFD pocket.

As for floating vs. not... Check the battery life very closely. I also have a floating Icom (M24,  I believe) as a backup, and the battery life is considerably reduced. Battery life of the M73 is listed at 18 hours, and the M24 is only 12 hours. In a worst case rescue situation, that could be the difference between getting help and not...

Floating ones are also bulkier, and don't fit very well in a PFD pocket.

Non floating because to make them float they have to increase the overal size and decrease the size of the battery. Also a radio floating in the ocean doesn't do you much good. Tether it to your pfd and be happy about the smaller size.  I love my ICOM 72

Yeah, that's just a sales gimmick.  On another note, does anyone know where I could find a floating anchor? 

Ordered the 870 today

Look what I got today