lost and confused

[JeJa]

Never been so confused and bewildered over buying something. Terminology is crazy.models are so similar.I did oen a flasher years ago and could never really get the hang of it.
I have come back to ice fishing and want to get the most enjoyment from it.Ice time is fantastic, but I really do want to catch some fish.
Most lakes in my are arenot covered in contour maps from the major supplier, so I not really interested in that aspect. I already own a GPS, so I don,t need that feature.Fish in 60 fow or less.

I really like the Lowrance 4x or 5x ice machine. Second choice would be humminbird 45 or similar Marcum/Vexilar.

I have read everything I can about the machines, pros/cons etc and still can't decide.

Would like some honest advice as to what to buy.
Thx

[3300]

all i can do is tell you about humminbird. their customer service is bad news. if you buy the 45 and it needs help after the warranty, they charge 170$ plus you pay to ship it.
i had to do this and they didn't fix every thing. i got it back and let them know. i sent it back on my dime again only to have them tell me they could not replicate the problems i have on the ice so they would not fix any thing else and shipped is back broken.

buy any thing other than humminbird!

my ice-55 is loud and annoying to listen too and watch. it is better than the ice-45 being 6 color and i wouldn't want any thing less than 6 color.
now, i have to wiggle the power button to try to get it turn on, thats one of several things they would not fix. the center digital display blanks out the data all of the time. thats another thing they would not fix.
no one else can fix it but them and they refuse to.

just get the lowrance, at least its not a bird.

[Chris338378]

The two most common brands you'll see on the ice is Marcum and Vexilar.  When it comes to flashers it's pretty much a Ford, Chevy, Dodge thing - everybody has their brand loyalty.  Two of my friends have Vexilars and they like them a lot and I have the Marcum Showdown dual beam.  Before I got my Showdown I never owned or even used a flasher and thought the Showdown would be the simplest to use and understand.  I like my Showdown and it is as simple to use and understand as I thought it would be.  Some people don't like it because it doesn't have a color display (it's black and white) and there's no split screen feature (you either see the entire water column or a section you zoomed in on which can be any part of the water column).  I don't mind either of these things and like the fact that I'm looking at a column rather than a multi-colored circle.  As for which one to buy I would suggest the Marcum LX-3TC, LX-5 and in the Vexilar line I've heard of people recommend the FL 18 and FL 8 the most.  No matter what one you get I'd make sure it has a dual beam because it will help you out in real deep water and lakes with lots of structure. 

As for getting advice you posted this question at the end of the season and not many people are getting on here during the soft water season.  On the flip side if it was during the ice season you'd have more opinions as to what to get than you could imagine because of the Ford, Chevy, Dodge thing.  One other problem you're going to run into is since the ice fishing season is over there's not going to be much of a variety in stores. 

[SeisMec]

I'm not trying to be a d--khead, just trying to point you at more resources but use the search function at the top of the page. It's been mentioned that it's the end of the season and there isn't many of us left to talk at here, we are just the diehards. There are tons of posts on different peoples opinion on which brand to buy there. Just type in Vexilar, Marcum, Humminbird, Lowrance, you will have to sift through the posts but there are pages of opinions to read.

Some people have had great luck with a brand and others have had nothing but problems with that same brand. Customer service is the tell all of a brands reputation! From what I've read over the last couple of year both Vexilar and Marcum have great produces designed and aimed at ice fishing and can have some great customer service with very few hic-ups even for units that are out of warranty. Humminbird and Lowrance have great products aimed at soft water fishing and adapted to ice fishing, customer service for these 2 giants is problematic with high service costs to the customer.

[MichiganMan]

I'm sure I'll catch crap from the  loyals on both sides on my comment, but I'll give it to you as I see it. First our family owns a couple Marcums and a couple Vexilars. Either one will revolutionize your ice fishing. That being said; I would compare it to a Cadillac  and a truck. A Marcum will be quieter and run smoother with a nicer case, display, and target separation (when new). But, (in my opinion) aren't as durable as the Vex. The Vexilar with just keep going and going and going.
  As I said, other will disagree, but that's my opinion based on our experience.

[3300]

looks like you have included marcum in your search of sonars now or else i over looked how you wrote them together.

i own the marcum lx-7 also and it is my go to sonar and there is nothing that compares to it except the lx-6 and lx-9. they are the same thing except the 6 is smaller screen and the 9 comes with a camera. you can add that camera to the 7 any time if you change your mind and decide to have it.
it is digital and has configurable display options. it is the most advanced sonar on the market and updateable software for free.

a runner up is the marcum showdown, but its not nearly as nice of a unit. it is what you see is what you get (wysiwyg) like all the others. it uses 16 level gray scale and the way it reads the data is not nearly as sophisticated. that means more interference and not able to filter out un-needed data as well as the lx 6, & 9.

it uses an arm to hold the transducer up and out of the way (one inch of water is what they want the ducer in) mostly compared to all the rest that want you to use a 10 inch styrofoam/sponge rubber bobber and have that big mess down in the hole your trying to fish from unless you make extra an hole for it. they get stuck to the side of the hole and can not stay centered in the hole.

it comes with what they call a rain/snow shield. i use it as a screen saver shield so when water gets wiped off it won't try to scratch the screen. one report of water getting into the screen this season, so maybe thats why is comes with it. a bead of removable silicon on the top seam would put an end to that if it is a problem. i remove my shield when i am wearing sunglasses.

only problem i had is the control panel has a ribbon cable that they didn't lock on and mine slipped back off.  i sent it in and they had it back no charge in 10 days. others that had the same thing happen just opened theirs and slipped it back on.

the last known issue with them is the auto range is glitchy and ice mode is not preferred either.

i have used a vex. it is cave man simple. meaning nothing to dial in or tweak. turn it on and adjust the gain until you see a giant red blob for your jig and then your fishing with a 12 inch foam bobber and a giant red blob for target I.D.'s.   
it had 2 knobs, one is gain and the other is depth. this is why they don't break, there is not much to be able to break on them.

you should go to you tube and watch the ones you think you want in action to see how they fish them.

shows in simulator mode the different display configurations you can choose to use. you can have 3 display options at one time of your choice. no one else does this! like chart (normal open water fish finder in 6 colors), chart zoom, vertical display, circular display like old school vex, vertical zoom, circular zoom, control panel info such as battery voltage, ir, ducer angle ect.
it is meant to be used in open water with an optional transducer for trolling motor mount or transom mount for high speed or any speed. it also has water temp when you use it for open water. it is for all year around fishing.

you should go digital is my opinion. moving forward, not backwards with technology.
digital has no moving parts other than the controls and marcums are just momentary push buttons, not knobs that break like my humminbird did. like the motor that burns out and is loud and vibrates like all the analogs use. my humminbird motor fried too. so do the marcum lx-5's. many threads about that unit this season about motors and needing a new one each season.

[boss j]

my first unit was the Lowrance x67 and i still love that machine. i got the elite 5x this winter and like it but it is hard on the batteries. i fish from sun up to sunset and go through 2 batteries and still don't make it through the day. i am looking into a bigger battery now though. what i have been using are the sealed cell 12v 8 amp batteries.

as far as comparing the Lowrance units, any of them, to the Marcum and Vexlars i would never change from Lowrance! there are a few reasons for this. the Lowrance models are flashers as well as graphs, not the others. i figure why spend the same amount on a unit i can only use on the ice??? i have both the weighted ice transducer as well as the skimmer transducer and i use Lowrance all year long. another nice feature is the zoom option. when i put it to graph i can zoom in on any portion of the water column i want. once i see where the fish i am targeting are actively feeding i zoom it into that area and really focus hard on those fish. i mainly fish for panfish and use small lures. i never have a problem marking my lures at any depth. i mainly fish in 15-30 foot of water but have fished as deep as 75 foot and still no problems. the elite 5x has great target separation as well. as to the arm that holds the transducer i changed it ti a float because its easier to get out of the hole with a fish on as needed. i took about 5 inches of the foam pipe insulation and put it on the transducer cable cinching it top and bottom with zip ties. this way it is still adjustable to the depth of the ice by sliding it up or down the cable. preferably you should have the transducer a inch or so below the bottom of the ice so that the cone doesnot get blocked as it goes down the hole. i have never had a problem with the foam getting stuck in the hole. i will fish without a shanty in the below zero temps and again NEVER had a problem.

the Lowrance units are digital and work great. they are also quiet. when fishing around others with vexlars it sounds like theres a air bubblier working all day. i like the peace and quiet of the digital much better.

as for Lowrance customer service, i have never needed it! my units have never had any types of problems.

[legend]

VEXILAR....it's that easy.

[DR.SPECKLER]

VEXILAR....it's that easy.

that's right.reliable and easy to use right out of the box.i like to setup and fish without screwing around with a bunch of options/settings I don't need.the flx 28 or 20 will get it done. any vexilar model will..my luck with  Marcum products are that the motors in the newer vx1 thru lx5 round flashers are junk and need replacing every couple years if not every year.good customer service though.never tried a bird but don't see them being as good as a vexilar.lx6 and 7 are ahead of vexilar I guess but I think they need to get a few  more years under their belt with that new tech and create a trouble free waterproof digital flasher without glitches or bugs before they market them to fisherman that want a lot of  features.in the end any flasher will put fish on the ice but I want my flasher to do it for many years before breaking down.

[matzilla]

Humminbird customer service is the best in the business...I've had nothing but great experiences dealing with them and that's 99% of the reason why people don't buy from Marcum and Lowrance.

I'd take a HB helix over a 4x or 5x any day

[JeJa]

Many thx for the advice and comments. I have read  ALL the site postings over the last few months; hence the confusion. Sometimes info overload occurs. So much choice with minute differences between similar types. 
Starting to think of the Marcum lx 6 and the lowrance elite 5x ice machine.

[3300]

don't forget you can use the lx-6, 7 & 9 in the open water with high speed transducers. there are two types available. a transom mount and a troller mount. one is about 100$ the other 150$.
the mount it comes with is what you use to mount it to your boat. just take it off of the base plate. has water temperature too.
you can add the camera with dvr for 500$ later to the lx-7. marcum/chris said fast turn around time this time of year.

[Johnsonarcher]

i have used a vex. it is cave man simple. meaning nothing to dial in or tweak. turn it on and adjust the gain until you see a giant red blob for your jig and then your fishing with a 12 inch foam bobber and a giant red blob for target I.D.'s.   
it had 2 knobs, one is gain and the other is depth. this is why they don't break, there is not much to be able to break on them.

If you are adjusting it to a giant red blob then you have your gain entirely way too high. It should be a small green mark. That might be why you didn't like the vex because you didn't know how to set it up.

[Uncle Al]

question about soft water use. I use a vex fl18 and won't leave home without it. I have an outdated lowrance sonar/gps on my boat and want to replace it. Thinking about one that can be used on the boat and on the ice, any one do this? Thanks

[Old Goat]

Al why not use the 18 for both ice and water         I picked up a Lowrance X 96 and that has both graph/flasher still looking for the ice transducer for it. I've been using it off the dock and the flasher works very well it marked my skinniest jig easily( basically a hook with some green wrapped tight around the shank) if anyone knows where to get more of these hooks/jig let me know.

[spam]

my first unit was the Lowrance x67 and i still love that machine. i got the elite 5x this winter and like it but it is hard on the batteries. i fish from sun up to sunset and go through 2 batteries and still don't make it through the day. i am looking into a bigger battery now though. what i have been using are the sealed cell 12v 8 amp batteries.

 I have the elite 5 with gps and i fish 10+ hours and still go home with half a battery I use my gps all day.......I think your battery may be bad or to small

[Shack man Shoney]

The Lowrance Elite 5 HDI is darn good on the ice, lots of good positive features for the hard water fisherman. I also looked and could have had any brand or model out there I did my research and chose the Lowrance Elite series and im happy with it.

[vance80]

Marcum vx1 pro.  Best bang for your buck.  You can get them for under 300 bucks easily.  Nice flasher with zoom.  Clearer and quieter than a vexilar, and a lot cheaper than the comparable vex which is fl18. I have 4 friends with them and never a problem.  I have a lx5 and love it, but I would buy a vx1 and save my self a couple hundred bucks if I had to do it again.

[fish-kabob]

Many thx for the advice and comments. I have read  ALL the site postings over the last few months; hence the confusion. Sometimes info overload occurs. So much choice with minute differences between similar types. 
Starting to think of the Marcum lx 6 and the lowrance elite 5x ice machine.

nice thing about the elite 5x is the gps track back feature let say you trolling on lake superior and you find a rock pile or a ship like the Edmond fitz or etc that holds fish if you don't want to stop  you can keep going and use the arrow curser to track back to were you seen it and mark it  in the gps... that and if you need help reading the gps I got some good photo's out of a book so  I can pm you on how to read sonars  if that the problem...


plus another feature of the elite 5x is the regular screen for ice fishing you can get data of the screen on how the fish reacted..... like it don't leave you with evidence of the fish being there in flasher mode  but when your in graph mode it leave a paper trail of what is going on... like when jigging the fish turned its nose up at your lure and you look at the graph and find it swam down to the bottom cause you jiggled next time don't jiggle etc etc...  which flasher mode that evidence of what happened  disappears some times or is to hard to read... 


but also the Marcums for sure are great units too if you need help reading the screens I can help with that let me know...