FLX28 to LX7

[IM-POUNDING- R -U]

Why dont you call the Perch Patrol and ask them why they run Vexilars? here is address.
http://www.perchpatrol.com/

[hnd]

That's a good analogy. Pull the Atari out of the attic after 40 years and it still works. Xbox 360 after six months, red ring of death.

nobody's pulling atari's out of their attic.   they are still being sold on shelves for 500 bucks right next to the 360's.

[hnd]

Sorry you had so much trouble with Marcum. I have been running a LX-5 for years now and bought a LX-7 and have had 0 issues. You must have bought a unit that was built on a Friday or Monday........

he certainly whines about it enough.  i had a 10 yr old vx1 ran like a champ and my lx5 has had 0 issues for 5 years. 

[bigredonice]

I was just at Marcum HQ There was a stack of boxes of units 2 feet high right there in the lobby that had been sent in for service, software upgrades, etc, etc when I got there.  I don't ever see anything like that with Vex.  ... This was 2 weeks ago and each one of those boxes represents a guy without electronics right at the start of ice season.

This.  This exactly.   I like the LX-7, it is absolutely better as a fish finder for ice fishing, but it has some serious issues...issues that my friends have experienced first hand...issues that ruined fishing trips.  And since I can't afford two flashers, and refuse to have down time during the ice season, I will stick with my vex.     Kinda reminds me of my old 8" Nils Master auger.   Thing cuts better than any other auger out there, but the blade gets screwed up so easily, its fragile...which kinda sucks when your halfway through a day and your auger doesn't want to cut anymore cuz you hit a leaf with the blade.   Downtime sucks.  I'll take reliability every time.

[jfusco5598]

5 seasons with Marcum (2 w/VX-1 and 3 w/LX-6) not a single problem! 

I've seen Vex's, Hummingbirds and Marcums broken...maybe it's the user not taking care of their gear and not the manufacturer? 

[bigredonice]

5 seasons with Marcum (2 w/VX-1 and 3 w/LX-6) not a single problem! 

I've seen Vex's, Hummingbirds and Marcums broken...maybe it's the user not taking care of their gear and not the manufacturer? 

you missed this part

I was just at Marcum HQ There was a stack of boxes of units 2 feet high right there in the lobby that had been sent in for service, software upgrades, etc, etc when I got there.  I don't ever see anything like that with Vex

My buddy babied his LX-7 like a computer.   I was there when it stopped working.  It.  Just. Stopped. working.   I'm rooting for Marcum, I'm ready for new (reliable) technology, my fl-18 is getting old...

[jfusco5598]

you missed this part
My buddy babied his LX-7 like a computer.   I was there when it stopped working.  It.  Just. Stopped. working.   I'm rooting for Marcum, I'm ready for new (reliable) technology, my fl-18 is getting old...

All companies are different, maybe they don't leave out returns for everyone to see.

[bigredonice]

All companies are different, maybe they don't leave out returns for everyone to see.

very true

[chumster]

But where are you going to put them when the back room is already filled ?

[Agronomist_at_IA]

I own a Marcum VX-1 (my extra unit for when I take someone along) and a 28.  I really like both of these units and have had 0 problems with either one.  So for me, this isn't a "Marcum vs. Vex" comment.  When I look at the upper end Marcums, I really like all the features they offer, but it just seems to me you are basically hauling a laptop computer out on the ice.  I think about the conditions on the ice.  You have ice, water, cold, snow.  Stuff can easily get banged around, stuff set on it, dropped on it while it is in the sled.  I look at the "monitor" screen on the high end Marcum units and I think about the circuitry that must be inside there to make the thing work and I immediately get worried about durability.  I was just reading a posting that someone started about having some issues with his LX-7 "hesitating".  Some sort of "hard to replicate" "every once in a while" type issue.  Sort of like what you would see with your laptop.  After the post was started, about 8 guys added a "me too" for problems with theirs.  Yikes. 

Marcum HQ is 20 minutes from my house and Vex HQ is 10 minutes away.  I have been to both.  I was just at Marcum HQ 2 weeks ago to pick up a soft case for the VX-1.  There was a stack of boxes of units 2 feet high right there in the lobby that had been sent in for service, software upgrades, etc, etc when I got there.  I don't ever see anything like that with Vex.  I'm not questioning the build quality of Marcum, all I'm saying is that when you build something this complex and put it into a harsh environment, it seems to me that problems are inevitable.  This was 2 weeks ago and each one of those boxes represents a guy without electronics right at the start of ice season.  Seeing that post about LX-7 problems just a few minutes ago sums it up for me.  Again, I don't care who manufactures it, my concern is the design.  If Vex built a "laptop" type unit, I wouldn't buy that one either. 

I don't know.  Maybe I'm ignorant on the build of these units, but it just seems to me like you are asking for issues when you haul something that complicated out in the conditions we fish in.  Maybe if you fish exclusively out of a wheel house, I could see it.  The unit rides to the lake in the warm truck and goes into the warm fish house but for a guy who pulls his shack out with an ATV or snow machine with stuff bouncing around in a sled and sets up in a cold, wicked environment, I think I'll leave the laptop at home.

This post is right on, and couldn't agree with you more.

I think Marcum makes a great product just like Humminbird does. From my own experiances I prefer the flasher style fish finders.

From my own personal experiance I don't care to use open water sonars or computer type sonars on the ice. I bought a humminbird 859 to run my i-pilot minnkota. it was sent in twice because of the unit locking up with software issues & had two upgrades done to it before it worked right. It took till midsummer for it to work well. I had a showdown that took 3 upgrades before it worked correctly, and even with the internal heater in it, it would slow down. My friend has a humminbird 597 & 345 that are open water/ice models. he got the 345 working ok and sold it. Then upgraded to the 597 for his boat and ice. An update just came out that he hopes gets it working right for ice fishing. He was frustrated with the 597 so much he bought an FL22 when it came out just for a solid ice fishing sonar.

Don't get me wrong any sonar is better then nothing, but I've had to many issues with software based units that caused more frustration while fishing. I've found that in todays world "upgradable" systems are headaches for the most part. It seems that companies rush product to market before testing it, and use the customer to find/correct/solve issues instead of properly testing the software & equipment and releasing a solid product from the start. Once the companies finnally get the unit working like it should they quit software support for it and your back buying the newest/latest POS and going through it all over again.  The KISS rule is nice when it comes to the ice.

Also, when I buy a sonar unit I like to know how to run it. That means know what every option on the unit is for, how & when to use it, and what it really does. Also I like to be able to explain the people who never have used one how to run it. I can have a newbe running a vexilar like a seasoned vet and understanding how to make adjustments and read what the sonar is telling them.

[MNDan]

I don't know why someone would choose to listen to a spinning motor while watching an inferior display when they could go with the dead silence of digital & a huge, accurate display! I've never had a problem with any Marcum product I've owned (knock on wood), and I bet there are thousands of other happy customers as well. You'll only hear from the ones who have had troubles on the internet, and there are plenty who have had problems with their Vex's as well.

[moneypit2]

I don't know why someone would choose to listen to a spinning motor while watching an inferior display when they could go with the dead silence of digital & a huge, accurate display! I've never had a problem with any Marcum product I've owned (knock on wood), and I bet there are thousands of other happy customers as well. You'll only hear from the ones who have had troubles on the internet, and there are plenty who have had problems with their Vex's as well.

Well put and spot on

[oldtrapper]

X2! After 8 total failures 3 showdowns and 5 lx3's you couldn't give me a marcum product, for you guys that are running marcums fill out your warranty cards, once warranty has expired, sell, to someone you don't know or like!

Man oh man with that kind of luck you certainly don't belong anywhere near the ice or near anyone in case your bad luck rubs off .  You need to be in a bubble guarded by the US marines 

TD

[bigredonice]

Man oh man with that kind of luck you certainly don't belong anywhere near the ice or near anyone in case your bad luck rubs off .  You need to be in a bubble guarded by the US marines 

TD

I doubt its luck,  I would like to see you find someone that has had their showdown for at least a year and hasn't had it fail at least once on them...

[moneypit2]

I doubt its luck,  I would like to see you find someone that has had their showdown for at least a year and hasn't had it fail at least once on them...

congrats you just found him no issues whatsoever

[FISHFORPIKE]

I doubt its luck,  I would like to see you find someone that has had their showdown for at least a year and hasn't had it fail at least once on them...

I have two buds going into their 3rd season with the showdowns - no issues, at all - they are very happy.  Believe you have had some bad luck - I've heard the same about almost every product out there.   Really tough to know what's going on with some of these instruments, how they are treated or not treated.  I love my LX7 - going into my 3rd year with no issues.  Had an lx-5 before that- no problems there either.

[Layne]

I don't know why someone would choose to listen to a spinning motor while watching an inferior display when they could go with the dead silence of digital & a huge, accurate display! I've never had a problem with any Marcum product I've owned (knock on wood), and I bet there are thousands of other happy customers as well. You'll only hear from the ones who have had troubles on the internet, and there are plenty who have had problems with their Vex's as well.

Because the Vex is still catching me fish and the LX7 is sidelined and sitting on my desk with a dead transducer.

Reliability, battery life, size.. 3 things the Vex has going for it. My 28 can do 2+ full days on the ice running the flasher and my flipover lights, the LX7 can do a full day in our wood heated permy shack but that's about it. Performance/target separation is very close in both units but I find the 28 has less "bottom loss" on steep/rocky bottoms than the LX7.

I honestly don't mind the marcum flashers but I personally know 6-7 people that have gotten bad units in the last couple years and have never known someone to say a single bad thing about their vexilar, lots of 10+ year old units too. The forum always seems to have 2-3x more threads with marcum/humminbird users reporting errors than vex owners.

[bigredonice]

congrats you just found him no issues whatsoever

thats amazing.   the ones they send out to the capital district then must really suck.  Can't tell you how many times I've shared my shanty with one of my friends when their showdowns went down... Congrats.

[moneypit2]

I would give vex a try if they get rid of that blob of a mark I simply can't stand it but atleast it has a beverage holder lol

[bigredonice]

I would give vex a try if they get rid of that blob of a mark I simply can't stand it but atleast it has a beverage holder lol

beverage holder?  Seems pretty deluxe if you ask me 

[moneypit2]

beverage holder?  Seems pretty deluxe if you ask me 

  sorry I had a mind melt I was thinking of the fl20 sitting on my buddies basement shelf covered in dust lol

[bigredonice]

  sorry I had a mind melt I was thinking of the fl20 sitting on my buddies basement shelf covered in dust lol

Sucks when you don't have enough ice to get out and fish.   i'm sure someone could find a use for that thing, send it up here where we've got safe ice. 

[moneypit2]

The bottom line is different strokes for different folks use what you will and fish the hell out of it

[moneypit2]

Yea this weather is ridiculous already gonna do a road trip soon

[bigredonice]

Yea this weather is ridiculous already gonna do a road trip soon

If you ever head to upstate NY, shoot me a PM.  I'd be happy to point you in a good direction.

[moneypit2]

Yea this weather is ridiculous already gonna do a road trip soon

[SpitzoMT]

I would like to see you find someone that has had their showdown for at least a year and hasn't had it fail at least once on them...

I've had my Showdown 5.6 for three seasons now with no problems. It's not the fanciest & has no color, but it helps me catch fish.

[ugillme]

i like it simple, drop unit in the hole. it shows me the fish, i catch the fish. i dont want to have to update and worry about the headaches afterwards. ive used a vex 12 now for yrs and havent had 1 problem and i like it that way. whatever you use if it stays out of the shop and catches fish thats all you need. you dont need all the bells and whistles to do that.

[taubros]

I feel like everyone has their experience but I've heard more bad stories about marcum then vex. I've own 2 lx3tc that were both bad .. thats enough said for me. I will never buy another lx3tc but that doesn't mean all marcums are bad.  My lx7 has been good to me but I'm the type of person that likes to try new things so i can have my say. This season I'm trying out the flx28 and see how that goes. I hope that it will be better than my lx3tc and plan to use it for many years to come

[oldtrapper]

I doubt its luck,  I would like to see you find someone that has had their showdown for at least a year and hasn't had it fail at least once on them...

You did see the part where the lad mentioned (5) LX-3's too, right ?    Not one,not two not even three but (5 )  The showdown wasn't really a Marcum product originally .  Anyways after all is said and done there has to be something wrong with my first year in production LX-3 and first year production LX- 5 since they are working very, very well .  Maybe I should send them back to find out what's wrong with them . ." Damn you Marcum , you sent me faulty flashers ". They work . 

TD