FishFinders

[TimC]

I'm sure this subject has been beat to death but here goes.  I'm in the market for a fish finder (been saving up all my gift certificates).  Narrowed the search down to three:  1. Lowrance X67c Ice Machine, 2. MarCUm LX-3 Fishing System, and 3.  Vexilar FL18 w/Pro Pack (from Cabela's) These choices are in no particular order of preference.  Opinions?
Thanx

[Mr.Seaguar]

Marcum needs to change its colors. Too close to each other for quick determination. Nice unit other than that. I have FL18 and like it. To be honest, when I was buying my FL-18 I didnt even bother looking at x67. It is supposed to have all these options. Options=buttons. Last thing I want to have to do is push little buttons with my frozen fingers.

[Fishrmn]

TimC,

I'm a real fan of Lowrance.  I've owned three GPS units.  Two made by Lowrance, one by Eagle, which is a subsidiary of Lowrance.  I've owned two Lowrance flashers.  I've owned four LCD fishfinders all made by Lowrance.  I've owned two paper graphs, one by Lowrance, and one made by SiTex.  But I think that the X67 falls a little short on two items.  Pixels, and power.   The new X135, X125, X136df, and X126df have 480 vertical pixels.  If you are going to use an LCD, why not use the one with the most resolution?

I know that alot of guys are going to jump on this and say that LCDs aren't real time, don't hold up, need maintenance, don't work in the cold.....etc, etc, etc.  That's a bunch of hoooey.

I'll take a few buttons for all of the advantages that they provide.  There are alarms, different screens, more depth scales, more resolution.

I like the LCDs.  Lots of guys don't.  The new LCDs have a flasher mode and allow you to have both.  

Fishrmn

[LoneWolf]

Tim it's going to come down to personal preferences. You will find alot who prefer the LCD and feel it's more bang for the buck. You will find others who are hesitant of Marcum because they feel they are too new of a company - FYI they were the designers behind the Zercom units which were very good. Last but not least are the Vexilar units which have a great reputation not only for their flashers but also for their customer service. If you have the opportunity I would try the different units and see what is right for you.

[Cook078]

Hi,  I just got a new Vexilar...never used a flasher before ever.  I like the brightness of the screen/dial.  Very good detail.  You will be amazed if you never used one before, the noise, the light effects...the fish it shows.  I have the ultra pack.  What I REALLY like about this machine is that it fits into a 5 gallon bucket, so I really can't break it.  But like someone else said, it really is personal prefernce.  I never saw anyone use a flasher or LCD, so I pretty much bought blind...except for all the reports in this group...and I am not disappointed at all...Good Luck..
Mike

[bigredonice]

i think that the best entry level unit is a used zercom clearwater classic.  basically, it is a LCD flasher, butits target seperation and refresh rate are as good as conventional LED motor spun units and its battery life is exponetially better those units.  It also uses military grade LCD material, which wont freeze up, like most other LCD's.  the only thing you are giving up is the contrast afforded by multi-color units, and bottom zoom, found in the latest technology units.

that being said, i own a zercom colorpoint (non-zoom) and a vexilar fl-18 (zoom)  i would trade the colorpoint for a clearwater classic in a heartbeat, but would not trade the fl-18 for anything

of course reading over your post again, you mentioned gift certificates, so unless they are for e-bay, i am assuming you are in the market for a new unit

[acsacmboy]

i have a zercom clear water pro. great machine.

[ShawnM]

I have a Piranha 4 Portable Fishfinder. It works great and only hit me for $150

[kimejs]

I've never fished over a finder before...I just purchased a "zercom marine LCF-40 Flasher" off of ebay...haven't recieved it yet....anybody else own one of these...i was hoping to use a motorcycle battery for the power only 'cus i'm not sure what else I could use.

Anybody w/ any thoughts on this model?  I paid 140$ for it...not sure if i got hosed or not...if i don't like it, it'll be on ebay again by next week...

[kerosenecounty17]

I'm with bigred.  The FL-18's zoom feature gives it an advantage over the others.  In shallow weedy water the low power setting is a big plus too.  Don't know how I ever got along without it.

kerosene

[FIFTYLAKER]

the first sounder i used was a relic called the sea wolf. it was a lot like the old green box. my buddy showed up with a clear water classic and i was sold. so when they upgraded to the LCF-40 i hopped on board and just loved the unit. the super sensitive fine line unit was very impressive. i was kicking A$$ over all my buddies that didn't use a locator. well after a year of that they had enough and most bought the current Vex FL-8. now i was having troubles, the FL-8 caused way to much interference on the LCF-40. i struggled for awhile trying to set up away from them to avoid the clutter. learned to read through it. fish and interference look way different on the readout. well i finally broke down last year to try the new LX-3. what a great unit. super quiet, thin line technology, and from what i have seen the best interference rejection on the market, plus a few other options. I don't think you can go wrong with that or the FL-18. they are both truely great units that basicly do the same thing. it's all how you use them and take care of them. for just being on the ice. the LX-3 and the FL-18 are the best 2 choices. i have heard of isssues with the X-67 and interference. interference is a big drag when your fishing with your buddies!! it's all about hanging out with your bud's on the ice! it don'tget any better than ice your fish of chioice with the gang!!  

[TimC]

Hey Everybody,
Thanks for the inputs.  I ended up getting an FL8SE for my birthday and cashed the gift certificates in on a new auger.  I have my cake and am really enjoying eating it, too.
Tim

[LoneWolf]

Congrat's Tim !