Not another Marcum vs Vex

[Team_Reload]

So first things first, I have used the search function, google, and YouTube. I have been researching since the start of last season. I have looked high and low but feel the need to ask anyway. I have a buddy that has a Vex 22 hd and i have fished with it on multiple occasions. I will say that I got spoiled when he let me use it for a full day so now I have decided to make an investment into a flasher or digital for this upcoming season. So I am going between a Marcum LX-7 and Vexialr FLX-28. In my research I see a lot of people saying to get a vex because they are bullet proof. The few things i have not been able to find are these 1.) Everyone compares their older vex units to the new Marcums, I want to know more about both companies latest offerings (LX-7/FLX-28) 2.) I will admit I have seen a lot of people reporting "bugs" with the LX-7 but I have not found any posts that are very current. I know Marcum has released updates, have these issues been fixed? I have also seen some people report "bugs" with the FLX-28 and those can not be fixed via software updates. 3.) So this last question is not really a debate point between the two but.... Do you think these two units will be replaced anytime soon. I'm relatively new to the flasher game so i dont know how often companies release the new "best" unit. For example, bow, hell you can buy a bow at the wrong time and the new one is out 2 weeks later. I am ready to spend the $700, thats not the issue just don't want to buy something now and have the new model come out in Dec or Jan haha. Let me know your thoughts and if you have tried the two side by side. Oh yeah. I have looked at them in the store but I think that will only give you a slight feel of the unit compared to how it will run on the ice. Thanks again.

[3300]

i'd say it comes down to if you want a digital (like the screen your using now to read this) or anolog (fixed blinking leds) sonar. the lx7 has 6 chart options and you can have up to 4 of them at one time.

next major factor over looked is the lx7 has an optional troller or transom mount transducer so it is used year round.

another option with the lx7 is tv out put.

another with lx7 is can be upgraded into the lx9 that sports a camera so only only screen to use for both camera and sonar.

no noise from the lx7.

so it comes down to what do you want from your sonar more than the few questions you have. it's kinda like buying a van or a truck. they both do about the same thing but in this case there are way more features in the lx7 hands down. being able to upgrade the firmware as you noticed is a major factor while vex has no option. it has been two years since marcum released a firmware update and yes one is in the works for some bugs just like your computer has bugs so they work on them all of the time. the new firmware was due early this year, but they had poor ice conditions to make sure it is ready to be released. they are 150 thousands marcums in the field today and half of them are digital. there are no digital vex's in the field at all.

the bug with marcum is 2.5 feet of water directly under the transducer is missing the jig. if that might be a problem you can't live with until their firmware update is released, then go vex.

the other is if fishing 10 of water we use open water mode to reduce the echo return curve gain and then use ice mode deeper than that.

both of these are in their firmware update and they do have them fixed, but it isn't released to the public until their field testers make sure there are no added bugs. it is very expensive to make their updates and they don't want us to beta test it.

both sonars you have your mind set on will be fun to use. i out grew my hb ice-55 and i'm glad it broke down too. it forced me into looking closer at what is available today when i bought the lx7 and recently upgraded it into the lx9. there is nothing better to upgrade into and it is a fun unit to use and i won't be out growing it any time soon.
also, marcum can add new features to the lx6, 7 and 9 besides tweaks. look at what their last update did for it's users to get an idea.
their service is the best i have had and i have has the worst service and most expensive from hb.
think of those things while shopping them.

as far as moving forward, the lx7 is rather new. the company who started this type of sonar was aqua-vu and they made the showdown and is digital. marcum bought it and moved forward into the colored showdown if you will and those are the lx6, 7 and 9. recently rapala bought marcum because they know the importance of this sonar.

the vex and marcum lx5 are about the closest to comparison in analog. so look at those if you want a spinning plastic hub with flashing lights and a loud motor noise.

i have the best analog from hb and the best from marcum. you could buy both and use the one you like best.

as you noticed there are no such sonar as "bullet proof", so this shouldn't be used as a selling point. there are reconditioned vex's for sale on vex's web site.

i will say that the vex is the most simple unit to operate of the two. i use them too because i set one up for a buddy who doesn't understand them yet and his son took his showdown and left his vex with my buddy. i prefer advancement in sonar and options and features and hope vex will get onboard and have even more of these things to offer us so it's not just one company. really there is no competition to the lx6, 7 and 9.
the other companies you didn't mention are open water units with added or exchanged transducers to be used on ice. so they have their own issues. their is lowarnce who doesn't stand behind their products from what i have read here and hb who is a sham and i hope they go belly up. i hope garmin gets stronger and they are trying. i do like garmin brand products, but they don't offer any thing close to the lx7 either.

i hope this helps you in figuring out the two sonars (and then some).

[Team_Reload]

i'd say it comes down to if you want a digital (like the screen your using now to read this) or anolog (fixed blinking leds) sonar. the lx7 has 6 chart options and you can have up to 4 of them at one time.

next major factor over looked is the lx7 has an optional troller or transom mount transducer so it is used year round.

another option with the lx7 is tv out put.

another with lx7 is can be upgraded into the lx9 that sports a camera so only ony screen to use for both camera and soanr.

no noise from the lx7.

so it comes down to what do you want from your sonar more than the few questions you have. it's kinda like buying a van or a truck. they both do about the same thing but in this case there are way more features in the lx7 hands down. being able to upgrade the firmware as you noticed is a major factor while vex has no option. it has been two years since marcum released a firmware update and yes one is iin the works for some bugs just like your computer has bugs so they work on them all of the time. the new firmware was due early this year, but they had poor ice conditions to make sure it is ready to be released. they are 150 thousands marcums in the field today and half of them are digital. there are no digital vex's in the field at all.

the bug with marcum is 2.5 feet of water directly under the transducer is missing the jig. if that might be a problem you can't live with until their firmware update is released, then go vex.

the other is if fishing 10 of water we use open water mode to reduce the echo return curve gain and then use ice mode deeper than that.

both of these are in their firmware update and they do have them fixed, but it isn't released to the public until their field testers make sure there are no added bugs. it is very expensive to make their updates and they don't want us to beta test it.

both sonars you have your mind set on will be fun to use. i out grew my hb ice-55 and i'm glad it broke down too. it forced me into looking closer at what is available today when i bought the lx7 and recently upgraded it into the lx9. there is nothing better to upgrade into and it is a fun unit to use and i won't be out growing it any time soon.
also, marcum can add new features to the lx6, 7 and 9 besides tweaks. look at what their last update did for it's users to get an idea.
their service is the best i have had and i have has the worst service and most expensive from hb.
think of those things while shopping them.

as far as moving forward, the lx7 is rather new. the company who started this type of sonar was aqua-vu and they made the showdown and is digital. marcum bought it and moved forward into the colored showdown if you will and those are the lx6, 7 and 9. recently rapala bought marcum because they know the importance of this sonar.

the vex and marcum lx5 are about the closest to comparison in analog. so look at those if you want a spinning plastic hub with flashing lights and a loud motor noise.

i have the best anlolg from hb and the best from marcum. you could buy both and use the one you like best.

as you noticed there are no such sonar as "bullet proof", so this shouldn't be used as a selling point. there are reconditioned vex's for sale on vex's web site.

i will say that the vex is the most simple unit to operate of the two. i use them too because i set one up for a buddy who doesn't understand them yet and his son took his showdown and left his vex with my buddy. i prefer advancement in sonar and options and features and hope vex will get onboard and have even more of these things to offer us so it's not just one company. really there is no competition to the lx6, 7 and 9.
the other companies you didn't mention are open water units with added or exchanged transducers to be used on ice. so they have their own issues. their is lowarnce who doesn't stand behind their products from what i have read here and hb who is a sham and i hope they go belly up. i hope garmin gets stronger and they are trying. i do like garmin brand products, but they don't offer any thing close to the lx7 either.

i hope this helps you in figuring out the two sonars (and then some).

3300, Thank you so much for the detailed response. I appreciate the time that you put into it. You make some very valid points that I may have been overlooking previously. I'm excited to hear they have a new software release pending, that shows some promise. So judging by everything you said your lx-7 (now lx-9) has been a solid performer for you? I thought I heard the FLX-28 does not make the traditional vex sound because its brushless now. I have no idea just repeating what I have heard. I really like the idea of being able to have a flasher dial and vertical zoom at the same time. Two questions kind of regarding that. 1.) Can you adjust the vertical zoom in 1 foot increments or are they preset? 2.) How does this unit perform while hole hopping? I have seen people bash it then again Marcum brags that it works well for hole hopping because of the auto depth. Whats been you experience? Thanks

[Flint]

You can set the zoom anywhere you want. Even have one on each side of the circular graph. I own a lx7 and a vex fl22 and still have my first ice flasher an lx 5. The lx5 is one hell of a good unit and the true color 3 light system is no joke. Mine is as quiet as a mouse. The only issue I have with it is it needs a dimmable display for night use. Im not fond of the flat screen on the vex fl22hd as the sun washes it out to easy and the night mode is still too bright. I hope they get marcum digital units problems fixed as I like mine and will keep it even if they dont, but if I just had one unit it would be the old style lx5, the sharp crisp fine lines along with a consistent size signal return despite the depth makes the lx5 a winner.

[3300]

has infinite zoom and it is 1' increments.

we don't use auto depth, so hole hoping is fine other than the imbalance of the carry case (weight forward) having the carry strap too far back to be balanced. when you add the camera to the back of it it is balanced much more, so they simply used the lx9 carry case for the lx7 and that's why you'll see the quick clip plastic buckles on the rear top corners.

as i said, there is nothing more to try to buy that would replace it yet that could out perform it.  that in it's own is bothersome that the other manufactures can't compete to it, yet.

is it perfect, no. when they make the perfect sonar, then game over, one won't have to buy another one. marcum is trying very hard to make it perfect tho. they are also working on their rt9 that is all modular and has gps and is droid tablet based. i don't need gps because the lakes i fish don't have charts for them and i don't need it to fish them.

one more negative is the transducer cable sheath is soft and easier to damage than my hb cable even tho it's bigger around. they are working on building a stronger cable. they do have you fish the puck up high so it's just in the water an inch or so because it works being just wet and that makes landing fish much easier and keeps from cutting the cable with fishing lines.
they have been replacing plenty of cut transducers because of this and many of those have been at no cost to the end user such as my self. i did cut mine and that's when they told me to only use it one inch into the water.

[FISHFORPIKE]

Yep, when is that RT9 coming live?  GPS.  I use handheld.  My lake does not have a good contour map either, but I carry the gps on the boat all summer, marking structure and other points - then I'm able to get there on top of the ice, very easily.  Works great.

[Flint]

Good handheld gps is the way to go for me. I dont need another battery sucking option running, maybe they could put an off button on it.

[Team_Reload]

Good handheld gps is the way to go for me. I dont need another battery sucking option running, maybe they could put an off button on it.

I have a feeling there will be an option to shut it off as the tablet is an Android tablet. Most devices like that have a way to toggle to GPS feature in the status bar. Just a thought.

Thanks for the replies everyone. I went to Gander Mountain and played with the Lx-7. For whatever reason they have never been able to power up before. They had to pull it from the back because well, its May and not many are thinking about ice fishing haha. The battery was dead and it would only run for a minute or two while plugged in. I'm guessing it was because the battery was so low but the transducer made an audible clicking sound. Similar to a electric grill starting snapping. Didn't think this was normal and the display had some irratic behavior but like i said it was completely dead so I think that had something to do with it. They did not have a single Vexilar unit. I asked for the FLX-28 so I could compare side by side and they guy told me they didn't have any. I'm going to try a cabelas or different Gander Mountain sometime. The Lx-7 had a nice display and a lot of screen real estate to arrange the "flasher dial" and vertical zoom. The menus also seem fairly easy to navigate. I'm looking forward to playing more with the two units when they have a decent charge on them.

[3300]

maybe get a deal on that display unit at gander. will come with 2 year warranty and if any thing is wrong or goes wrong marcum will have it back in your hands in less than 10 days.

Yep, when is that RT9 coming live?

they are using it in the field testing it still and working with fcc on the gps is what marcum has said end of last year. they say they like it it a lot.
the rt in the name rt9 stands for rugged or ruggedised tablet. not sure how it got the numeral so high on the 1st rt product.

not helping with gps on my small lakes i fish meant i didn't need to wait for it while deciding to upgrade my lx7 to the lx9 or spend the 1600$ for the full version of the rt9. there is about a 400$ gap between the two at retail.

[FISHFORPIKE]

maybe get a deal on that display unit at gander. will come with 2 year warranty and if any thing is wrong or goes wrong marcum will have it back in your hands in less than 10 days.
they are using it in the field testing it still and working with fcc on the gps is what marcum has said end of last year. they say they like it it a lot.
the rt in the name rt9 stands for rugged or ruggedised tablet. not sure how it got the numeral so high on the 1st rt product.

not helping with gps on my small lakes i fish meant i didn't need to wait for it while deciding to upgrade my lx7 to the lx9 or spend the 1600$ for the full version of the rt9. there is about a 400$ gap between the two at retail.

I posted on their Facebook page about the status, asking if it were going to be available soon.  Response from Marcum was:  "absolutely".  Guess there is some ambiguity in that question and response.  I sure hope to see it by early fall.

[Team_Reload]

maybe get a deal on that display unit at gander. will come with 2 year warranty and if any thing is wrong or goes wrong marcum will have it back in your hands in less than 10 days.
they are using it in the field testing it still and working with fcc on the gps is what marcum has said end of last year. they say they like it it a lot.
the rt in the name rt9 stands for rugged or ruggedised tablet. not sure how it got the numeral so high on the 1st rt product.

not helping with gps on my small lakes i fish meant i didn't need to wait for it while deciding to upgrade my lx7 to the lx9 or spend the 1600$ for the full version of the rt9. there is about a 400$ gap between the two at retail.

Didn't think about that. May be an idea.

I second your opinion about the gps. I can buy the lx-7 for $700 and save the other $700 to buy one hell of a nice handheld gps and some other new gear. Auger would be my first thought.

[Flint]

Transducer snapping noise is normal and its a good sign.

[3300]

i mentioned the rt9 because you are worried some thing else will come out as soon as you buy a new unit that is the latest version. you can't buy the rt9 right now is all, but i wanted you to know the answer as far as marcum and what they have in the works.
the lx7 will be fine and if you like it enough and want a camera too, then you upgrade it.
here's my findings when i did just that;
http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=320114.0

here's a section dedicated to only marcum as they are a site sponsor here and none of the others are and that should tell you some thing about them;
http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?board=179.0

I posted on their Facebook page about the status, asking if it were going to be available soon.  Response from Marcum was:  "absolutely".  Guess there is some ambiguity in that question and response.  I sure hope to see it by early fall.

it is their off season and they do like to talk about fishing, so give them a call. they should be happy to talk about it.
888-778-1208

[Team_Reload]

i mentioned the rt9 because you are worried some thing else will come out as soon as you buy a new unit that is the latest version. you can't buy the rt9 right now is all, but i wanted you to know the answer as far as marcum and what they have in the works.
the lx7 will be fine and if you like it enough and want a camera too, then you upgrade it.
here's my findings when i did just that;
http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=320114.0

here's a section dedicated to only marcum as they are a site sponsor here and none of the others are and that should tell you some thing about them;
http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?board=179.0
it is their off season and they do like to talk about fishing, so give them a call. they should be happy to talk about it.
888-778-1208

I hear ya 3300. I did ask. In my own head is was think LX-7 gen 2 or something like that. I appreciate the info. My fault for the confusion.

[Team_Reload]

Well today is my birthday and I have to say my wife went over the top. I woke up to a brand new LX-7 sitting on the kitchen counter this morning. I have to say this thing seems so awesome. It's only a couple more weeks till we get ice, right? LOL. Thanks for all of the replies guys. I will let everyone know how i like it once i get it out on the ice.

[3300]

nice! happy late birthday!
she's a "keeper".

they are for open water too, so you don't have to wait for ice.

[Team_Reload]

nice! happy late birthday!
she's a "keeper".

they are for open water too, so you don't have to wait for ice.

Thanks for the birthday wish 3300. Do you need the high speed transducer?

[3300]

i messed with mine only one day just to see it work, but because i fish from a kayak mainly and cast towards shore and don't troll i don't need a sonar for open water altho i own four of them at least.
the high speed is for motoring or for moving while watching bottom and fish. the transducer that comes stock is for stationary use so if you anchor down it will work like it would on ice. i'm not sure about cone angles between the two either, but would assume the high speed will offer wider angles.

there was a recent post about using ice sonar for open water in the general section and every one said they work fine for them too.

marcum has the high speed transducer that fits the transom and or the trolling motor if you want one.

at least if you have a boat or access, you can get acquainted with it with the stock transducer so when ice hits your ready and not trying to learn it then.

when you do use it on ice, remember to only have the transducer just in the water enough to get it wet and that makes fishing much easier to land fish and far less tangles if any. it can be used on top of ice with some water on the ice and no hole used to find depths. the manual mentions both of those particulars.
the stopper that comes with it is some what weak and allows the transducer to slip after some time, so i use a piece of velcro one wrap around the cable to hold it to the arm, but you could wind the cable around the arm and have the same results.

here's a post to help get it set up initially and then you can fine tune it how you like it
http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=319913.0