Marcum vx-1 pro v.s Genz pack fl-8 vexilar?

[icefishingct98]

which one should i pick the marcum seems pretty hard to dial in whats your opinions?

[ckfish]

I don't have a lot of experience with vexilars but I have a marcum vx-1 pro. I think it's an awesome purchase. Very high quality, and one of the cheapest ones I could find. I haven't been disappointed with it yet.

[icefishingct98]

ok anybody else ive heard great things about it...

[esox_magnum]

You get more with the VX than you get with the 8 and the VX will be cheaper...I have owned and ran Marcums for 6 years now with no complaints, a former happy Vex owner....

[icefishingct98]

i was thinking what about the humminbird 35 also?

[doubletreble]

I have the Vx1 and I am in love. Traded in a Ice35 because I hated it. Marcum never has failed me and is easy to use.

[bpiatt]

The marcum is cheaper, has more power, better seperation, zoom, and comes with a soft case to keep it nice. The fl8 doesn't even give you zoom and cost more. Simple choice man.

[Kevin23]

Marcum, no doubt about it. Twice the features and less cost. Super easy to "dial in". Turn it on, drop your jig down, turn the dial until you see your jig. Done. Takes 5 seconds. The free soft case is a godsend, so nice to fish in the snow without having to worry about your wires/battery getting wet. Add in the face cover for $10 and you can fish all day in the snow/rain.

[Duncan77]

I would go with the FL-8. Since 1989 the FL 8 has help change the way we ice fish. Any Flasher is a good choice. As long as you have one you will catch more fish. and thats the bottom line.

[esox_magnum]

I would go with the FL-8. Since 1989 the FL 8 has help change the way we ice fish. Any Flasher is a good choice. As long as you have one you will catch more fish. and thats the bottom line.

 So your saying 23 year old technology is better than whats made today?..... Do you still use your Comadore 64 then to? The FL-8 is way over priced for what you get,save your money and get the VX-1 with zoom for less and have a better unit....

[NITE-BITE]

Get a bit tired about hearing of old technology.

As if newer is always better?

Vexilar has been around for a long time, so has the claw hammer.

There are more people whining about the new technology than the old.

Hail the Vexy!

[fishinfiend]

You get more with the VX than you get with the 8 and the VX will be cheaper...I have owned and ran Marcums for 6 years now with no complaints, a former happy Vex owner....

Do you work for Marcum?, or at least compensated for your never ending  pro Marcum post?

[esox_magnum]

I owned Vexsfor many happy years, as a carpenter have also used many brands of hammers and the Stilleto is the best out there, yes a $12 Stanley will do the same thing my $200 one does but not as well....

[esox_magnum]

Do you work for Marcum?, or at least compensated for your never ending  pro Marcum post?

 Nope I pay retail, just belive it's a better product after spending years with Vex and now years with the Marcum

[Artjr]

I am new to ice fishing so I guess I am not biased. I was in the same boat. I looked around and read the options and reports. I went with the VX-1 Pro why? I got it at Sportmans guide for 224.00 dollars about 75.00 cheaper than I could get an FL-8 not only did I save 75 dollars I got Zoom, better target seperation, more power and basically a higher end VEX. That would have cost me 150-200 more dollars for the same options. Both seem to be very reliable systems and very easy to use. I just think VEX's FL-8 does not offer the same options for an entry level model that the VX-1 does. So for less money I felt I got more options same warrenty and just as a reliable unit. I then could use the saved money to put towards other things I needed as a new ice fisherman I needed. I also looked at the Bird 35 but it had not been around too long and seemed to have mixed reviews although most were very positive it basically had not been around long enough to have that long of a record. If it proves to be a very reliable system then it and the Marcum have the VEX totally out gunned.

[Duncan77]

So your saying 23 year old technology is better than whats made today?..... Do you still use your Comadore 64 then to? The FL-8 is way over priced for what you get,save your money and get the VX-1 with zoom for less and have a better unit....

I didnt know marcum stopped making flashers. I thought the VX 1 was a flasher. We all get it You Love Marcum, they make a good product. well guess what so does Vexilar. If 23 year old technology is so bad then why does Marcum use it. I still drive a 1968 FireBird, it has alot of power but it wont go as far as my 2011 Durango.

[Loudmouth879]

Can't we all just get a long  my flasher the vexcumbird will out perform all of your flashers

[Duncan77]

Can't we all just get a long  my flasher the vexcumbird will out perform all of your flashers

How much Ice do you have out in NY? We have only two inches and just had a foot of snow put on top of it. And its still coming.

[Loudmouth879]

well since it's been in the 40's to 50's the past week we got nothing. They are calling for 60's tomorrow.... and 40's the rest of the week so 

[Kevin23]

I didnt know marcum stopped making flashers. I thought the VX 1 was a flasher. We all get it You Love Marcum, they make a good product. well guess what so does Vexilar. If 23 year old technology is so bad then why does Marcum use it. I still drive a 1968 FireBird, it has alot of power but it wont go as far as my 2011 Durango.

I think what he means is that both marcum and hbird have upped their games putting lots of features on their entry level units like vexilar puts on their upper end units... giving customers more bang for their buck. Vexilar has stayed with the same super basic OLD technology, saying "we were the first"... yeah you were the first, but now you are in last place and relying on your reputation to sell the products. Time to up your game.

[wax_worm]

If those are your two choices, I would pick the one with zoom.  As for the technology, it was all ripped off from the lil green box from Lowrance in the 70's.  It works and there is little difference betwen Marcum and Vex, other than Marcum seems to need to have a ton more power to achieve the same thing as Vex does with much less power.  More power compensates for a lesser ability to recieve and translate the sonar signal or for using it at depths over 200 ft.  Marcum seems to need more power, Vex needs less to do the same things.  The FL8 is over priced for what it offers.  For an entry level unit, you can't go wrong with the vx1 for the price and zoom option it offers.

[Kevin23]

If those are your two choices, I would pick the one with zoom.  As for the technology, it was all ripped off from the lil green box from Lowrance in the 70's.  It works and there is little difference betwen Marcum and Vex, other than Marcum seems to need to have a ton more power to achieve the same thing as Vex does with much less power.  More power compensates for a lesser ability to recieve and translate the sonar signal or for using it at depths over 200 ft.  Marcum seems to need more power, Vex needs less to do the same things.  The FL8 is over priced for what it offers.  For an entry level unit, you can't go wrong with the vx1 for the price and zoom option it offers.

More power is for better target separation and visuals, and to run the zoom/split screen display. Marcum vx-1P has 2" target separation while vex fl8 has 2.65" target separation. Marcum lines are as crisp as can be, vex lines are blurry and wide. Marcum vx-1p has zoom which makes fishing WAY more enjoyable for me in water over 10', vex fl-8 does not.

[Duncan77]

I think what he means is that both marcum and hbird have upped their games putting lots of features on their entry level units like vexilar puts on their upper end units... giving customers more bang for their buck. Vexilar has stayed with the same super basic OLD technology, saying "we were the first"... yeah you were the first, but now you are in last place and relying on your reputation to sell the products. Time to up your game.

I know what he was saying, he says it in every Flasher post. All the units have a return signal of 200kHz and thats what the unit will display.

[Chris338378]

When I was getting my "flasher" last year I checked out the Vexilars because I heard the name many times over and the Marcums.  I quickly eliminated the Vexilars because of what I was getting feature wise for my money.  I narrowed down my choices to the VX-1, LX-3tc , and the Showdown Dual Beam and in the end I decided to spend a few bucks more and went with the Showdown Dual Beam.  On thing I have to say about Marcum was when I was trying to decided I called them a few times and they answered all my questions completely, took the time to explain things to me, and didn't rush the calls several of which were around a half hour long.

[wax_worm]

More power is for better target separation and visuals, and to run the zoom/split screen display. Marcum vx-1P has 2" target separation while vex fl8 has 2.65" target separation. Marcum lines are as crisp as can be, vex lines are blurry and wide. Marcum vx-1p has zoom which makes fishing WAY more enjoyable for me in water over 10', vex fl-8 does not.

Agree about the zoom.  I have never seen a Vex with blurry lines unless the brushes needed cleaned after many years of use.  I don't agree with the statement the more power is for better target separation and visuals and to run the zoom the split screen display.  The peak to peak watts  or power have zero to do with the ability to run the split screen.  What the user can see on the screen of the non lcd flashers is limited to the number of lines that make up the 'wheel' on the flasher, and has nothing to do with the power.  There are 4 things all working together that impact what we as fisherman see.  1.  Power which describes how strong the sonar signal is SENT.  2. Reciever Sensitivity - ability of the unit to recieve the return signal and translate it into the green, orange, and red displays.  3.  Target separation - works hand in hand with number 2 above and is based on the length of the sonar burst.  The shorter the burst, the better target seperation.  Burst length increases by depth so deeper you fish, the less the target separation the unit can detect.  4.  Display resolution - This works with 2 and 3 and is limited by the number of lines it can display on the 'wheel' of the flasher.  The FL20 has 525 lines it can display.  I could not find what the marcum has.  Without zoom on, the higher the depth range you are on, the more inches or partial inches of the water column are repesented by each line the flasher can emit. 

Past 20 ft, you pretty much have to have the zoom on if you want to see the 1/2" target separation these units talk about.  Vex uses a lessor power output along with a very sensitive reciever and Marcum uses higher power and a less sensitive reciever to present the same thing to the end user.  Both do the intended job well.

The higher power of the marcum (coupled with the right reciever) would be an advantage at depths over 200 feet or if you were fishing in a literal mud hole where the water is full of sedement with zero visiblility.

[esox_magnum]

Every vex I have owned or fished with has fuzzy lines, new and old. Marcums have a sharp crisp thinner line due to having 3 colors in the 3 and 5 instead of blending 2 colors like the Vex, both caught me fish don't get me wrong but the Marcums are just easier to read and do show you more of whats realy going on under you than even the top of the line Vex's we run....Just my experience from years of fishing both units side by side...

[Kevin23]

Set a vex next to a marcum in a dark shanty and you can see the difference plain as day. One is blurry, the other is as crisp. Like HD vs analog. Get a school of bluegill below you and the bottom 5 feet of a vex is a solid red/orange line. With the marcum in split screen I can jig between the individual fish.

[Loudmouth879]

another thing with marcums is all those updates you have to do

[wax_worm]

Every vex I have owned or fished with has fuzzy lines, new and old. Marcums have a sharp crisp thinner line due to having 3 colors in the 3 and 5 instead of blending 2 colors like the Vex, both caught me fish don't get me wrong but the Marcums are just easier to read and do show you more of whats realy going on under you than even the top of the line Vex's we run....Just my experience from years of fishing both units side by side...

You must have had some faulty vex units then.  I have never had a crispness of the lines issue with a fl18 or fl20.  Maybe my eyes are bad.  Also have no issue seeing the difference in Green, orange and red lines on the vex even if they use a blended 2 bulb scheme.  As you said the both mark fish below you, which is what they are intended to do.  The few marcums I have fished around, I have not experienced a marcum showing a fish that the vex did not also mark, so I don't agree the marcum shows more of what is under you than the vex.  If that were the case there are literally 1000's of fishermen out there missing what is below them If they have a vex.     Vexilar would be out of business if that were the case. 

Again, the topic is which of the entry units is better, and Marcum gives you more for less and it is not really debatable, but both will show you the fish which is what you really want.

[wax_worm]

Set a vex next to a marcum in a dark shanty and you can see the difference plain as day. One is blurry, the other is as crisp. Like HD vs analog. Get a school of bluegill below you and the bottom 5 feet of a vex is a solid red/orange line. With the marcum in split screen I can jig between the individual fish.

If I turn a vex on zoom split screen in the same scenerio you descibe I can jig between individual fish too.  I do it all the time with gills, perch and crappie.  At night I turn a vex on night mode which dims the lights.  As long as I can see the colors they don't need to be like a LED blinding light.  They both show a line per fish.  I could give a rats rear end if one is 'fuzzy' as you claim and one is crisp.  Maybe that is why I have not noticed it, as I am fishing for the lines fuzzy or crisp.