marcum or vex?

[G-TOWNBOWSLAYER]

I currently have a Lowrance X67C which is a piece of junk due to it not having interference rejection. I cant even fish next to anybody using a flasher within 50 ft. So now I decided to put it on craigslist and get a new flasher. I have owned a vexilar before but it got struck by lightning while we were fishing in a thunderstorm. Now my dilema is a Marcum or a Vexilar which I have never used a Marcum but have heard good things about it.

[5watchman5]

I currently have a Lowrance X67C which is a piece of junk due to it not having interference rejection. I cant even fish next to anybody using a flasher within 50 ft. So now I decided to put it on craigslist and get a new flasher. I have owned a vexilar before but it got struck by lightning while we were fishing in a thunderstorm. Now my dilema is a Marcum or a Vexilar which I have never used a Marcum but have heard good things about it.

I just received a vex fl-18 in the mail today and couldn't be happier.  Caught about 20 perch on a small lake in less than 2 hours.  The bottom 6 ft zoom is especially nice.  Good luck with your search

[chfishon]

i love my fl-18 never done me wrong

[Gillchaser2]

how much you want for your lowrance?

[IceArmorGuy]

Marcum hands down, i have a vx-1 it has interference reduction, bottom zoom reads up to 160 feet 310 out the door. Cant be beat.

[52niner]

Thats funny I have a lowrance and I never get interference and my buddy uses an FL-20 right next to me. Did you try the proper adjustments on the menu? Also maybe you have a defect or something in your unit, I've used a lworance for 4 years now and never had a problem with interference.

[wally-eye]

I'm sure you've tried the noise rejection located in the menu section......I've had both a FL18 I've used for years and now the 67 for the past two winters.......best move I ever made to sell the vex........

Heck I can set my 67 right in the same hole with a vex and it'll work just fine.......it's about reading the manual AND understanding it.......

[thorzep]

marcum vx 1 most bang for the buck.....youll be happy with either the vex or the marcum...i prefer marcum

[Junior58]

Do your homework and comare models ........ the only thing that you'll get more from a Vexilar vs. a Marcum is a bigger pricetag. Every option on a Marcum is superior to a Vexilar. My Marcum LX3-TC does more has more power then a FL20 that is $200 more. Power, full optical zoom anywhere, better target separation, 3 stage digital battery charger, waterproof case, quiet ....... I'd buy a Humminbird ICE series before a Vex. Vexilar is the equivilent of being charged $550 for a VHS tape player today. I'd be sure to take some advice about your X67 and read your manual further before casting it aside. It's supposed to be a pretty cool machine.

[icecaptain]

I'd buy a Humminbird ICE series before a Vex. Vexilar is the equivilent of being charged $550 for a VHS tape player today.

jeesh dude, thats pretty harsh.  I have had no problems with my vex.  still catch fish....thats all i care about.   I have to say I would like to try a marcum though.

[beerbellybob106]

i just got a new vexilar fl-20 for this season and i couldnt be happier the features are awesome and works great for catching crappie. i couldnt imagine fishing without one now

[flagguy83]

Do your homework and comare models ........ the only thing that you'll get more from a Vexilar vs. a Marcum is a bigger pricetag. Every option on a Marcum is superior to a Vexilar. My Marcum LX3-TC does more has more power then a FL20 that is $200 more. Power, full optical zoom anywhere, better target separation, 3 stage digital battery charger, waterproof case, quiet ....... I'd buy a Humminbird ICE series before a Vex. Vexilar is the equivilent of being charged $550 for a VHS tape player today. I'd be sure to take some advice about your X67 and read your manual further before casting it aside. It's supposed to be a pretty cool machine.

Just another rookies opinion. I have the fl-18 and love it. I would never buy a marcum. THOSE ARE JUNK....

[ddlpole]

Do your homework and comare models ........ the only thing that you'll get more from a Vexilar vs. a Marcum is a bigger pricetag. Every option on a Marcum is superior to a Vexilar. My Marcum LX3-TC does more has more power then a FL20 that is $200 more. Power, full optical zoom anywhere, better target separation, 3 stage digital battery charger, waterproof case, quiet ....... I'd buy a Humminbird ICE series before a Vex. Vexilar is the equivilent of being charged $550 for a VHS tape player today. I'd be sure to take some advice about your X67 and read your manual further before casting it aside. It's supposed to be a pretty cool machine.

looking at your previous posts............do you work for marcum? 

[Junior58]

Just another rookies opinion. I have the fl-18 and love it. I would never buy a marcum. THOSE ARE JUNK....

Care to tell me a single aspect in detail what's better on a new FL-18 vs. a new Marcum LX3-TC as far as options, power , and price go. I can give you a long list of what you don't get for the $100+ more you paid. You haven't done a single comparison have you? When I purchased my flasher I took away any name tag they had and went with the product. Nobody in their right mind except those who haven't done their homework would buy a vex with what's available today elseware.

Marcum LX3-TC or Marcum LX5

Powerful for a clearer more precise return I.D. signal.
Better target separation
Three true colors not two blended into a third like a Vexilar.
Zoom ANYWHERE in the water column in 5' or 10' increments. Top Vex FL20 ($550) can't even come close to doing that.
Opitcal zoom, not digital zoom like the other flashers ....... true detail magnification ......Not a blow up of what is already there. look it up
Totally Quiet ....... the Vex sounds like a truck compared to it.
Three stage digital charging system with LCD reading and auto shut off ..... not cheap alligator clips.
Free waterproof case ......... Vexilar actually charges more  (go figure) if you want to buy one.


Price .......... a reasonable $349.00 for a Marcum LX3-TC that does more then a top of the line Vexilar that is $200.00 MORE. The Vex does have a 99 cent tackle box, cheap rod holder and fits into a five gallon bucket ...... for only $200 more ......    The other choice would be a Lowrance X67 Ice Machine.

Vexilar is the only one manufacturer that uses a "low power" setting ....... because they have to. Other manufacturers don't need this band-aid. Their units are finely tuned not to need it and the gain can be adjusted accordingly. Do you think they would not utilize it (low power) if it were necessary. Vexilars have trouble with completely zeroing out their gain unlike other units. They can't get it low enough in the weeds. The low power setting and supression cable is a band-aid or work-around to poor outdated R&D for advancing the gain. Seriously, an "s" cable??    Yes, it may work for them but others don't need it. The sad part is Vexilar has fooled so many people by passing it off as a nice option they actually make money off of. A fool and his money are soon parted .............


I probably know more about your flasher then you do ...... "Vexilar, pay more get less". Still care to tell this rookie where I went wrong with my money, bet you can't.


 

[Junior58]

looking at your previous posts............do you work for marcum? 

No, it's all there for anyone who is buying a flasher to see. That's the problem, people really have no idea what every flasher offers because they don't research them before hand. They buy a name and use a recommendation from old man harold down the street. Take away the mfr. names, list the options and price and your decision on what to purchase would easily change.

[esox_magnum]

Marcums Junk??? please fill us in as why?? I was a firm Vex guy untill I had an LX-5 next to me 1 day. That was the last day I used/owned a Vexilar. I still fish next to a Vex FL-20 but it comes nowhere close to the LX-5 in about anything. Ok it does have a cool night mode I'll give it that. Vex is loud, thick fuzzy lines, poor target seperation, poor zoom and that cheezy low power mode thing that makes no sense whatsoever. Why does a 400 watt unit need this when a 2500 watt one doesn't and still can't read what the other is?

[ICE KID]

I agree with you 100% junior, VX1 has virtually every fearure that an fl18 has plus more power, but whatever works for who ever, don't forget, if vex goes out of buissness(which I don't see happening) marcum will probably raise prices  , and we don't want that do we

[Shovel74]

I agree, check your settings and manual.  I have X67 that I let my partner use now that I have a new Marcum LX5, we are typically fishing within 50 feet of each other, and never had any interference problems.  And yes......I love my new LX5!!!

[superslabs]

I use a Marcum and that is becuase they are the best. If you can find any info to prove me wrong I would like to see it.

[Junior58]

Exactly fellas. I'm not trying to hurt anyones feelings but just like car models, the available options are there for you to compare. Don't get me wrong, Vex's are nice units but overpriced and lacking/behind in the important areas. They nickle and dime the hell out of you for everything on the units that others give to you all up front for less. You want a case ....more ....you want a cheap charger ... more .....want some zoom .....more ........want a little more zoom ..... more. etc. I also want someone to present facts to prove me and the last few posters wrong. Calling me a rookie and making unsubstantiated broad generalizations doesn't quite cut it. It's like the "all blondes are stupid" theory. I don't care if you own a Vex but many remind me of an analogy of Al Bundy and his dedication to his old Dodge.  

[s fontinalis]

hey bowslayer, how much did you want for the lowrance? If you are still looking to upgrade after all the comments pm me, I'll be up your way in February and could take it off your hands. 

[samkat]

Care to tell me a single aspect in detail what's better on a new FL-18 vs. a new Marcum LX3-TC as far as options, power , and price go. I can give you a long list of what you don't get for the $100+ more you paid. You haven't done a single comparison have you? When I purchased my flasher I took away any name tag they had and went with the product. Nobody in their right mind except those who haven't done their homework would buy a vex with what's available today elseware.

Marcum LX3-TC or Marcum LX5

Powerful for a clearer more precise return I.D. signal.
Better target separation
Three true colors not two blended into a third like a Vexilar.
Zoom ANYWHERE in the water column in 5' or 10' increments. Top Vex FL20 ($550) can't even come close to doing that.
Opitcal zoom, not digital zoom like the other flashers ....... true detail magnification ......Not a blow up of what is already there. look it up
Totally Quiet ....... the Vex sounds like a truck compared to it.
Three stage digital charging system with LCD reading and auto shut off ..... not cheap alligator clips.
Free waterproof case ......... Vexilar actually charges more  (go figure) if you want to buy one.


Price .......... a reasonable $349.00 for a Marcum LX3-TC that does more then a top of the line Vexilar that is $200.00 MORE. The Vex does have a 99 cent tackle box, cheap rod holder and fits into a five gallon bucket ...... for only $200 more ......    The other choice would be a Lowrance X67 Ice Machine.

Vexilar is the only one manufacturer that uses a "low power" setting ....... because they have to. Other manufacturers don't need this band-aid. Their units are finely tuned not to need it and the gain can be adjusted accordingly. Do you think they would not utilize it (low power) if it were necessary. Vexilars have trouble with completely zeroing out their gain unlike other units. They can't get it low enough in the weeds. The low power setting and supression cable is a band-aid or work-around to poor outdated R&D for advancing the gain. Seriously, an "s" cable??    Yes, it may work for them but others don't need it. The sad part is Vexilar has fooled so many people by passing it off as a nice option they actually make money off of. A fool and his money are soon parted .............


I probably know more about your flasher then you do ...... "Vexilar, pay more get less". Still care to tell this rookie where I went wrong with my money, bet you can't.


 

You are right on all counts however...
I am trying to sell my fl-18 on Ebay and I HOPE not too many people read this thread. I have an x67c because I did do all the comparisons and my particular needs pointed me to that unit. The fl-18 works just fine, but, the 67 fits my fishing style much better. To each his own.

[flagguy83]

I guess to each his own. The vexilar fl-18 is great for what I fish. some of the models I think its the lx-1 doesnt go to the depths that I fish. Plus I bought my vex for 250 bucks. I love the vexilar and will never go to nothing else. But hey thats just my opinion.

[pigmania]

i just got my LX-5 around the first of december, i fish almost every day and can say for sure it is the best flasher i have ever owned. everyone has told you about the specs, so all i can say is you will not be disappointed with the marcum.

[esox_magnum]

Interesting thing I found the other day:

Sonar technology put to the maximum test during 2009 North American Ice Fishing Championships

Rhinelander, Wis. – reluctantly biting fish and the need for well-tuned electronics—everywhere lakes freeze, these two themes figure largely into the schemes of ice anglers. So it was during the 2009 North American Ice Fishing Championship.

Eighty-four of North America’s finest ice angling teams recently converged on Boom Lake, Wisconsin to test their skills against both selective fish and extreme fishing pressure. At stake, $25,000 cash and the right to be called Ice Fishing Champions.

From the start of the two-day event (December 19 & 20), it was clear that this would be an elbow-to-elbow turf battle—dozens of teams vying for the same picky bluegills and crappies, all grouped into constricted depressions in the 20-plus foot lake basin. On key ice zones, scores of anglers and their flasher-sonar units were no less confined, literally packed together within ten feet of one another in all directions. This produced an explosion of sonar signal traffic. The result? Scrambled flasher screens and frustrated competitors.

But there were exceptions.

“It was pretty obvious that the power of the MarCum units were taking most of the other flashers out of the game,” noted defending NAIFC champion Joe Pikulski. “A lot of guys just couldn’t tune out all the clutter on their screen, and couldn’t read their jig or the fish. It was like combat fishing.” Fortunately for anglers such as Pikulski and his partner Myron Gilbert, who finished third, as well as the second place team of Dave Young and Mike Boedeker, and perennial high-finishers Boshold-Horn and Gawlinski-Wojcik, MarCum LX-5s eliminated the signal interference, keeping visible their jig and the fish. The result was a final leaderboard dominated by MarCum users.

“This event was a real eye-opener for a lot these teams, as far as electronics go,” stated Boshold. “Everyone saw first-hand, that the guys using MarCums had a distinct advantage.”

“It was some of the most intense elbow-to-elbow fishing we’ve ever seen at a tournament,” said NAIFC Tournament Series President Jack Baker. “Really the whole thing came down to the anglers who had a MarCum, and those who didn’t.”

Manufactured in the U.S.A. by Versa Electronics, MarCum Technologies offers the highest standards in flasher-sonar units and underwater viewing systems available today.  For more information and a 2010 MarCum catalog, contact Versa Electronics, 3943 Quebec Avenue North, Minneapolis, MN 55427.  For customer service, please contact us at 888-778-1208 or email us at [email protected].  Website is www.marcumtech.com.

[G-TOWNBOWSLAYER]

I found the noise rejection. But its in sonar features so will that help when im using the flasher?

[Left/Center]

what is the best marcum to buy and at what price? thanks for the help, i'm sold, my buddy a really respected fisherman in the Irish Hills area was in that tourney in Wisconsin and he told me the same thing, that his vex was getting interference. he's sponsored so he has all the best vex and all that. hope this helps!

[Junior58]

I hadn't seen that turney report esox magnum .......pretty interesting. I will also agree buy whichever flasher you like but take the time to study each model, weather it's a Bird', Showdown, X67m Vex, or marcum .........

[icecanada]

Everyone will just say the brand they own. So the best flasher system is the Vex FL-20

[solman]

You guys are nuts.  I'm stickin with my fishin buddy 110