Vexilar FL-22 HD vs the Marcum LX-5

[darkwater777]

After reading a bunch of posts here with many guys on the Vex side and many on the Marcum side I decided that since nobody has actually posted a report pitting the two against each other, Id go out and buy one of each. Im am not in any way going have a biased opinion here. I don't work for either company and have money in both units and want to share my opinion. My last Marcum was a LX-3 tc and I wasnt happy with it at all, looking back I believe I had a bad transducer and didnt get much help from Marcum, that was years ago and Ive only heard good things since so I will give them another shot.
For the first part of this review Im going to just show the pro's and cons of each model out of the water. Tomorrow Im hitting the lake and will do a shallow water and deep water test (max 50 ft.)
Here's the two unit side by side.




First things first I will say that Vexilar does a much better job in their packaging and sale of the unit. The Vexilar comes with a 52 page full color manual. It gives a brief history of flasher technology. Gives you info on how to read your flasher, Cones angles and coverage, dead zones, info on all the vex models and just a bunch of other tips that help out newbs. Its really good. They also include 2 DVD's, one which gives a visual of how the FL-22 works and how to understand it and then a DVD of "Fishing Today" (pretty crappy show full of advertising) The DVD's are a nice touch though.
Marcum on the other hand gives a 10 page user manual thats near impossible to see, lacks pics but does give you the basics. Marcum could really work on the manual. I know this has no bearing on how the unit performs but its nice as a paying customer to see the a company give its best even in reading literature. Would that sway me from buying one over the other...probably not.






Looking at the units you'll see that the Vex has the flat face and the Marcum has the Cupped ring around the display. The Vex has the advantage of being viewed at different angles and snow won't build up in a cup where the Marcum isnt as easy to view at angles. Marcum did supply a clear plastic cover for the cup so snow will not build up.
Turning on both units will show that both are the same in brightness but the Vex has the night mode which allows you to dim it so its not so hard on the eyes. Nice feature. One note is that when you turn the Vex on its quite loud vs the Marcum..this can be a big deal for some.
The Vexilar has 10 ft increments and the LX-5 has 20, the 10 ft are supposed to give the FL-22 the edge in shallow water. I will do a head to head test and see.
Both units have the bottom zoom feature but Marcum has the ability to move that anywhere in the water colum which is a strong selling point. Vexilar does not have this.


Next thing That I saw a big difference in was the Transducers. I have to say the finish on the Vex is top notch. It looks good, the bottom is smooth and it has the option of the Tri Beam. It has the 8,12 and 20 degree angles. The switch is located on the side of the propack and is a "switch" and not a button. Some people are reporting problems with the Tri-Beam not working properly, I personally havent had this happen but you never know. Vexilar seems to be working it out with these guys though.
The Marcum Transducer looks very rough on my unit. Its not perfectly flat and has some small dips and bumps on the transducer surface. This is not to say it doesnt function 100% Im just reporting what I see. The cone angles on the Marcum are 8 and 20 degree's



Another hotly contested feature of the units is how they hang the transducer. As you see Vexilar has the float and Marcum has the arm. In my experience the float builds up alot of ice and tends to float around the hole in my flip up which can cause a tangle. Doesnt happen much but it has and thus I prefer the arm.

Pro pack vs the soft case is a matter of preference as well. The Marcum comes with the free soft pack where Vex charges $40 for it. Vex comes with a tackle tray that stores with the unit and well as a rod holder.

Up here in Canada the Marcum LX-5 and Vexilar FL-22 sell for the same price. We don't get any deals.

So for the basic looks, design quality, marketing ect...I have to give the edge to the Vexilar FL-22 but this is before both units hit the water. Performance in  will be a different story and I will give a report.

Cheers!!

[walgill1]

Let us know of your report, i just got my FL22-HD Pro Pack and will be using it this weekend in very shallow water-less than 7 ft for saugeye. The low power will be the key i hope in the shallow water. Thanks Walgill

[dutch3376]

Looking forward to what you find on the ice.. 

[mroy44]

im lookin at a flasher so keep us posted

[rjm123]

wow! i wish i could afford to buy two top of the line flashers. good luck on your test, hopefully you catch some fish. its nice to see an unbiased comparison.

[ice dawg]

When you decide which one is the best, feel free to send the loser to me. 

[darkwater777]

wow! i wish i could afford to buy two top of the line flashers. good luck on your test, hopefully you catch some fish. its nice to see an unbiased comparison.

What my buddies spend on smokes, booze and gambling I put into my fishing gear which my whole family enjoys. Guess everyone has their vice, mines fishing and hunting   

[esox_magnum]

And people look at me in wonder when they find out I have muskie baits I paid over $80 for....    Is it odd when your fishing gears insured for more than your household???

[highsparks]

  I like it when guys around me use the float to support thier transducers .  Means more fish for me .

    Ever seen your water move around in your hole ?  Wind , traffic on the lake , expanding and cracking ice all make the water in your hole jump .  This translates to a float , causing the leading edge of the bottom to fluctuate .  By hanging my transducer from an arm attached firmly to a pak sitting on the ice I eliminate that .  Allowing me to see a bottom hugging eye slipping in under my jig .  The only bottom fluctuations I see are fish , not a moving float .......

[dkfry]

I hate the float, thats why I use the screw eye.

Will stay tuned for the performance part of the review.

[fitch3rd]

I am New to the sport of ice fishing and I am also looking to buy a flasher. My neighbor has a vexilar fl 8 and he said I needed a flasher to catch more fish. Cant wait until you post your findings. Thank you . May the best one win....

[eyestroker]

Can't wait to see the rest of this thread.  Tho I think you missed sumthin right out of the box.  Who has a more convenient/better charging set up?

[jpicks]

Definately can't wait to read the rest of this thread.  And from a ol' Sask boy nonetheless.

[Junior58]

I just wish I knew the benefits of the hyped 10' increments on the FL-22. What advantage is there over the marcum LX5 which can put a 5' zoom window anywhere in the water column.  The FL-22 has higher lines of resolution but the LX5 has a super fine line feature. Which is better? I own an LX3 and I give Darkwater some major credit for dropping some bills on both these heavyweight units.

[filetandrelease]

 I don't care if my float freezes mine has it's own hole ,so i don't have to pull it out ,just one less thing to worry about

[John_BZ]

same here. unless im hole hopping i drill a separate hole for the flasher. when im hole hopping when i hook up on a fish i pull the ducer out every time regardless so i like the float. its quick just toss it in and i can have all the cable out so i can splash and go when i am searching for fish.

[fishingsurveyor]

Looking forward to part 2 of the never ending saga marcum vs the rest

[craigthor]

Great intro review. Interested in what your field tests say. I have the FL22 myself and love it.

[slipperybob]

So when is this tommorrow day? 

[darkwater777]

Sorry for the delay boys, I havent had to the time to do this but being on a night shift and have about 10 hrs to burn here I'll finish my post  
So I was able to make it out a few days ago to Last Mountain lake in hopes of some action, bite was real slow but I got to fool around with the flashers which made the day interesting.

Here's a pic of my set up, it was somewhat a storm outside



I wasn't able to do a real lengthy shallow water test but the Marcum did perform well. I could see my jig fine in 7 ft of water and bottom was crisp. I'm somewhat dissapointed in the shallow water performance of the FL-22. In low power mode in 7 ft. of water I can't get the view as thin and crisp as the LX-5. I like having the gain set so I just see a thin green line for my lure on the vex and when I do this I loose the jig as I do any up and down movement. I have to turn the gain up quite high to always see the jig and when its stationary its really thick.  Id give the edge to the marcum in real shallow water, I don't see any advanatge in using an FL-22 in shallow water vs. the LX-5



My next step is where I spent 99% of my fishing and thats in the 30 ft mark in search of walleye and perch.
The Marcum LX-5 had great seperation and no dead spot on the bottom. The super fine line is really cool and gives amazing seperation. I found that the hood on the LX-5 definetly limited the viewing angles vs. the vex and display was smaller in comparision. The 3 colors on the LX-5 don't blend or transition like the Vex which I didnt like, I like the blending. I believe this is all personal preference, I had my Fl22 first and got used to the 3 colors and them blending together when a fish swims to the lure. The Fl-22 has 3 colors that are led, Marcum also uses 3 colors. The moveable zoom window on the Marcum LX-5 is a cool feature and would benifit some people but for me I don't need it. I hole hop alot and find it somewhats slows me down. Again nothing major but I prefer the quick turn of the zoom on my Fl-22. Marcum's swinging transducer arm is very nice and I prefer it to the float. I now use the the suplied screw with the Vex to hang the transducer. I only caught 2 fish and both were with the LX-5.. I wont blame the electronics..think it was the fisherman  



I found the Fl-22 to be very nice in the 30 ft mark. The display is really big, viewing angles are really good and just seems really smooth. The target seperation vs the Marcum is almost identical but would give an ever so slight edge to the Marcum. I lost about 1" of bottom using the Vex vs the Marcum but both were really tight and no fish would slip under the unit undetected.

So after my testing the units head to head I think it all boils down to what you prefer and are used to. At the moment I have way more hours behind the FL-22 HD and have come to like the display on it, Im comfortable with the 10 ft depth windows and the Tri-Beam. I like seeing the line blend from green to yellow to bright red signaling a fish swimming in. The  Marcums blinking from green to yellow to red was different for me, something Im not used but not a bad thing..personal preference. I really apprecite the night mode as I have vision problems with bright light. Having either the Vex or Marcum on in full brightness gives me a migraine (this happens in a dark shanty) I don't get this with the night mode.

If I had to make a choice of the two Id use the Vex FL-22 but looking at the prices in the U.S the LX-5 is $100 cheaper and if you're only buying a unit on target seperation it would seem the better choice.
I read one post on a forum where a guy was fishing with his LX-5 and met Dave Genz with a FL-22 HD. Genz gives this guy a try of his FL-22 and this poster later goes on to report he listed his LX-5 and wanted a FL-22. At first I thought this was some Vex guy just talking but comparing the two I can see it, the FL-22 HD is a really nice unit.

There are alot of things I prefer in life that doesnt always go with the popular opinion and Im cool with that. I went out and bought the LX-5 so I could make my own mind up and just because I prefer it over the LX-5 doent mean you will. Lots of informed people have valid comments on why they dislike Vex and prefer Marcum's or Birds....I guess you need to buy what works for you.

BTW, The best piece of equipment I have, other then my Dodge 4x4  , is that Gregg Austin walleye rod, freakishly amazing custom rod. You can almost feel a walleye swin by your bait with it 

Cheers!!

[fin-n-feather]

Cool post dark!  Like you said, each unit has its pros and cons, likes and dislikes.  I think they are all pretty much good units out there too.  It just comes down to personal preference in picking out the unit with the most features that suits your own fishing style.  I don't think there is one out there yet that has everything on it exactly the way you want it.  Fin

[darkwater777]

Cool post dark!  Like you said, each unit has its pros and cons, likes and dislikes.  I think they are all pretty much good units out there too.  It just comes down to personal preference in picking out the unit with the most features that suits your own fishing style.  I don't think there is one out there yet that has everything on it exactly the way you want it.  Fin

If I could get a unit with the target seperation and transducer arm like my LX-5, the digital dial like a Humminbird and the Tri-beam and overall configuration and finish of a Vexilar it would be perfect.

[fin-n-feather]

Hey Dark, I see u dont use the float either.  I reposted a post I did earlier on a swing arm mod for my vexilar where u dont have to keep taking the eye bolt they give you off and on. This arm swings around so u can adjust it in the hole where u want it.  Fin

[darkwater777]

Hey Dark, I see u dont use the float either.  I reposted a post I did earlier on a swing arm mod for my vexilar where u dont have to keep taking the eye bolt they give you off and on. This arm swings around so u can adjust it in the hole where u want it.  Fin

I saw that, looks like a good idea but I do use my rod holder from time to time. I guess I could always buy a second one.

[craigthor]

If I could get a unit with the target seperation and transducer arm like my LX-5, the digital dial like a Humminbird and the Tri-beam and overall configuration and finish of a Vexilar it would be perfect.

Not that I need the digital dial but if the Marcum was a flat screen would be sweet. Think that is why I like my Vex more.

[FishN4Eyes]

REALLY good post Darkwater77.

A lot of great information and very informative.

Nice job and many thanks for taking the time to do document your findings.

I bought the LX-5 but it was mainly a price-thing as they seemed fairly similar and I fish a lot in shallow water.

Cheers!

[ice dawg]

An arm to hold the transducer came with my FL 18 years ago. I will either snap on the front or either side of it. This way I can either use the float or the arm. When not in use it fits tightly next to my battery. I shouldn't say that I snap it on as it slides down onto it's mount.

[ice dawg]

The blending of the colors on the vex is one of the things that I am used to and do like. It seems that many people don't like it as they say the readout is blurry. It always told me something about what was about to happen near my bait. I fished for many years with a Micronar FL 18 and couldn't believe how much brighter the FL 18 is.

[iceman_phil]

Can someone elaborate on this "blending"?  I'm not sure I follow what it means and how it can be different....I own an FL-18 and am looking to get a LX-5 as a second unit, so I want to understand what the difference is between the two.

Thanks,

Phil

[ice dawg]

The vex doesn't switch from one definite color to another like an LX5 does. When a fish comes into the transducer cone it will transition from one color to another. Something may start out as yellow, then turn to orange and finally red as it moves into view. I have only used my LX 5 one time, but they will change instantly from one color to another. The blending of colors on a Vex is something that people either didn't like or couldn't get used to in some cases. I found it to be helpful to me. I'm sure others on here will have different opinions about both units.