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Having owned a Fl-8, 2 FL-18;s and fishing next to a FL-20 the past 3 seasons theres no way I could go back to the thick blended Vex lines after owning the LX-5....Better zoom, better seperation, sharp clear lines, true 3 color, battery has never died on me yet,no extras to buy after initial purchase.....Also own a LX-7 and loving it more and more even with a few minor glitches....Nothing against Vex they served me well for many years but they arent the leaders in the industrie they once were...
LX-5's were that price earlier in the season, think there is still a $50 rebate going that will put the price at well below the $450 mark Listed for $469 here http://www.profishingsupply.com/flashers/lx-5.htm Rebates good for units purchased untill Jan 15, so with rebate your looking at $419 to your door...
I liked my fl-20 when I had it, but honestly it struggled in water deeper than 40 foot and could hardly keep a signal from my jig once it got over 20 foot down unless I maxed the sens and then the screen cluttered up. It was a good unit, but not enough power. The reason your vex last so long is because they run low watts. I believe they are around 600 watts peak and most other units are 2400 watts.
He said he doesnt mind the vexy having thicker lines or the resolution being less crisp. What sold him on my lx-5 was that I was picking up fish on bottom that he wasn't and one line on his display was actually two fish on my marcum. .
that is exactly what i have seen with vexilars. that is why i love my lx-3 .
I personally think that MarCum sets the standard in which all other ice sonars should be judged. I finally got out to use my LX-5 and all I can say is wow. Even with the minor issue I had that you will read about below, this unit is truly in a class of its own. Those of you who own one know what im talking about. I fished side by side with my buddy who owns a Vexilar FL-20 and he is now sold on MarCum. The Super Fine Line feature is what really makes this unit stand out from the rest. On my friends Vexilar, the perch blended right into the bottom in zoom and he could not tell the difference until one rose to his jig. On my LX-5, the fish were clearly visible sitting just off bottom in 42ft of water. The reason I'm writing this is because of the other great feature about MarCum, and that is its customer service. I recently read a post about someone who had small dents in the bottom of their LX-5 transducer and it was causing them some minor issues. I also have some tiny dents in the bottom of my transducer and although the unit still works, I was having to turn my gain higher than I should for the situation and I would loose my jig once and awhile. I decided to give MarCum a call today and see what they had to say about the issue. My call was answered on the second ring by a very well mannered person who spoke clean, easy to understand English. I asked him if what I was experiencing was normal and he responded no, absolutely not. I then asked if I could ship my transducer back in exchange for a new one. He said "Nope, we are going to send you a brand new unit with free shipping and paid return shipping for yours." When I asked if I could pay the difference for two day shipping due to my fishing trip Friday, he said "Nah, I'll have it in the mail today with 2 day express and you'll have it Wednesday."I dont think that anyone could ask for better customer service than what MarCum provides for its customers. Its very nice to know that the company stands behind its product 110% and will do whatever it takes to make sure their customers are satisfied. What kind of customer service experiences have you guys had with your flasher companies?
What kind of customer service experiences have you guys had with your flasher companies?
I fish deep water lakes, I used to own a few Vex units, the last one an FL-20, two different angle ducers, the unit could't handle 80 feet, thick lines, gain adjusted high, latency....it pissed me off to no end. Went and got an LX-5, all of those issues went away, and I could fish down to 120 feet without any problems, haven't fished any deeper yet, but I'm pleased (very much so) with the LX-5's performance, even in shallow water.
Nope, its just one mans opinion based on limited experience. Based on your comment I take it your easily offended, immature, and slightly jealous that my flasher is much mo' betta'. I say this with love.
Having not run a flasher I probably have no dog in this fight, but I am looking to get one. My 2 cents would be that the "vex is the best" because they were maybe not the only show in town but the best known and most commonly purchased. Makes me think of heaters, seems like every one says the mr heater buddy or big buddy is the best, but what really are your other options? I know there are others out there, but those seem to be the most popular adn most used.
if you are looking purely at technology, Lowrance and Marcum truly are at the top, but when you start looking at things like practicality, reliability, and ease of use, things get quite a bit murkier. In all honesty, there really isn't a best overall unit, just the best unit for one's applications.
Pure technology? Lowrance and Humminbird BLOW Marcum out of the water. The graph mode on the LX7 looks like something from the 80's. The HDS 5 is ten times more technologically advanced thand the LX 7, and it's cheaper. Heck, the x67c is better than the LX7, and it's $250!
Same here although Vex guys will argue the fact theirs miss fish....
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Topic: The Marcum Difference (Read 10680 times)
