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which $299 flasher would you get

mrpike1973

By mrpike1973
in Ice Fishing

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mrpike1973 Veteran

mrpike1973

Posted
Posted

hi thats all i can afford, there is the fl8, marcum vx1, hummingbird 35. i was set on the marcum but after calling around i got very differing opinions. some said vex all the way others said hummingbird. i have a fl8 now my wife wants one too. we fish seperate one man traps i have no loyalty to which brand. i liked that marcum had bottom zoom. what would you get. bottom line i want longevity something that will last thanks

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brian6715 Experienced

brian6715

Posted
Posted

marcum and vex do not get along. if you put them side by side there will be interference. humminbird will get along with vexilar. so if you ever plan on fishing in the same house go with the vex or the bird. cant go wrong with either.

I am not sure where you get this information. I fished for 4 days on LOTW in a 16' ice castle with my Marcum, a Vex, and a Humminbird. The Marcum worked just fine, never had an issue. I only have an LX-1 (only made one or two years of them). The only flasher that had trouble was the FL-8.

IMO the VX-1 and the FL-8 are not even in the same class as flashers, just look at the options. I am not really sure why anyone would choose an FL-8 over a VX-1; besides some sort of unhealthy brand loyalty.

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bigbad401 Rising Star

bigbad401

Posted
Posted

Look at a couple features:

1. Zoom -- Marcum and Humminbird yes __ Vex no

2. Dual beam transducer -- Humminbird yes __ Vex and Marcum no

Those two features for me had me buy the Humminbird ICE-35. I was close with the Marcum, but the adjustable zoom with the ICE-35 made the difference.

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DTro Grand Master

DTro

Posted
Posted

The interference is usually a direct result of bottom structure composition. I’ve seen people with (all brands and prices) have fits in areas with a lot of rock even as far as 100ft away . That signal is bouncing all over the place.

There are just some instances where you will deal with some clutter no matter what.

Aside from the IR available on flashers, another good way to reduce the interference is to use a narrow beam transducer. I don’t know off hand if any of the entry level flashers have that, but it’s something to think about.

I really don’t think you can go wrong with any of the three. Marcum, Vex or HB. Of the 3, I’ve only personally used the VX-1 and was very happy with that.

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bigbad401 Rising Star

bigbad401

Posted
Posted

.

Aside from the IR available on flashers, another good way to reduce the interference is to use a narrow beam transducer. I don’t know off hand if any of the entry level flashers have that, but it’s something to think about.

The Humminbird ICE-35 does have a dual beam transducer.

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magicstix Community Regular

magicstix

Posted
Posted

Tough decsion. All 3 are good. Vex is old reliable. The other 2 have more features. At the $299 price I'd probably pick the bird.

If you can get a VX1 for $199 I'd go with that and buy something else with the extra $100.

The bird is nice, I've been around that one quite a bit.

The interference thing i have to agree with dtro, I think it has to do with bottom compostion/refecltion. My therory is based on last years trails and errors with other flashers when I was shopping for a upgrade to a new one.

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PerchJerker Grand Master

PerchJerker

Posted
Posted

All 3 will do the job, you really don't hear many complaints about any of them.

Based on what I like, I'd rate them like this....

1. The Marc - best performer in my opinion, and I like the compact size

2. The HB - the most features, and a good performer, and some people like the big flat display

3. The Vex - as someone else said it's the old reliable

You won't go wrong with any of them, but I like the crisp display, the target seperation and the small compact size of the Marc. Hope that helps a bit and have fun shopping.

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iceranger792 Contributor

iceranger792

Posted
Posted

I fished with a fl-8se for a few yrs and no complaints.. But after getting an lx-5 all my interference problems disappeared over night with the push of a button. I'm not saying the IR on my fl didnt work, it just didnt work "as well". Now when i'm in a group fishing i'm No longer the one receiving the interference wink

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harvey lee Grand Master

harvey lee

Posted
Posted

That's a tough one. I used an FL8 for years with no issues. I have and now use the LX5 and the Bird 55.

I might be tempted to say the Bird 35 or the MarCum VX1. But I could fish with the FL8 also.

As stated above by many, you cannot go wrong with the three. I would go with the one that offers the most. Service is great with all 3 right along with CS.

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Ed Carlson Grand Master

Ed Carlson

Posted
Posted

That is a very good price on the FL-8 in a Genz Pack. The FL-8 Pro Pack at Gander is $299. I would prefer the Pro Pack, both are good. It all depends on your needs in transport.

Tough to beat the longevity and durability of the FL-8.

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MikeEiden Collaborator

MikeEiden

Posted
Posted

If you order from Gander Mtn online there is a coupon code "MYCPN5" that will take off $5 for every $50 spent plus free shipping as always. So there is some savings there to be had. Right now there is a $25 rebate on the Showdown 5.6 and with this coupon code puts it at $295. I would also recommend the Marcum VX-1P if you want a flasher. I bought the VX-1 when they first came out which I still currently use. For the money very good unit, no problems, and sorry to say I like it much better than the FL8's especially for botton hugging 'eyes and crappies. I really like zoom mode and both models gives you those features.

As said lots of good units now you just have to see how you can save a few bucks.

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