LX-3 vs. FL-18

[freighttrain50]

i know this is like comparing apples and oranges but i willing to take a chance here. i was just wondering if there are advantages and disadvantages to both. i know of the adjustable zoom and the Marcums come with the soft case but rumor has it the transducers aren't very good on them and they have a hard time with soft bottoms or somthing. are these rumors true? also i they dont make as much noise as the vex's. but can you buy a transducer for the marcums for fishing in the summer that you can mount to your boat somehow? also does the marcum have controls like the bottom lock feature or the low power settings like on the vex-18. just like to hear some of the pros and cons of each unit, i have the fl-18 now and am looking at the LX-3 . any info would be great. Thanks

train

[Dingo]

Both Vexilar and Marcums will have trouble with the transducer if you don't take care of them. Rough handling or banging the trasducer will cost you in the long run. I have an LX-3 now and I love it. No problems. You shouldn't need to turn the gain higher than 3. If you need it higher in the 20ft mode, your transducer is bad or your battery is low.

You will be very happy with that LX-3 you are considering.

[JWB475]

I would search the archives and you will get more information than you can handle.

I own and LX-3, and use it on the bow of my boat all summer, you can get a TM transducer, and a high speed transducer for it. Never had a problem with the unit....

[ChuckN]

I lost count of how many ducers I've went thru on my FL-8, maybe 5? All due to hard core abuse, it happens when riding in a sled and dealing with the extreme conditions.

I now have the Marcum and I really love it.

I've used the Marcum in sand, rock, weeds, mud flats, never a problem. I don't know why it would have a problem...

The Marcum does not have lock bottom mode or low power settings. Though, it does have the adjustable zoom that has been incredible for the bottom hugging walleyes, and last night's crappies.

You can get the summer transducers too, for the trolling motor and transom. The LX-3 will definitely go into my boat this summer.

[freighttrain50]

hey, can the LX-3 fit in a bucket like my FL-18 pro pack. also when you fish shallow (under 15 feet or so) does the LX-3 have too much power that picks up and reads too many weeds and type of stuff. i know when i get shallow with my 18 i switch over to the Low power setting and everything seems to clear up and i get a better reading. thanks for the replies so far.

[Rick]

It doesn't fit in a standard 5 gal bucket and it reads fine shallow or deep with no need for the special settings or S-cables. Just turn the gain down.

[Ray Esboldt]

freighttrain,

I think the LX-3 is as good or better than the FL-18 even when it's running at reduced power. The LX-3's finer target seperation cleans up what would be seen as a red glob of weeds on a Vexilar. I can see my bait even after it's moved past the top weed. There's still clutter, but I can find my bait and identify approaching fish with relative ease.

It's still hard to recognize a stationary fish. They blend right in with the weed clutter. But, FL-18 in reduced power mode would have the same shortcoming.

[HoleHopper]

It is true that the LX3 dose not have bottom lock. but the FL18 does not have an ajustable zoom that the LX3 has. I have owned both units side by side and I just couldnt get over the clerity and the udjustable zoom on the LX3. I have used the zoom on suspended fish way too much to even consider going back to an FL18. Also the Lx3's interference rejection feature has worked flawlessly for me. This is just my personal preference and and what I have seen. Good luck!

[LocalGuide]

Well I finally got to see a Vexilar Fl-18 and a Marcum LX-3 side by side. I own the Fl-18 and my dad just got a LX-3.

Well we went out fishing, we got in the house and he turned his unit on first. I started to play with it a bit. Then I went and turned mine on. After that all heck just broke out.

When ever I had my Vex on the LX-3 just got a ton of interference. No matter what the IF setting was, it still couldn't clear up. But the Vex on the other hand didn't have a problem "keeping it clean." We were fishing in 40' of water in holes 6' or so away. I was amazed and it was so bad that you couldn't keep track of your bait in the same hole. So since he wasn't fishing that hard I just told him to turn his off. The next day we had 2 Fl-18's in the house and a LX-3, well the Fl-18s go good together but the LX-3 was definitely the odd(pain in the @$$) one in the group.

So is it just me or shouldn't this be happening. After all I hear/read about these and how they get no interference I'm shocked by how this is performing.

So does this unit need to be sent back or are they all this way against other Vex's?

So far in this war of units in the fishhouse house the Fl-18 has been stepping up and taking charge.

[cliffy]

Freighttrain50:

I own both units. I have had the FL-18 for 3 1/2 years and I just bought the LX-3 about a month ago. Both units are great. If I could only have one unit, it would be the LX-3. I love the adjustable zoom and I cant even hear it when it is running. The display is very clear and I dont notice any "flicker" like I see on my FL-18.

However, there are a couple of things that I dont like about it....such as the transducer cord being only 5 feet long..wish it was at least 10 feet. I also dont like the little arm that holds the transducer. I removed mine and placed a vex flot on the cord instead..works great. I dont care much for the soft pack design because it does not fit 5 gallon bucket.

[Kidd]

LocalGuide, that's kind of interesting. I've had the exact opposite expierience. My LX-3 performs well when fishing next to an FL-8 or 18. I have not fished next to another LX-3 so I don't know what to expect in that scenario.

[freighttrain50]

thanks for the info guys. anything else i should know?

train

[Bob Horn]

Frieghttrain50, if you can get to an iceleaders event we can show you how the unit works.

[FrozenFireman]

Love the LX-3. Fished next to my dad who has and FL-8 in 35' of H2o. My sonar screwed him up, no effect on mine. Keep the bubble pack to store your transducer in and always lay it on it's side so as not damage the bottom. I had an initally bad unit that had it's contol board go on it. Rep. at Marcum said they had some bad boards and would give you difficulties and strange readings. My readings where all messed up and the surface indicater was off center. This may be the problem with the previous post not being able to knock out the interference. Had company warrenty the unit and have loved it since. Dad can't wait to move up.

[chunkytrout]

I haven't seen the LX3 act over powered in shallow water. Just wasn't an issue. And the 1500W PTP doesn't hurt when you fish the deep water like I do.

Interference has also been a non issue. I fish with STF all the time and he runs an FL8. The other day we were 25 yards apart and neither one of us had to kick on the IR.

Marcum is dealing with a batch of bad ducers and quite well I might add. They're treating it case by case and replacing the bad ducers as they come up. The above posts are correct though. Treat them gently and keep them clean.

All and all, the LX3 is the unit for me. It has the power, clarity, and features I look for in a sonar. I own a FL8SE as well and chances are won't get rid of it. It's a good solid dependable unit but my LX3 is my goto rig and I wouldn't trade it for a bucket of sounders.

[FrozenFireman]

One more thing. Before I bought my Lx-3 I looked to forums like this one. I had not heard of the unit as everyone was using vex's in my area, I was going to compare fl-8s and fl-18s. This open and honest info turned me to look at this unit. To all those out there who where replying last year to a similar thread ...........Thanks

[Ray Esboldt]

I have yet to find another depthfinder that my LX-3 couldn't tune out. On the other hand, my Vexilar buddies keep their distance. That's not such a bad thing when you have the hot hole.

[Ryan Berger]

I took my LX3 out today and fished in 24 fow,, I could see my bait and my other rods bait and my buddies bait,, any way to fix this or it the transducer angle just that wide?

[cliffy]

tell your buddy to move over....

just kidding. The same thing happens to me...and there is really no way of fixing the situation other than putting greater space between you and your buddy. I was fishing with my uncle last weekend at LOTW in about 31 FOW and I could watch him jig and catch fish...fun to watch but it can be confusing at times.

[Dry_Fly]

I can ajust my fl-18 so I can't even see the jig in the hole next to me. Is everyone running there gain way to high or what? I just turn my gain so I just see my jig and when a fish comes in it lights it up. I usually use my 9 degree side of my transducer the 19 degree is more for shallower water. Maybe I'm misstaken who know's.

[Bob Horn]

Dry Fly, you answered your own question. It`s all about the cone angle. I use to run the dual beam but now I use a MarcumLX-3. With all the pros and few cons I don`t worry about the cone angle any more. When I was thinking of buy a Marcum that was one of my concerns but it hasn`t been an issue for me now that I am use the the Marcum.

[Rick]

If anyone is having interference issues check your gain. Rarely do I need to set mine above 4 in shallow water and more often then not it's under 2. I was having interference issues and had to turn my gain way up and found my ducer had went out. It's an issue that can happen with any transducer and it was replaced promptly by marcumtech.com. I would expect the same for anyone else who has the problem. Contact your depthfinder company if you suspect you may have a transducer problem. They all have very good customer service. Turning your gain above #5 in clean shallow water to see your jig at 10' is an indicator you may have a problem or broken ducer no matter which sonar you are using.

Dry Fly is correct with hs answer in his first sentence. Turn the gain down until you only see your jig. If you are all using the same style jig at the same depth and they aren't too close you can tune them out.

It's the same principle with a vex or marcum. You can be a little closer with the vex and not see the other jig and the actual distance apart is dependant on depth but only around couple feet in most fishing situations I'm in.

Personally I don't mind being able to see others lure, we then just share the depth finder.

[Cliff Wagenbach]

I have both the MarCum and the Vex.

Both are excellent units, but I think the MarCum is a better all around buy!

I have also had the interference problems mentioned between the two types of units. I have found that some units can tune each other out using their I.R.'s, while the exact same type units used side by side will not. Usually I have found that the MarCum will be able to tune out the Vex. signal but sometimes the Vex. cannot tune out the MarCum signal.

Good Fishing!

[cliffy]

yup, Dryfly is right...you can turn the gain down and that should help the problem....I dont know where my mind was.....

[brian6715]

I have an LX1 and I LOVE IT!!!