Marcum vs. Vexlar

[farmislandeye]

Does anyone know which one is better? Vexlar or Marcum????

[MetroEye]

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I vote Lowrance X67C or Lowrance M68C, check these out seriously if you are looking into buying.

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I second that...

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I third that...sweet ice unit in graph mode!

[gspman]

There's the dead horse, here's your stick. Start beating it.

[federline]

Couldn't resist...

[icehousebob]

How about the next guy that brings up Marcum vs. Vexilar, we send a delegation to his house to hold him down and make him eat a bug, or a wax worm, or a minnow or kiss an Eelpout....

[CNY Tim]

trapperdirk - Your welcome bud!

All I have two say on this is 3 things... I owned and tested both the FL-18 and the LX-3 and for what I do in 40' or less the MarCum LX-3 stands alone for the following reasons 1) Target Separation (The 3 C's, Clear, Crisp, Captivating) No more vex flicker head 2) You get more base product at a better price with the LX-3 plus a phenominal zoom package that blows Vexilar's 6' bottom only away. 3) American Engineering and American built!

Everyone I have introduced the LX-3 to never went back to the FL-18. They dumped em on hsolist. Search MarCum on hsolist and see how many come up for sale and then search Vexilar and you have 2 pages. Words getting out about the MarCum LX-3 and it leads by example not by advertisements. The zoom on the LX-3 well blow you away time and time again!

It's performance in weed cover fishing gills and crappies is superb. MarCum achieves this by having a precision driven gain adjustment that's not just effective it's surgical.

Technilogically speaking the MarCum LX-3 gives you more and has delivered solidly for 3 straight years and it will deliver for you as well.

[goin fishin]

Thanks for the laugh Federline and Gspman. That is just what this topic needed (LOL).

Chow for now,

GF

[sirsunnyslayer]

If you are going to use it in the summer the Vex has a much better selection of open water transducers. Something to consider. I have used both and both are good. I am looking at one also and will probably go with the Vex cuz it makes it easier to throw on the boat for the summer. You will not be disapointed with either.

[Dave]

I own both. Vexilar's FL-18 was at the top of flasher industry and probably still is too many. Now, the FL-18 has serious competition. That's good for us!

I don't like the short cord on the LX-3 but from what I was told during a Marcum visit, they're looking hard at having about an 8-foot ducer cord to be standard and I think that'll happen in the near future. Also, I think the movable zoom feature and the quietness of the LX-3 is a plus. I would like to see a dual beam ducer from Marcum. Marcum's power is measured peak-to-peak and Vexilar's is RMS (average). Even though it does not fit in a 5-gallon bucket, one other feature I like is ease-of-use concerning the LX-3 case. Flip the front open and the ducer and controls are right there. With my older FL-18, I have to unzip the top, pull out the ducer and then unzip the front to get at the controls. Test drive both and buy what feels comfortable to you. Both companies have good customer service, from my experience.

[Surface Tension]

Gosh, Gspman don't bring out the stick yet.

I'll add a couple good quotes.

"The reason vex sells so many flashers is because of 2 things, they have been around for along time and they are advertised much much more than marcums. Notice how you never hear someone with both a 18 and a lx-3 that prefers the 18? Gotta love the Marcum!!!!! "

"Farmislandguy .I was in your position once not so long ago and read EVERYTHING and I mean EVERY POST on the Marcum versus Vex pros and cons .I ordered what to me is a superior product and more bang for your buck with a little longer transducer cord I might add . Thanks to many here and other sites for being instrumental in helping me with my decision . It became easier to see the light the more I read .Now I own a Marcum LX-3 and will be getting another plus an LX-1 . Well built product that is up to date,, and NOT gouging you with options,, that should come standard as part of its features .Thanks CNY TIM for helping me get my LX-3 north of the border ."

And again "do a search on LX3 vs FL18"

OK my turn. Theres times its the subtle differences that make the difference from a good day on the ice to a great day. MarCum LX3 will do that.

[T-Dog Jenkins]

For what its worth, I sold my vexiliar Fl-8 and bought the Marcum. I was not happy with the Marcum at all and sold it and got another vexilar.

[T-Dog Jenkins]

cny tim, i just read your post about marcum. can you explain more about precision gain control? i fish alot of shallow water and the marcum was terrible in the weeds. i also use my flasher on my boat and need a unit that will perform well in weeds. the marcum does have a good zoom but the vexilar display is much easier to see and since the vex has 2 inch separation i found the zoom on the marcum useless.

[MN Mike]

I'm in the market for a flasher and I know it will be a Marcum because we have 1 other one in the group. When can a person expect the new model year units to arrive just incase there are any changes?

Mike

[Surface Tension]

T-Dog Jenkins. If your not happy with your MarCum in the weeds you'll really be in for a big let down with the Vex.

I've fished in water as shallow as 5' with weeds and had no problems at all. If your buying into Vex's LP mode performance in shallow or weedy water I'll guaranty the MarCum will blow the doors of the Vex without the fix/add-on of a suppression cable or the LP mode.

[CNY Tim]

T dog - Vex still has signal clutter issues and it's shallow water performance is terrible compared to LX-3. You can minimize the gain on the LX-3 where you can see your jig and eliminate thin weeds, now you think about having that advantage to allow you to see deep in the weeds to see those big gills laying in there. Vex has what an LP mode you want to talk about a gimmick please... It's technology is still FL-8...

Hole hopping without control adjustments when in zoom mode move over FL-18 the LX-3 hands you your hat in this feature as well.

The LX-3 was thoroughly designed from top to bottom and gives me a serious tool that performs time and time again. Right now there are some good sales so check them out but I will say that $399 for this unit is the best money I ever spent on any of my ice fishing gear.

[Bob Horn]

T-Dog, how long did you own your marcum before you returned it? I`m sure one of the guys on the forum would have met with you if you had probelms. You are the only person that I have heard that has returned the unit and got a vex. I owned a vex and switched to marcum. I second guessed myself for a while until I seen the Fl-18 in use. I am so glad I bought the marcum. One thing that I have seen not metioned is the IR button on the marcum. This is a great feature, I can "tune" out other flashers in my area. Marcum or Vex. One thing to remember is you need to buy what is good for YOU. Everybody has differnt styles of fishing. Most guys here have owned vex (because that`s all we had) but now own Marcum that should tell you something there. We want the best and in our opinion Marcum is the best!!!

[Chris-Neises]

I'll fan the flames a bit I'm sure. I use my flasher in the summer. With my Minnekota universal sonar trolling motor, a Marcum adaptor wasn't even an option. That pretty much sealed the deal. The FL-18 not only has the zoom feature (granted it's only on the bottom) where I use it the most anyway, but it also has the low power setting. The Marcum unit still reminds me of the old Zercom flashers which I didn't care for. I'm haven't regretted going with the FL-18 and I'm currently adding a FL-10 indash unit. Vexilar has simply helped me locate more fish and I would recommend them to anyone who is "on the fence".

[gspman]

For what it's worth, I own a Marcum LX-3 and I do think it's a little superior to the Vex. However they both are very nice and I'd be happy to fish with either one. I just grow weary of seeing this post once every month on every outdoors HSOforum I frequent during the ice fishing season. It's just like the Ford vs. Chevy argument or the pointer vs. flusher question on the hunting boards. The bottom line is it's personal preference. Do the research and pick the one that meets your needs the best. As was stated earlier, a simple message board search on the ice fishing forum will yield more info than a person could ever want on the subject. I could have asked the same question 2 years ago when I got my Marcum but didn't cuz the info was already out there.

[Matt Breuer]

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Even though it does not fit in a 5-gallon bucket.

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I will let all you Marcum and Genz Blue Box users in on a tip. Don't use a 5 gallon pail, get a used kitty litter box and use that as your bucket. They fit perfectly, and it holds stuff the same as the old pail!

[Northlander]

Matt I tried that and my Marcum didnt fit. What type kitty litter?

[Matt Breuer]

Man I don't know, I hate cats!

Kidding aside, I think it was Tidy Cats. I got mine from the woman's friend, I tore the label off and stickered 'er up instantly.

[Rip_Some_Lip]

I have read alot of discussions on them. Now I have one question. Does the Marcum get interference from the vexilar or visa versa? I ask because I want to upgrade and my fishing buddy has a fl8 and we fish close together most the time. I get some interference from him sometimes now with my fl8.

[ChuckN]

Why is it so important to put an LX-3 inside any pail? The custom case it has is incredible, and there's no more worries about snow getting inside it, etc..

As an FL-8 owner of 15 years, you couldn't tear the LX-3 out of my hands.

[Northlander]

Ok I must have been in a hurry cuzz thats what I tried. Ill try the Tidy Kat again. Thanks. Ya Im a Dog guy too.

[Quickstrike]

I agree the LX-3 is awesome, fishing in 160 ft of water and picking up your jig clear as day with the zoom in strong current, i also love the seperation between marks.. borrowed a buddies this winter but will be sure to have one of my own before the water freezes again next year.

[katoguy]

Couple comments -

ChuckN, you had an 15 year old FL8 that you're comparing a Marcum to? Hmmm. Kinda apples to oranges. Also, transducers get weaker over time as they get beat up.

Some others stated they had FL18s may have had older FL8s, also. Someone made a comment about the number of used Vexilars on hsolist? Compare the numbers out there...

I bought an FL18 this last winter after comparing first hand (don't put too much stake in message boards when it comes to my hard-earned cash - I need to see first hand). I had a 15 year old Vex and loved it! It did not have the flickering screen like many of my buddy's newer units so I stayed with it. Last year I noticed a drop in performance (when getting outfished). I ended up swapping transducers and it was like night and day. However, I noticed the latest model 18 was a lot better than the late 90's FL8 or even the first few years FL18. I compared the two first-hand on-the-lake went went with the 18. Very happy customer.

Pete R, please inform us (in print, if possible) of this so-called recall you say occurred. (Trying to squash to rumor mill. LOL).

Back to my first statement, we all have our own opinion, and that is all you will get here. Opinions are like xxxx, we all have one.