Vexilar FL-18 vs New Marcum LX-3tc

[marbleye]

Looking at buying one of these models. I stopped at a local bait shop at put them both side by side. It was very noticeable that the Marcum was brighter and very distinct. They were both priced at $399.00. What is your opinion and why? Thanks. <>< <>< <><

[Hotspotter]

Marbleye:

I have owned the Fl-18, and I have had a Marcum Lx-3 for two years now. I bought an LX-5 this year which has the same colors as the LX-3tc. I will say that the colors on the old LX-3 were hard for my eyes to pick up. However, with the new true-color system, that lone weakness has been eliminated.

After fishing with both of these units, I am sold on the marcum. You know the specs. by now, and have compared them side by side and know the pros/cons, so I'll just tell you what I used them for and why the marcum worked better.

I use a flasher for two major applications year after year, aside from forays to different/new waters:

--Crappies suspended over deep water - advantage Marcum

-The adjustable zoom feature, 5 or 10ft, anywhere in the water column was simply awesome the first time i used it. For crappies in this application, the bottom FL-18's 6 ft zoom didn't help.

--Panfish in shallow weedy lakes, with predators mixed in the bag - Advantage Marcum

-Bass, including the 5lber in my avatar tend to cruise right "on" the bottom where I fish, and they would show up on the vex, but often combined "red" as part of the bottom signal. If I wasn't ultra-attentive, I often easily mistook bottom coming "up", e.g., 10ft to 9ft. The marcum has better resolution and target separation, allowing these bottom cruising bass to "separate" themselves from the bottom signal. Pods of cruising sunfish and crappies separate out quite a bit better as well, allowing me to target the fish closer to the center of my transducer beam, and bait.

Although I think the Lx-3 could be advantageous in other situations as well, this is primarily how I use a flahser, and can speak highly of the marcum in these situations. Oh yeah, and interference has never been a problem for me with the IR reduction. I used the Vex for 2 years and was happy with it. It's a good flasher, and I liked it. For the money, and the features however, the x-3 can't be beat IMO.

Joel

[Matt Johnson]

With the LX-3 you're going to get the adjustable zoom, where with the FL-18 it's only on the bottom. Not a day goes by where I'm not using the adjustable zoom, and I personally can't imagine running a unit that didn't have that feature after using it. So with the LX-3, not only can you zoom in on the bottom just like the FL-18, but you can zoom in on anywhere in the water column, and in two different increments. An outstanding feature in my opinion.

The Interference Rejection technology is superior with the LX-3 in my opinion as well, this has part to do with the superior power of the LX-3. I'm able to knock out more opposing singals with the LX-3 than I am with the FL-18. I can also fish side-by-side with several other flasher units and not have much, if any, clutter-up and interference on my screen. A huge frustration saver when times call for it.

I'm also partial to the new display of the LX-3, and how crisp ad clear everything is. The target separation is incredible, and very distinct. You can tell when there are 3-4 fish in a school, and it doesn't look like one or two fish blended together.

No color blending with the LX-3 and new True Color technology.

I've thoroughly tested both units, and in my honest opinion, you get a whole lot more for your money when buying the LX-3 than you do the FL-18.

The LX-3 and LX-5, because of some of the features mentioned above, are what you'll see next to my ice hole and the holes of those I take fishing...

[Fishin Beast]

I actually like the bottom zoom. It seems if I would have the zoom set at any range of depth I just may be missing fish that would be cruising through at the other depths. And the bottom is one depth where fish can hide or atleast it is alot harder to see them.

So why not zoom in on the bottom and then if you do see a fish up higher you can just raise up. So the FL-18 does just fine for me, but I am not an ice fishing pro I am just a once a week ice fisher.

If you fished every day I would take the Pros advice and get the Marcums.

[BIG DS]

Target seperation is probably the biggest reason to buy a Marcum. In late January when the crappies like to huddle up right under the ice chasing the bait fish, the Marcum will be able to seperate the game fish from the bait fish a lot better. The Vexilar tends to show it as a yellow and red blob. Also, as stated, if you are looking for the zoom feature in your flasher, the Marcum lets you put it anywhere in the water column rather than just the bottom six feet. If you visited the people at Reel Fishing and Tackle in Madison Lake, go in and see them again and talk to Matt the manager. Ask him to take each model out on the ice and demonstrate them for you. He has a Marcum himself and they usually have a couple of Vexilars that they rent out that they could show you the difference of the two units side by side on the ice. Tell them Big DS sent you.

[JBinSD]

[note from Admin use the for sale forum]

[augernaut]

I had my new LX-3 (not the TC, not yet anyways:-) out on the ice last weekend. First think I noticed over my FL-18 was that the Marcum is, I believe, better in shallow weedy cover. I was fishing 12 FOW - thick cabbage weeds almost all the way up. With my FL-18, even in Low Power mode, discerning my jig among the jungle was very difficult. It still was not super easy, but I could DEFINITELY make out my jig better with the LX-3 than I ever could with my FL-18 - and fish as well. The gain control offers so much flexibility, I was impressed.

[iffwalleyes]

The advantage with the zoom on the marcum is that you increase your separation. I forget the techincal aspects of it because I believe as you use different zoom ranges it changes. However the jest of it is that in increases the separation which is nice if you are in a school of crappies. I usually use my zoom on the bottom but you have the flexiblity which you don't with a FL18.

[CNY Tim]

Another feature I like on the LX-3 in the zoom mode is you can hole hop flat's and the zoom stays locked in. That's a fantastic feature if you like zoom on the go.