Vexilar vs MarCum

[mnfisher22]

which one do you like better....whats the price of each

[boatfixer]

Marcum. check around on price

[blueroof]

Here is some biased information I found, might even be wrong. If anyone can correct or clarify this, thanks. I think pricing is competitive, you'll have to shop around.

LB

Copied and Pasted text below>>>>

The receiver is way outdated on the Vexilar units as for the most part the internal components on a Vexilar are pretty much 25 year old technology. To my knowledge and testing, the only thing that has changed in Vexilar is the cosmetics and the "digital zoom". more on this later....The low power mode and suppression cable are the band-aids to make the unit work. For the guys that have a vexilar with a low power mode or s-cable, try this.... Set your unit on a table and place a hard object under the transducer on the floor. Turn your unit on and your gain all the way down. Almost everyone of the Vexilars I have used new and old will still give you a signal picking up the object on the floor. Now, if the receiver is properly designed, you should be able to turn the gain down and completely remove the signal. It kind of works like the volume on your tv. I want to be able to turn the volume all the way down to where the tv is 100% mute. On a MarCum, when you turn the gain down to 0, there is nothing being transmitted onto the screen. This is all being done without any low power or s-cable..It is better engineering and technology.

Power is everything. It creates a stronger cleaner signal right from the beginning. The stronger and cleaner the signal you send out, the stronger and cleaner a signal is received. Sonar works like a ball being thrown against a wall. Throw it hard and it bounces right back to where it came from. Throw it soft and it may bounce and roll close to where it came from.

So, if you have a strong signal being sent out, the capability of the interference rejection working better is a lot higher due to a cleaner, truer signal. Target separation is greatly increased and being able to see things in the weeds is very easy. Along with all of this, distortion is kept at a bare minimum giving you a better clearer picture on your dial.

If low power is better, why do all lowrance, raytheon, humminbird, etc....boat units strive for the most power they can get.

Touching back on the zoom....When MarCum uses the zoom, they use an optical zoom. It actuall increases the target separation to less that 3/4 of an inch. On a Vex, they use a digital zoom that just blows up the already 2.65" target separation onto the opposite side of the screen.

here are some tests that were done with some very sophisticated equipment.

MarCum Technologies LX5 VS: Vexilar FL20

Receiver sensitivity : Receiver sensitivity is the measurement of a sonar receiver’s ability to detect an input signal. This measurement tells just how small of a return signal the unit is able to pick up and display. The LX5’s receiver is more sensitive.

Measurement:

LX5- 24uV

FL20- 40uV

Receiver Gain: Receiver gain is a measurement of the total system gain or amplification. Typically the more gain a receiver has the smaller signal it will be able to detect. The LX5 receiver has more gain.

Measurement:

LX5- 89.77db

FL20- 70.89db

Receiver distortion: Receiver distortion is a measurement of the sonar receiver to filter, amplify, detect, and display a return signal. A receiver with less distortion will give a more accurate display. The LX5 has less distortion.

Measurement:

LX5- less than 1%

FL20- more than 40%

Transmitter power: Transmit power is a measurement of the output power into the transducer. This is usually defined in Watts peak to peak or Watts RMS. In the sonar world more power means a better return signal with less noise and less filtering. The LX5 has more power.

Measurement:

LX5- more than 2000 Wp-p or 300 Wrms

FL20- more than 400 Wp-p or 50Wrms

Conclusions: The LX5 surpasses the FL20 in every sonar measurement that was made. With these measurements it becomes clear that the LX5 is a superior product in respect to its receiver/transmitter design. These measurements were made on off the shelf units using an industry standard tester.

What this means to the ice fisherman is that with the LX5 you will get a clearer, less distorted picture of what’s below the transducer. We at MarCum believe that these measurements reflect what LX5 users have been seeing on the ice. The MarCum Technologies LX5 is truly the best and this can be backed up and verified by scientific measurements.

Duane Cummings

Chief Sonar Engineer

MarCum Technologies Inc.

[Wookiee]

Marcum. Marcum LX-5 around $480 and Vex FL-20 around $550 brand spankin new with a dual beam transducer and an ultra pack. Both have great features. The vex guys love their vex and marcum guys love their marcums. Look at the features on both and make your own decision. I liked the features on the Marcum LX-5 so i went with the Marcum.

MarCum is priced better and has BETTER features. MARCUM+WIN-WIN

[computerboy]

Get whichever one your fishing buddies don't have. That way when you've dialed it in, you can attribute your success to your flasher.

'The Vex strikes again boys...woo hoo!'

or

'Another one falls prey to the Marcum...maybe it's time for an upgrade eh boys?'

The key with this strategy is to know each unit's strengths and weaknesses. That way you can highlight whatever features your unit has that your buddy's doesn't as the sole reason you were able to catch your fish. We do this dance endlessly in my group and a good time is had by all.

I have an FL-18 personally, but you'll be happy with either brand. If you do go Vex, make sure you get the Ultra pack.

Good luck!

[Surface Tension]

blueroof, you certainly have done your homework.

Those that have been around this site for a while have read what I've had to say. It mirrors blueroofs post.

Without any doubt MarCum and Vex are top dogs in the market for the ice fisherman.

MarCum came in as the underdog. Like a heavyweight fight,

MarCum had to win by a knockout with the LX3 over the FL8 SLT. It wasn't even close, still there were Vex loyalists that saw the fight differently. The crowd broke out in a fight. Anyone that then said the Fl-8 was a better sounder over the LX3 should be ashamed of themselves and who's word should never be trusted again.

Along comes the FL18. Vex took the same fighter but gave him a new look. It might have lasted a few more rounds against the MarCum XL3 but still in my "expert" opinion. took another black eye and again those Vex loyalists too.

MarCum is the Heavy Weight Champ on ice and what do they do. They don't get fat and lazy, nope.

They get another fighter called the LX5 and knock the block off the Fl-18.

Franticly Vex is looking for a new fighter. They come out with the FL-20.

Rumble On Ice 2007-2008 BABY!

Lets get it on!

[Thunderman]

LX-5 Is my choice .

[Cliff Wagenbach]

I have not used the LX-5 but do have two LX-3's and love them! So do my clients!

Cliff

[walleyeseeker]

I bought the LX-5 last year and love it. That said, if your buddies have Vexilars and you fish with them, their signals will be messed up by a Marcum. My friends have Vexilars and can't use them in my house at the same time I'm using mine.

[fishcast]

First off, I am probably at least half the age of the majority of the people responding to the post, therefore my experience with fishing and flashers has been limited. I actually used a Lowrance Brown Box Fish Lo K tor or whatever it is called (my Dad got it many years ago I think it was something around the second or so flasher made) until last year. But since last Christmas I have used my new flasher quite a bit, 30 plus times on the ice over winterum and spring break, and a lot more times than that for the open water season.

I take what I purchase in fishing seriously and make sure to do my research. I didn’t even know Marcum existed until the last few years when I saw them, probably due to the fact that it seems Vexilar has got most of the biggest names in fishing. But last year I felt I had enough of the Lowrance (even though it worked surprisingly well, it showed lures as small as a 12 genz worm to about 25 feet of water if set up right which took a bit longer than I like along with other things I didn’t like).

I searched to find the top competitors and obviously came across the LX-5 and Fl-20. First off on paper the LX-5 wins no question about it. On paper the LX-5 pretty much has everything and more when compared to a comparable FL-20 (Ultra Pack with dual beam transducer) and even at a cheaper price and even made in the USA. Most of the LX-5 features have been discussed in the previous posts such as the adjustable zoom, the fine line for great target separation, and the 3 separate colors rather than Vexilars “blended” 2.

Just reading features it seemed there was no way a person would by a Vexilar and the only thing that kept me from getting the LX-5 right away was that most of the big names in fishing used Vexilar (even though I realized that they probably had ties with Vexilar before Marcum hit the market so they didn’t have much of a choice sort of).

So I took as best a look as you can at the units “in the field” without actually using them. I had many ice fishing the wildsides recorded on my computer and other shows and looked online to find the Marcums including the LX-5 in use on the ice with few seconds worth of shots in action, and watched them more than anyone would believe me. I also had seen fl-18 in use on the ice a number of times and had heard there wasn’t much of a difference as far as the actual picture goes, so I had something to compare it to.

What I found is I liked the Vexilar. The reason being was what is supposed to be one of Vexilars disadvantage having only 2 bulbs that blend. Under my limited viewing of the units I saw that the 3 separate colors of the LX-5 blink back and forth and I personally find weren’t nearly as helpful as the Vexilar’s “blend” or I would say transition of the two bulbs. The Vexilar has a nice smooth transition that seems to actually have more than 3 colors as an object moves closer or farther away from the center of the beam, and also adds a fuzz of a different color that might add the “blob” that supposedly is a disadvantage to Vexilar. While the “blob” doesn’t have the target separation it appeared the Marcum has, I feel I can probably know just as accurately where my jig is compared to the fish when in a zoomed mode or less than 20 feet because of the colors. Also I feel another one of the best reasons for the flasher is finding the spot, and for most fishing, subtle changes in weeds, and bottom content make huge differences in certain situations, and once again I feel the transitioning colors of the Vexilar allows me to find subtle changes when looking at the bottom signal and the possible multiple echos if over harder bottom, that you probably couldn’t compare as well with a Marcum LX-5.

As far as the low power being a “band-aid” that may be true I have no clue, but I do know I really like it. It gives me a set switch so when I flip it is the same, so I am consistent in comparisons of what I have seen when I use it since I am looking for those subtle changes , which is usually in thick weeds, especially for open water use bass fishing (sorry, I know this is the ice forum)

However, if you fish for fish suspended in more than 40 feet and more than 12 feet off the bottom (for the Fl-20’s limited zoom capabilites), the Vexilar transition “blobs” would do you no good because the resolution (I think that is what is called) would be so small, and the movable zoom of the LX-5 or other unit would be nearly “necessary” to make the minor adjustments in presentation needed to coax tough fish, maybe like crappie. However, I personally have not found myself in that situation very often, though I am sure a number of people may.

Also not that this is a reason I bought a Vexilar Ultra pack, but I bought an extra rod holder to move more quickly, and on the ice I run around with at least a couple rigs for the fish I am targeting because switching presentations in a hurry I personally have found to be big in getting a fish to commit some days.

Sorry for the long answer I just felt I should explain a lot for some credibility since I have extremely limited experience. I just felt Vexilars were being unfairly judged because of the features listed on paper, and thought some people might find a new opinion (that seems so far to be the minority so far) nice to hear. I will say that I have an Fl-20 due to the fact that I generally don’t fish deep suspended fish often, and feel the colors of the Vexilar (from my limited viewing of the LX-5) give me the edge for the ways I fish. Remember once again I have never used a Marcum (and may be way off in my long answer but I doubt it) and have probably had very minimal experience with fishing compared to most people that are about to respond to my post.

Remember, by the unit that seems to fit your fishing styles the best not some other persons opinion like mine or someone on TV.

Thanks for reading, and hope everyone had a fun and safe time fishing today if you could make it out whether you used a Vexilar, Marcum, Showdown, Camera, 30 year old Lowrance, or no electronics at all.

[bassislife]

My dad has and fl-8. On the other hand, I know guys that love marcum and swear by it. What it really comes down to is what features you like and that ultimatly is what helps you decide. Marcum are great for their price, but if you are willing to spend the extra money I say vexilar is the one to go for just like my Dad, but that is only my opinion. They are both great flashers so you won't make a mistake either way you go!

[heiman507]

I got the LX-5 last year and love it. Grew up with vex's but wanted to try something different. If you work together you can get rid of any interference by the bigger vex and marcum. Last year, we had my lx-5, one had fl-20, and two had fl18(it was a big house and we were all jigging). Everyone was able to get a clear screen, but i had a few more clearer channels than others.

[Hotspotter]

Fishcast:

Well-written, and point(s) well-taken. Never be afraid to post your opinion here, especially when backed with the valuable experience we all should have when making such posts!

I too, started with one of the old Lowrances, then an old Hummingbird 60, then an FL-8, FL-18, FL-8SE, LX-3, and now an LX-5. Like yourself, I study, research, and nitpick over detail after detail (too much sometimes ).

The blended display comment is one I hear much about from Vex users, and a feature they seem to appreciate more than detest. And I say more power to them!

It sounds like a cop-out to say "use what works best for you," but it's true, and I find myself saying it as well! In the end, we can choose to fish with what we like best by ponying-up our hard-earned dollars and going out and getting what works best for us, or we can try and impress friends, or defend our purchases even if we find out they are poor ones for the style of fishing we do. That's where I think the "on-paper" arguments come in, at least for me personally. The more I know about each of the features in every unit, the better I am able to fit it to my style of fishing. Like you alluded to however, comparisons "on-paper" are just that, "on-paper."

The trick is getting not the unit with the longest laundry-list of latest/greatest features, but analytically studying every one of our fishing situations; past, present, and to the best of our ability, future; in the attempt to get the best features that matter to us, for the least amount of money.

Thanks for providing your insight and observations.

Joel