Hello and looking for true life info

[SDWalleye]

My first post...a controversial one. I come to this site because of the shear volume of members and the helpful information i have found on here....the best forum i have truthfully seen...excellent. Now to the question. Probably been discussed to exhaustion but.....looking to buy first flasher...cost part of factor but not biggest factor...i will probably be fishing at the most 40-50 fow...usually less than 25 fow....now the dilemma marcum vs. vexilar? like i said, not intending to start war....just looking for some honest real life advice...good bad or indifferent... just at a standstill right now for my decision?....need a deal breaker!

Thanks

Tri

[giwoyna5]

Uh Oh.......

[candamac]

Ding Ding!

[BigWadeS]

thought I heard that......another can of worms opening up!

[fisherking01]

You will have many differing opinions. i've always had a vexilar, and have had nothing but good luck with them. First and foremost on my list is customer service. On the occasions that I have needed repair, four days out is the maximum time until I had my unit back. Can't say enough good about them. I have a couple fl 8's and a fl 18. I use my 8 more than any, and specifically fish shallow most of the time. I rarely have any interference between the units and occasionally we have all 3 going simutaneously in a 8 x 12 fish house. my .02 whatever you choose, you will most likely be happy with it. Brent

[tisosy11]

Either will get the job done - just go to the store and see which one feels right for you!

[Craig Plummer]

They are both good units. and you will be happy with either one. Chose what fits your price range and has the options that you enjoy most.

You can also search past threads in the ice fishing forum for TONS of info on this topic

[eyebjim]

This has probably been hashed out more than any other subject on FM. If you do a search of flasher or marcum or vexilar you should find far more posts and more opinions than you ever wanted. Good luck.

[Whopper Stopper]

Use the search function. Pop some popcorn, crack a cold one and sit back and start reading!

WS

[Scott K]

Flip a coin! Either unit will be great. Search back this has been argued about every couple months, with a few being recent, good luck!

[Chester-MN]

I thought the Vex was a bit more friendly to operate. However, I still went with the Marcum. More power was the selling point. Not that I needed it, but because I sat in a group of fisherman with the vexs that couldn't get a good read due to a Marcum. I'd rather be the problem than have the problem.

[SDWalleye]

Thanks, I will do the search and check out the past "debates"...if I still don't get to a decision, I will narrow down my questions on this post.

Thanks

[Sandmannd]

You will get a ton of opinions. I personally have a vex, but the marcums are nice. For me it was the fact that I got a good used FL8 for $150 off of craig's list. If you're buying new, look aroud and see if you can get a deal this time of year. Get whichever suits you. The marcums have more power, but they are all good units. You'll be happy with whatever you get.

[SDWalleye]

What is the advantage of the power from marcum....is it the depth of water?....and is the zoom feature worth it?

[CraigM]

I have both the FL-18 and LX5. I'm happy to use either one. They both get the job done. That said, I find myself using the LX5 most of the time. I like the finer detail instead of the blob of color on the Vex. The super fine line on the Marcum really shows target seperation so you know when the fish is right on your bait instead of just close to it. You will be happy with either, but for the money, I feel you get a little more with Marcum.

[CrappieAttitude]

If you fish a lot, you would probably want to go with one of the units (Vexilar of MarCum)with a bottem zoom feature. If you are a casual fisherman who would like to have something that will do pretty much everything you need it to do, I would save some money and go with an fl-8. You honestly don't need much more than an 8. I have had an fl-8 for years, and have fished lakers in 100 fow and panfish in 7 fow without any issues. It all comes down to how many bells and whistles you want, or think you need.

Good luck in your search and welcome to FM

CA

[Deitz Dittrich]

SD Walleye- welcome to FM, great to have you with us... This is a question that will get some debate... What I willl share is my opinion once I answer the question you asked.

 Quote:

What is the advantage of the power from marcum....is it the depth of water?....and is the zoom feature worth it?

More power generally means better interfierence rejection posibilities. Depth of water doesnt play into it too much, as vex event though have much less power do plenty well in the depths you are talking about. The higher power will get you a slightly cleaner display, But like I said, has most to do with interfierence rejection.

Zoom is going to depend on your fishing style and what you fish for. I myself, love zoom.. any time I am fishing and not able to do it on the first scale(0-20 feet deep) I use zoom. It shrinks the target seperation. And again alows for a cleaner display..

Now... which unit should you get?... Thats up to you. I own an LX-5, a LX-3, a FL-18 and a Nature Vision Showdown...

All work very well... Very well!, to be honest I dont have much of a complaint about any of them.. If I were to have to give all up but one, I would be happy with any of the ones I had left... If I had got to choose which one to keep.. I would keep the LX-5... Does the best in weedy situations becuase of the dual beam... has moveable zoom for fishing suspended fish, and to my eye, the cleanest display.

The FL-18 is a great unit// The LX-3 a great unit.. the Showdown.. a great nit.. but my nod goes to the LX-5

[Coach1310]

I have a Vex and have never had a single issue with it going on 7 years..I think. My only thought with Marcum is have they been around long enough to show they are as durable as a Vexilar. Just my 2 cents.

[irvingdog]

Marcum or Vexilar?

Yes!

Have owned both, and have fished without either.

Einie, meanie, miney, moe.............

[Lusid]

Go with what fits your budget, I think both brands are great. If you do deep water fishing I'd suggest FL-18 / FL-20 due to Autozoom, and the Marcums I do believe all come with this feature, I own the FL18, but have not researched extensively on the Marcums. So I am sorry if the auto zoom feature isn't available on some of the marcums.

GL.

[theicehooker]

I only fish with the bottom zoom feature. Would not fish without if I could help it. I would personally stay away from the FL8 because you should be able to get a FL18 for a decent price. I run FL20 and love it. Larger screen and has bottom 6ft and 12ft. I have heard the LX5 is alright as well.

I agree with the eannie, meannie minei moe??????

[Eric Wettschreck]

This has been a widely debated topic, but I'll toss my nickel into the ring. Deitz was spot on about the power and IR. If you are fishing 2 people in a portable, and both have flashers, you will want a unit with good IR. Now, both of the higher end (FL-18, FL-20, LX-3, and LX-5) have good IR.

I own an FL-8 and a VX-1. It's a very unfair comparison because my FL-8 is quite old. But, it's still going as strong as the day it was built. So, you can count on it to be a good quality unit. I just got the VX-1 not too long ago. This is a very good unit also. The main difference for me is it has bottom zoom. It's not adjustable bottom zoom like some of it's bigger brothers, but it's bottom zoom none the less. This particular feature is worth it's weight in gold when you are targeting bottom hugging fish.

If budget is a player, and let's face it, none of these units are free, my money would be spent on the VX-1, with a possible upgrade to an LX-3 or LX-5 or FL-18 or FL-20 down the road. The only reason I'd go VX-1 over an FL-8 (remember, we're talking the lower priced units) is the VX-1 has bottom zoom. I can't remember a time fishing this winter that I haven't had the zoom on.

One suggestion to keep in mind is watch the For Sale forums here on FM. A lot of members upgrade to higher end units and sell the one they had. A lot of good deals to be made on that forum.

Which ever road you travel down you will be happy. Using a flasher is probably the one thing that I can honestly say has increased my odds in icing fish, by at least 50%, no kiddin.

[Redbeard5289]

Welcome to FM, SDWalleye!

Have to agree with boilerguy. If budget is an issue go with the Marcum VX-1. I picked one up this winter and absolutely love it. The features are quite comparable to the bigger Vexilar models and the price on this model is easier on the wallet too.

My buddy (who got me hooked on this sport and who my wife silently curses everytime I go out) got a FL-18 and I used that quite a few time before I got my own. But my budget wouldn't me get a Vex so I got a Marcum instead and haven't had a second thought since. Even my 4 yr old son love watching the colors change on the flasher whenever we are out together. Perhaps in a number of years when the boy wants his own flasher I will give hime the VX-1 and start looking at an upgrade (LX5 or FL-20) for myself. But that is a few more grey hairs down the road.

My only issue I have with Marcum is their HSOforum. It's too basic and doesn't have any information/videos or on-line ordering. I ended up going to the Vexilar HSOforum over my lunch hours and watching their how-to videos and reading their articles to get a better understanding of the finer points of a flasher. Reading and watching those really helped in using my flasher better.

whichever you choose it will definately be a wise investment.

[MuleShack]

SDW --Welcome aboard!

I was in your shoes a couple months ago but only i had the FL8 and was looking to upgrade. after a lot of himming and hawing, i went with the Lx5, simply because i like bells and whistles. Actually it came down to the day i decided to buy, i went into GM and gave both units the once, then twice and finally the three times over. Looking, turning on/off lifting etc, and what it came down to was they didn't have the dual beam transducer in stock on the FL20, so i got the Marcum instead. They both get the job done and you wont be dissapointed in either.

 Originally Posted By: Deitz Dittrich

Now... which unit should you get?... Thats up to you. I own an LX-5, a LX-3, a FL-18 and a Nature Vision Showdown...

Dietz,

With all of these toys, How do you decide which one to use on what day? ...only half serious here, but still??

[Eric Wettschreck]

I forgot to add that of all the flashers, the VX-1 is the easiest to use for the beginer. There is only 1 knob and even I can't screw that up. IR and Zoom are just a push of a button.