vex costs

[who are those guy]

Cant stand watching my buddy outfish me anymore. So to buy a Vex 18 I go. Question on the set-ups: The Genz is about $375 the Pro is $400 and the Ultra is $440.00. Is the battery charge indicator worth it for a Pro or can you time the battery life? The ultra seems like $40 more for a tackle box and a wrong way rod holder. What am I missing?

[smalls]

I have a pro and love it. The battery indicator is handy, I wouldn't want not to have it. I already have plenty of tackle storage so I don't think the Ultra is that great of a deal. The FL-18 is a wonderful unit.

My .02.

[Dan Thiem]

I have to agree with ya smalls.

[joshb]

save some money.....get a genz pack, and then wire your own battery indicator into it...the holes are even pre-drilled on the blue box. i thing the genz box is more rigid anyway.

[This message has been edited by joshb (edited 09-22-2004).]

[jerkin'm]

I have an FL18 Pro, 1 1/2 years old or so and it is already breaking down. After having Vex's for years I am ready to sell them all. (3) I have been running a Marcum LX3 since last fall. Get the Marcum, more power=better signal. The deep water is where the LX3 really shines. My .02

[widetrak]

I own a FL-8-deepwater model (three knobs) and have used it relentlessly year round for close to ten years! It serves ice fishing duty, which as you all know is tough on all gear, much less electronics and such, and then mounts on the boat for open water use. It has been through several batteries and I figured it was due for a overhaul last year, not because it wasnt working properly, I just figured, you know , ten years without an oil change! I sent it to the company and they sent it back saying it only needed a light cleaning, and at no charge to boot. Anyway, I have looked at a few of the newer models and they appear to be much the same as mine, but I do not know this for sure. As far as I know, these things are tough as nails.

[LocalGuide]

Go with the PRO! I dont like the Genz box b/c they do NOT fit in a pail very well. The Pro pack was designed to fit into a bucket and the ultra pack is also designed the same way. On the Pro the battery indicator is nice to have, no guessing involved. Also you can purchase a soft case that goes over the pro pack to protect your vex even more.

The only thing I do not like about it is if you have a dual cone transducer or a 19º, the transducer wont fit very well in it(as the slot is for a 12º ducer). I have a dual and its kind of a pain but I like the Dual and I can live with it.

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And keep those hooks sharp!

[Bob_D]

I don't mean to get off track, but is there anything wrong with the Marcum LX-3? The Marcum seems to be a good deal for the $$. Am I missing something?

[joshb]

hey local... the new design fits in a bucket. and sometime this fall a soft cover for the genz box will be made available.

[This message has been edited by joshb (edited 09-22-2004).]

[Matt Johnson]

There is nothing wrong with the MarCum LX-3. My LX-3 is my most important piece of equipment when I'm out on the ice.

The LX-3 has 1500 watts of output power.

The LX-3 also has an adjustable zoom feature that allows you to zoom in on any part of the water column in 5 or 10 foot viewing windows. So if you are fishing in 40 feet of water you can zoom in on the 20-30 foot section to get a more detailed feedback of those suspending crappies. Not only can you see the zoomed in area, but you can see the rest of the water column as well because your screen is split in half, one side is zoom and the other is the entire water column. A very nice feature to have in many different situations. I never thought I'd use the zoom a whole lot, but after using it once you will use it almost everytime you are out on the ice.

The target separation on the LX-3 is phenomenal! You can actaully distinguish between the fish and the bottom, or from one fish to another when they are schooled up.

And one of the most appealing features of the LX-3 is the interferrence knock out, and it does just that, it knocks out interferrence from other flashers giving you a clear screen, all the time. You can run two LX-3's side by side without any interferrence at all.

I was an avid Vexilar fisherman until I tried the LX-3 just one time, and than I was hooked. Now I won't fish without it.

There is nothing wrong with the FL-8 and FL-18 either though. Both are excellent flashers and will help you catch more fish.

A flasher is an important piece of equipment when out on the ice, and those of you who have one know what I'm talking about. A flasher is your fish's mood indicator, it will help dictate what the fish want, and it helps you take away a lot of the guess work when out on the ice. Not to mention that you can learn a lot from a flasher as well.

Choose a flasher that you are comfortable with. I'm comfortable with my LX-3, you may be comfortable with an FL-18 or FL-8 or an LX-1. It all comes down to personal preferrence and what you want out of a flasher. When spending a nice chunk of change on a piece of equipment, you want to make sure that you are going to be happpy with you decision. Take a look at the different flashers and play around with them and see what you like. Ask questions and get feedback, than make a decision.

Both MarCum and Vexilar make a good product, as does Lorwrance with the x67c.

Good Fishin,
Matt Johnson

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Matt Johnson Outdoors
[email protected]
Metro Area Ice Fishing and more...

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[Mr.Seaguar]

Marcum has got to change their colors. I have heard one can change the LEDs but thats not very customer friendly. My budies Marcum is very nice but I cant stand the colors.

[LocalGuide]

The Genz Box fits in a bucket? I thought they were designed to fit on top of the buckets? I could be wrong but thats what I thought. I know the Ultra Pack and the Pro pack do.
Anyways I would still go w/a pro pack IMO. Just my choice.

And yes the Marcum LX-3's are good flashers too. Since I had a Fl-18 before I knew little about the LX-3's or before they were out (cant remember), so Dad is planning on getting a LX-3 this winter. So we will get to compare the 2 units. Should be fun.

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And keep those hooks sharp!

[Woody1]

My vote goes to the LX-3. If you fish fairly close to others, the LX-3 will have less interference than the Vexilars, that is our experience.

[joshb]

i think you are right local, now that i think of it....

think outside the box........i love my m68c!

best target seperation of them all, and has all the options of the others and alot more.

[hanson]

LocalGuide-
I'll be running my soon to be purchased LX-3 against my dad's FL18 all winter. Should be fun, ahh, we always have fun.

I love the packaging of the LX-3 compared to Vexilar or honestly anything out there. I like how the front flap can flip up over the top and stay put with velcro. Of course all the other features have me sold but its a nicely packaged unit.

[Northlander]

I would either go with the LX-3 wich I now have and love or the Fl-18 Pro Pack.

[mnrstrider]

I've fished both a Fl-18 and a LX3, and I only have a LX3 now, not the the fl-18 was bad in any way, vex has the ice ducer float thingy I like way better the the marcum, but you could always add one to the marcum too. And the marcum's charge is awesome, set it and forget it, it won't cook your battery, unlike the vex, but you can buy those and put thme on your vex too, I got one on my aquaview, so it's always charged, and never overcharged.

You get used to the colors on the LX3 so don't let that sway you, hard to believe, but use it for a day, and it's a non issue to me anyways, the vex's colors are a bit nicer.

For me LX3, better deffinition for fish tight to the bottom, tried this side by side with the vex, and adjustable zoom seal the deal, that being said I wasn't unhappy with my fl-18 at all, but I could only afford to keep one of them, I kept the better one (it's like splitting hairs really)

[augernaut]

neither flasher will catch more fish than the other. An FL-18 can see a perch belly to the bottom in 40 FOW. They are both good units. I'd love to pick up an LX-3 just to have it - but I'm more than happy with my FL-18!

[BUSHWAC]

Both units are very good but only a couple people answered the question about the worth of a battery meter. I have an LX-3 with a very nice digital battery meter. Do I think it is worth the extra cost, no. Over the past years I have used a few Locators and have never had a battery issue. Basically the charge will last for an entire day of fishing and then I plug it in when I get home or back to the resort and it's good to go the next morning. I have never had a battery fail from over charging. Do I really care that my battery reads 70% at noon, no. If a person is going to be fishing extended periods without a chance to charge up, bring another battery. You can tell in the performance of the unit when your battery is getting weak.

[Bobberboy]

Matt hit it on the head! Flashers are a must and what your comfortable with is what will work best for you! I have had an FL 8 for 5 years and wouldn't trade it for anything else.

Pray for cold weather!!

[smalls]

Jerkem'n

Let me know when you want to dispose of your vexs, I probably know someone who would take them off your hands

[Bob_D]

Thanks guys. I have tried both and it seemed to me the Marcum was as good a unit as the Vex FL-18, but for less money. I just wanted to make sure I was not missing something.

[brian6715]

Hey guys have any of you used the LX-1? I am a college student on a budget and I need a good flasher, I am not that big of a fan of the FL8's. But anyways whats the difference between the LX-1 and LX-3? They both have 1500 watts of power, and the LX-1 doesn't have the zoom, but is that the only difference?? Thanks, brian

[Matt Johnson]

brian,

The LX-1 doesn't have the zoom feature. It also doesn't have the digital charging system or the weather resistant soft case. Other than that its the same flasher as the LX-3.

Good Fishin,
Matt Johnson

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Matt Johnson Outdoors
[email protected]
Guided Ice Fishing and More...

[This message has been edited by Matt Johnson (edited 09-23-2004).]

[EBass]

I know this is over and done, but I really love my FL-18 propack. I use the main unit on my jon boat, so it's used year round and had no issues at all except after two years the battery died. I got a new one for $19 and the vexilar people tested everything when I walked in for free and got the battery a few dollars cheaper than at Gander or where ever.

I do like the LX-3,(buddy has one) but I roll with what I know. And the colors on the FL-18 are so bright and crisp, I just can't change. I watch it like a TV. Now I need an aqua-view then I'll be watching TV for real.

Too many toys and not enough $$$.