Marcum vs Vex

[Swanny2]

I know it has been debated in prior posts but I know of a few sideline viewers that are in the process of making the decision. Just want to give them the chance to see what everyone thinks and hopefully give them some direction. Thanks in advance on your imput.

[bturck]

My son has a Marcum, I have a Vexi 18. They both do a good job, and once you learn to read it and believe it they will certainly be a real help. I will have to say that I believe the colors are somewhat brighter on his Marcum. Both have the zoom feature which is great with bottom hugging fish. Good luck and hang on. Bill

[Bob333]

Well Hello,,,I have a Marcum 5...I enjoy it very much. Plan on using it thru the weeds in the Summer too. Should be Great. Which is better. Don't know, don't care...All I know is I donnot go fishing without my Marcum 5...

[dogman]

I have fished with my FL-8 for the last 4 years and I absolutely love it. My dad has the 18 and my brother will be getting the 12 for X-mas. I swear by Vexilar. The Marcum has more lines of resolution which makes it slower to get you the information that you may need in an instant to get the fish that pops in to check on your lure. You'll hear a lot about both brands, but you can never go wrong dropping a vex transducer in the hole!!!

[gspman]

Quote:

---

The Marcum has more lines of resolution which makes it slower to get you the information that you may need in an instant to get the fish that pops in to check on your lure.

---

Both are real-time flashers and neither one is slower than the other. Even the graphs are fast enough to be real-time now. A person's reaction time will not be affected with either unit because we are talking milliseconds. No human can react that fast.

Resolution determines separation and that may be more important and something to think about depending on how you fish and how you plan on using your flasher.

[Kyle Sandberg]

I find it easier to read the colors on the vexilar easier than the ones on the marcums. To me, on the vex, the greens stand out more and are easier to read as well as offer a contrast to the other colors. On the marcums, for me it's hard to tell what colors because they seem to blend and don't use as much green thus doesn't offer as much contrast.

Whichever you choose is a good choice but there is a reason vexilar has been around the longest.

[Royal Dutchman]

I have no technical data or expertise but after using the FL-18 and the LX-3 side by side for a 100 or so outings, I feel strongly that the LX-3 gives me a more possitive read on what, where, & when. The LX-3 power and better target seperation are critical with bottom hugging fish although I find myself pursueing and catching more 4" eyes with the Marcum that never even show up on the Vex.

My last(and next)purchase, Marcum!

Funny how 2 of us can look at the something and have 2 very different opinions.

[icefishingdude]

I'll second the marcum vote. My old man has a vex, actually was the reason I got into flashers, but when we go fishing, Im always glad I have the marc. I even think that someone did a study on these and noted that the marcum had better definition/seperation/etc, but then again...it says that on the box.

[hanson]

Quote:

---

The Marcum has more lines of resolution which makes it slower to get you the information that you may need in an instant to get the fish that pops in to check on your lure.

---

Gotta good laugh out of that. Which salesman sold you that line?

That is completely untrue. The fact that Marcum has more resolution should be a bigger issue as it leads to better target separation between targets. In this world of high resolution TVs, HD, and Blu-Ray, why would you want to fish with a low res flasher and watch the "blobs" of color dance around? Especially when you can run an LX-5 with Super Fine Line and have incredible clarity and target separation.

[icefishingdude]

Just wondering if you ever used a Marc lx-3 and how it compares to the new lx-5. I've heard someone say the only difference is when fishing steep drops (not a big issue on LOW, for me anyway), but as you describe it the lx-5 sounds much clearer, is that true?

[Royal Dutchman]

Have had my old LX-3 for 5 years or so and can't imagine the 5 is much better but have heard it is. Crisper marks, color, & clarity. Almost seems like cheatin'!

Hope the wife thinks I can afford one soon!

[TMF89]

Could someone walk me through the buttons/how to use an LX-5? I have the basics down, but things such as zoom, and I believe (off the top of my head) the LX-5 comes with more buttons than zoom and IR, so what are the other ones for? Thanks guys!

My two cents, I'm a Vex guy, although my next purchase might be Marcum, because I'm hearing a lot of great things. As of right now though, my pick would be the FL-20 Ultra Pack with Dual 9/19 Degree transducer!

[gspman]

RTFM. Go to the Marcum website and download the manual. It's free and will give you all the details.

[curt quesnell]

Have them both, love them both...............HATE HATE

HATE HATE the interference (HATE). I stare at the screen

all day and watching the lines going backwards drives me

crazy. How bout it R&D people. get rid of it. Happens

equally on both makes, the IR buttons dont do enough. It

keeps me from fishing in the crowds (which maybe a good

thing)

That said, I wont fish without one. Period. I bring 2

incase something happens to one of them

[shamrock7]

Which is best??? Thats like asking which truck is best....Ford or Chevy. Everyone has his own opinion. And there will never be a concensus but..........

Everyone would have to agree that fishing without one would be like driving your favorite truck on a dark night at 60 MPH without headlights. Who would ever think about doing it.

They are both great units and well worth the $$$ But they do need to work on the interference as stated.

[Royal Dutchman]

Curt,

We have used up to 4 mixed Vex & Marcums in an 8X10 house with minimal interference.

1. Make sure all transducers are not hanging below bottom of ice and are not tipped to the side.

2. Set gains as low as possible and still read bait.

3. Set up Vexilars first, one at a time, then each Marcum.

4. Make sure each new unit is clear of interference before setting up the next. Takes a bit of patience when everyone is hoping to get going, but worth it.

5. Make sure no one changes anything or you will have to start all over. One button pusher can mess up everyone.

Trouble shooting - Swipe bottom of transducer with finger to remove air bubbles or ice chips.

Check bottom of holes for ice lips or angled drilling.

Don't try to read multiple baits or interference is likely.

[grpd]

Never used a marcum and I have a vex so am not in a position to say which is better or worse but someone told me that marcum's battery does not seem to last as long as the vex's and thought maybe that is because of the extra power the marcum draws on the battery and also I noticed the vex battery is a 9 amp and the marcum a 7 amp, do not know if this makes a difference or not just what i was told and saw

[walleyeMo]

Well to say on whats good and bad.there is the characteristics of each which by use of either one u eventually get use it. I started out using a lx-3, i loved usin it had no problems w/it and used it for bout 3winters. Then got the vex. fl-12, took alotta gettin use to after the marcum, wth the bright display, and less defined lines. But now after usin it last winter, and startn this winter im startn to love this one too, so i think i like just seein the fish and my hook.. But your marcum delivers more power down in the water and has a faster resolution, and the vex. is alittle slower in the resolution department. But all and all i will stick wth the vex. cause of the bright transitional, colors on the display. So the best thing there is for u to do is find som ppl wth both and hit them up to giv em a try and c for urself which u like best....

[Walleye71]

Hands down the Marcum LX-5. I personaly like the zoom anywhere in the water column feature. I like to crappie fish in the winter and that is a nice feature when they are suspended in 40 feet.

I used to have a FL-18. I really liked that unit. The colors were a little blury from time to time but never had any real issue with it. Haven't used or know anyone that uses the FL-20. I know that the LX-5 has more power than the Fl-20. LX-5 Works much better in the weeds the FL-18 did.

The final cool thing that I like about the Lx-5 is that when i get the gain just right, I can tell whether or not my jigging spoon lost its minnow head. The target seperation is that good on the LX-5. Laugh at me if you will but if you set it right, you will see what I'm talking about.

I have heard a few people mention a problem with the battery system failing out a little earlier than would be expected. I have had mine for 2 years and I have had no issue. I can run it for the whole weekend w/o charging it and it still has plenty of pep by Sunday night.

[DooWap]

Either of them are going to be better than nothing that's for sure. I have the LX-5 and my buddy has an FL-18. We fish in the same fish house a lot and never have interference problems using the IR. Just make sure that if you have a dual beam transducer like on the LX-5 that you use the narrow beam around other people. However I like the Marcum better, criper lines, better color and great target separation. After staring at my screen and if I look at a Vex I feel like my eyes are going out of focus with the blurriness. I go with Marcum hands down. Also the LX-5 has a battery indicator that tells you what percentage of the battery is charged, instead of just a green, yellow and red light like the Vex.

[Packer]

Good information. Can not wait to try as I usually end up with some interference when fishing with Vexs. Really like my LX3. One reason I bought it over the Vex was the charger has auto shut off which the Vex did not at the time.

[Swanny2]

Thanks to all for your imput!! It is greatly appreciated. Always a good thing to hear reports from those actually using a product versus selling one. Thanks again and good luck!!

[wingnut38]

how long are you suppose to charge the batteries? mine doesn't have any indicator saying if it's fully charged or not. will it hurt the battery to leave it charge all night?

[jvjohnson]

lots of good info. i will be buying my first flasher this year allways thught vex was the way to go but i like a clear screen so i think maby ill get the lx3. how is the durability of the marcums?

[eurolarva]

New vex/marcum batteries come with a charger that has LED lights in them. Red light means it is charging and green means it is done. If you dont have one of these chargers you will need a DVM (cheap ones run under 20 bucks) and set it to 20 volts. You want to read around 12.75 volts a couple of hours after you remove the charger. When the charger is on the battery could go as high as 13.5 volts but will come down to a nominal voltage after a couple hours. If you need one of these chargers that has the LED lights I am coming up to LOW in january. I can bring it and you are more then welcome to it. My marcum has the DCS and has a diffent charger so I dont need the one that came with the battery.

[Royal Dutchman]

Durability doesn't seem to be a problem with the Marcum. Anybody around me knows that I USE(not baby) my equipment. If it doesn't work, I find something that will.

Have had my first LX-3 for 5 years. At least 50 days/yr on the ice in 4 wheeler or truck, make at least 1 trip/yr out to Garden Island on sleds, and used it in the boat the last 2 years.

Have replaced 1 battery and one ice-ducer. Not bad.

Have had 2nd LX-3 for 3 years with no issues.