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30 Replies | Page 1 of 21 2 Next Page >> | Top of Page | Bottom of Page

Vex vs. MarCum

by FFfisherman312 , Posted to Fishing Buddy on 12/16/2009 9:50 PM \| "Quote" \| "Quick Reply" \|
FFfisherman312 Joined: 05/03/2009 Location: ND	So I am shopping around looking for a Flasher. Tired of the my Camera spooking fish so I parted ways with it. So I am going to be buying a Flasher just curious what other have to say about them. Which would you buy? what you like about each? anything
<a href="http://mas.midkotamedia.com/www/delivery/ck.php?n=a4e5439a&cb="><img src=">http://mas.midkotamedia.com/www/delivery/avw.php?zoneid=177&source=%7Csite~fbo%7C%7Cch~fishing%7C%7Ccat~fishing_equipment%7C%7CsCat~%7C%7Cgeo~north_dakota%7C%7Cp~vex_vs_marcum%7C%7Cpos~centerCol_forumTopicFirstPost%7C%7Cac~ForumsAction%7C&target=_blank&cb="></a>
Re: Vex vs. MarCum by luveyes on 12/16/2009 10:22 PM \| Reply #1 \| "Quote" \| "Quick Reply" \|
luveyes Joined: 08/16/2004 Location: ND	Both are great units. From my experience the Marcum has more issues with interference from other flashers being used in the area. They both have their great points though. I love my FL 18.
	YES, I am that foolish!
Re: Vex vs. MarCum by Capable Partner on 12/16/2009 11:08 PM \| Reply #2 \| "Quote" \| "Quick Reply" \|
Capable Partner Joined: 12/16/2009 Location: mn	I have both the Marcum LX3-TC and the Vexilar FL-18. Like them both. The Vex seems noisier. The Marcum has a zoom which can go anywhere in the water column. For what it is worth, my 10 year old son always takes the Vexilar when we go out. His personal preference. I will run them side by side and can get them to do well using the Interference rejection functions. Price wise, I got the Vex ilar for 250 used. I picked up the Marcum at Fleet Farm for 249 new (heckuva discount) I snapped off three of the four plastic mounting tabs on the Vex when I tipped my gear over two years ago. Called them, wanted to pay for the new ones. Vexilar sent them free and right away. My fault, they covered. That is good customer service.
Re: Vex vs. MarCum by wstnodak on 12/16/2009 11:17 PM \| Reply #3 \| "Quote" \| "Quick Reply" \|
wstnodak Joined: 11/03/2002 Location: ND	I have the vex fl-20 and have nothing bad to say about it. This is very biased because this is the only flasher I have ever used. One thing I really like is the split screen where you can view the bottom 6 or 12 feet on one side and the full water column on the other side. One thing to consider is the transducer angle. I fished last weekend in a flip top portable with my buddy who had the new fl-20 with a tansducer that could change from 9 to 19 angle variation (i think those were the angles). We had 4 holes drilled in the house. I would always pick up the split shot weight I had on my dead stick 2 feet away while he wouldn't if he had it on the 9 degree setting. Whenever we ran into any sign of the two units interfering it only took a couple pushes of the gain button to cure that problem. Whenever you are spending this much on a flasher my biggest worry is durabitlity and so far it seems to be putting up with my not so careful habits. Like I said, this report is biased but take it for what it's worth.
	If god didn't want us to eat animals....he wouldn't have made them out of food.
Re: Vex vs. MarCum by DecoyVC on 12/16/2009 11:59 PM \| Reply #4 \| "Quote" \| "Quick Reply" \|
DecoyVC Joined: 09/14/2005 Location: ND	Both are good units. I have the Marcum LX-5 and strongly suggest it. I had an fl-18 fish next to me and he couldn't handle my interference and I didn't get any from him. The LX-5 is great and I like the crisp color on the Marcum's much better than the Vex. Both with quadruple the fish you catch but the zoom on the Marcum is great. Get the LX-5! Ryan

Re: Vex vs. MarCum by Frosty.... on 12/17/2009 06:50 AM \| Reply #5 \| "Quote" \| "Quick Reply" \|
Frosty.... Joined: 06/09/2007 Location: ND	Second the the Marcum. I have the LX-3 and if I could do it again I would have gotten the LX-5. Anytime I have been around someone with a Vex they also couldn't handle the interference my unit put out and theres didn't bother mine at all. Like Decoy said, the colors are great, the split screen zoom is awesome, never had an issue with the battery not lasting all day, all around great unit!! Frosty
	-}}}}}--------------->>>
Re: Vex vs. MarCum by jtillman on 12/17/2009 07:04 AM \| Reply #6 \| "Quote" \| "Quick Reply" \|
jtillman Joined: 10/27/2003 Location: MN	Honestly, Vex and Marcum are darn near close, but when I got my Marcum LX-3, these were the game winners for the Marcum: more power, better seperation, movable zoom, lower prices (when comparing apples to apples compared to the Vex). I'm curious on Luveyes opinion on saying Marcum has more interference problems.In all of my experience with fishing with other Vex's in the house, my Marcum has always been clear as can be once I turn the IR feature on. That feature alone has made some very loyal Vex followers 'lower' themselves to an LX-3 or LX-5. FWIW, I have personally owned and used an LX-3, FL8, FL18, and the 'green box' flasher while out ice fishing.
Re: Vex vs. MarCum by SHEDZ on 12/17/2009 07:39 AM \| Reply #7 \| "Quote" \| "Quick Reply" \|
SHEDZ Joined: 10/18/2006 Location: ND	I've used most of them and im very happy with my lx-5. It's a nice machine.

Re: Vex vs. MarCum by luveyes on 12/17/2009 08:58 AM \| Reply #8 \| "Quote" \| "Quick Reply" \|
luveyes Joined: 08/16/2004 Location: ND	jtillman, On LOW last year we had a FL8, FL18, 2 X67c ice machines, and a Marcum LX3 on the ice. Most of the 3 days out (in a sleeper permanent) the Marcum had major issues with clutter when both of the Vexs' were running. The 67c's were even worse. The owner used the IR feature to no avail. He had the same problem the winter before under the same conditions. The Vexilars had no troubles at all. Maybe he had a bad unit and needed service, bt on its own it did OK. The Marcum is an excellent unit. I like the idea of zooming anywhere in the water column. The power is better, but that power cant really be utilized or fully appreciated in most of the hardwater scenarios ND has to offer. Suspended Lakers over 100ft it cant be beat. To be honest this IMHO is a Ford vs Chev debate. They both are great units; they have excellent reputations and customer service. Some features are shared, others are slightly off. To me it came down to "where can I find the best deal". I sold my overused FL8 for a great price and got a next to new (used for 1.5 days on the water)FL18 for a deal I couldnt pass up. In my eyes this truly is a "best price" scenario. Id only put the LX5, FL18 and 20 in the running though. Cant beat the zoom feature when fishing over 15 FOW...
	YES, I am that foolish!
Re: Vex vs. MarCum by archer on 12/17/2009 09:06 AM \| Reply #9 \| "Quote" \| "Quick Reply" \|
archer Joined: 06/28/2002 Location: MN	Check out the Hummingbird flashers, wow are they nice if you dont like interference. played with a Hummingbird-35 flasher last winter and it was very nice. It will be the next flasher i buy. It retails at $299. it has two other model 45 and 55 model at about $100 more each. I would check these out before buying either marcum or vexilar.

Re: Vex vs. MarCum by jtillman on 12/17/2009 09:07 AM \| Reply #10 \| "Quote" \| "Quick Reply" \|
jtillman Joined: 10/27/2003 Location: MN	Luveyes, That is very interesting on your experience at LOW. I have been in the same exact situation but exact opposite experience (minus the X67's) on LOW as well. My LX-3 was clear and the Vex's had clutter. I would think something is wrong with the LX-3 (soley based off of my personal experience), but I'm not an expert on this. Maybe the X67's had somethng to do with it?
Re: Vex vs. MarCum by Horsager on 12/17/2009 09:08 AM \| Reply #11 \| "Quote" \| "Quick Reply" \|
Horsager Joined: 08/12/2003 Location: ND	IMO the only time there's a truely significant difference between the two is suspended fish over deep water and the Marcum's ability to zoom wherever you're needing to fish in the column to catch fish. Ice fishing Lakers is the only time I feel my 1st generation LX-3 was an advantage over anything Vex. Short of that I see no difference. FWIW I think that due to the extra power a Marcum unit is harder on batteries than a Vex. Much bigger than the debate over which one to choose, I'll guarentee that once you fish with one, you won't fish without one!!
	..............THIS SPACE FOR RENT..............
Re: Vex vs. MarCum by luveyes on 12/17/2009 09:21 AM \| Reply #12 \| "Quote" \| "Quick Reply" \|
luveyes Joined: 08/16/2004 Location: ND	jtillman, Both of the x67s were retired very early; they werent the issue. They sucked very much bad with all of the interference they had. I agree that the Marcum may have been faulty, especially with all of the reports here. Both great units for sure especially if you go with the zoom models.
	YES, I am that foolish!
Re: Vex vs. MarCum by hlt on 12/17/2009 09:40 AM \| Reply #13 \| "Quote" \| "Quick Reply" \|
hlt Joined: 01/15/2006 Location: ND	I have a FL20 an i like it but i am pretty sure any more they are all good ones
	One Big Ass Mistake America !
Re: Vex vs. MarCum by iluvswnd on 12/17/2009 09:49 AM \| Reply #14 \| "Quote" \| "Quick Reply" \|
iluvswnd Joined: 11/09/2004 Location: Sa	hlt Said: I have a FL20 an i like it but i am pretty sure any more they are all good ones +1 I wouldn't trade my FL-20 for anything, but all I've used is Vexilars so I can't comment at all on the Marcum. I had an older FL-8 that had some interference issues but never had a problem with my Vex. One thing I will advise, if you are going to buy one then pick up one of the higher models. You will never find yourself wishing you would have went cheaper. I've caught so many more fish with my bottom lock it is unbelievable that I ever used to fish without it. No firsthand use of the Hummingbird either, but I know some guys that work at sporting goods stores and they all steered me away from those units. They told me they had quite a few come back with some issues. This was a year ago so they might have worked some things out, but ask around before you pick one of those up.
	J
Re: Vex vs. MarCum by jtillman on 12/17/2009 09:55 AM \| Reply #15 \| "Quote" \| "Quick Reply" \|
jtillman Joined: 10/27/2003 Location: MN	Horsager Said: Much bigger than the debate over which one to choose, I'll guarentee that once you fish with one, you won't fish without one!! I'd second that. I sent my LX-3 in for the color upgrade a few years back, and went one day without one, felt like I was lost. Never thought about the extra power & battery life....never had a problem with running out of charge over a weekend, but I can see the logic.
Re: Vex vs. MarCum by snow on 12/17/2009 10:02 AM \| Reply #16 \| "Quote" \| "Quick Reply" \|
snow Joined: 01/29/2003 Location: MN	Been using the vex since 1992,on my 4th generation vex,FL-18,field tested the LX-5 1sy year in came out,the unit has nothing over the vex except price,the marcum LX-5 is pushing $500 ,the entire water column zoo is pointless,my vex does a great job on suspended fish in water less than 50ft,walleyes generally hug the bottom in my lakes here in Mn,"2500watts of power" so what marcum and vexilar uses the same 400 pixel ducer,the only thing I know forsure is that the extra power has been known to blow the ducer out,seen it happen last winter 1st hand.Vexilar has fantastic customer service,can't say the same for marcum now that they have changed hands. Just a few thoughts~ Tim
	Perazzi usa Benelli usa hevi shot prostaff Briley chokes
Re: Vex vs. MarCum by JDA1422 on 12/17/2009 10:42 AM \| Reply #17 \| "Quote" \| "Quick Reply" \|
JDA1422 Joined: 12/31/2008 Location: ND	I went through 3 new Mar-Cums 7 years ago when they just came out. Went into Cabelas the 4th time and said I wanted to trade straight up for a FL-18. Best decision I made. I know they have dramatically changed the quality of the Mar-Cum product over the last 7 years but I do not think I could go back. Some people like their cucumbers pickled.
Re: Vex vs. MarCum by hoytvectrix on 12/17/2009 12:37 PM \| Reply #18 \| "Quote" \| "Quick Reply" \|
hoytvectrix Joined: 12/09/2009 Location: ND	MarCum all the way. ive had a Vex fl-8 and the seperation is no where close to a marcum in the lx-5 or the lx-3. i fish regularly with guys that have a fl-18 and a lx-3 i own a lx-5 and the marcums always have the best seperation. within 1/2 to 1 in most of the time depends on the bottom. the biggest thing that sold me though was the size of the lines such as the jig showing up on the screen. when i had my fl-8 the sensitivy was almost never on due to hard bottom and the jig size on the flasher screen was almost 1/4 in wide. that caused a guy to raise at least the seperation of the unit plus that 1/4 inch to see seperation between the bottom and that put you out of the fish catchin zone on tight jawed walleyes. on a marcum the lines are much much smaller 1/16 of a inch maybe very nice for seperation and the size of the lines is very nice that is the main thing that sold it for me and the more power. so i would go MarCum all the way.
Re: Vex vs. MarCum by iluvswnd on 12/17/2009 12:54 PM \| Reply #19 \| "Quote" \| "Quick Reply" \|
iluvswnd Joined: 11/09/2004 Location: Sa	hoytvectrix Said: MarCum all the way. ive had a Vex fl-8 and the seperation is no where close to a marcum in the lx-5 or the lx-3. i fish regularly with guys that have a fl-18 and a lx-3 i own a lx-5 and the marcums always have the best seperation. within 1/2 to 1 in most of the time depends on the bottom. the biggest thing that sold me though was the size of the lines such as the jig showing up on the screen. when i had my fl-8 the sensitivy was almost never on due to hard bottom and the jig size on the flasher screen was almost 1/4 in wide. that caused a guy to raise at least the seperation of the unit plus that 1/4 inch to see seperation between the bottom and that put you out of the fish catchin zone on tight jawed walleyes. on a marcum the lines are much much smaller 1/16 of a inch maybe very nice for seperation and the size of the lines is very nice that is the main thing that sold it for me and the more power. so i would go MarCum all the way. To be fair, the FL-8 isn't much of a comparison to an 18 or 20. Ive fished with all three and while the 8 is a handy unit it doesn't have the capability of the better models.
	J
Re: Vex vs. MarCum by snow on 12/17/2009 12:58 PM \| Reply #20 \| "Quote" \| "Quick Reply" \|
snow Joined: 01/29/2003 Location: MN	+1 iluv~
	Perazzi usa Benelli usa hevi shot prostaff Briley chokes

30 Replies | Page 1 of 21 2 Next Page >> | Top of Page | Bottom of Page

Posted By: FFfisherman312
Posted On: 12/16/2009 9:50 PM

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Tags: vex, marcum, flasher, tired, camera, fish, looking, shopping, curious, ways
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