Picking a Flasher

I have done some extensive research on Flashers. I finally have a pretty good nest egg going and want to drop some money on a Flasher. I am looking for top of the line. Problem is I look at all the pamphlets and listen to the sales pitches for each Manufacturer. I need some true and tested insight as to which way to go on Manufacturer and Model. I have only ever seen a Vex in action. So let me have it. I want every opinion, good and bad, every gripe and praise for each unit which everyone has had experience with. Thanks

Bob

Vexilar FL-20, marcum LX-5, or Hummingbird 55. these are your choices and you cannot go wrong unless you choose something other than those 3. (cream of the crop for sure). I have owned the Lowrance stuff and it was a horrible experience, Dont let anyone tell you that it is worth it. Go flasher all the way. I run a Vex FL-18 and it works great. My son will get it for his 5 year birthday and dad gets the upgrade. i love birthdays.

Marcum all the way.liked my vx1 so much that now I have a lx5 cant wait to try it out

Vexilar FL-20.

I have been selling and using Vexilar products for 20+ years.
You simply cannot go wrong with a Vexilar.

Buy one, you will be happy with the proven leader in marine electronics for 50 years.

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I have owned the Lowrance stuff and it was a horrible experience, Dont let anyone tell you that it is worth it.

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I have used a HDS 5 on the ice and it works great.
The trick is to get the settings correct and then you are good to go.
The nice thing about this unit is you have GPS built in for marking your hotspots.

If you are set on a flasher the Vexilar FL-20 is king.

I do not work for Vexilar, Lowrance or any manufacturer.
I worked retail for 20+ years selling these products and also have personal expierence with them.

Beware of product manufacturer duplications and stick with the proven leaders.
Just my .02.

Do a search on the forums “lx-5 vs. fl-20” , “marcum vs. Vexilar”, stuff like that. This topic has been discussed a million times, so you should be able to find tons of old forum posts to help you out. Also type it in on google and you will find tons of other forum discussions on it. A large percent of the members on this site will tell you marcum lx-5 is the way to go. They have more/better features than any other flasher… and thats why I bought one. I have no gripes about mine yet since I only got to use it about 2 times at the end of the winter. i used an fl-18 before that, and I’m used to having the float instead of the adjustable arm, so thats one thing ill have to figure out if i like or not.

http://www.idofishing.com/forum/showflat.php/Number/711066/fpart/1/marcum-lx5-vs-vexilar-fl20

http://www.idofishing.com/forum/showflat.php?Cat=0&Board=ice&Number=731986&Forum=

I’ve done both. I had the LX-3 and the Fl-20. Well, I thought I’d give them both an honest review. Marcums are good, but Vexilar is GREAT!!! The customer service and the fact that they’re bullet proof makes them great. My LX-3 had transducer problems and my FL-20 has done nonthing but work. Each one has it’s perks, but the power difference I really didn’t notice, so I would have to tip my cap to Vexilar:)

I’ve ran the Vexilar FL8 and then the FL18. Both of these units worked just fine, but the more I talked to others about MarCum products the more I found out what I was missing. Little did I know the top of the line Vexilar is only comparable to the entry level MarCum. That means the rest of the Marcum line exceeds anything Vexilar has. This year will be my first year running a MarCum LX-5 and I can’t wait to see what I’ve been missing! The movable zoom and better target separation are only a couple of the reasons I made the switch. You should do a Google search on Marcum LX-5 and you’ll find a demo video that’s very informative. The more you know the more you can see there’s really no comparison

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I’ve ran the Vexilar FL8 and then the FL18. Both of these units worked just fine, but the more I talked to others about MarCum products the more I found out what I was missing. Little did I know the top of the line Vexilar is only comparable to the entry level MarCum. That means the rest of the Marcum line exceeds anything Vexilar has. This year will be my first year running a MarCum LX-5 and I can’t wait to see what I’ve been missing! The movable zoom and better target separation are only a couple of the reasons I made the switch. You should do a Google search on Marcum LX-5 and you’ll find a demo video that’s very informative. The more you know the more you can see there’s really no comparison

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Joe, on paper you’re right. I guess that big “2500 Watts” looks impressive, but I seriously didn’t see a difference. My Marcum fished fine for 2 months and the transducer crapped out on me. Got another, same story. Fool me once, shame on me, fool me twice, shame on you. I don’t know if they fixed the transducer problem, but I simply can’t go back. I also noticed a little something about the interference rejection, let me know what you think. If you think it’s a matter of people who “know how to fish” use Marcum, I would have to disagree. I am out over 250 days a year chasing fish, and I simply have to say that Vexilar has me until Marcum gets a few things taken care of.

I was never unhappy with my fl-18, but now I own 2 LX3’s, I’m not sure you can go wrong with a marcum or vexilar (no input on other brands never used them) but one may make you happier than the other.

IMHO you gotta use them to really know, I bought one of each and sold the vex

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but the more I talked to others about MarCum products the more I found out what I was missing. Little did I know the top of the line Vexilar is only comparable to the entry level MarCum. That means the rest of the Marcum line exceeds anything Vexilar has.

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Ah yes, must be that time of year!

This topic really does get talked around quite a bit each season… but for good reason. There really is no tool on ice that can do more to improve your fishing success like the addition of a flasher to your arsenal.

But how to choose? Well, compare features. But I think most do that. On paper the MarCum steals the show. But, the real test comes out on the ice. And here’s where things get telling. IDO has been around for quite a few years now and over the course of those years we’ve had a lot of guys do the research, turn the knobs and kick the tires on all the units out there. Resoundingly… and I mean to a degree that just absolutely cannot be overstated… the guys that have owned both a Vex and a Marcum… here’s what you’ll hear time after time.

The “kid” now fishes with the Vex. Dad’s got the MarCum. Or I tried them both and sold the Vex.

Maybe some “one” can’t tell the difference. You’ll have that. There is no unit that will be the perfect fit for all people. The vast majority can tell the difference. And time after time, season after season we hear the same thing here. I tried them both and MarCum gets the nod. The display was a little crisper, the resolution was a little better, the interference rejection system WORKED and on and on. Those are the guys to listen to. The guys that tried them both, on ice. What did they choose and why?

You’ll never find a consensus on a product. That’s why we have multiple companies making similar products. And of the top three companies nobody makes a “bad” unit. No matter what you choose you’re going to be a much more successful ice angler following the investment. But there are features and performance capabilities that set one unit apart from the others and if you do a search here and spend some time reading you’ll find a huge backlog of posts on the subject and you’ll see exactly what I mean. MarCum seems to be the overwhelming choice. But don’t take my word for it. You’ve got 5+ years of threads here to search that will give you all the material you need to help you with your choice.

One last thing that I feel should be pointed out… Marcum is the only unit made in the USA. Everything else takes the slow boat over from Japan and China.

MarCum does all the engineering, manufacturing of the circuit boards, assembly and packaging about 10 miles from where I live here in the metro in the same facility where everything has been done for the last 3 years. And unlike most American made products that seemingly cost more because their made in the states… the price on the MarCum LX5 actually went DOWN this year by $100. Which begs the question, if MarCum can make their products in America, employ American engineers and assembly workers and keep prices down to the point where MarCum can offer more features at a lower price than the competitors why do the other companies feel the need to ship american jobs overseas while charging more for fewer features?

So there’s my one flasher post for the season. Hopefully I got it all out of my system in one shot.

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So there’s my one flasher post for the season. Hopefully I got it all out of my system in one shot.

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HA yeah rite

As a Vex owner I am very pleased with the performance however after fishing the Vex side by side (in the same shack) with the Marcum many times I will tell you this, given the rite opportunity and the $$$ in my pocket I would drop the Vex without any kind of hesitation or regret for a Marcum.

With that said I would opt for a Marcum but for now settle with the Vex

(Quote)…One last thing that I feel should be pointed out… Marcum is the only unit made in the USA. Everything else takes the slow boat over from Japan and China.

MarCum does all the engineering, manufacturing of the circuit boards, assembly and packaging about 10 miles from where I live here in the metro in the same facility where everything has been done for the last 3 years. And unlike most American made products that seemingly cost more because their made in the states… the price on the MarCum LX5 actually went DOWN this year by $100. Which begs the question, if MarCum can make their products in America, employ American engineers and assembly workers and keep prices down to the point where MarCum can offer more features at a lower price than the competitors why do the other companies feel the need to ship american jobs overseas while charging more for fewer features?

That right there speaks volumes

Love the Marcum lx5.

I use a Marcum LX-5 and really like it. My brother uses an FL-20 and he really likes it. When we’re on a suspended crappie bite, I have the ability to move my zoom window up and get the 3/4″ seperation between my bait and the fish. Another advantage is when we’re fishing side by side in a house he gets a little interference, my Dad’s FL-8 is going crazy, and the LX-5 remains clear. If you do much moving on the ice, you will also like the compact design of the MarCums. I’m just speaking from personal experience as I’ve owned 2 Vexilars, a MarCum, tested a Hummingbird for 10 hours last year, and tried my Lowrance 522 and used a friends X-67 for awhile.

In my opinion these are the two best units on the market, so you can’t go wrong either way.

I have never owned a Vex, but have fished with them for maybe 8-10 hours combined. Have owned an LX-5 and a VX-1, both made by Marcum. I have two friends that I iced fish with that both had Vex’s. In the middle of one of our outings one of the guys stopped using his vex and asked if he could use my VX-1 that I used as a back up. All I can say is that both own LX-5’s now. I can’t say for sure way they made the change, but they did. I don’t like to make changes myself unless I am unhappy or can make a significant improvement. And this is what I am guessing happened with these guys.

Good Luck with you choice. IT is a fun one to make.

FDR

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Vexilar FL-20, marcum LX-5, or Hummingbird 55. these are your choices and you cannot go wrong unless you choose something other than those 3. (cream of the crop for sure). I have owned the Lowrance stuff and it was a horrible experience, Dont let anyone tell you that it is worth it. Go flasher all the way. I run a Vex FL-18 and it works great. My son will get it for his 5 year birthday and dad gets the upgrade. i love birthdays.

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+1

Ahh, a flasher debate…

I’ve owned Sitex, Hondex and Vexilar over the years. I still own a Hondex (Vexilar) FL-8 that was purchased new in 1989. Great flasher that has unbelieavable hours of use in winter and summer in the boat. Still works great and never needed service. It even has busted apart and a lot of JB Weld holds it back together. You can’t go wrong with Vexilar.

Although, I have owned Marcum LX-3 and updated to the LX-5 for the past 4 seasons or so. Marcum had some transducer problems in the early LX-3 years ago, that is common knowledge. They took care of everyone and still do I’m sure.

You simply cannot tear my LX-5 out of my hands. It is the most impressive flasher I’ve ever used, and it’s performance is unlike any other I’ve seen. The target seperation, interference rejection and the adjustable zoom can’t be beat in my eyes.

My LX-5 is in my boat and always on. I actually prefer it finding those tight bottom walleyes, I use the LCD graph as comparison/history depth chart.

In the winter, I fish almost every day as it’s right out my back door. Uncountable hours on the Marcums and NO problems.

I wish Marcum still offered the on-the-ice flasher test drives like in year’s past. Buyer’s can see all the competition first hand side by side to decide which they like. Obviously inside a store you can’t try them out.

Red89, when I bought my Marcum it actually came with a float for the transducer rather than the arm. The local dealer assumed everyone would rather have the float because that was what Vex did. He just added a piece of foam pipe insulation. You could do the same. Just unhook the wire from the back of the unit and tread it thru the foam insulation using the same stop that comes with the arm.

I tried that for awhile and then went to the adjustable arm. Prefer the arm by a whole lot more. You can adjust it so that the cable goes down right on the side of the hole and is out of the way more than if it were on a float. Couple that with adjusting the transducer to be right at the bottom of the hole and you have alot less tangles when bringing fish up.

Heres my wifes take on a flasher:

Last eyar she decides she wants a flasher, she has no clue how they work. I run across a smoking deal on a near new FL-18 and buy it for her. That following Saturday we are with a group of friends fishing shallow water gills/crappies. Normaly in 7-8′ of water we don’t need the flashers but water was cloudy last year in places.

I get her set up and fishing, tuned the vex for her, got my LX set up and strated fishing. Her 18 even on low power mode ( still don’t understand why thats even needed) just was a blob while my LX was crisp and clear.

After watching hers then mine and a few questions she gets quiet, finaly she asks why she understands what mine says but not hers. I told her you didn’t want me to spend the extra on another LX,a flashers a flasher.

Moral of the story is that is the 1 and only time we used that 18 she had ne sell it and get myself a new LX and she now owns my old one. She now understands and loves using it.

My partner got a deal on a 20 a couple years ago, anyone not liking their LX-5 he’ll gladly trade you. Now that I have 2 his always seems to have a dead battery so he borrows my LX. After spending 100’s of hours fishing the LX-5 next to his 20 theres no comparison in the units IMO. While his flatscreen and night veiwings a nice feature, my target seperation and crispness of my lines are so much easier to read, and I don’t miss the humming from the Vex.

I say get crazy and try the Humminbird 55. Six color flasher and movable zoom I believe. Be the one to give us the review on this, and let us know how it works. I use Humminbird on the boat and love it. Would think their flasher works great too. Oh and I’ve been using the same fl-8 for years, so I have no judgement either way.

I would agree with Mr. Schroden in suggesting you consider making your electronics from your boat (if you have any) portable & bringing them on the ice. Although I only have one year of experience (on the ice) with it, my Lowrance 522 served me very well. I’m suprised more people don’t do this, but maybe I’m missing something (hard on equipment, not as senstive??) since I’m more of an open water guy than an ice fisherman.