Hi tmack,
I don’t think you can go wrong with the Lowrance 4800 paired up with the X135. I recently purchased the Lowrance 4800 with the new Navionics Premium chip. Sweet unit under $400 bucks. Heck I paid that much for my first hand held GPS! After using the Navionics chip this season, I really don’t know how I ever got by without one. Especially on Mille Lacs where I fish most of the summer.
I have run the Vexilar Edge for the last 3 seasons. I really like the unit. It does a super job at marking fish and showing changes in bottom hardness. Very simple operation with all of the control functions on the face of the unit. No need to scroll into a sub-menu to change a setting. It is still the only unit out there that runs 2 separate transducers, on 2 separate frequencies simultaneously. IMHO > The Edge blew everything out of the water for the last few years. With that said, I have had the opportunity to see some of the new color graphs in action and I’m impressed. Given the choice to drop $700 bucks (or more) on a new unit, I’d be looking at one of the Lowrance or Garmin color graphs. I think the Vexilar Edge is a little over priced right now. If they were selling in the mid to upper $400 range, I think people would be snapping them up! I hope Vexilar has an updated version of the Edge in the works. (Like a color version) But I have not heard anything along those lines.
Just my 2 cent worth…..