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I own a Vex. What I notice is the thing that sent me off the ice to find one back in the mists of time still holds true. It catches fish. The other guys like to talk about features and power and crap. I like catching fish till I see one catch more fish than me consistently I’ll be keeping the Vex.
Flashers don’t catch fish… 
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I own a Vexilar, have never used any other but have noticed some things from this forum…
It seems the Vexilars do not have as many performance “bells and whistles”, but they are durable as all get out. I’ve had mine for over 10 years and it works about the same as the day I got it. The only things I’ve had to replace was the battery and the transducer-which is to be expected. I also tend to be a bit rough on my stuff and my old FL8 takes it like a champ.
Although the Marcums will out perform the Vex’s, it seems that they are not very durable. So far, I’ve seen one case on this forum where someone had a legitimate problem with a Vex. People chiming in with issues with Marcums are almost a daily occurance. I have a friend who so far has recieved two Marcums out of the box that were faulty-sure their customer service was great and he received a full refund plus they covered shipping, but it ruined a couple of weekends fishing for him. I have never heard how Vexilar’s customer service is-I get the feeling that most people don’t need to use it.
I think it’s a trade off of durability vs performance. Personally, I’ll stick with the Vexilar.
You are exactly right, the new marcum digital units are plagued with problems… but guess what? they are not even comparable to a vexilar so you can not make the comparison. The marcum mechanical flashers have very little problems, maybe a bad battery or charger but that has nothing to do with the unit itself. 90% of all the problems you see on here regarding marcum units are the lx6, 7, or 9. The rest were solved with a new battery or charger.
That is like comparing your truck to your weed whacker. Yeah I bet your weed whacker has very few problems.
Whew! Sounds like somebody needs to hit up the old lady for a bit of lovin…
I’ve had my Vexilar Fl-18 since it was released over 10 years ago. I fish at least once a week & it’s still as good as new. I also have an old Micronar FL-8 that I bought over 20+ years ago that I still use as backup! I’ve never had any work done to it, although it’s hard to see in bright sunlight. Very solid units! That said, when I decide to upgrade I’ll be open to trying something new. Lot’s of great options these days.
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A vexilar will last you a lot longer. They are way more durable than marcums and humminbirds. Customer service is also better than humminbird and marcum. More of a preference though, you should try out each unit if possible before making a decision.
What info are you basing this on? Using a fl8 for 10 years and having a buddy tell you his marcum broke?
…and maybe you should get to the eye dr too. I didn’t post what you are quoting here. Of course they say if you play with your marcum too much, you’ll go blind.
Randy thats pretty interesting isn’t. Have you done this before? I tried it with 3 different brands in the same hole, different holes, individually rotated them between holes, different parts/depths of lake, etc. You’d be suprised by the results or maybe disappionted.
A person should really try all brands or models they are interested in buying out on the ice before deciding what to buy and not base there decision on advertising.
My choice was I went back to Vex FL20. I’d buy another one too.
When the bugs are worked out of the 6,7,and 9’s I’d like to try them out someday too.
I got rid of my 2010 FL20 due to the constant loud noises that flasher made. About drove me nuts when fishing with it. So I got a noise free LX6 and that machine is a beauty. Quiet, sleek, and performs just fine.
Imma say that Vexilars are great! Reliable, good customer service. Aside that its the same unit with minor bell & whistles regarding from the FL8 to the FL22.
I’ve seen it, spent some time with it, and its not the flasher for me. I prefer a Humminbird & Marcum, it likely comes down to distinct features for me.
I do think Vexilar is losing customers to Humminbird & Marcum, were just not seeing the innovation we want from them. Sure some are OK the way it is now but to an enthusiast were always looking for the latest and greatest. An edge or tool to provide more information so we can better ourself out while during angling opportunities. This is why most people I know have swapped from Vexilar to Marcum in the last few years.
If Marcum can put out a colored showdown unit in the near future it will really shake up the flasher market…
Vexilar’s are on the noisey side at times. As far as interferance, if you do all your adjustments right, there isn’t much problems. The vex site (ice fishing today) has a lot of help on this.
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I own a Vex. What I notice is the thing that sent me off the ice to find one back in the mists of time still holds true. It catches fish. The other guys like to talk about features and power and crap. I like catching fish till I see one catch more fish than me consistently I’ll be keeping the Vex.
Flashers don’t catch fish…
Yeah that’s the exact point he’s trying to make!!
Everyone is so caught up in new features and innovation and bells and whistles and knick knacks that they forget about the functions of a flasher that actually matter.
1. Does is show your lure?
2. Does is show fish?
3. Can it be used by other flashers? (cause/cancel interference)
**The features that really do help you catch more fish
Im just happy there are the options of getting a marcum or bird. Seems to me if it was left up to Vexlar we would all still be fishing with a FL-8. Glad these other companies came along and decided to push forward.
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I know have swapped from Vexilar to Marcum in the last few years.
Percentage wise this is very true but what should raise an eyebrow is why someone would switch back to Vexilar from a Marcum or a HB. I’ve noticed quite a bit of this going on the last few years and a lot more this year than years past. Somethings going on here.
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Everyone is so caught up in new features and innovation and bells and whistles and knick knacks that they forget about the functions of a flasher that actually matter.
1. Does is show your lure?
2. Does is show fish?
3. Can it be used by other flashers? (cause/cancel interference)
This is exactly what I wanted to know and why I did what I did. I didn’t want to rely on what others say on the internet and marketing material. I would add to #1 and #2 how does these two show up next to other flashers also?
After my first day testing I had more Whats, Whys, and Hows than before I hit the ice.
If you just want to see the fish and your jig then you might as well pick up a zercom or green box off craigslist for $25.
Just like your open water fishing rods. They will all do the job, but doesnt a good quality one help you catch more fish? The rod doesn’t catch fish for you, so why not just use $10 walmart rods? Why? because you can feel more fish with a good quality rod and thus catch more, well with a good quality sonar you can see more fish and see what your lure is doing. Ice fishing is a visual game, you need to be able to see your jig, see the individual fish, and see how they react until that tip moves. With a unit that just shows fish, your jig, and the bottom, all you see is your jig dropping into a mass of red or gray. If you go for the better units on the market you can see your jig between the individual fish (perch, crappie, bluegill, walleye etc) and see how each individual fish reacts to your lure. No more fishing above the school and getting the aggressive little ones, now you can fish IN the school and work those big slow fish.
They all do the job, but some do it BETTER. That is hard for most to understand.
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If you just want to see the fish and your jig then you might as well pick up a zercom or green box off craigslist for $25.
Just like your open water fishing rods. They will all do the job, but doesnt a good quality one help you catch more fish? The rod doesn’t catch fish for you, so why not just use $10 walmart rods? Why? because you can feel more fish with a good quality rod and thus catch more, well with a good quality sonar you can see more fish and see what your lure is doing. Ice fishing is a visual game, you need to be able to see your jig, see the individual fish, and see how they react until that tip moves. With a unit that just shows fish, your jig, and the bottom, all you see is your jig dropping into a mass of red or gray. If you go for the better units on the market you can see your jig between the individual fish (perch, crappie, bluegill, walleye etc) and see how each individual fish reacts to your lure. No more fishing above the school and getting the aggressive little ones, now you can fish IN the school and work those big slow fish.
They all do the job, but some do it BETTER. That is hard for most to understand.
Couldn’t agree anymore! Start seeing RED!
How much stock do you own in Marcum, B BK? 
FL-18 great unit but do they make ’em anymore? My LX-5 definitly out performed the FL-18 though.
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How much stock do you own in Marcum, B BK?
It’s hard to contain passion. 
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How much stock do you own in Marcum, B BK?
One flasher’s worth.
I’m not pushing marcum, I said marcum OR humminbird. They are both dandy units, but yes you will see more individual fish with the upper end marcums becasue of the better target separation and crisp lines. But sitting next to a vex, a humminbird is still a superior unit.
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How much stock do you own in Marcum, B BK?
He believes in a good product and knowing something can be done better and not being shafted into paying high prices for less features… I saw a fl-8 for sale for 279 with the genz box…This is exactly what i’m talking about…
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But sitting next to a vex, a humminbird is still a superior unit.
Probably so, but it doesn’t affect you if someone else chooses a Vex. Their choice.
Me? I run a Lowrance X67c. 
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But sitting next to a vex, a humminbird is still a superior unit.
Probably so, but it doesn’t affect you if someone else chooses a Vex. Their choice.
Me? I run a Lowrance X67c.
Do you like it? I had a chance to pick one up (used) for $150 a while back. I should have grabbed it I think. Haven’t seen on in person on the ice yet, but I’ve heard they are nice units.
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Do you like it? I had a chance to pick one up (used) for $150 a while back. I should have grabbed it I think. Haven’t seen on in person on the ice yet, but I’ve heard they are nice units.
For me, it’s great. Plus, I use it on the bow of my boat in the summer.
That might be another option for the OP here over a vexilar. No clue on the target separation but it cant be any worse than a vex. The color LCD display and ability to use it in the summer would be a plus IMO. That is why I was thinking of grabbing it. For a bit extra I could have bought the open water transducer and used it on the boat (needs a new sonar up front anyways), and then had a backup to my marcum if I ever need it. Darn now I think I should have snatched that up. 
You sure seem to be trying very hard to convince yourself you made the right decision on purchasing an Marcum. 
I get it, Just ribbing ya.
Though did vex kick some sand in your face on the beach at some point? 
I love the fact that I can use the scroll graph on my lx6 for open water. And with the open water transducer it’s a win win year round deal with my Lx6!
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You sure seem to be trying very hard to convince yourself you made the right decision on purchasing an Marcum.
I get it, Just ribbing ya.
Though did vex kick some sand in your face on the beach at some point?
Some days I wish I would have bought the humminbird for the dual beam transducer. 
Keep filling that change jar, some day you will get there.
Maybe you will have better luck at letting the jar fill than me 
How come open water units don’t get more love?
I run an HDS 5 and love it. The built in GPS is something no flasher brings to the table.
Hummingbird looks like they have a comparable unit… anyone use that?
Integrated GPS is actually some useful innovation compared to all the multi-beam transducer and .00052″ target separation mumbo jumbo.
Most guys want the flasher image and H/bird stops at 700 series. If my LX9 wasn’t going to be available within a couple days of when I got it, I was popping for an 858 and waiting until next year for Marcum.
I always thought about using my Garmin 530/s from the boat.Be pretty sweet to have the GPS feature and satellite imagery and to be able to adjust the cone width at any angle and have split screen capabilities.
I never did the research on what it would take to make it ice ready or even if it is extreme cold compatible.
Being I have a flasher and a handheld GPS it gets put on the back burner.
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