If you want a great deal on the lithium 10ah 12v flasher/camera battery, Rapala has them for $119
http://www.rapala.com/SEE12V10ANB/SEE12V10ANB,default,pd.html?start=2&cgid=rapala-sale-20offPartsAccessories&prefn1=brand&prefv1=VMC%7cIce%20Force%7cMarCum
That is a ridiculous cost. 
Oh, and dont forget the special $25 charger…
Also you have to copy the entire url posted as the quicklink is not correct.
I agree, they are in the raping mode on those batteries at this point. If you cost compare a nicad, nimh, or a lithium ion for cordless drills it sheds light. I always buy the best of equipment. However, that’s just a plain rip off. I’ll wait till somebody decides to offer one at a reasonable price! Seems rapala/marcum is in the gouging mode with this battery.
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I agree, they are in the raping mode on those batteries at this point. If you cost compare a nicad, nimh, or a lithium ion for cordless drills it sheds light. I always buy the best of equipment. However, that’s just a plain rip off. I’ll wait till somebody decides to offer one at a reasonable price! Seems rapala/marcum is in the gouging mode with this battery.
Yes and no. I have the extended capacity red lithium battery for a 12v Milwaukee tool. I purchased a power port that allows the battery to be used to power other items. Using it on my Huminbird 385 Ice I only get 3 hours continuous use. That battery sells for $80.00. So, Marcums price is comparable for the extended run time…but still too rich for my blood. I spent several thousand on an ATV to cart my fat azz along with my heavy lead/acid powered electronics over the ice.
I guess my question would be is how much longer will a digital sonar run on a lithium. I guess if I can double the run time on my lx7 with out toting around 2-3 batteries, why not? Its only money boys! 
The only way I would consider picking one up is to see a side by side comparison. And to see a considerable difference in hours of use and charge time vs a traditional battery.
My question would be can you expect to get more years from one if properly maintained?
It is a 10ah battery, doesn’t matter if it’s gel, lithium, or potato battery. The ah rating is giving you the amount of capacity the battery holds. All this talk about going three days on a charge is possible with a gell battery to. If you have a 10ah gell it will run the same length as a 10ah lithium.
Remember most replacement gells are 7ah, and a few up to 9ah. Don’t very often see a 10 or 11ah gell. From what I know about recharge cycles from my cordless tools the lithium cycles 0-100% for the life of the battery. Where a gell will slowly loose length through the life of the battery. As for battery life cycles how many of you guys are upgrading electronics every year, or every other? If you do that does it really matter?
I can buy lithium replacement batteries for my cordless tools for a few dollars more a piece than Standard NiCad’s. That being said I can see that rapala knows at this point they have this niche cornered. I can’t imagine however this will not change by next winter.
These are all good questions and I would bet that time will answer all for us ice fisherman. There are few things you need to keep in mind as you look at this technology though; first of all, which Lithium technology are you looking to use. As you may or may not know there are several types of Lithium compounds used in making batteries and each has its place and use. The batteries that I am using and is part of the discussion here is a Lithium Iron Phosphate compound. The battery is made by using 3 smaller cells in parallel and then 4 cell sets in series to create the 12V @ whatever amp hour configuration. You will find that these batteries operate a higher output voltage than you are used to since they charge to a maximum cutout voltage of 16.0V. The battery will operate around 12.8 – 13.2 V for a fully charged unit with the low current draw that we see in a Marcum unit. These technologies are fairly new to the public and have a tremendous sticker shock value, some of which makes the cost vary is the fact that for proper operation there is actually electronics built directly into the battery to make sure that damage does not occur if misused. If weight is a significant issue, these batteries weigh in at 2.8Lbs for a 10AH unit versus the 5.7Lbs for a 9 AH normal lead acid battery. Also, if you can believe charts, the cold temperature usage of these have been tested at -20F and have a good lasting power curve that indicates that some of the temperature issue have been fixed. As for the long life aspect of these batteries, it will totally depend on how you use it and how well you take care of it.
The battery that I use is the K2 series of batteries and charger so that is why I have included their info here. There is nothing unique about their data other than it is what I know of from my research.
If you use these batteries or not is purely a personal choice, but make sure that you do the research up front because it can be a big investment and you need to know what is the proper way to use and take care of your investment.
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These are all good questions and I would bet that time will answer all for us ice fisherman. There are few things you need to keep in mind as you look at this technology though; first of all, which Lithium technology are you looking to use. As you may or may not know there are several types of Lithium compounds used in making batteries and each has its place and use. The batteries that I am using and is part of the discussion here is a Lithium Iron Phosphate compound. The battery is made by using 3 smaller cells in parallel and then 4 cell sets in series to create the 12V @ whatever amp hour configuration. You will find that these batteries operate a higher output voltage than you are used to since they charge to a maximum cutout voltage of 16.0V. The battery will operate around 12.8 – 13.2 V for a fully charged unit with the low current draw that we see in a Marcum unit. These technologies are fairly new to the public and have a tremendous sticker shock value, some of which makes the cost vary is the fact that for proper operation there is actually electronics built directly into the battery to make sure that damage does not occur if misused. If weight is a significant issue, these batteries weigh in at 2.8Lbs for a 10AH unit versus the 5.7Lbs for a 9 AH normal lead acid battery. Also, if you can believe charts, the cold temperature usage of these have been tested at -20F and have a good lasting power curve that indicates that some of the temperature issue have been fixed. As for the long life aspect of these batteries, it will totally depend on how you use it and how well you take care of it.
The battery that I use is the K2 series of batteries and charger so that is why I have included their info here. There is nothing unique about their data other than it is what I know of from my research.
If you use these batteries or not is purely a personal choice, but make sure that you do the research up front because it can be a big investment and you need to know what is the proper way to use and take care of your investment.
This is right from their website. The Lithium make up is the same, However they do not use the proprietary battery management system like the lithium ion batteries from Solar Sportsman. This component is what controls the charge and discharge and prevents deep draw downs that can greatly reduce battery life or permanently damage cells. Also the improper use of an unapproved charger will not preform the same or can damage the battery. The K2 charger offered is about $50. So you have a $200 set up without a management system (the single most important element for use and longevity with this technology).
I have this battery and it has the Energy Managment System built in so that you can use any 12 volt charger. They make a cheaper one without it that you would need the Smart charger for.
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