LX3 or LX5?

I just read the thread on the Marcums and am pretty sure that will be my next locator. Vexilar, while a good unit, isn’t on my list. I simply hate the loud buzzing noise they have. The Marcums are so much quieter. Please understand this comes from a guy that uses, and loves, a Zercom LCF-40.

But the question is what does a guy go with between the 3 and 5? My LCF is very good about picking up close to bottom fish, close together fish, and my jig in a crib. What it has trouble with is seeing my ultra small jig in water less than 13 feet. Oddly deeper that that it is fine with small jigs. The fade away black color is very easy to use provided you understand how it works. Still, I can see I’m missing out on newer technology.

Any help or suggestion would be appreciated but please keep the comments specific to the Marcums so this doesn’t sour into a Vex VS Marcum thread.

It all depends on what your pocketbook allows!!! If you can afford and LX-5 then get it. If you are strapped a bit give scott steil an pm cause he has 2 new/used upgraded LX-3’s for sale right now!!! Either way you can’t go wrong!!!

I personally beleive that once you use an LX 5 you will be so picky about your flashers that all others will become obsolete. I guarantee you’ll have no troubles picking up your small jigs. Two cone angles in one is a favorable feature for the all around fisherman. And as a former Vex user I can say that I do not miss those great big lines. The fine line echo reception is an intricate part of the superb target separation. I can now see things underwater that I never would have in the past using the stone-age technology I used to be so proud of. The Lx5’s separation is truly noteworthy and is just another reason the bar has been raised in flasher technology. I think its just one of those things you have to see to beleive.

As the guys said…If you think you will use the Dual Beam Transducer, the LX-5 is the way to go. Both the LX-3tc & the LX-5 are great units that have the adjustable zoom, the LX-5 has more options/features. SFL is a great feature in 20 ft of water or less, and I personally use the different transducer angles all the time. So I do recommend the LX-5 but I promise you would not be dissapointed with the LX-3tc.

Thanks for far guys. I was reading about the 3 and 5 at Cabelas and seems they both have the Fine Line feature? Having never used a dual cone transducer what advantage does it have? Do both Marcums use it? Price is always an issue but I could get either one, I just want as much as possible for as little as possible. Like everyone else I guess.

The LX-3tc does not have the SFL feature or the NBT (Dual beam) transducer and has 1500 watts of power vs 2000. The LX-5 also has 3 separate LED’s to give it a little crisper signal, even better than the TC. Just a few differences.

I know Cabelas is getting a HUGE shipment of product in tommorrow.

Not that it matters,and I’m not sure about the LX-3 units that are sent in for the up grade,but the LX-3tc units do have 3 separate LED,s…..and if you shop around you can get them for under $399

I use the SFL and narrow beam almost all the time…

How deep are you fishing Luke…normally?

Crappies- any where from 3 feet to 25 feet.
It depends on where they are at..
Walleyes, on the bottom, at the lake I fish the most, the walleyes will be anywhere from 18-25 feet, unless they are up on the rock piles.. …Then it may be 5 feet that I am fishing.

check out scott’s units. I recieved mine (Lx-3) from scott today, and i can’t say enough about it yet. Im sure i will have more to report after tomorrow when i get to use it

I just purchased the new LX5 before my recent trip to LOW and all I can say is Wow! I didn;t use the SFL feature that much on the walleyes but can see for panfish how awesome it is. I used the zoom a bit too. However, in normal mode it actually has pretty darn good target seperation. The more I use it I can see the more I will love it. The Dual beam is what sold me but I love it all around. Vexilars work. But to me they really don’t compare. If the dual beam isn’t a huge feature you can’t go wrong with the LX3 TC though. All I know is it is worth their wieght in gold!

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Vexilars work. But to me they really don’t compare.

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Can you provide more details? Whats makes the LX-5 not comparable to the FL-18? Have you used your LX-5 in shallow water? Are you able to decrease the power on your LX-5? How about open water, are you able to lock into the bottom with your LX-5? Have you used your LX-5 in lakes with extreme plankton? Do you plan on using your LX-5 with a Minn-kota trolling motor? Have you contacted customer service for LX-5? Do you think the LX-5 is 10 times brighter than your FL-18, assuming you owned a FL-18 before? Did you use the FL-18 with a dual beam? Its good to get some on ice feedback..

Thanks!

I had a chance to fish an LX-5 this weekend. I was able to compare it to my dads FL-18 (whatever model it is) and my Clearwater Classic. We fished from 8 to 18 feet was all, shallower lake. The biggest differance from the Vex to the Marcum in that regard was the Marcum was better at seeing the ultra small jigs and seemed better able to “display” multiple fish at one time. This was measured by two hole about 8-10 inches apart. The biggest bonus I was able to tell was the quietness of the Marcum. The Vexilar will drive me to drinking listening to that dang scratching all day. A small thing to some, but extremely aggravating to me.

In comparing the Vex and Marc to my 12 year old Zercom was an interesting test too. My old Clearwater is the basic black LED digital flasher. If memory serves me right the Clearwater is a 1500 watt unit. It offers no zoom but has three depth ranges. Something I love about this unit is the ultra fine readout. A jig is displayed and a very narrow dark band, and a fish as two to three. Target seperation is great as well. The drawbacks are the putzy transducer that is rod mounted and the inability to read small jigs at certain depth ranges in moderate depths without huge amounts of gain. Example a Ratso will not show from about eight to thirteen feet in twenty feet of water.

After the weekend was all over I was left feeling somewhat unimpressed with the Vexilar and Marcum. My biggest beef has to be the huge readout of even just a jig. It is 3-4 times the size of my old unit. The other thing I’m unsure of is the depth scale. Both the newer units show 10 feet at the six o clock position wheras my Zercom is between 3 and 4 oclock. Again something else to adjust to. Nothing serious really but when your a decade into something that works changing overnight is tough, lol.

When the second shoe drops I think it will be on a Marcum LX-3. I’m not sure how to use the zoom on the 5 and the SFL didn’t seem to make a differance in the depths we fish. The Dual beam always picked up my second line in my shack, something I don’t care for either.

I don’t know if this info will help anyone or not, hopefully it will. Heck hopefully I will read it myself tomorrow and help clear my own mind. I’d like to send a thanks to Scott for all his help and info too via PM’s.

Was using my LX5 this weekend on panfish in 15 feet of water at one point I could see 5 seperate red lines within 1 foot of my lure turned my camera towards my lure and there was 3 sunnies and 2 crappies staring at my bait. Watching them on the camera my lure reading would disapear when they got about an inch and a half away usally this would happen just before they flaired their gulls and sucked it in
Terry

now that sounds so so sweet. An underwater camera would be a great tool to learn your flasher faster. You could observe the flasher reading, and then drop the camera down and check it out, and then notice which types of fish give off that particular reading you saw. That would be awesome. I saw a guy using one on a slow day, and i swear, there were at least 10 gills on the moniter. It was hilarious as the guy sat there in frustration, not one of them even looking at the jig

Riverrat, if you are used to the Clearwater Classic, test the LX-5 in SFL mode. Turn up the gain a little bit and you will have a reading very similar to the only Clearwater classics.

Changing from a Clearwater Classic to any 3 color flasher is going to take a while. In the end you will be glad you did because of several reasons, mainly IR and signal strength. The CC does not give you signal strength readout so knowing where a fish is and ID is much tougher.

You did the right thing though, test them all out. 3 color flashers are not for everyone. I know lots of people that still use there CC’s and love them. Most can’t stand the Interference though

I did notice the line of my jig was smaller in SFL, but that I had to adjust the gain to see it. In that specific instance the bottom foot or so exploded with “fish” that I suspect were dink perch as they seemed to dart about. In fairness I only used the SFL maybe 10 minutes in one depth setting. I guess I’d suggest no one take my findings with the “frills” of the Marcum too seriously as I know little about the true abilities of it-The Vex either for that matter.

I agree about interference problems one runs into on the older flashers. I wonder, and never tired, if the IR settings on the Vex or Marcums will reduce the interference on an older unit? I never thought to try that, maybe next time. I might have to hang my hat on that as a reason to upgrade. Mrs. R’Ratt tried stealing my flasher a week back (shame on her!) so I better get something before long.

I know that this is an older post, but I had to weigh in. I have had an lx3 tc and fished many many times with it. I did love the unit but I found issues with interference when other flashers were around and in deep water. I bought a lx5 and it is life changing. Intereference was almost nil as well as line seperation, fine line technology and amazing abillity to read small jigs in 60 feet of water. I couldn’t be happier with my purchase, buddy w brand new fl18 had a snow storm on the scree. He said he should have bought a marcum

SOUNDS LIKE i might need to get me one if the price were more reasoneable…..I am far from a rich fisherman… .

I picked up an LX-5 this year. A buddy had an older Marcum, couldn’t fish next to any of us using newer units due to the interference. He bought a 5, now wishes he would have done it sooner.
Got friends who are Vex users, good units. They like them.
For me, the LX-5 is simple to use for this old man & my eyes prefer less bars of color .vs. the vex models.
I use the narrow beam, zoom & the SFL, most of the time.
The LX-6 & up models look good, I’m not a techie, just like the simplicity of the 5 & it works well for me.