lx5i or flx28

which one do you choose and why if both are priced the same. thanks for your input.

@gamerdjt – I spent the last 25 years fishing with Vexilar and when I joined IDO I made the change to Marcum. With no regrets. With the FLX28 pricing around $600-$650, and the LX5I currently priced at $539, you may want to jump into digital with the LX6S. The current price for an LX6S is $629. Digital is hard to beat! You have multiple display options, a crisp clear viewing area, and an extremely powerful unit for the price. Are you opposed to digital, or have you ever considered making that change?

I currently have the LX7. I have decided to trade my 5i for a flx28 ultra. So that should cover everything for running and gunning to fishing in my shack.

My likes for the LX5i is for the superior shallow water ability using the zoom feature or the Super Fine Line.
Also I can get foot by foot zoom in deep water and when fishing extreme breaks the narrow beam transducer will eliminate bounce off the angle !!
Both are good units but I’m sticking with Marcum !!!

You aren’t going to get many opposed to Marcum on this forum, and for good reason! +1 on 5i or a 6s.

I will be the black sheep. I love my FLX 28 and if I had a choice between the 5i and the FLX. I would get the FLX every time. Plus you have the LX7 already. That is just me.

Matt,
I always say that any flasher is better then no flasher at all..
So what are your Pluses and Deltas of the LX5i vs the FLX ?

Add me to the FLX28 list. After using an old vex fl-8 for many, many moons, I tried a Marcum LX3tc, a Marcum LX6, and a Hbird Ice55. I am back to a vex. Although they were all awesome units, I feel that I get the best result from the vex for my style of fishing. I mainly lake trout fish and getting the unit to read jigs in deep water without clutter blotting out a portion of the screen seems easiest with the vex. I almost never fish in water less than 10′ deep unless I am tip-upping or spearing, so the shallow performance is not a factor in my case.

Cant comment on the Marcum products but I have had my FLX28 for one season now and love it but only with the new TriBeam transducer. Did not care for the ProDucer. With the TriBeam I have better control in shallow and deep water to eliminate clutter and see my jig as well as fish. Love it!

Matthew Sandys wrote:

I will be the black sheep. I love my FLX 28 and if I had a choice between the 5i and the FLX. I would get the FLX every time. Plus you have the LX7 already. That is just me.

X2….. as much as I like my lx7, i would rather fish with my flx28. Going 3rd season with every outing use. I have had lx3tc in the past and they just dont hold up. I can only the assume the lx5i is the same. Long story short, digital lx7, dial, flx28.

So kinda what I look for from fishermen and women is what they are using and why they choose that option…

Comparing apples to apples…

Not like a low end Vex and a High end Marcum or the other way around…

Why does one work better for one fisherman and not the other ? What are the exact features from the FLX28 that the LX5i doesn’t have ?

Most times what I find is that the operator does not know how to operate the unit completely… Case in point the first time i used an LX5 coming from my FL18 I was not a fan… I actually called the guy that had me try it and had an on ice over the phone tutorial and it became clear to me that the Marcum LX5 was better for my all around fishing then the FL18 was..

So.. Some I know is brand loyalty and i respect that… I am still learning with all the electronics…so when I ask why you like your flasher over another…I look for more details of why…

I hope this makes sense, I hope to see all of you in the upcoming Ice Shows !!! I love talking fishing !!!

i have both lx-7 and flx28. I know lots of people will be mad at me for saying this but I feel that the lx7 is more advanced. Not as in it is digital, and has the display, and all that. I’m speaking more so of all the features that you can use with the lx7. You have so many options that you will appreciate if you know how to use it. I usually hand over my vexilar to my daughter because it is just so basic, with little to fine tune.I do like hole hopping with the vex though.

Dave Koonce wrote:

What are the exact features from the FLX28 that the LX5i doesn’t have ?

The flx28 will fish deeper than 160′ and has a gain that is consistently applied to the signal. Marcum has a variable gain applied to the signal based on depth, and IMO the reason the LX7 software was/is such a bitch to tame. I was a longtime Marcum fan until my lx7 taught me otherwise. I’d buy a lx5i if it fished deeper.

fishwater,
Very good input and thanks !!

And Walleye Thai,
No one should get mad at you for your personal choices !!

Dave Koonce wrote:

Matt,
I always say that any flasher is better then no flasher at all..
So what are your Pluses and Deltas of the LX5i vs the FLX ?

As some one that is not paid in any way by any company to promote, my personal experance is that the marcum flashers are not as reliable. I believe they are good and will take some nocks for pushing the envelop, but I think the FLX is easier to use and will last a lot longer. That is just what I have seen and dealt with and I even bought my brother a LX-5 for christmas one year. Other may have different options but that is just the way I feel.

Now I will say that I am on the Ice Force Pro Staff….

when you say….

but I think the FLX is easier to use and will last a lot longer.

What are you comparing this too ? I have several friends that still have LX5’s and 3’s from 10-15 years ago and besides a new battery they are running strong…and as far as ease of use… turn on the power button dial in the gain till you see your jig and your ready to go… no different then any of the mechanical flashers… easy cheesy !!!

Or were you comparing a mechanical flasher to the digital ones ?

thanks and I look forward to your reply..

@walleyethai I don’t think anyone gets mad at accurate facts about the LX7! That unit is what I am using, and I couldn’t be happier. Pick yourself up a Lithium Ion battery and Lithium Ion battery charger, and she can run for a couple days without a charge, if needed.

I own the older LX5 along with a LX7 and a FL22HD. If I had to keep one it would be the LX5. Awesome shallow water performance, fine crisp lines with a gain control that goes from nothing to wide open. Viewable in the brightest sunlight compact and easy to carry. I bought it used three years ago and still going strong. If it had two more features I would call it almost perfect. One would be a dimmable display and the other a backlit keypad. The night mode on the FL22 is still to bright and yea the H-bird 55 has a backlit keypad but the sharp fine lines of the LX5 override those features. My LX5 will keep the return signal about the same size and color from the bottom clean up to two feet from the transducer.

If it had two more features I would call it almost perfect. One would be a dimmable display and the other a backlit keypad.

AMEN TO THAT !!!

I would love to see a dimmable display !!!

Good input for Marcum to hear !!

Dave Koonce wrote:

Now I will say that I am on the Ice Force Pro Staff….

when you say….

but I think the FLX is easier to use and will last a lot longer.

What are you comparing this too ? I have several friends that still have LX5’s and 3’s from 10-15 years ago and besides a new battery they are running strong…and as far as ease of use… turn on the power button dial in the gain till you see your jig and your ready to go… no different then any of the mechanical flashers… easy cheesy !!!

Or were you comparing a mechanical flasher to the digital ones ?

thanks and I look forward to your reply..

I’m by no means saying they are bad. Just in what I have seen they have not been as durable and user friendly. I fish next to marcum almost every time out. My brother has one and Father in law has the 5i and I fish with them most of the time. Now if you are jumping the the LX-6,7,9 and the new RT. There is a huge step up for what you can do. Vex is heater and keys compared to the marcum cadillac for stuff you can do with high end models.

I love what marvis said. The night mode is great when fishing outside in the dark. Is it amazing on the FLX so you don’t burn your eyes out at night. Backlit controls would be amazing on any flasher, that is pure GENIUS. I would also like to see some some company have built in LED strip on the bottom of the unit you could turn on when you get a fish or tying jigs at night. I know you can use head lamp but always having there is very nice. I see some people do this on there own.

But for the fishing I like to do I’m just simpler type. I’m not saying all the bells and whistle are not cool, because they are. I’m really glad Marcum does push the envelop a lot, it makes everyone keep up or get left in the dust. Competition creates better products for us anglers. Just comes down to personal preference and what you want to get out of your fishing experience.

On thing I will always say marcum has over vex is the transducer support. I love it so much I made my own custom one at work. Is amazing for hole hopping, I always hated the stupid float.

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Nice arm, I make some myself. I have the long version installed for fishing off of docks when the ice is bad. I’ll have to make one for the Vex also. The main reason I got the LX 7 is for backlit keys ad fully adjustable display brightness.

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marvins wrote:

Nice arm, I make some myself. I have the long version installed for fishing off of docks when the ice is bad. I’ll have to make one for the Vex also. The main reason I got the LX 7 is for backlit keys ad fully adjustable display brightness.

Very nice. I like the fuller line down the one. I just wish I had a cnc mill instead of cnc router. Can’t turn out quit as nice with the router, not really made for aluminum.