Marcum / Lithium Battery Questions

My little guy is old enough now that he wants his own flasher this year….SO…that means daddy gets a new one!!
I am tossed between the LX5 and LX7, definitely going to be a Marcum, just not sure which yet.
The wife and I have been using LX3s for years and they have been bullet proof, which has me leaning toward the LX5 however I do like the added features of the digital units.

I asked Marcum customer service these questions as well and some of what they are telling me isn’t jiving with the reports/reviews that I’ve read on line.

According to Marcum….with the standard gel batteries the lx5 will get about 20 hours and the lx6 or 7 will get about 10 hours with brightness & backlight at 100%. Does that seem accurate with what you guys with the digital units have seen?

Anyone running lithium batteries in your Marcum?
From the reviews I’ve read(including James’ from 10/25/13) I am hearing that the lithium batteries will double, or more, the hours a unit can be run before recharging is needed. Marcum is saying the lithium will only add 60-90 minutes (1 amp hour) and that’s it.
Link to the post from 10/25/13
http://www.in-depthoutdoors.com/community/forums/topic/ice_1285670/

If you’re using a lithium battery, what has your experience been?? Can you run them for multiple days without recharging?

Last question for the digital Marcum guys, when you’re out hole hoping on a sunny day do you need the brightness and backlight at 100% to get a good clear view or can you dial it down a little to save on the battery?

Buckshot,

I’m on my third year with the lithium battery and running an LX-5 I got two full days of fishing and when I threw it on the charger it took no time at all to top off.. I have never run it dead so I do not have the end result in time for you…

The light weight is a huge plus for me as I spend 90% of my time hole hopping

I’m in the same boat as Dave – I’ve never run mine down to dead, but have had multiple fishing days with it.

That said, I think the weight reduction is by far the strongest reason to go this route if it’s within the budget. When going back to a standard battery, the whole unit suddenly feels like an anchor.

I’m always carrying an extra standard lead acid Marcum battery anyway. At less than $20, it’s an easy insurance policy, as i’ve seen everything from terminals snapping off to metal arcing them out and frying the connections.

Joel

As to the battery life question, the quotes from Marcum are on point.

From the Manual
Battery Draw – The LX-5 has a current draw between 350 and 400mA per
hour. To extend the battery life, recharge the battery after every use.

So with a 7ah battery, 7/.400 = 17.5 Hours on the low end, or 7/.350 = 20 Hours on the high with a low spec battery. Add 2.5-5 hours for an 8ah or 9ah battery.

The LX6/LX7 manuals don’t show mah draw, but I got 10 hours on my LX6 for sure with an 8mah. Assume the 7 is a little worse with the larger and higher res screen

I’m close to pulling the trigger on a Lithium for the weight savings!

Same as Joel and Dave except I have been using 9ah lead acid batteries, I’ve never run out of juice when using my LX6; so I can’t say for certain how many hours you will get. The mention of “double the life of the battery” typically refers to how many years you will be able to get out of that battery and not always the amount of time you will get from each usage, depending on what amp battery you were running before. I typically run mine at +/- 50% brightness, if it is really sunny I may bump it up to 80% at the most. If you currently use 7ah batteries, you will see a Major increase in run-time by switching to lithium, if you’re running 9ah’s it will be noticeable, but I don’t believe you will see double runtime by any means. I don’t know if there are any math tables out there, and don’t take this for science as it is simply theoretical guestimation, but if you get 10 hours on a 9ah at 100% and 16 hours at 40%, switching to a 10ah lithium may increase the 100% level by 1.5 hours, but it could increase the 40% level by 5 hours or more. As batteries age by year you will experience decreased performance from them. A lead battery that sees 12 hours of use the first year may only see 10 the next, and maybe 6-8 in its third year if it even lasts that long. With a lithium battery, the extended life of the battery will also see significantly less of a decrease each year and will last several seasons longer. As Joel said, the weight savings is the biggest part of a lithium battery, as you could buy a new lead battery each year for about the same cost as a lithium that lasts 5+ years. This makes Lithium batteries more of an investment than a novelty or need. The big decision you have is “should I get the LX5 or the LX7?” You will get a lead battery with the purchase, that you could use as a backup. After your first outing or two, if you feel like giving your forearm a break and the price-point isn’t a factor, go pick up a lithium battery. You won’t miss a second of fishing time either way and you will know your choice was the right one for you.

The .7 Factor counts for extraneous ways battery life may be impacted – If folks need a calculator

http://www.digikey.com/en/resources/conversion-calculators/conversion-calculator-battery-life