New ice unit?

Hi! Lurker for awhile and finally registered to the site. Fairly new to ice fishing and I am looking for a new unit, currently using marcum lx3 but looking to upgrade. I’m wondering which unit you guys would recommend if you were going to buy a new setup? Won’t be adding a shuttle quite yet to keep cost affordable. Been eyeing the helix 5 or 7. Fish mainly hole hopping but when it’s cold be in the portable and main partners are using either vex or lx7. Do the helix work fine for those applications? Thanks fellows.

I have a Helix 7 and it will work fine for what you describe as will any of the others you mentioned. Depends on what you want. If you want GPS then go with the Helix or look at Garmin. Are you thinking Marcum shuttle or setting up your own with a Genz unit or something? If your main purpose in buying a Marcum shuttle is to get the lithium battery then just buy a lithium battery from Dakota or Amped Outdoors and save yourself $100 or so. My Helix just sits in the soft case and works no problem. The lithium battery really reduced the weight. The first time I picked it up with the lithium in it it felt like there wasn’t a battery in it. With the Marcum shuttle all the extra plastic adds weight.

That a heck of a jump. I was coming here to suggest the M3 or M5 lol. Like previously stated if you want GPS go Helix or Garmin. If not than the previous mention M series from Marcum, Vexilar 18, 20, 28 or the Marcum LX models would do great.

I just bought the Helix 7 and have used it once. I ran it next to my vexilar FL-20 and I never had a problem with interference. All the units will work for hole hopping and other uses you describe. Having the ability to use it all year in boat and ice fishing plus having the lakemaster mapping on ice is the benefit of having the Helix. I think the bare bones sonar is comparable and I would say that vexilar and marcum probably are better just sonar units but the Helix does a lot more than a standard ice fishing unit.

Since you mentioned cost don’t overlook older units that have ice capabilities. My lowrance elitehdi5 works just fine. Even those smaller Garmin units would work real good.

I just went from an older fl-18 to the Garmin echomap 73cv and I love it. Being able to have traditional sonar and the flasher split on the same screen is amazing and having maps/GPS is a pretty slick feature that I find myself using more than I initially thought I would. If you don’t mind not having the touch screen and a slightly smaller screen, the 63cv is a good option for the price. Either way you go Humminbird or Garmin you won’t be disappointed and if you’ve got the boat and the hardware, they can be used during the open water season too. I’ve also heard from guys I know that the Marcum Lx-6 and 7 are dynamite units too especially with the lithium shuttle. Tough decision ahead of you for sure.

Like Collin just mentioned. I just purchased the Garmin echomap plus 63cv ice bundle from Hodges Marine website for $430. I used it this weekend and it blew my expectations out of the water. (coming from a Marcum showdown). The GPS application is awesome. It comes preloaded with maps on the unit, so no need to purchase the lakemaster chip that you would with the bird. The customization of the screens is so fun. The normal battery on 30% brightness (in my portable, so easy seeing) lasted all day for me.

I’m with Collin, long time user of Helix’s but switched to the Echomap 73cv and love it! Nothing wrong at all with the Helix just a preference reallly. Garmin comes with good mapping already installed and I love the touch screen.

If you have a boat, what are you running on that?

Lots of graphs can pull double duty.

If you’re starting from scratch, I’d go with a Garmin. Get an SV if you want side imaging for in a boat.

Garmin just came out with an new Ultra High Definition (UHD) Echomap. I’d imagine it would be on par or maybe even better than Bird’s MEGA. If you’re using your new graph in the boat, that’s what I would get

Also a note for all Garmin users, the newest maps are supposed to come out this month. They bought Navionics and have all their mapping now. 2019 units should have Navionics already on it (but you get one free update 12 months from the date of purchase)

It’s much improved mapping over units from 2018 and earlier. You pay for it if your unit is has been owned longer than a year, but it’s about half price off retail if you have a registered unit.

Good info B-Man! I just bought mine but will look to see in a few months.