Looking to upgrade my electronics efore next season. I have a Lawrence Flasher and would like to get a color camera. Look for and open to suggestions. I realize getting a Marcum guy to say anything good about a Vexilar, is about as likely as selling a Ford guy a Chevy.
I would wait till next year to buy anything, I bet they will come out with something new. Always buy older models for cheap with guys buying the latest and greatest unless you need it now of course.
I realize getting a Marcum guy to say anything good about a Vexilar, is about as likely as selling a Ford guy a Chevy.
As soon as I read this I visioned you walking into a Good-Will or St. Vincient thrift store and asking them if they had anything from Pablo Picasso or Leonardo da Vinci. Nothing like asking a question and giving someone a swift kick in the nads before they answer.
Since I’m a Chevy guy that uses mostly Marcum; you obviously didn’t want me to give an honest response about the newer Vex cameras. My suggestion then is only drink the Vexilar Kool-aide and buy the Vex. If you don’t like it, there are a ton of guys on Craiglist that would over pay for a used Vexilar. If you like it, well then, you have a camera.
If you pull up camera reviews from 2016 through 2018, you’ll find very few of them speak much about Vex. Aqua Vu, Marcum, Sea, and Eyoyo, are most common
If you want something similar to your Lowrance, the Marcum L series is the only way to go in my opinion. If you want mostly use the flasher style screen though, I much prefer Vexilar. I love my Flx-28. But I can definitly respect my buddy’s LX6.
I’m not a huge fan of everything Marcum, but their cameras are slick and there’s a reason they’re #1. I would for sure recommend a Marcum camera. The model is dependent on how you will use it. The Recon 5 is a sweet little machine, but a full sized unit may suit you better. On the flasher side of things, that’s all up to you. Every mfg makes a nice flasher, it depends on the design preferences and features you find necessary. For me, I chose an FLX-28 since I wanted reliability, bright screen for outdoor use and a long battery life. I have been more than happy. It replaced my Ice-55 and I never looked back.
What about a Humminbird helix 5 or 7 ice ? With these you get gps plus live mapping. If you have a boat you can use it in the summer with a different transducer. Given the choice lots of people prefer watching a graph over a flasher myself included. If I didn’t have a LX7 I’d be looking at one of these.
When I decided to upgrade I fished with an Ice 55, Flx 28, and an Lx9. I purchased the LX9. My advice is to find people who own different units and actually fish with them. Then buy the one you like the best.
When I decided to upgrade I fished with an Ice 55, Flx 28, and an Lx9. I purchased the LX9. My advice is to find people who own different units and actually fish with them. Then buy the one you like the best.
This is the best advice.
No one has mentioned the Garmin units yet. Panoptix ice has extra functionality of the ones mentioned, and GPS capability. In terms of delay / lag, it’s not bad but it’s not as instantaneous as a flasher.
Unless the IDO team has a multi year deal signed with Marcum, I’d be surprised to not see them talk about it in the near future.
Oh, but without a snowmobile and a lithium battery, that garmin is a pain to carry around. Hole hopping is clumsy. I’m happy with my purchase, but I don’t think it can be my only sonar. And more importantly, all this technology doesn’t guarantee that you’ll catch more / all the fish. lol.
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