I want to thank all of you for your input.
Surprisingly open and fair not one sided.
I will make my decision up at the expo after taking to the makers themselves.

Is a noodle worse or better for crappie than a standard rod?
Was always taught use ul so you don’t Rip off their paper mouths.
I set pretty aggressively so is that bad?

I can honestly say this a great page to ask questions.
Great forum.

RIPPIN’ LIPS SHAKIN’ HIPS
TIGHT LINES

Sometimes local small businesses are best.
Went in and talked to the owner of our lical shop about otter said he will sell me the new otter pro xt1200 thermal tec for 800 plus tax.
Was going to go get one at the ice show until this plus I’m not spending money on a big business the money stays local and helps the little guy.
Best part said he would take 1/2 down so i make 2 payments. Helps with bills and Christmas.
They then remember you and you can bring in customers and he Will give you more deals.

WIN WIN.

SHAKIN’ HIPS AND RIPPIN’ LIPS
TIGHT LINES

I used 13fish lady year and loved them.
But i broke 2.

Now before i start a war here is why.
The first one i was fishing crappies and hooked a 30″ northern. Yes i got the fish however the rod broke. Oh should mention it was an ultra lite lol.
2nd one never fished trout before and once again using an ultra lite i hooked a 17 1/2″ rainbow and the fight was on. Broke that one too.
I can honestly say don’t know if the gander specials could have held up in the ultra lite class lol

I’m not a pro but here is my opinion.
I have used:
a vx1 guide series made by marcum
An lx5 from Marcum (owned was stolen)
An lx7 from Marcum
And own a flx28.
If you want a dial style flasher besides a couple push buttons the only difference between marcum and vexilar is marcum you can zoom in on any section of the water column. Where as Vexilar (depending on series) you can only zoom in on bottom 6 or 12 ft of the water column.
Now as for the “buttons” instead of “knobs”
I used my lx5 so much my buttons wore through.
This is why I like my vex.
The knobs seemed a little more sturdy.
My vex is the dial style brushless.

Now if you are looking for multiple profiles and want something more digital large screen them yes the lx7 is for you.
There are a couple things you need to know.
The lx7 runs at 4800 watts so if you fish like i do with other people it tends to put off interference on other peoples sonar and they could get upset.
Vexilar flx28 400 watts and doesn’t put off the interference.
Also the weight if carrying a long ways or hole jumping can be heavy.
Also you can update your interface online how ever if you get a bad update you have to wait for marcum tho come out with another update.
Cool thing is if you ever decide to use a camera you can upgrade the lx7 for $400 into an lx9 but remember its software so be careful.

Now if you look art target separation there is a big difference.
The marcum lx5 is 3/4″
The marcum lx7 is 1/2″
The vexilar flx28 is 1/4″
What Does this mean.
That is the difference between bait and fish and sometimes even the lure and bait you have attached.
While only 1/4″ difference between the lx7 and flx28 that can mean the difference between fish on ice or missing hooksets.

So I hope this helps.
In closing if you want a large screen with lots of options and zoom in multiple zoom range in the water column but weighs more go with marcum lx7

If you want a dial style great Machine that weighs less better target separation from a company that builds indestructible units go vexilar flx28.

Shakin’ hips and rippin’ lips
Tight lines

Ok so did done research and a fl20 is 529 the camera as 279 – 299
So that is 819 plus a 40 bag so about 860.
If it were me seeing i would start high see what the low ballers are at on replys then adjust after.
I would start 800 than go from there