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Frankly fellas it is about the dollar..........guys will buy a cheaper brand especially if that brand has big name recognition.......in my neck of the woods there aint much talk about Marcum it is Lowrance and Hummingbird...why? It is what the lower tier units cost that they manufacture.
For sure, money comes into play on any of these big ticket items. In today's economic straits, money has to be better spent by most people and very often economics comes into play at decision time.
I own an up graded LX3. If someone GAVE me an LX5, I can assure you that it would quickly become my go-to unit. BUT....I am not going to spend a penny to buy an LX5. I will not spend the 550+ on a Vex fl22 either. Everything I need in a flasher is met using the LX3. I fish as well with the grey case as I will with a red case, just a lot less expensive. I tell people to gear themselves based on the idea of having the best that you can afford.
For sure, and sometimes that extra money spent on a unit is just for gingerbread. One model might be no different that another except it comes with a built in tackle box and a rod holder.......oh and a hundred dollars more!!!!!!!!
I bought a Zercom Clearwater Classic when they first came out quite a few years ago.Granted it doesn't have the color features,dual cones,and other bells and whistles....but my unit still works awesome just like when I first bought the unit in the box.I even have the original 100 hour battery that came with the unit.I can catch just as many fish as the next guy using the more expensive models....
It basically comes down to personal preference and what you can afford.....You know....I'd even go back to using a Green Box if I had to....lol
the only other advantage that i can think of in regards to the markum is the target separation. side by side with ducers within 6" of each other, the vx-1 vs the fl8 i notice these differences:
your bait - the vex is either a blinking thin line...you have to turn the gain up to get it to stay on all the time and then its no a thicker green/yellow line. the marcum it will stay a nice thin green line.
the bottom - the the target separation on this is what sold me over vex. it just seems the extra power gives you more to see and you can read it.
i bought a vex float for the marcum because there are situations where i prefer it to the arm.
It should be noted here that Marcum really ramped up their product developement of the ShowDown series of locators. These are tower type locators. When these first came out a few years ago I didn't see much future with them, but since Marcum has acquired the product and company and applied some technological changes to the original idea, these have stepped into the light with a nice series of units. I delieve there are four different units to look at. One is a very easy to use portable unit that fits in a large coat pocket and does everything a flasher does. I've seen this puppy in operation and its something else with a price tag that is sweet.
If you get a chance to snoop one of these units out, do it. While I like what the flasher does and how it serves me, I can see having one of these units for trips where some serious walking is involved and the weight of a traditional flasher might not be welcome.
I have been eyeballing them for a few months now. I would like to see one in action.
They use too many batteries for me. Might as well get the regular setup with the 12 volt setup. Sold my showdown last spring and bought an Ice 45 from HB. Digital depth reading may be good for my old eyes.
Interesting..........from what I have seen, I like the Bird models.Quote:
Originally Posted by chaunc
Hummingbird ICE 35 Tri color Flasher Ninth year using this Unit Very pleased with it