# New Flasher



## cpaul62895 (Jun 3, 2019)

For the last couple seasons on the ice I have used my Lowrance Hook2 unit as a flasher which wasn't an issue because I didn't have it fastened to the boat or anything in the summer, I just had it fastened to a board with the battery secured on the board. This summer I did some work on the boat and attached the Lowrance to the boat and now I would rather not go through the process of unwiring it and removing the mount so I am looking at getting a flasher this year. 

I am stuck between the Vexilar FL-8SE Genz Pack and the Marcum M1 System. Does anyone have any experience with either of these units?


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## branden van dyke (Jun 5, 2018)

cpaul62895 said:


> For the last couple seasons on the ice I have used my Lowrance Hook2 unit as a flasher which wasn't an issue because I didn't have it fastened to the boat or anything in the summer, I just had it fastened to a board with the battery secured on the board. This summer I did some work on the boat and attached the Lowrance to the boat and now I would rather not go through the process of unwiring it and removing the mount so I am looking at getting a flasher this year.
> 
> I am stuck between the Vexilar FL-8SE Genz Pack and the Marcum M1 System. Does anyone have any experience with either of these units?


I got the vex 8 and very happy with it, only one I’ve used so no experience with anything else. One trip on sag bay had it in the back of a buddies trailer with no suspension and busted some of the plastic but flasher still works flawless. Take care of it should last forever


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## Lumberman (Sep 27, 2010)

Both great flashers. Vexilar gets a slight tip of the hat because every product they make has proven to be bullet proof. I just sold my 20 year old FL8 when I upgraded to the new FLX-28. 20 years old and still got half of what I paid for it.


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## june bugger (Oct 28, 2015)

vexilar has top notch service


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## fishnpbr (Dec 2, 2007)

Lumberman said:


> Both great flashers. Vexilar gets a slight tip of the hat because every product they make has proven to be bullet proof. I just sold my 20 year old FL8 when I upgraded to the new FLX-28. 20 years old and still got half of what I paid for it.


My Vex FL8 is 20 some years old. Still functional. I got the FLX20 last year but only used it a couple times with the poor ice conditions. Can't go wrong with a Vexilar's durability.


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## fog107 (Oct 31, 2014)

got the girlfriend a marcum m-1 with ion shuttle for christmas this year. she/we had it out for the first time yesterday seems like a great unit. reviews were good when i researched before the purchase. i have a marcum showdown that ive owned for five plus years and its been a good unit
neither one of them made the fish bite for us yesterday though


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## U of M Fan (May 8, 2005)

I don’t think you can go wrong with either. My Dad has a Vex and it is a solid unit. I have a Lowrance Ice Machine which is another solid unit. Haven’t heard anything bad about Marcum’s.


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## cpaul62895 (Jun 3, 2019)

Thanks for the insights everyone! I guess it'll just come down to the best deal that I find.


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## Mrfish989 (Dec 6, 2020)

Love the lowrance ice machine. Other than when fishing with a buddy who has a vex. I get static on my screen from his vex but wouldn't go fishing with out it anymore 

Sent from my moto e6 using Michigan Sportsman mobile app


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## perchjerker (Feb 8, 2002)

my FL8 is at least 20 years old no plans to upgrade.

Should tell you something


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## BFG (Mar 4, 2005)

It's the same technology right? I had never heard of Marcum products until the In Depth Outdoors guys pimped them for two or three years. I've used both units you are describing, and there is no appreciable difference in the two. Whatever you can get for the best price is what you should purchase.


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## Petoskey (Jan 12, 2019)

Bought the Marcum M1 after fishing with a few friends that had it over the years. Loved using theirs whenever we were on the ice and figured it would be a good first flasher to purchase.

Went and bought one from Northwoods and it didn't work out of the box for some reason. It wouldn't read depth or mark my jig/fish. Northwoods wouldn't replace it, which I understood, but that led me on a dummy mission of getting it fixed by Marcum.

Ended up having to send it in to them 3 separate times and finally they were able to fix it. The customer service/repairs department employees were nice....but in my experience extremely incompetent. If you look at some other reviews online quite a few other people have had this experience as well. To this day, I'm not sure why it took them 3 tries to fix my unit when it should have been fixed the first time, and they never gave me a straight answer. They admitted that they had messed up and should have fixed it right away, but it was a pretty ridiculous experience. Caused a lot of headaches and left a very bad taste in my mouth with Marcum so I decided to wash my hands of them and sold the unit once it was finally fixed. I ended up purchasing a Helix 5.

However - this is just my own personal anecdote. I don't take it personally and I won't go writing terrible reviews on Google or anything like that but I do find it necessary to share my experience on forums like this that I was extremely dissatisfied with how they handled my repairs. I believe it's important to research each companies reviews and how their repairs/customer service departments operate before you purchase any flasher/sonar/fish finder because you very well might have to deal with them at some point of your ownership. That being said, the Marcum M1 is a really great unit - it was pretty bittersweet parting with it even though I only was able to take it on the ice a few times.


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## bheary (Dec 29, 2010)

cpaul62895 said:


> Thanks for the insights everyone! I guess it'll just come down to the best deal that I find.


Mills fleet farm had them at 269 or 279 last week. I was in the same boat 2 yrs ago and decided on Vex. Their accessories imo were superior to marcum. Definitely get the Glo Ring.

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk


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## Overdraw (Jan 12, 2006)

cpaul62895 said:


> Thanks for the insights everyone! I guess it'll just come down to the best deal that I find.


I would highly recommend the FL-18. It's the least expensive unit that has the zoom function. In Zoom Mode, the right hand side of the graph will show the entire water column. The left hand side will be magnified and blow up the bottom 6'. This makes it much easier to identify multiple targets hugging the bottom.


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## Mn bum (May 1, 2018)

The fl18 is still one of the best units made. The best part about a vexilar is they hold their value. A 20 yr old unit in good condition will still bring 75% of new! Plus the vexilar humm calls the fish in.


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## zfishman (Dec 21, 2008)

Petoskey said:


> Bought the Marcum M1 after fishing with a few friends that had it over the years. Loved using theirs whenever we were on the ice and figured it would be a good first flasher to purchase.
> 
> Went and bought one from Northwoods and it didn't work out of the box for some reason. It wouldn't read depth or mark my jig/fish. Northwoods wouldn't replace it, which I understood, but that led me on a dummy mission of getting it fixed by Marcum.
> 
> ...


A key point in this whole thread is don’t buy electronics from Northwoods. I’m guessing one could have bought the same unit from Frank’s and had a whole lot better service. There are certain things that I would never buy at Northwoods regardless of price, and most times at least what I’ve looked at the prices aren’t that great any ways.


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## Petoskey (Jan 12, 2019)

zfishman said:


> A key point in this whole thread is don’t buy electronics from Northwoods. I’m guessing one could have bought the same unit from Frank’s and had a whole lot better service. There are certain things that I would never buy at Northwoods regardless of price, and most times at least what I’ve looked at the prices aren’t that great any ways.


That is a fair assessment. I learned this the hard way lol


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## #1wallygator (Jan 31, 2017)

cpaul62895 said:


> For the last couple seasons on the ice I have used my Lowrance Hook2 unit as a flasher which wasn't an issue because I didn't have it fastened to the boat or anything in the summer, I just had it fastened to a board with the battery secured on the board. This summer I did some work on the boat and attached the Lowrance to the boat and now I would rather not go through the process of unwiring it and removing the mount so I am looking at getting a flasher this year.
> 
> I am stuck between the Vexilar FL-8SE Genz Pack and the Marcum M1 System. Does anyone have any experience with either of these units?


I have had both and the only thing I dont like about the vex is the recessed screen collects snow. I still like it more than the Marcum. If you could move up to one of the vex with the more flat screen, you will not be disappointed.


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## Macs13 (Apr 24, 2019)

Registering a vote for the Humminbird Ice 5. I love mine. Zero complaints. 

Sent from my SM-G988U using Michigan Sportsman mobile app


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## 6Speed (Mar 8, 2013)

#1wallygator said:


> I have had both and the only thing I dont like about the vex is the recessed screen collects snow. I still like it more than the Marcum. If you could move up to one of the vex with the more flat screen, you will not be disappointed.


They sold a cover to stop that when I bought my vex so I'd guess they still do.


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## #1wallygator (Jan 31, 2017)

6Speed said:


> They sold a cover to stop that when I bought my vex so I'd guess they still do.


Yeah I had one and used it for a while. Didnt like it. Too much distortion. Now I swipe the bottom when it needs it.


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## 6Speed (Mar 8, 2013)

#1wallygator said:


> Yeah I had one and used it for a while. Didnt like it. Too much distortion. Now I swipe the bottom when it needs it.


Buying a shanty ended my use of the cover but I thought it might help! My days of sitting in blowing snow on a bucket are way done...


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## #1wallygator (Jan 31, 2017)

6Speed said:


> Buying a shanty ended my use of the cover but I thought it might help! My days of sitting in blowing snow on a bucket are way done...


Ill say I liked the cover more than sitting on a bucket. Both are history. How did you like the cover?


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## 6Speed (Mar 8, 2013)

#1wallygator said:


> Ill say I liked the cover more than sitting on a bucket. Both are history. How did you like the cover?


I was fine when I needed it but it mostly lived in the bottom of my bucket. Why use it when you don't need it? I'd even dump fish on it in the bucket. When I needed the cover I'd just wash it off in a hole and use it. I agree with the slight distortion comments but it was still pretty easy to see a fish swim up to the jig and see the rod tip bend when using it. I'd say I still recommend it to a new ice angler.


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## Overdraw (Jan 12, 2006)

6Speed said:


> They sold a cover to stop that when I bought my vex so I'd guess they still do.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## perchjerker (Feb 8, 2002)

Here is a Pic of my old FL 8 - st. It's so old I had to make the box it's in.
Genz boxes were not invented yet. We were on our own.


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## priceless7 (Jun 27, 2016)

have an fl 18 and its lasted for 15 years or so, my brother just upgraded from an 8 to a 20, is there that big of difference from the 18 to 20? Is it worth it to go from an 18 to a 20 ? thanks


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## TheLionsFan (Dec 20, 2011)

Both good units. But it is TOUGH to beat the good ol’ FL-8.


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## Mn bum (May 1, 2018)

priceless7 said:


> have an fl 18 and its lasted for 15 years or so, my brother just upgraded from an 8 to a 20, is there that big of difference from the 18 to 20? Is it worth it to go from an 18 to a 20 ? thanks


I went from an 18 to a 20. Not a enough of a difference to justify the price. The 28 is a great machine tho.


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## Overdraw (Jan 12, 2006)

priceless7 said:


> have an fl 18 and its lasted for 15 years or so, my brother just upgraded from an 8 to a 20, is there that big of difference from the 18 to 20? Is it worth it to go from an 18 to a 20 ? thanks


The 20 is designed to fish water from 200' to 300' deep. Thats why it has a 12' zoom and the standard 6' zoom. 

The only upgrade to the FL18 Genz that I chose was the Pro Pack. It's built to fit in a 3 or 5 gallon bucket, which fits perfectly in a milk crate, that's screwed into my shanty.


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## eye-sore (Jan 7, 2012)

I cant believe guys still buy vexilars. Get another lowrance. Vexilar is like Atari lol


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## Macs13 (Apr 24, 2019)

eye-sore said:


> I cant believe guys still buy vexilars. Get another lowrance. Vexilar is like Atari lol


Whaaaaaatttt? Man, the flasher game is awesome. You get such interesting detail. But yeah, it is like a video game that sucks you into a trance. 

Sent from my SM-G988U using Michigan Sportsman mobile app


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## eye-sore (Jan 7, 2012)

I was saying vexilar is inferior to lowrance. As in atari is old and boring compared to the newer units. I cant believe they get away with charging what they charge for an inferior product


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## perchjerker (Feb 8, 2002)

Please state how a Vexilar is inferior to a Lowrance.


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## eye-sore (Jan 7, 2012)

Use both and it becomes apparent. Detail for one. Let's see, most are equipped with gps. Can be used on ice as well as mounted to boat. After using mine in water where I could see fish I can tell you what species im marking by the signature on the screen. They are quieter as well. To each there own but after using both side by side no way I would ever use a vex again. Oh yea downscan is nice too


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## perchjerker (Feb 8, 2002)

I have 4 Lowrances and a Vexilar.

They are completely different tools for different uses

You cant compare the two.

Yes the Vexilar is noisier. I will give you that


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## Tracker83 (Jun 21, 2005)

eye-sore said:


> I cant believe guys still buy vexilars. Get another lowrance. Vexilar is like Atari lol


Man, I used to say the same thing but 3 seasons ago I sold my Lowrance and went back to a simple ol' Marcum flasher. I thought the Lowrance was the bees knees the first year I used it on the ice, but by the second season the cool new factor wore off and I realized there were some limitations that I just could not get over. It was cumbersome if you move holes a lot. Probably 20-30% of the time I would have to fart around with the settings when dropping in a new hole. At best, even when I didn't have to touch settings, it would still take several seconds to acquire the bottom and a few more seconds to start charting. Call it 15-25 seconds to start getting a good reading. My cheap Marcum flasher gives me instant feedback as soon as the 'ducer touches water. I can spot check 6-8 holes in a minute if I need to. My other complaint was that the Lowrance did not handle interference from other electronics well. Screen would fuzz out and get a lot of line across it. I don't get anything negative on the flasher even when fishing in close proximity to half a dozen other guys all bouncing signals off the bottom.


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## perchjerker (Feb 8, 2002)

One thing I like about my Vex is its so sensitive that I can tell when the spike on my micro jig is gone off the hook.

The target separation and response time is amazing. Its like there is a string between the unit and the bait. its that responsive.


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## eye-sore (Jan 7, 2012)

I agree about having to adjust settings. If I ever do it's just once for the day and only when on different water than the time before. Like every toy it takes a minute to master


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## perchjerker (Feb 8, 2002)

"toy" is the operative word here


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## bheary (Dec 29, 2010)

I love fishing with a Vex. Especially, when red, green, and yellow are burnt into my vision. I have to remember to blink half the time.

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## priceless7 (Jun 27, 2016)

well i went with the 28 so we shall see


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