There have been various posts about flashers. You might find some in the archive.
I like the vertical display of the Showdown but other than that I much prefer the flasher style of the lx6 or ice45. My buddy has a Showdown and it always seems "laggy" to me. Others really like the Showdown.
I have and ICE 35 (and a really old Vexilar) and I think it's good bang for buck for the average ice fisherman. The lx6 and ice45 are more feature rich but aren't necessarily worth it in my mind.
I'm sure you'll get various opinions. =) Good luck on you research.
[signature]
I have th hummingbird 55 and love it. Works great. Way easier to use than alot of other brands i have used. I think a 5 year old could use it. I did alot of research on all different brands and features. I felt with the bird u got the best bang for your buck.
[signature]
I have the Marcum LX-6 & really like it. You can do a search on this issue as it has been debated many, many times in this forum. You will find the discussion is very similar to Ford vs. Chevy!
I also had an LX-5 that stopped working for me. I sent it back to Marcum for repairs (during ice fishing season) , I had it returned back to me within < 2 weeks. I like spending my $$ on companies with very good customer service like Cabellas. Marcum also falls within this range of companies - my 2 cents.
[signature]
I don't have any experience with those listed, but I've been using the Vexilar FLS-8 for the past 9-plus seasons and have had no issues (other than just replacing the battery for the first time this past week).
This is probably considered their base model now and should be available for less than $300.
I've fished shallow, deep, weedy, close to other flashers, etc. and simply will not leave home without it. It changes the way you fish completely.
[signature]
I bought a showdown last year and it was amazing till I took it out this year started having problems and the worst parts is if you send to them before New Years they have a 1 week off on new years day play the other 6 days so getting it fixed was frustrating for me.
I like the showdown because I can easily read it and know when a fish is going to hit my lure. If you use 6 double a batteries then it will lag then stop working after 2-3 hrs but if you get the upgrade package and have a 12v battery it last for hrs. I made a trip last season from Rockport, Causey, Pineview, and that was easily a 15 hr fishing trip with no problems except catching to many fish in Pineview.
If you end up getting a showdown probably get the more expensive one then the cheaper version.
A few of my friends use a new version of boat fish finder that you can easily buy the ice transducer that works great as well. They transducer cost easily over $100.
[signature]
I like my showdown 2.0, but love my marcum VS485C camra. It's fun to see what your fishing for. And you can see if they are reacting to the jig your using.
[signature]
I have the LX-5 and love it...just ask the Vexilar guys how much they hate fishing near a Marcum...the marcum puts out more than twice the watts than vexilars...they are superior regarding interference, color, and fishing deep water...I started with a vexilar and was happy with it..until I got a marcum....at the end of the day its down to personal preference.
[signature]
i have the lx7 and used the lx9 for a year and have a friend who has the lx6 and he wishes he had purchased the lx7 so in my opinion i would get the lx7 its worth the extra $100. i use a ice 55 for a back up and it is also a great unit. the 45 isn't much different then the 55 so i would do that before the showdown but i am a die hard marcum guy and would never stray away form my 7.
https://www.redrockstore.com/index.php
at this web sight its $699.99 no tax and this is where i got mine they had a sale for $100 off when i bought mine i have been watching for it to get another one haven't seen it yet so not sure they will but still its better then paying the tax at cabelas or at rapala.com. it took if i remember 4 days to get to me so they ship fast!
[signature]
It's true. [
] My old Vex gets hammered by interference from Marcums and others too. (It's worse in deeper water). It makes me anti-social at times because I have to get away from my buddies who are messing me up!
Note - the Hummingbird ICE 35 seems to play nicely with my Vex.
[signature]
I have a good friend who fishes competitively in the NAIFC tournament series. He used the Macum LX-6. This is a high-end finder for sure and I wish I could afford one. However, any of the ones you listed are great. The Showdown had some problems early on in their development, but since they have been bought-out by Marcum, they have been great. Buy the best you can afford AND the one YOU like the most is my advice. You can't go wrong with any of them.
[signature]
The good and the bad of it is I probably will not be pulling the trigger until next year so I will have plenty of time to save money up. And all will have to do is take the fam out ice fishing once with out , and then borrow my buddy's 45 and say see honey this is why we really need one. Purse strings loosened. hehe
[signature]
FFL,
My wife bought me the showdown troller 2.0 with the upgraded package for christmas this year. So far I have been very happy with it but I do have a few questions. I can't find in the manual the width range that it reads under water. I have drilled two holes really close to each other, within about 2 ft and it will not pick up my other jig in the hole next to me. I did this just as a test to how wide the range was. I would like to be able to see a couple ft each way from me instead of just straight down. Maybe someone out there can answer my question, is there a way to set what you would like the width range to be on the showdown 2.0 or is that why they have the dual beam 5.6 troller?
[signature]
That's why they have the dual beam. Think of it as a wide-angle versus telephoto lens. The wide angle is better for shallow water, and the narrow beam for deeper. You'd also want the narrow if the bottom is steeply sloped.
[signature]
That is why they have the dual beam 5.6 The troller is only a 20 degree beam.
[signature]
That is kind of what i figured, thanks for the responses. I just wanted to make sure I wasnt missing something.
[signature]
I think it's a win win win. I have the 45 and it works like a horse. No complaints and the battery is great. Haven't got the itch to upgrade, but the 35 works good as well. It's a can't miss in my opinion.
[signature]