Marcum and Vex similar to chevy or ford. I own an fl-18 and after this season the fl-28 will be next up to bat. I've always been a vex guy however, most of my buddies use the Lx3. I'd say the Marcum is a bit more user friendly, a lot quieter in terms of barring noise and obviously better on the wallet. I also like the compact size of the lx3 and the soft case is a lot better made than the vex. The lx3 is also a bit easier to hone in on whether it's fish or structure. However, after fishing with bottom lock on the fl-18 I don't know if I'll ever own another flasher that doesn't have it. Good luck, hopefully fishing picks up, it's been super slow in central Iowa.