At its base, this unit is designed to find fish for you through the use of sonar and screen capture so that you can track and see just what is available beneath the surface. It is fairly easy to learn how to use, though some find that it can be complicated for beginners to initially navigate through. Unfortunately, this unit does have a few basic features that do not fare well under scrutiny.

The actual unit itself is not waterproof, and that immediately proves a hazard to it given that its intent is to be used near water or under the surface of the ice. Unfortunately, right away this calls for a little bit of skepticism when it comes to the reliability of the unit when you are looking to purchase it. Add onto that initial inspection, the LCD screen can freeze up, on you which can take this from being a great companion when fishing to a rather mediocre one.

When you step into the advanced features, you may feel a little put off by the immediate issues with the base unit features, but you may come out a little surprised. When your aim is customizability, and you want something that you can learn rather quickly despite the fact it can be a little complicated, you will find out quickly that this device needs to get its praises as well.

Many units only offer you the ability to flip through each type of reading and use them one at a time, or only provide certain combinations for your display, but this one lets you combine them however you like to give your perfect screen.

The extraordinary level of detail captured by the advanced technology used in this particular fish finder also makes it so you can feel the reliability of what it says is there. There is no second-guessing, you can read any size of fish and are not limited to only searching out specific types with this machine, which many others on the market do limit you. The user-friendly interface means it won’t take you long to learn and use the interface to your specific needs within a short amount of time.

Add to that the response time when setting up and switching out settings to get what you need, when you need it is fast and accurate. If that isn’t enough to keep your attention, know that this unit also can be updated and to add new features continuously as well as to keep track of what you caught where and when. With the ability to adjust your brightness, contrast, and color just as much as you can what is on the screen itself, you will find all you could want quickly and easily.

This is intended for ice fishing primarily, though it can be used for boat fishing for beginners. There are issues with using such a device when fishing from a boat, however, that too many might seem obvious. This device really doesn’t have a very far reach when it comes to the wires and the submergible parts of the equipment which means you would need to be on a smaller boat to use it.

The secondary issue is that, unlike ice, boats disturb the surface of the water to begin with which can cause the fish to scatter making a fish finder rather useless. Whereas with Ice fishing, the most caused are slight vibrations that any animal might cause going across the ice and are less likely to disturb the fish below from their place. A fish finder is also greatly more advantageous for ice fishing since you can’t see below the surface to know if your spot offers more or less opportunity for catching something.

In the end, the fish finder gives you a view via several methods to see what kind of fish can be found where through sonar, which gives you a visual image of the surroundings and lets you see the movement near it.

With updates available, you will want to make sure that your equipment is available for and is set up so that you can connect and get the continuous software that Marcum LX7 is planning to have. Since it isn’t ethernet or wireless, you will need to make sure that your USB port supports the style that the fish finder uses for updates and charging. Since it is a style of a wired connection, if it is compatible, you won’t have to worry about it staying connected, but you may still want to be sure your connection speed can handle the updates.

With the company offering to bring your finder up to date with its competition, you won’t find yourself lost in the shuffle. This is one of the best features this device has to offer and is one that any avid fisherman will want to keep up on.

This device actually has a rechargeable battery source that can be charged via USB plug-in or power cord charger which comes with the product. Since it has several charging options, you may find yourself looking for the one that best suits your needs and won’t take you as long to be prepared. Most purchasers have found that the equipment is ready to go right out of the box with only a few hours needed to get the battery ready.

The good news is that on one good charge the battery can go for 12-15 hours without needing to be charged again. This means you can go for an entire days’ worth of fishing without having to head back to base to recharge or keep extra equipment near for the same purpose. Simply put, this fish finder gives you plenty of time to work with and it is more than most of its competitors offer.

When looking over what most users have to say, this is one area that they all had extremely high opinions and praises for this particular model. Not only is it exceptionally accurate when it comes to displaying all the information of the area you are seeking to fish in, but it also gives you a greater idea of the size and shape of the fish.

Given that this device actually had a fast reaction time to relay the information, you can also easily take note of when and where the fish seem to prefer to reside so that you can set your bait and be ready for when they are most likely to be ready to catch.

Most fish finders have a greater delay time between what you are seeing on the screen and what is actually going on in the moment which can make it much more difficult to prepare and have the proper bait for what you are after. The less delayed your sight is on the target, the better chance you have at catching what you are after.

This is the only questionable aspect of the device we are looking over since it is meant to be used near water, and part of it is intended to be submerged. While the case can and does protect it from most lighter bumps and even some moisture, getting the screen wet, though, can prove to be exceptionally bad, since it doesn’t appear to be waterproof.

There is little information on if this also is a problem with the weather itself, whether or not fog or humidity could do water damage to the screen, so one may want to find other ways to protect your display.

This is touted to be one of the lightest versions of this type of product available on the market once you learn how to set it up for your specific taste. The warning on this is rather simple - it isn’t that the set up is overly complicated, so much as it will take time and going over the manual so that what you want to be displayed on the screen is right where you need it to be. Once you have it set, you don’t need to do anything else, and it is all straightforward to read and use as it is intended.

The screen for this unit is an LCD high definition style with multiple settings and combinations to show you what you want to know. You can combine any of the displays to show on the screen at once and even decide, to an extent, where on the screen you see them.

This is so that any user can quickly gauge whether or not they want to stay situated at their current location or move elsewhere without having to continuously guess at how good off they are or flip through the screens first to know what they need to know.

No matter what fish finding device you decide to go with, it will likely mean saving up for a bit specifically for the one you want. This one isn’t quite as high as some others we have seen, sitting at around $725, but it is still not something you would typically toss an entire paycheque at or find enough loose change for. For this one, we can’t even guarantee what exactly your warranty will cover since Marcum requires you to put your exact model number in to validate your warranty.

There is one significant upside to purchasing this product through - twelve-month financing is available on Amazon and through other affiliate sales to buy it. This option means you can know you are purchasing the product you want and don’t have to worry that you might dig into your savings and eliminate it as something you can or can’t afford. Of course, this option, like with a financing option, requires a credit check and approval before you can start.

One other thing we must mention when it comes to buying the Marcum LX7 is that the company will not accept cheques for any of their products. If you do try to use one, they will cancel/void it and send it back without selling you the product. So, be prepared to either buy this through credit, debit, or some other instant cash payment to the company.

- Customizable display
- Long battery life
- Rechargeable
- Extremely accurate
- Updates available
- Easy to use

If you want a less expensive model that can still get the job done with ease, the Marcum LX7 is something you will want to look into. While it does have its faults, overall, it holds up more so on a right scale than the bad. A little extra care, and the effort to learn precisely how to set yours up, and you may find that this brand and type will suit your needs in ways others don’t.

One thing is for sure, this is one of the most customizable options out there, and it has satisfied more customers than many others available on the market.