Which Vexilar to go with?

[LEECH21]

I'm looking to buy my first Vexilar this fall for ice fishing. I'm looking at the FL-18 and the FL-20. Which one would you guys recommend? And is it worth the extra money to get the FL-20? Thanks ahead of time for any suggestions.

[fisherman-andy]

If I was picking a Vex it would definitely be the FL20.

Otherwise I recommend exploring a bit with different brand flashers before setting down on the flasher you want. In the range of the FL20 you can look into an Marcum LX5, LX6, and or Humminbird Ice 45, 55.

[fishuhalik]

An older fl-18. I guarantee if you put two fishermen on the same suspended crappies, one with all the newest, coolest unit and one with a 10 yr old fl-18 or lx-3, they'll catch the exact same amount of fish. It's all marketing. You won't catch fish if you don't have the newest and greatest unit!!! It has 1" separation as compared to the terrible 3" separation of those old junky units!

[fishuhalik]

BTW, I have an 8 year old lx-1 and I catch as many fish as any person on the lake as long as i'm under 40 fow. If I had a smaller cone it'd be the exact same in any depth. Not saying that I'm a great fisherman or anything, it's just that I've never seen anyone catch more fish than me just because he had a better, newer flasher. Been outfished PLENTY of times but it had nothing to do with the flasher

[Cyberfish]

I love my FL18! I have had it for 10 years now and still works like new! The new FL20 and 22 are awesome too! check them all out and judge for your self which you like best!

Good luck!

MT

[Neises]

I agree with the others above but will add that the screen display on the FL-22 really helps if you are after fish in depths that are less than ten feet. If you ever plan to use the unit in a boat the bottom lock on the 18 and 22 work really well in my experience.

[fisherman-andy]

An older fl-18. I guarantee if you put two fishermen on the same suspended crappies, one with all the newest, coolest unit and one with a 10 yr old fl-18 or lx-3, they'll catch the exact same amount of fish. It's all marketing. You won't catch fish if you don't have the newest and greatest unit!!! It has 1" separation as compared to the terrible 3" separation of those old junky units!

I dont think the issue is not being able to catch fish or catch more fish with a fancier unit. Fancier gadgets simply give you more precision and information to process which one can use to help themselves become better anglers. There are many pros and cons but imma stick to what fancier gadgets offer that cheaper ones usually dont. That meants dual beam cones, better water column depth or settings, zoom modes, graphs, RTS, interference rejection, etc list goes on.

There are people who stick and choose with what works for them. Then there are enthusiast who will try to take every advantage they get to give them the edge whether they catch more fish or not. It not just about getting from point A to point B anymore.

[BartmanMN]

Get a unit with Zoom, so that puts you in the 18,20, 22 range. You'll really appreciate the flat screen on the 20 and 22. Low power mode and bottom lock are nice features to have. Get what you can afford.

[Getanet]

I bought my first flasher last winter - an FL-18. I read all the review of Vexilar and the other brands on this site, and came to the conclusion it's mainly personal preference and budget considerations. Going from no flasher to any flasher is going to be a huge upgrade no matter what unit you decide to buy.

My only advice would be, if you're looking to save a little cash, try to scrape by one more hard water season, as they all get heavily discounted as the ice fishing season winds down.

[247outdoors]

I have a vex-20, it's great, especially the depth finder. The only thing i don't like is that if your fishing next/close to someone it has alot of interferences. My buddy has a Hummingbird 55 and he gets no interference, but it all depends on what you want/like. I also have a Marcum LX-7 and still trying to figure how it works.

[Finlander]

AS said, the flat screen on the 20 and 22 is way easrier to see from any angle and the shallow feature for fishing weeds makes it easier to see fish in the weeds and catch them! Go with the 20!

[EBass]

I have a FL-18 and don't plan on replacing it anytime soon. My buddy has the FL-22 and I'm jealous, but the 18 works just fine for me. I also use it on my boat.

[LEECH21]

Thanks for the suggestions fellas. Anyone ever tried buying a refurbished unit from the Vexilar HSOforum? I see they are about $50 to $100 dollars cheaper than a brand new unit.

[NCLaker]

I would not hesitate to buy a refurb, that is where I got my Fl-20. If there is a problem, they will take care it no questions asked.

[EBass]

I ran mine over with the truck (don't ask) but it's a refurb now. Had them replace the motor and brushings and front and back case. Works great

[JuanArellano]

I would not use anything but a FL22... the best flasher on the market..

[DLD24]

For the price it better be haha....i would look on hsolist list..or if your looking for an expensive unit, but dont have the cash sportsmanguide.com does a 4 payment plan, no interest. Thats what my buddy did.

[Lentz]

What do you typically fish for if it's just pans then I would go with a fl8 (sunnies and crappie)

If your big into Wally and jumbos go with the fl22

There's no reason to spend a lot more if u will hardly ever use the zoom

[Matt Johnson]

It's hard for me to turn away from the flat screen that the FL-20 offers. I also like the Night Mode setting that allows me to dim the brightness so it's easier on the eyes during lowlight periods. The crisp readout of the flat screen is nice too. It's not a huge jump in price, but well worth the extra money in my opinion... although you can't complain about the FL-18 either, you're getting an excellent product either!

[Lentz]

There both nice I own a fl8 but when I go to Mil acks I barrow my dads fl22 or just Wally fishing in general

He hardly ice fishes and I still am in high school so it will be another 2 winters tell I need to swap him plus some cash or just buy one

[bassNspear]

fl 22 hands down

[fisherman-andy]

I would not use anything but a FL22... the best flasher on the market..

[Neises]

The two most important reasons I use a 22:

10' scale

Low power

[fisherman-andy]

The two most important reasons I use a 22:

10' scale

Low power

- Having the 10ft increment for full screen dial is nice but again user preference.

Low Power is define as suppressing the Vex's power output likely cutting it by half to allow the screen to clear up from weeds or debris in shallow water.

- Its to my own experience that the Humminbird may have a similiar issue in shallow water with wide beam forcing a change to the narrow beam to allow clear up clutter on screen due to weeds/debris. There is no low power mode for the Bird units.

The Marcums dont have an issue running full blast on wide/narrow beam in shallow water.

Again if I had to choose a Vex it would still be the FL20...

[polarsusd81]

I went from an old FL-8 to an FL-22 a couple years ago and couldn't be happier. I fish shallow weedy water a lot in the winter and really appreciate the 10' scale and low power mode specifically for those reasons. I don't fish lakers, and typically the deepest water I will ever fish is 40'. If I wanted to fish deep, I would likely pick up an FL-20.