which vexilar?

[arcticcat400]

i am in the market for a new vexilar not marcum so please dont reply about a marcum, i cant decide which vexilar to get the price isnt as important as the quality i do quite a bit of fishing and want a unit i can depend on

[Bassboy1645]

Vexillar makes a great unit......i have the fl-18 pro pack...They make the genz pack which comes mounted on a blue box, the propack, and the ultra pack which includes a case if im not mistaken. Also i think the fl-18s are ceapest to most expensive in that order too. If you want to step up a bit and pay double the amount u can get an fl 20 which looks liek a vexialar on steroids. Its got alot of features but more than i would ever need or use so the 18 is for me...U might want those features idk. For the money an fl 20 doest do too much more then the 18. Which transducer option and If your going to double it as a summer flasher may or may not depend on which one to get as well. hope i could help

[EBass]

Amen brother! I've had the FL-18 for a few years - not one issue. I too bought the pro pack. I don't care too much for the pack, but the Vex has treated me well over the years of abuse I put it through! I use is in open water to on my bow. My .02

[Blainebob]

FL-18!!!! Bought mine late last year,and wont fish with out it!! Was out last saturday for 4 hours,came home to charge the battery,took all of 2 seconds! Pro packII

[Corey Bechtold]

I currently fish with the FL-18 and think it is great. If I had some money to spend there is no question that I would pick up the FL-20! The flat screen is cool and so are the different zoom windows.

Good luck,

Corey Bechtold

[riverrat56]

LX-3.............O sorry Vexilar doesn't make those, I'd take a serious look at them though......really I would, having used both, and having put the LX-3 in the hands of die hard Vexilar guys and had them admit it is better than there FL-18's, I think it's worth a look.

Otherwise the FL-18 is a quality flasher, for sure. The Fl-20 looks like it has lots of cosmetic improvments and nothing worthwhile to fishing.

[jiggin_22]

personally I don't think you'll go wrong buying a vexilar. I've had my FL-8 for 8 years and haven't had a complaint and recently upgraded to the FL-20 a month ago...I have never had a problem with the FL-8 and anticipate the similar results from the FL-20.

[IceHawk]

I have been useing Vexilars for years and have had the FL'8s and currently have the FL18. I bought it new and upgraded to the 18 from the 8 when they came out. I'm sure I will upgrade to the 20 soon, as Cory stated some of the new features of the 20 are nice! Vexilars are outstanding units and if money wasn't a problem I would definately look at the 20 for your choice. You wont be unhappy with whatever vex you choose.

[DuluthMedic]

I just bought a Lowrance X67c has a flasher mode that can split flasher into bottom zoom. Also has a fishfinder feature like in the boat. Used it one day...and seem to work well. Was just a few dollars more then the fl-8. Check it out. Has anyone els ever used one?

[CNY Tim]

It amazes me why people continue to pay more for the same old song and dance but hey if you want to buy Japanese go right ahead. I'll stick with the top dog U.S. built MarCum LX-5 backed by American speaking U.S. Naval sonar experts for less money and have more useful features than a flat screen, rod holder and tackle box. Loyalty is one thing but the thought of paying more for blobs, lousy zoom performance, crappy shallow/deep water performance and interfernce rejection is another.

Before I dropped a dime on a Vexilar do yourself a favor and fish the most exciting, rivetting piece of machinery that's proven and trusted by a growing community of satisfied MarCum customers. It's as simple as this, once you fished a MarCum you will wonder why you ever fished with anything else. You simply get more bang for your buck with MarCum. I know vex guys that have swallowed up MarCum DCS 100 charging systems for there vex units because there a better charger than what Vexilar offers and that's just the charging system not to mention the others that use MarCum's handheld LXI portable handheld for checking depths. You get more bang for your buck with a MarCum... Former FL-8 and disgruntled FL-18 user here.

[JRFISHBAIT]

I'm a dealer of both Vexilar and Marcum but I won't get into one over the other.

Here's what I tell my customers. The FL-8 and the FL-12 are very similar units. Then the FL-18 and FL-20 are similar units. It really comes down to what kind of fishing you are doing. If you are looking for fish that are generally suspended, then the FL-8 or FL-12 will work fine. Neither one of these units have a zoom feature on them. If you are looking for fish that are generally on the bottom, then the FL-18 or FL-20 would be a better unit due to the zoom feature. The zoom feature will zoom in on the bottom 6' or 12' of the water column. It makes it much easier to discern fish that are on the bottom. I have a zoom feature on my flasher and I always use it. Once you have zoom, you'll never go back. Then the next question is what type of lakes do you fish? If you fish both shallow and deep water, you might want to consider a dual beam model. The dual beam allows you to switch between a 19 degree and a 9 degree transducer. A 19 degree cone gives you about a 3' diameter zone or coverage at 10' of depth. So at 40', you would be looking at a 12' diameter zone. With a 9 degree transducer, you would cut that zone in half.

As far as the new versus the old models, the new models have a face that is larger and easier to read. It can also be read from an angle. Water, snow, ice, etc. will not collect on these models. The FL-20 has a two levels of lighting, one for reading during bright sunlight and one for nighttime use (easier on the eyes). The newer models also have 10 levels of interference rejection so it makes is easier to eliminate interference from others.

So which model? It's up to you but I would ask a lot of questions of your dealer. A good dealer will also ask a lot of questions on how you plan on using the flasher.

I could go on and on but this post is already long enough. Good fishing with whatever model you select.

Matt, Joe and Katy

[katoguy]

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i am in the market for a new vexilar not marcum so please dont reply about a marcum, i cant decide which vexilar to get the price isnt as important as the quality i do quite a bit of fishing and want a unit i can depend on

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Great info by JRFISHBAIT.

The only complaint I have ever had with my Vexilars is that the lip fills up with water and snow. For this reason alone, I would lean towards the FL-20 with the flat screen.

(Sour grapes can really eat at the soul!)

[Crappie_ Kid]

For people worrying about the snow build up, and stuff just get the mag shield.

[katoguy]

I always thought the mag shield was kind of a gimmick. Wouldn't it cause a glare when on the boat in sunny conditions? Sitting straight in front of it while ice fishing may work fine, though.

I no longer use a separate flasher while boating. My LCD has a built in 3-color flasher (albeit, not as nice as the vex even with considerable more wattage - 4000 watts).

[Crappie_ Kid]

Ya prolly dont have to worry about snow build up when your on a boat.

[Catmendo]

I run the FL-20 and I love it! You will appreciate the flat screen, it's awesome and super easy on the eyes. The zoom features are also deadly and accurate, especially for those bottom hugging 'eyes!

In my opinion you can't go wrong with any Vexilar products, they're all top quality and don't forget they've been around for a long, long time!

[Northlander]

I had the mag shield on my old vex and loved it. In bright sunlight I just took a coffee can and painted the inside black and then put that over the shield. Cut out both ends of course. It worked great and cheap.

[BassPirate]

Maybe you can answer this for me then Tim. If Marcum is so great why did the company ask me to send in my receipt and proof of purchase to get my "$50 rebate" when I bought a VX1. I did it the same week I got my new fish finder. Now I find out my VX1 is a pile and doesn't even pick up my fishing lures. Tuesday I tried to take unit back to the store I bought it at and guess what?? Apparently the store won't take it back because I don't have the receipt. What a scam!! That's OK. I've blown $200 on junk before. I'm not going to fight it and get my blood pressure up. I'm just going to let it rest and go buy another Vexilar like I knew I should have done in the first place. Some lessons are harder learned than others. LOL

[ice_it_06]

Marcum or Tim can be removed from the equation. I cant think of any "rebate" offer being validated without proof of purchase. Secondly any retailer will not honor exchange of a $200 plus purchase without the receipt as well in my experience.

If you "registered" the unit asap with Marcum upon purchase I'm sure they could backtrace the serial number and retail outlet.

Its unfortunate your unit is the one we all encounter from time to time as being bad, or bad luck but I don't see where your complaint of rebate and return originate without the receipt. Pretty common sense to hold on to it for a good period of time no matter the product or purchase. JMHO

[Wellesy]

Ice it,

I agree 100%

[BassPirate]

Yes it is not Marcum's fault or Tim's. It is mine for buying it. Like I said, I'm not going to get my temper up about it. I'll just toss it in the junk draw.

[minnion]

BassPirate,

It is too bad that you are not happy with your Marcum. I had the same problem with my unit. I was not able to see my jig and my buttons kept falling off. I sent it in and they fixed it within 2 weeks. I think this is a fairly common problem with the units. Maybe they could fix it for you?

[nofishfisherman]

Quote:

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Tuesday I tried to take unit back to the store I bought it at and guess what?? Apparently the store won't take it back because I don't have the receipt. What a scam!!

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That surprises you? I have never seen a store willing to take back a faulty product without proof of purchase, its just bad business if they did.

[BassPirate]

minnow,

I just ordered one of those new sexy Vexys from Cabelas. If you want my Marcum for parts, you can have it. Email me. I have one good button on there that might help you out. I lost the other one and this one is glued on. You should be able to get it off with a little elbow grease. Tight lines!

[minnion]

BassPirate,

I am sure if you look back at some of the older posts, you will realize that bad transducers and buttons are common on the Marcums. They will fix it. Give it a try, you might just like it.