fl-8 or zercom?

[Guest]

i am a fl-8 user and have been very happy for about 4 years now with my unit and its performance. i have recently brought a new member into the ice fishing realm and he has looked around at the fl-8 and the zercom models. he has been going back and forth with these units and would like to know what everyone thinks of each of these units and if there have been any problems that you have come across. thank you all
htr22

[fiskyknut]

I would'nt trade my 8 year old clearwater classic for anything, not even a brand new fl-18! Yes I've tried them, and I like them, just hard to teach an old dog new tricks I guess.

Fisky

[rap]

i use a fl-8 and i highly reccomend it. I've never had any problems with it and it works great. From all the talk i have heard about this topic before, the zercoms have a bad history compared to vexilars. alot of people have said in the past zercoms tend to break or not run well in cold weather. i'm not trying to down zercom, because i could care less what someone else buys, but from what i have heard about the pros and cons about each unit, get the fl-8...

[smashingpike]

Used the FL-8 for years. Just purchased a Zercom for this season. I went for the Zercom due to a better target separation, longer battery life, and the presence of the arm which holds the transducer. To tell you the truth, there isn't much difference at all. The Zercom does run longer on each charge, and I prefer not having the floating Vexilar transducer bobbing in the hole. I haven't used it with another unit nearby, so I can't comment on the interference claims.

[smashingpike]

Used the FL-8 for years. Just purchased a Zercom for this season. I went for the Zercom due to a better target separation, longer battery life, and the presence of the arm which holds the transducer. To tell you the truth, there isn't much difference at all. The Zercom does run longer on each charge, and I prefer not having the floating Vexilar transducer bobbing in the hole. I haven't used it with another unit nearby, so I can't comment on the interference claims.

[Guest]

Been using a Zercom Clearwater pro for icefishing for a couple years. Its great. It seems accessories are getting scarce. This could mean they may not be around much longer.

[Guest]

Fl-8, without a doubt.
PCG

[rap]

Heavy D makes a good point about interference.. vexilars and zercoms tend not to work to good when next to each other. if the person looking to buy a zercom plans on fishing in the same house as you, he should get an fl-8 then..

[Aqua Eye]

Well said rap. I too own a zercom LCF40 and although I love it,it would be almost impossible for me to use mine in the same shack as someone with a vex brand. I have experienced problems in tournaments also with not being able to eliminate interference from vex units. I wouldn't trade my unit for a vex aithough It would be nice if everbody owned a LCF-40 like me. Great in the boat too! Another plus for Vex is they are home-grown,when my Zercom needs service it is off to Eufaula,Alabama. Fast turn-around once they receive it but torture none the less. I hope my Zercom lasts forever but if there isn't another "flasher" manufacturer I may have to buy a vex next time around.-TROY

[latz333]

Just bought a Vex and love it. I have not seen the Zercom in action but the Vex works very well.

[HeavyD]

I happen to own both units and I will only fish with the FL-8 since I usually lone my Zercom out to whoever my fishing partner may be. One reason for my choice is the fact that when fished near the same area, the Vexilar will not be as affected by the Zercom's frequency and the Zercom may be rendered usless until it is moved further away due to the higher power output of the FL-8. As far as usefulness I believe they both are equally effective in monitoring and catching fish, but the Zercom's charge lasts longer due to the lower power output. It is like comparing a tall gorgeous blonde to a tall boxum brunette. One is more colorful and the other is brunette, or something like that. To each his own.

[fiskyknut]

fl-8....400 watts RMS peak to peak.
Clearwater classic....1000 watts peak to peak.
I have early si-tex which is quite like fl-8 and run both in house with no probs, they are on opposite ends of 14 foot house though, never deeper than 38 feet on big traverse bay.
I believe power consumption is due to lcd mechanism vs. spinning gizmo in the vexilar/colorpoint types. I can get 4 or 5 trips out of a charge, but I usually plug it in every other trip. Fished with a guy couple weeks back with a new colorpoint and even with differing transducer MHz'z {150 & 200} he got all kinds of interferance, I always thought that would'nt happen when transducers differ???

[Beckman]

I have a colorpoint and I like it, I would say it is on par with the FL8, but there are differences. Cons with the colorpoint are pesky interference from a vex, pros are good battery life and better bottom separation. Cons for the vex are a flickering display, it hurts my eyes to watch it for an extended period of time, pros are the IR feature when you are around other vexes or any other brands.

The FL18 is the cadillac, no flickering display, and the zoom feature is great. Only bad part is that they suck up the juice in a hurry.

[huntnfish]

I have a clearwater classic and a FL-18. If I have the vex in normal mode, I think the classic has a little better seperation, but a fl-18 in the auto zoom mode can't be beat. I think that the auto zoom is the only thing that makes the vexilar better. It all comes down to what you would feel more comfortable having.

[Guest]

I've owned a Zercom Clearwater Classic for about 4 years and have never been happy with the performance. It had a bad transducer when I got it, so maybe we got off on a bad foot. When replaced, it worked fine, but never up to the claims made that lead me to buy it over a Vex. I was never able to see a small teardrop jig in water much deeper than 12 feet, even with the gain turned all the way up. It was much better than fishing "blind", but I never knew what I was really missing until I saw a few buddies using their FL-8s. I talked to tech support at Zercom about my problems(?) with the unit, and didn't really get any satisfying answers or sympathy. This year I decided I'd had enough and sold it. I'm now the proud owner of a Vexilar FL-18 and I can't BELIEVE the difference in performance!!!

[Polar Bear]

ztr22, I absolutely love my colorpoint but would never recommend buying one. Reason? They are no longer being made! I can't imagine why Humminbird dropped the colorpoint from the Zercom line but it really ticks me off.

Polar Bear

[fiskyknut]

Farginicehole

You must of had one with a glich of some kind, mine will pick up a slipbobber knot on the line at 35 feet no problem at all. I use it summer and winter, in the winter it gets beat around pretty good behind the sled in the otter. Get's a beating on LOW on the bow of the boat too. Still works great. Pretty terrible they would'nt fix it or hook you up with a new one, or something though.

[Guest]

Fiskyknut,

Yeah, I figured I had a bunk unit but, as I mentioned, didn't get any support or sympathy from Zercom when I described (politely - - honest!!!) the problems to them. I told them I was very interested in upgrading to a Colorpoint and possibly even a LPG for my boat. After getting a taste of their customer satisfaction policy, I was very leary of dropping several hundred dollars more on more of their products. I think I'm going to be much happier with my Vexilar FL-18.

[slick2526]

Bump

[Raven]

If you are looking at a new unit, check out the FL-18. I don't think it can be beat. I have used others, but I believe the 18 is the only way to go these days.

[nunzio]

I was a Zercom owner and thought that this was the best unit made, excellant seperation. Then I started fishing with other people that had the fl8. The interference was terrible, spent 3/4's of the time with the unit off. So when I found a place that would give me 200 for my Zercom Color Point on a trade-in for the fl18...... With the Zoom feature I don't miss the Zercom at all!! I'm still able to tell my buddy (who uses the fl8) when the fish are hugging the bottom. Combine this with the Vexilar Service, hard to beat!!!
Now I went and done it, now I'm going to have to start the " Seasonal Tackle Transition". -nunzio

[Guest]

I love my color point but I like my FL 18 better.

[tjwierz2]

Oh no...not this discussion again. You will never buy a better flasher than a Vexilar.

[Seabass77]

Zercom is owned by Humminbird...need I say more.

Not to mention, vexilar is in bloomington, zercom is in Alabama.

[Guest]

I agree with tjwierz2, Vexilar is the way to go. I've used a Zercom before and they get the job done but Vexilar is in a league of its own.

Good Fishin, Matt.