which fish finder

[jjack]

I got the fl8 right now and giving that to my wife. I'm looking for something for my self now but don't know what! I need some input

[Raquettedacker]

MarCum LX-6 Digital...     

[Oldbear]

We can't answer that question for you and after a zillion answers it will be your descion anyway.

[jjack]

We can't answer that question for you and after a zillion answers it will be your descion anyway.

Just looking for pros and cons and peoples input so I can make my OWN decision.

[greenbackhunter]

Pros and cons to all the units. Best bet is to try them all for yourself,

[Chris338378]

I have a Showdown Dual Beam and absolutely love it.  It's simple to use and works as advertised.  The only draw back I hear from a lot of guys is they don't like the fact that it's black and white rather than color like a traditional flasher.  If you want to go with a traditional style flasher I'd go with the Marcum LX-5.  Both have dual beams (8 and 20 degrees) and are quality units not to mention Marcum has great customer service.

[boder]

Some specifics about how u fish, where u fish, and what u will b fishing for might get u a few more responses. Plus there is all ready tons of threads all ready on this very topic. I think u will find everyone has there prn oeesonal preference. I am still running a lowrance x67c. More complicated to set up then your traditional flasher but also most bang for your buck IMO.

[Cfilbert]

Everyone keeps jumping over the obvious.. first your giving up th fl8 did you like it?  Did it not work good enough?  Why not just get another one?  Personally speaking I have the fl8 and I've used the 12 &18, personally I would choose the 8 everytime. Like everyone else is saying pros and cons for each so to each their own.

[Clear_Ice]

Everyone keeps jumping over the obvious.. first your giving up th fl8 did you like it?  Did it not work good enough?  Why not just get another one?  Personally speaking I have the fl8 and I've used the 12 &18, personally I would choose the 8 everytime. Like everyone else is saying pros and cons for each so to each their own.

You have a very valid point about "if it ain't broke, don't fix it", but I think that for a few more dollars, an upgrade is well worth it. I have fished with both a FL8 and a FL18 and I disagree. For me, having a zoom on the bottom 6 feet of the water column is more than worth the extra money spent for when I am fishing walleyes and other fish hugging the bottom! That's why I would take the FL18 over the 8. That's just my personal opinion, and it fits my fishing style. When family members ask me which vex to buy, I always tell them to get any one they want, as long as they pick one with bottom zoom 

Good luck on your decision!
CI

[Monticatgeek]

I got the fl8 right now and giving that to my wife. I'm looking for something for my self now but don't know what! I need some input

since you already know about the FL 8 I won't cover that but I will give you a run down of the the other Vexilar units. let's start with the FL-12, it is basically a flat screen version of the FL-8 but gives you the addition of the 20 foot low power option if you fish in weedy areas or shallow water. the FL-18 is the same as the FL 8 but now you have the zoom option and the bottom lock feature (used only in the summer if you put the unit in a boat). this is in both the normal power setting and the low power setting. then there is the FL-20 it is the flat screen version of the FL-18 but it adds the day/night option (this cuts the brightness of the display when fishing at night when set to the night mode) and the addition of a 12 foot zoom option instead of just the 6 foot zoom like  the FL-18 has. the FL-20 does not have the bottom lock feature thou.  the next model is the FL-22HD (this is now discontinued but Vexilar does still have some that can be purchased  directly from them). the thing that sets the FL-22HD apart from the other is the fact that the deepest water you can use it in is 60 feet. the sound pulse is matched to each depth setting to give you a HD return on the display. it also gives you the bottom lock feature like the Fl-18 has. last and not least the FLX-28. the best way to describe this model is it is a cross between a FL-20 and FL-22HD but also with the addition of the features that set it apart from other flashers. these features include the weed mode, the ability to change the display color, the auto range feature, & the brushless data transfer system.

If you don't buy something before the season gets here and would like to see all the different Vexilar models on the ice under actual fishing condition get a hold of me and we can meet up and I can bring all the models of Vexilars out and let you try them out on the ice. hope to get out for the first time around the time I did last year which was November 29th. I now have all the Vexilar models except the FL-8SE so I can do on ice demos for any one that wants to check out the Vexilar units. I'm in Monticello so we are not that far from each other.

[Agronomist_at_IA]

I got the fl8 right now and giving that to my wife. I'm looking for something for my self now but don't know what! I need some input

Can't tell you what to get. Here is my experience.

i have owned Vex FL8, Showdown, FL20, & FLX 28. my Buddy has the FL22 and Humminbird 345 & 597.

We both found out that we didn't care for the showdown or Humminbird units. The digital units are just difficult to get dialed in right away. They work fine, just a lot more messing around to get them tuned in. The FL8 was fine, but bottom zoom is worth a lot, at least to us.

Between the FL20, FL22, and FLX 28 we found them to be simple to use, easy to set up and get dialed in, and easy to make changes fast and simple.

Right now I have the FL20 and FLX28 my buddy has the FL22 and humminbird 597(uses with his boat & backup for ice fishing)

Personally any flasher style with a bottom zoom is really all a guy needs. The 28 is nice with the weed mode when by/in weeds, but its not really much better different then my 20. 

If you've used a FL8 don't get a showdown it will drive you nuts and be a step backwards. I tried to do it.

[ship of fools]

You have a very valid point about "if it ain't broke, don't fix it", but I think that for a few more dollars, an upgrade is well worth it. I have fished with both a FL8 and a FL18 and I disagree. For me, having a zoom on the bottom 6 feet of the water column is more than worth the extra money spent for when I am fishing walleyes and other fish hugging the bottom! That's why I would take the FL18 over the 8. That's just my personal opinion, and it fits my fishing style. When family members ask me which vex to buy, I always tell them to get any one they want, as long as they pick one with bottom zoom 

Good luck on your decision!
CI

Ditto .... i love my 18 and it does everything any other flasher will do ... it shows fish 

The only thing i would like is a different transducer. I have the 12 degree and the dual, tri beam or proview perform better in water 100 feet or deeper.

[Rebelss]

[Clear_Ice]

This time of year, 99% of people on this site are civil, thankfully!

[Rebelss]

This time of year, 99% of people on this site are civil, thankfully!

Give it until January or so...  

[brink]

Marcum LX-7.  Pro's galore.  Only con I really experience is that it won't fit in my buckets.  I usually fish with my modified glide lite which has the head unit mounted on a RAM mount on the front of the glide-lite so that con doesn't even bother me.  Good Luck to ya!

[royjulius]

If I were just starting out and knew what I know now, I would find a good deal on a used FL-18. In my opinion its hands down the greatest piece of fishing electronics ever made. Its bomb-proof, never wants to quit running, has the zoom feature and good enough target separation to see the space between a maggot and a hali with a short chain. Bright leds too.

There's a bunch of good stuff out there and it's all pretty good, but in my older "penny pincher" years I gotta go with a used FL-18.

[fishingeorge]

I normally dont fish deep water normally no deeper than 30ft so my 2 fl12s work great for me. I use one for my dead stick and one for my jigging rod. I havent tried anything else but pending on how deep you normally fish might make a difference in the model you decide to get.

[hardwater diehard]

If you upgrade to anther Vexilar 12 ,18,20 ...less of a learning curve ...if you get anther brand you could be fussing with getting it "dialed in " the entire ice season before you get it down pat ...my FL 18 works just fine I have considered getting into the digital scene ..but just upgraded the ol girl some....traducer, ultra case ,carry bag ...and I am happy with it ..lota choices out there ...Marcum has a new unit ..but with a steep price tag ..if you do have an opportunity to see other units in action do so  ...case in point I saw the FL12 in action on a bright sunny day ....its tough to see that flat screen in bright light ...turned me right off  ..good luck with your search

[fishingeorge]

I saw the FL12 in action on a bright sunny day ....its tough to see that flat screen in bright light ...turned me right off  ..good luck with your search
[/quote]

I haven't had that problem with my fl12s

[Eyes R Bitin]

I have two Vexilars and never found a reason to try anything else.  If I get another it will be a combo graph/GPS that I can mount on the dash of my truck instead of using my old handheld GPS.  It would be nice to have a display I can read/see while driving for finding my hotspots and retracing routes to and from on the ice.  I'm leaning towards the Lowrance Elite 4 HDI at the moment.  I'll see what is a good deal at the Icefishing Show this December in St. Paul.  I'll still use the vex in the shantys. 

[jjack]

Thanks for all the great info to all you that took the time to reply and help me. That's exactly what I was looking for. I fish mainly for crappie and northern.

[Gillgrabber]

I bought a Marcum LX-6 because it's digital and I can change the screen to make it what I want to see.  If I get tired I can change it again.  It's also infinitely upgradable.  I've used a number of older generation flashers including Humminbird, Vexilar, and some others and they ALL worked.  I just thought that buying a non-digital unit was like buying at old 486 computer when there are other more modern units out there.  I spent a little more but I have no regrets.

[Kilbourn]

Give it until January or so...  

LOL that's funny! Last year I think it came a little earlier with it being so cold!

[hnd]

im partial to marcums. whats your budget and what depths do you normally fish?

[jumbo chaser]

Defiantly Reb it's a big can of worms all flashers are good some people all like different options

[Rebelss]

I figure whatever works for ya is the best. It's like anything else; you can take it as far as you want, but in the end, they all do the same thing, just in a different way to suit the individual. 

[Stewie]

Started fishing with a friend in 170 190 feet of water. This limited my options quite a bit. Bought a Humminbird.  It can be used as a standard circular flasher or a fishfinder type. I don't have a lot of experience with flashers, but this one works well for me.

[ADKLakerTaker]

Just get another FL-18... They are the best imo.

[troy_built68]

I have a humminbird ice 55 . and most of the time it is good , However there are times when the depth readout bounces all over the place like it can't get locked onto the bottom . It doesn't effect the flasher part it just effects the digital readout .