Author Topic: Vexilar fl 28 (Read 8373 times)

dlj01260 · « **on:** Mar 03, 2015, 06:08 PM »

Hey guys, thinking about getting one of these and wanted input from people who have one. Do you guys like the extra features? I don't want to start a war on vex vs. marcum or anything else. Just want a little infor about this unit before I pull the trigger. Thanks in advance!!

thebigwiggle · « **Reply #1 on:** Mar 03, 2015, 06:13 PM »

its a great unit.. But there is a little bit of a learning curve.. Good Luck

taggin out · « **Reply #2 on:** Mar 03, 2015, 07:06 PM »

Does anyone use the hummingbird 55??? I am between that and a 28

shiveringjoe · « **Reply #3 on:** Mar 03, 2015, 07:32 PM »

Quote from: taggin out on Mar 03, 2015, 07:06 PM

Does anyone use the hummingbird 55??? I am between that and a 28

Wmhunts has an ice-55 and it is sweet, I haven't seen a Fl-28 in action.

thebigwiggle · « **Reply #4 on:** Mar 03, 2015, 07:37 PM »

Quote from: iverson111 on Mar 03, 2015, 07:35 PM

I MAY be wrong but the 28 only goes to 50 feet I think. my lowly entry level FL8 goes to 120.

no your think of the Fl -22 not the Flx-28 it goes to 300 ft

wmhunts · « **Reply #5 on:** Mar 03, 2015, 07:42 PM »

Ice 55 rocks! big screen, 6 color palette. digital screen has depth, battery, gain, noise control. after a little use you can literally mark fish and know there on the edge of the cone and you can see them close in on your jig. fished dawn to dusk and still 75% battery
Very happy with mine best bang for the buck for sure. I got mine for 420 buks shipped!

dickbaker · « **Reply #6 on:** Mar 04, 2015, 06:43 AM »

Dylan, What do you have now?
Dick

Smelty88 · « **Reply #7 on:** Mar 04, 2015, 06:46 AM »

marcum showdown! love mine!

ship of fools · « **Reply #8 on:** Mar 04, 2015, 06:52 AM »

Quote from: luntfrnd on Mar 03, 2015, 09:39 PM

How's your 8 work in that deep water? I had troubles with my 8 and 18 in 100 fow.

My 18 works well to right around 100. I have the 12 degree ducer and have considered the tri beam or proview which would help in water beyond 100'.

dickbaker · « **Reply #9 on:** Mar 04, 2015, 07:50 AM »

I have a fl8 and fl20. For $50 to $100 less I probably should have gotten an FL18.
Checked on the Tri Beam and was surprised to find that Walmart has them for less than $100. But I'm not a fan of gimmicks that try to do too many things. That's why I was disappointed when Vexilar decided to go with digital readout and more colors in order to compete with Marcum and Hummingbird.
Doing research I've been lucky to play with many brands and models over the years. They are all pretty good but ,since my first flasher was a Vexilar and its doing fine after 15 years, I think you will find that most of the brand and model recommendations will come from fishermen who have had experience with only one brand or model and it has made them happy. That's why I've always asked Smelty if his showdown has been his first and only fish finder! The Showdown is cheap and easy to read for fishermen confused by a circular readout. Any flasher is better than spending a half hour watching your rod tip stay motionless over a hole that has no fish below.
Dick

dlj01260 · « **Reply #10 on:** Mar 04, 2015, 10:48 AM »

Dick, I've been using a friend of mines fl 22 hd this winter and really like it. I was thinking the fl28 because it's supposed to be faster, which I wish my buddies was... I have a vexilar underwater camera that I use and have an extra battery for, which is why I wanna stick with vex.

dickbaker · « **Reply #11 on:** Mar 04, 2015, 11:50 AM »

Dylan I'm not sure what you mean by "faster"?
Dick

dlj01260 · « **Reply #12 on:** Mar 04, 2015, 12:10 PM »

I can't remember where I heard it, but I heard it registers bottom quicker and the sonar readings are quicker which makes the lines on the flasher up to "real time" speed. I could be wrong, just what I heard.

dickbaker · « **Reply #13 on:** Mar 04, 2015, 01:09 PM »

Sound moves through water about 5,000 ft. per second. The trip back and forth from the transducer is almost instantaneous!
But since the FL28 provides the depth in an LCD dispaly it takes about 2 seconds for it to figure out and display the actual bottom depth.
This might be faster than some other LCD flashers but I doubt if it is faster than an FL18 or FL20. I don't know about the FL20? That's only pertinent if you buy the FL28 because it provides the depth as a numerical readout rather than having to compute depth using the colored rings on the flasher. I don't think there is much room for improvement in the time that it takes for a Vexilar flasher to show the location of your jig and a fish? Even if they could do it in "real time" with no delay I don't think you could react fast enough to make any difference.
Anything beyond a FL28 (like a flasher/video) is beyond anything that I would invest in. They are so expensive they won't even let me play with them??

Like Iphones it all depends on how much you want to spend for apps and gimmicks. My wife told me that I can't have any more of those and I still have a flip phone.
Dick

lowaccord66 · « **Reply #14 on:** Mar 04, 2015, 01:17 PM »

I own one (flx) myself. My buddy bought a fl18 propack and promptly returned it. I used fl20's and the flx blows them away in my opinion. Brushless makes it quiet. The proview ducer is awesome and doesnt fail like the triple beams. The auto range feature is helpful.

Where it really shines is being LED and having multiple colors. If I'm in a school with a bunch of dinks I'e used 2 color (yellow and red) to effectively weed out the smaller returns.

Bla bla bla it goes on and on but I'm not a vex salesman so I'll stop...lets just say there are some distinct advantages. Oh and it has 20 interference reduction settings. Even the oh so powerful marcum was not giving me interference side by side.

dickbaker · « **Reply #15 on:** Mar 04, 2015, 01:39 PM »

Thanks I love any useful feedback on Vexilar products. It will be important if my wife ever lets me buy a new one??
Dick

lowaccord66 · « **Reply #16 on:** Mar 04, 2015, 02:18 PM »

Dick I was after a fl-20 pro pack when I bought. Cabelas didnt have one and for a few bucks more the flx was available. I don't regret it, but these things often come down to personal preference. For the extra 80 or so over a fl-20 to me it's worth it. It's certainly helped to beat up lakers this season!

tracker one · « **Reply #17 on:** Mar 04, 2015, 02:56 PM »

I have a FL-18,10 yrs old or older,absolutely no problems with it,except for a new battery,If I had to buy a new one I would go with FL-22 or a 28. Vex's are bullet proof and their service is hard to beat,when you call them you get a real person. at their office,and when I called it was the guy who designed the unit. cool.I do like the 3-angle transducer that I bought last year as an add on.It lets you manually set the cone angle for the situation.It has not given me any problems yet,either.My advice would be to buy the best one you can afford but a zoom is a must if you fish for perch or other bottom dwellers.

frigidaire · « **Reply #18 on:** Mar 04, 2015, 03:03 PM »

The Bird ICE55 is just about useless in water over about 120ft deep. If you're fishing deep for lakers I would definitely go with a Vex!

dlj01260 · « **Reply #19 on:** Mar 04, 2015, 03:33 PM »

Guys I really appreciate the help! I'm still learning about flashers. I only have the very basics down as of right now. Luckily I am very good friends with a baitshop owner and can get stuff at cost with free shipping so I want to get the best I can for my money and I'll learn as I go. Would you consider this the best bang for your buck?

tafts ta · « **Reply #20 on:** Mar 05, 2015, 05:14 AM »

I purchased two units this year to mount inside my Snobear that I use specifically for smelt and two more units to use on my every day panfish trips. I also use FL-20's for everyday fishing.

Brushless...kind of a sales pitch. It does not affect the overall features of the unit, just makes it a bit quieter. There were some rumblings on ice shanty a few months back about Vexilar going to All brushless units soon, don't worry, it won't happen. The Brushless units cost a bit more and there will always be a market for cheaper entry level units, so they will not be all going brushless soon.
Auto Range... This is a great feature. You no longer need to select your range, just drop the transducer in the hole and it will automatically set the depth at the appropriate range. That being said you can still select a depth if you want to key in on certain waters.

It has the same Zoom features and low power modes that you would get with any unit above a fl-18

Multi color display... Extremely helpful if you are trying to target a specific species or specific size fish, I.E. Smelt in an area with Crappie or Perch, or Lakers around a school ,of perch. Like any new unit, WATCH THE DVD it comes with and read the manual. Even if you use a vexilar a bunch you will want to do your homework so that you can better utilize all the features the new unit has. You can use it out of the box just like any other vex, but if you understand how all the features work, it will improve your odds dramatically!

Tight Lines!

lowaccord66 · « **Reply #21 on:** Mar 05, 2015, 05:44 AM »

I don't know Paul all other vex's sound like broken fans. You can still hear the FLX for sure but it's not nearly as bad. We ran a FL18 and the FLX side by side. The 18 sounded like a broken fan. It may be salesy but in combination with the other features it was a great idea.

tafts ta · « **Reply #22 on:** Mar 05, 2015, 06:41 AM »

Quote from: lowaccord66 on Mar 05, 2015, 05:44 AM

I don't know Paul all other vex's sound like broken fans. You can still hear the FLX for sure but it's not nearly as bad. We ran a FL18 and the FLX side by side. The 18 sounded like a broken fan. It may be salesy but in combination with the other features it was a great idea.

Yes Jon. Like I said. Does not affect the performance too much, Just makes it quieter.

Smelty88 · « **Reply #23 on:** Mar 05, 2015, 06:57 AM »

the fl28 and the lx 7 from marcum are in the same price range and i would go lx7 b4 the vex just because of the better technology and features.

lowaccord66 · « **Reply #24 on:** Mar 05, 2015, 09:57 AM »

Quote from: Smelty88 on Mar 05, 2015, 06:57 AM

the fl28 and the lx 7 from marcum are in the same price range and i would go lx7 b4 the vex just because of the better technology and features.

"better technology and features" this is a bit subjective. Care to elaborate? I've poked around with both so I am excited to hear where you think marcum technology bests vexilar...

Smelty88 · « **Reply #25 on:** Mar 05, 2015, 11:06 AM »

would you not agree that lcd and the ability to upgrade your firmware is not an improvement on technology? being able to see what your cone is covering at the depth you are at, being able to see a traditional dial a zoom table and a water column table all at the same time. and the ability to upgrade the firm ware on the lx7 and basically make it a lx9 and add a camera to it.

VTMatt · « **Reply #26 on:** Mar 05, 2015, 01:37 PM »

Quote from: Smelty88 on Mar 05, 2015, 11:06 AM

would you not agree that lcd and the ability to upgrade your firmware is not an improvement on technology? being able to see what your cone is covering at the depth you are at, being able to see a traditional dial a zoom table and a water column table all at the same time. and the ability to upgrade the firm ware on the lx7 and basically make it a lx9 and add a camera to it.

I love everything about my LX7 besides the case. It doesn't seem secure enough when holding it by the handle. I've had it come close to falling out before. Nothing in the case actually snaps or locks the unit into place. Thinking of ways to fix it shortly.

dlj01260 · « **Reply #27 on:** Mar 05, 2015, 05:06 PM »

Funny you mentioned the lx-7 smelty. After doing more research and seeing the two (flx 28 and lx-7) in action side by side on YouTube, I promptly ordered the lx-7 because of the graph and flasher on the same screen at the same time! All the features and color changes and updates.... I couldn't jump on it fast enough!

Smelty88 · « **Reply #28 on:** Mar 05, 2015, 05:28 PM »

awesome! marcum really does make a great product. IMO the ability to update your stuff is huge!

pikeaddict · « **Reply #29 on:** Mar 06, 2015, 05:55 AM »

Congrats! I love my LX-7. If I got to the fishing access and realized I forgot it at home, I would turn around to get it.

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Author Topic: Vexilar fl 28 (Read 8373 times)