What is the Best Tip up?

[RealityCheck]

I have a couple of crapola 3 dollar tip ups.  I am just getting into the whole tip up thing so cut me a little slack here.  They will work just fine for now.  I have not seen this question pop up much either.  SO, what is the best made tip up on the market today?

[Phouvieng]

It's obvious you're a IS veteran, but I really do feel there is plenty of info in the 'tip-up' section of this forum, http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?board=30.0

Best tip-up is subjective, and mostly an opinion anyways. I personally like Arctic Warriors as I don't like the hand-over-hand technique involved with regular tip-ups.

[tench]

Heritage Lakers are good, they are high quality and have a drag, but they are $25 apiece. 40-ups (the green ones) are good quality construction without a drag, they are only about half the price of lakers. Have a high flag too. Both are made in the USA as well. 40's get my vote.

[coreyl302]

40's and beaver dams

[RealityCheck]

lol, oops ya so I always just pass over that section on my way to the grumpy old man forum.  If that is the worst thing I do this week I think I am going to be o.k.  But I will get a bigger, better response from guys in the general section.  At least until it gets moved to the tip up section.

[chubs]

40-ups get my vote. i have used them along with others for roughly 25 years

[reddot]

I fish with tip ups from when I was 14.  Wow 30 yrs. ago!!  They still catch fish fish!!  It all depends on what you do with the line after the bite!!!!

[ICEMAN73]

The Frabill orange round ones.  Fit 5 in a 5 gallon bucket.  They Insulate the hole.  They have a compartment for my little cow bells and jigs/gear.  I LOVE THEM!!!

[Professor Finessor]

I  love my HT Windlass tip ups.....super sensitive and above water spools  8)

[nhpikeking]

i love my beaver dams but ive grown up with heritage and 40's and there both quality traps

[GotEmHooked]

beaverdam

[crazy man]

I have tried many different brands and styles of tip up, none of them are perfect.  All of them have good points and bad points.  My personal favorite is the Frabill round tip ups.  I call them frisbees and they do double as a throw toy in a pinch.  I has upsides and downsides like all the others.  

If you like to watch for flags from a distance, the frabill has a very short flag.  The upside of a short flag is that if fits in the bucket.  A bigger flag can easily be made as well by several different designs.  there are good threads on this.  

If you stay close to your flags or have electronic minders the the frabill is fine.

The biggest upside of the frabill is the insulated design and that they fit in a bucket.  You can carry more tip ups in a smaller space than any other by far which can be a big deal if your space is limited and just plain helpful otherwise.  You can carry a lot of the other tip ups in a bucket too but the way they stick way up above the top of the bucket is somewhat less packable and can be carried in somewhat fewer numbers.  If you want to maximize the number of tip ups yu can carry then the frabill is the only way to go.

The Heritage Laker is easily a second choice and a very good one.  It has a bigger spool than the frabill which trips the trigger more better.  It also has a vertical spool which is better than  the horizontal spool on the frabill.  A vertical spool works better IMO.  It trips more smoothly and releases line with less resistance in my view.  

 

[freaknasty7]

heritage lakers and 40's

[DaddyX2]

heritage lakers in my opinion are the cadiliacs...and i've got some 40 ups that i'm bringing back to life with new wood, gorilla glus and staples...pain in the you know where, but they are 25 years old...bout time to give them a tune up...and my 40 ups have drag...the question is if it works from rust 

[nhbaitrunner]

I have been using the HT Predator tip ups the past couple years and really like them.  They are a Polar lay down type tip up HI-Viz Green color that is easy to see on the ice.  They have a large spool with line guide and multiple flag trip settings.

[nypike]

my 40 ups have drag too, they make a few models and only one has the drag. they are by far the best. the green 40-ups areok if you fish with tiny bait, i always had a problem with bait flags with them. I gave them away to my moron brother in law.
here is link to 40-ups I have
they are model 80
http://www.sportsnutscatalog.com/mainstreet/forms/ms_item_images.aspx?item_guid=b0019514-7827-4a70-93dd-29a3d0d2742d&image_guid=

[tench]

I'm thinking about putting a small, light tension downrigger snap on my 40's, so its simpler than a drag and I can use dink perch for bait withtout false trips

[vermonner]

THE BEST TIPUP IS:

BEAVARCTIC40POLITAGE!!!!!!!

Put. Down. The. Stick. He. Won't. Get. Up. Becuase. He's. Dead.

[Captain]

My favorite one is the one with the flag waving in the air... lol  Seriously, I've always bought the cheap ones and have had good luck with most of them.  I prefer one with a metal spool.  I believe that they turn with less resistance than the plastic spools.  In my book that is very important.  I've seen too many dropped when using a tip-up that has a little drag on the spool.  I recently bought a Windlass tip-up.  I like this on days that is not too cold, being the spool is above water.  That moving bait does seem to trigger more strikes.

[NJ PIKER]

Lakers and windlass

[Flypopper]

THE BEST TIPUP IS:

BEAVARCTIC40POLITAGE!!!!!!!

Put. Down. The. Stick. He. Won't. Get. Up. Becuase. He's. Dead.

ask a silly question-get a silly answer!!

[vermonner]

ask a silly question-get a silly answer!!

I mean, I get it, people have their experience and preferences.  Fish long enough and you will lose a trophy on a pricey tip up and land a trophy on a cheapie and vice versa

[xcr440]

I am partial to beaver dams. I grew up around them. I have used ht's with good luck also. I was given a few tip-o-lites also. The work real well but for the most part the beaver dams have been abused and still work as well as brand new. I have a few that are older than me and perform great.

[catchintime]

40's "ICEMAN" great construction...

[bearbgone]

HI-Tech Jig-A-Whopper Hawgers. Heavy duty tip ups with a big metal spool for the deep water.
I also like the Frabill insulated round tip ups. (The only thing I don't like about them is the plastic post on them and the flag is a bit short. I replaced mine with HT telescopic flags.

[Tendril77]

Lets just say that I have my grandfathers old 40-UP style tip ups that are definately over 30-40 yrs old or more, and I use them to this day! They are mostly the two flag system. My friends get all those "newer" styles and they have BIG problems with them freezing up and not working right.    I have never, ever had a problem with mine. Keep in mind that this style is also good for snowmobilers (SP?) to see and not run over  .  DEFINATELY worth the money!  When mine finally go and arent able to be salvaged, I will buy more of the same. In short, 40-UP, hands down!   

[DaddyX2]

with them 40 ups you can still just get the replacement parts for them. or if the parts still work, just swap the wood out

[GDominy12]

Jack Traps or Heritage Lakers are the way to go if your not to tight on the $$

[holehawg]

The Frabill orange round ones.  Fit 5 in a 5 gallon bucket.  They Insulate the hole.  They have a compartment for my little cow bells and jigs/gear.  I LOVE THEM!!!

the best...hands down.....great working tip up...never have had a problem and they catch fish if ya find them....

[pikeking]

I would have to say, it would be the one that catches fish!!!