New vexilar FL X 28

[ice dawg]

This gives a pretty good description of the differences between how the ProView and Tri beam ice ducers work. Of course it is advertising for Vexilar so the usual amount of bad mouthing and bashing of Vexilar products is to be expected.     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHL15xfm5ds

[DR.SPECKLER]

the proview is pretty much like a tribeam except  you turn the gain knob to change the cone angle instead of flipping the tribeam switches.proview will go from 9 degree up to 40 degree.i have no problem catching fish at any depth with my fl20 with the proview.

[dkfry]

One thing I've never had adequately explained to me though, is why Humminbird and Marcum push such high peak-to-peak wattage - up to 2,500 watts or more - when a Vexilar gets by just fine on 400 watts peak-to-peak? The only result I've seen is vastly shorter battery life and more interference w/ nearby units (which is probably why the new FLX-28 has 20 levels of interference rejection) - and the 'Birds with digital readouts have an internal heater to keep the LCDs from freezing, which eats up more battery juice.

I don't pay attention to the power output claims. I am concerned how it works. We are fishing in relatively shallow water with our ice units and sitting still. Can be a different ball game than open water.

The big concern I have is with the new ProView IceDucer - it is only a 9 degree cone angle.  I've read elsewhere that the cone angle changes as the gain is increased, but I've not seen this confirmed or explained by Vexilar. Seems like it may be very limiting in shallow water. Does anybody have any insight into this new transducer?

I wish they would still make the 9 degree ducer. I have the 9/19 and I use the 9 degree the most even in shallow water. Rarely if ever use the 19 degree as I find the 9 degree works much better even in 6' of water. Works especially well in cover or drop offs.

I will be picking up an FLX-28 head unit sometime this season so I will see how it does with my 9/19 ducer as I don't have any use for a ducer that widens the cone angle as gain increases.

[onza04]

Upgraded from a FL18.. which I still own currently.
http://ragingazn.com/at/vexilar.flx-28.jpg

[high_flags]

I have a question on the new FLX_ 28.  I see no numbered markings for ft of water around the screen,  . In auto mode I guess you can see the bottom mark. and the display shows the depth in a digital number  but if you have some fish on the screen up from the bottom and you want to say to your buddy the fish are hanging at??(what ft)     are the blue dots on the screen every 5 ft so you have to do the math or what???   What if you pick a selected depth?   I'm not sure I like the fact there are no reference numbers.

Any one out they been playing with one of these yet??

[dkfry]

Have to do the math. The marks change depending on mode and depth. You can see some of it in the video below.(around middle of video)

[onza04]

Have to do the math. The marks change depending on mode and depth. You can see some of it in the video below.(around middle of video)

FACE DIAL Comparison
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Click above for direct shortcut, I'm the creator of the video.

[wipike]

Disclaimer - I'm not a Vex owner, or a huge fan of the Vex interface, I'm a Marcum owner.


Man oh man did this unit (FLX-28) impress me. 

Dial was vibrant, easy to see, and very easy to use/switch modes.  Not being a Vex guy I was very surprised at how intuitive this model was, and how well the zoom features and sensitivity of the gain worked.  Loved the dynamic adjustment of the depth ranging, and again - even under bright store lights I was surprised at how vibrant and really easy the unit was to see in bright overhead lights, even at a non-direct angle.

Within about 2 minutes I was more than comfortable with the unit and could easily see myself fishing with it happily.  I wonder if there's an option for pallet selections like the HB units, but even if there wasn't I'd be fine with it. 

Only thing that kind of made me sour faced was the price.  In store wanted 600 for it, and I feel honestly that's about a hundred to high.  Putting it up against the LX5, it'd blow the Marcum out of the water, and is nicer to view over the HB (even though the HB has dynamic and ranged zoom). 

Really well done, Vex.  Definitely an awesome unit for a traditional flasher.

 

[jumbo chaser]

Ya all my vexilar s are easy to use but my new FLX 28 is the simplest of all can't wait to see ice

[74redone]

I agree wipike. I have had them all and went back to Vex. I think its like the LX5 just a lot more features and easier to use and read. The FLX does have 5 color settings. I'm really looking forward to some time on the ice and play with the weed mode and the provide ducer. Not sure I'm going to like the proview yet but time on the ice will tell all.
Matt

[cdroessler]

Will be purchasing my first sonar shortly, am going with the FLX-28.   As much as I am drawn to the LX-7, all I really care about is keeping it enjoyable for my son, and want something he and I (and his friends) can use.   Marcum could very well be in the future, but right now I think it’s just too much tech for him, and maybe me...   I think we’ll both be happy with the Vex though.
BTW – My first auger arrived yesterday  - a NILS!  They sent me the hand auger though, and I asked for the drill version.  Emailed customer service at FishUSA, and they called my no more than 10 minutes Later.  Situation is being corrected, but thought I’d give them a shoutout for great customer service!
And yes, I’m a rookie…

[jumbo chaser]

for new to the shanty you sure are making great choices on equiptment

[74redone]

Welcome cdroessler! This is a great site where you can meet a lot of new friends and the people are very helpful. I bought a new FLX28 and have had my Nils power auger for three years now. They are super fast and very light. All you need Noe is a couple of TBROS power noodles and your ready for the ice!
Good luck this year!
Matt

[jumbo chaser]

X2 thorne bros are a great rod and meatstick rods are the best rods I've used in the 30 years Ive been ice fishing

[74redone]

That's just because you have not caught a fish on your power noodle yet! 

X2 thorne bros are a great rod and meatstick rods are the best rods I've used in the 30 years Ive been ice fishing

[cdroessler]

Thanks guys.  Got hooked late last year, and have been saving my cents all summer.   Will be attempting my first smitty sled this weekend.  Hoping to fit it all in my Corolla!!!  If nothing else, it should provide a good laugh.  Will post pics.

Thanks again,

[jumbo chaser]

I have been on this site for a few years and have met several new friends here and I have yet to meet a bad person on this site they have all been great guys and trusted friends . Hope you meet some new fishing buddies also .Good Luck and be safe this ice season

[DTro]

Well I had a choice to make this year after selling my 22.  I could go back to the 55 which I really liked (about an even trade or a bit less in money), go totally digital with a Marcum for a nominal upgrade fee, or stick with the Vex and upgrade to the 28 also for a bit more money.   I thought pretty hard about this one, and just about went back to the 55, but I knew it might be the last flasher I buy for quite a while and the thought of the 55 maybe taking a dump on me in a few years really worried me. Nothing warranted those fears, just mostly a gut feeling and third hand stories, but nonetheless worried me.    Why not the LX6 or 7?  Not really sure why, other than thinking about the possibility of it being awkward and klunky for hole hopping.  I'm sure I would have been very happy with one though.

With that, I pulled the trigger on a 28.  After opening it up and playing around with it, I am VERY impressed with how bright and crisp the colors are. It really pops and the videos I've seen do not do the display justice at all. Vibrant is the word I would use.   Next is that it is whisper quiet compared to the 22 I had and also quieter than any other mechanical flasher I've owned (understood its new out of the box and only a first impression).  I can't comment yet on any other "on the water" features, but looking forward to getting it on the ice.

The one bummer I came across is the battery voltage display. It will only briefly appear when you power cycle the unit.  So in other words if I'm curious of the current battery status, I have to reach down and turn the unit off then on again.  Not a huge deal, but I would have liked to have seen a simple battery check mode.  Maybe I'm wrong about this, but I couldn't come up with any other way other than power cycling?  It does however have a warning prompt/alert for low voltage, so being anal about the status is probably a non factor.   

I'm also happy to know that if for any reason I need to fish over 60ft I will now have that ability, which I didn't previously have with the 22. I was once stuck dead in the water while out on Superior in over 200FOW with my LX5, and I don't want that to happen ever again.   

Now lets make some ice

[onza04]

Excellent choice dtro 

[DTro]

Had the unit out on open water last night to try a few things out.  What I was really interested in was seeing how well the auto mode worked and how well it kept a lock on the bottom compared to past experiences I had with the 55. I figure it was kind of like hole hoping, just in a boat.   I tried in a couple of different spots and it worked exactly as advertised. Drop it in the water and a second later it gave you a reading (not instant but close).   However, the one spot at the end of the night was absolutely littered with big 4-9”shad (enough that it was nearly impossible to fish without snagging one every time you put a jig in the water).   I figured it would be a good opportunity to try out the flasher to see how confused it got.   I totally expected it to see the shad and get confuzled where the bottom was, but to my surprise it seen right through them and gave me an accurate  depth reading.   It was marking the shad though and filled up the screen entirely, so I figured I’d try and see if I could dial them out.  Even at the lowest gain, I was still getting a lot of feedback from the baitfish, so I hit the Low Power mode and I was able to eliminate all but the biggest of the shad and see only my jig and the bottom.  Pretty cool actually.
 
On a side note, I did notice that the digital depth display was not working in LP mode. Not sure if that is by design or not, but it was blank where the depth usually is displayed

[jumbo chaser]

nice report  DTro

[Hard_H2O]

I have an FL8-SLT. It is from before they brightened up the screen. I have been wanting it to die so I can justify a new unit. The thing just keeps going and going.

I am going to get an FLX28 next week when the brother-in-law heads over to Vexilar to pick it up.

I used a FL-22 once last year and didn't realize it had a max depth of 60'. Made lake trout fishing interesting until the next day when I had my FL-8 again.

I was considering an FL-20 but there seems to be enough nice new features on the FLX28 to make it worth the money.

I hope that this unit lasts the 20 or so years that the old FL-8 has for me.

When I go out with my son do I let him use the new unit or the FL-8?

[dkfry]

I have an FL8-SLT. It is from before they brightened up the screen. I have been wanting it to die so I can justify a new unit. The thing just keeps going and going.

I am going to get an FLX28 next week when the brother-in-law heads over to Vexilar to pick it up.

I used a FL-22 once last year and didn't realize it had a max depth of 60'. Made lake trout fishing interesting until the next day when I had my FL-8 again.

I was considering an FL-20 but there seems to be enough nice new features on the FLX28 to make it worth the money.

I hope that this unit lasts the 20 or so years that the old FL-8 has for me.

When I go out with my son do I let him use the new unit or the FL-8?

The 28 should be a very nice upgrade from your Fl-8. I would go with the 28 over the 20 also, the 28 has more features and reads to deeper depth.

FYI you can send your FL-8 into Vexilar or buy a kit to upgrade your Fl-8 to have a brighter screen and add new brushes.(plus clean all the old brush dust out) Would add some new life to an old unit. Always good to have a spare around.

[Layne]

Mine is going to hit the ice on saturday morning, WOOP WOOP!!

[JimQ]

When I go out with my son do I let him use the new unit or the FL-8?

HA! Kinda depends on how old he is.  If he's just a pup, the new flasher will make him feel pretty cool!  If he's old enough to buy his own, better stick him with the FL-8! 

Q

[74redone]

Okay I'm jealous     wish we could get some ice around here in IL!!



quote author=Layne link=topic=257073.msg2703615#msg2703615 date=1385065755]
Mine is going to hit the ice on saturday morning, WOOP WOOP!!
[/quote]

[jumbo chaser]

We are getting snow and colder weather for the next 5 days will be below freezing day and night so I'm hoping to be on a small bluegill pond by thanksgiving    hopefully

[74redone]

Rub it in Jumbo! You had better be careful or else u r going to have an extra person for Thanksgiving dinner
Matt



quote author=jumbo chaser link=topic=257073.msg2703967#msg2703967 date=1385085725]
We are getting snow and colder weather for the next 5 days will be below freezing day and night so I'm hoping to be on a small bluegill pond by thanksgiving    hopefully
[/quote]

[holehopper]

I stopped and looked at a 28 in Gander Mountain tonight.  I have fished with Vexilars for the last 20 years and currently use a 22.  My initial impressions were that the screen is definitely very crisp and the unit is virtually silent.  For those of you who are used to listening to a Vex with some miles on it that sounds a bit like a coffee-grinder, this would take some getting used to.  On the downside, I am somewhat color blind and the red and green on the screen gave me a little bit of a headache.  You ever see someone in a really bright striped shirt and the stripes sort of start to pulse when you are looking at them?  That is what I had with the display.  I'm not talking about the actual flasher readings (bottom, jig, fish) I'm talking about all the other stuff that is flashing and blazing on the screen.  The other thing that makes me want to walk away is the "demo" mode.  Seriously?  Is there another feature you could have built in?  Seems like a waste of space, time and effort to me.  I don't get it. 

[jumbo chaser]

The 28 has different color options