Vexilars

I would like to get people’s opinions on this electronic good or bad both comments are welcome

I have to ask the age old question…

What’s a Vexilar?

levibruce, do a search on google for vexilar and idofishing. You will find many discussions in the past. Is there a model you are looking at? Are you considering other flashers or LCD units like Marcum, Humminbird, and Lowrance? What specific questions do you have?

Vexilars are real nice units. Been around for a long time and they do what they are supposed to do, very well. The problem is, they are pretty basic and very expensive. I don’t suggest vexilars to people just because you can get a unit with better features and a better display for way less money if you buy marcum or humminbird.

For a good comparison a vexilar fl-18, a marcum vx-1P, and a humminbird ice 35 are all about the same feature wise. The displays are a little different, marcum is crisper, humminbird is flat screen, and vexilar is the standard blurry lines. And the fl-18 has bottom lock, the marcum has bottom lock, and the humminbird has moveable zoom (not a true zoom like marcum though, just an optical enlargement). Now look at the price tags for these three units.
Fl-18: $469
Vx-1P: $269
Ice35: $289

You can see why the marcum and humminbird are what I suggest.

I’ve had my FL18 ever since they were introduced to the market.
Love it, never had a problem with it.
It does what I want it to do, shows me the depth and when something is floating or swimming underneath me.

I own a Vexilar, have never used any other but have noticed some things from this forum…

It seems the Vexilars do not have as many performance “bells and whistles”, but they are durable as all get out. I’ve had mine for over 10 years and it works about the same as the day I got it. The only things I’ve had to replace was the battery and the transducer-which is to be expected. I also tend to be a bit rough on my stuff and my old FL8 takes it like a champ.

Although the Marcums will out perform the Vex’s, it seems that they are not very durable. So far, I’ve seen one case on this forum where someone had a legitimate problem with a Vex. People chiming in with issues with Marcums are almost a daily occurance. I have a friend who so far has recieved two Marcums out of the box that were faulty-sure their customer service was great and he received a full refund plus they covered shipping, but it ruined a couple of weekends fishing for him. I have never heard how Vexilar’s customer service is-I get the feeling that most people don’t need to use it.

I think it’s a trade off of durability vs performance. Personally, I’ll stick with the Vexilar.

like previously posted, for what you get they are pricey. You may also encounter interference problems if using close to Marcum or Birds. Currently I have two LX5’s, but have owned a Marcum LX2, 2 LX3TC’S, and an LX7. The only issue I ever had was with the LX7 and Marcum looked after it swiftly. Can’t really go wrong with any of them Vex,Bird, or Marcum.

Quote:

---

I own a Vexilar, have never used any other but have noticed some things from this forum…

It seems the Vexilars do not have as many performance “bells and whistles”, but they are durable as all get out. I’ve had mine for over 10 years and it works about the same as the day I got it. The only things I’ve had to replace was the battery and the transducer-which is to be expected. I also tend to be a bit rough on my stuff and my old FL8 takes it like a champ.

Although the Marcums will out perform the Vex’s, it seems that they are not very durable. So far, I’ve seen one case on this forum where someone had a legitimate problem with a Vex. People chiming in with issues with Marcums are almost a daily occurance. I have a friend who so far has recieved two Marcums out of the box that were faulty-sure their customer service was great and he received a full refund plus they covered shipping, but it ruined a couple of weekends fishing for him. I have never heard how Vexilar’s customer service is-I get the feeling that most people don’t need to use it.

I think it’s a trade off of durability vs performance. Personally, I’ll stick with the Vexilar.

---

You are exactly right, the new marcum digital units are plagued with problems… but guess what? they are not even comparable to a vexilar so you can not make the comparison. The marcum mechanical flashers have very little problems, maybe a bad battery or charger but that has nothing to do with the unit itself. 90% of all the problems you see on here regarding marcum units are the lx6, 7, or 9. The rest were solved with a new battery or charger.

That is like comparing your truck to your weed whacker. Yeah I bet your weed whacker has very few problems.

A vexilar will last you a lot longer. They are way more durable than marcums and humminbirds. Customer service is also better than humminbird and marcum. More of a preference though, you should try out each unit if possible before making a decision.

I think BBK needs to get back on the caffiene.

Quote:

---

A vexilar will last you a lot longer. They are way more durable than marcums and humminbirds. Customer service is also better than humminbird and marcum. More of a preference though, you should try out each unit if possible before making a decision.

---

What info are you basing this on? Using a fl8 for 10 years and having a buddy tell you his marcum broke?

Quote:

---

I think BBK needs to get back on the caffiene.

---

YES! But the closest I can get is the coffee cup smiley.

Quote:

---

---

I’ve never had a problem with a Vexilar in over 20 years that a new battery didn’t fix. I run an FL18 in my boat in the summer (that I bought used for $150)

I have been a hardcore vexilar guy all my years until I got an LX-5 two years ago. They are very very sensitive on fish seperation (not just a big red blob). With that said the durability is an issue and I won’t even look at the digital ones (mo’ money mo’ problems). I’m truthfully waiting for Vexilar to come up with as tech sound of a machine as Marcum. Then I will go back for the durability. If you sit in an heated ice house all day get what you will, but some need a heavy duty machine like Vexilar too.

Post deleted by joint sub-comity of Doge and Ford

Post edited by Chevy

There is nothing wrong with a Vexilar. I owned two of them when they were still SiTex or what every company that was. I still have the 1 FL-8 vex that I bought in about 1990-1991. Loud as could be, but it still works and considering the 1000’s of hours on it, not bad! Vexilar did some improvements along the way and they got better. Though, my old FL-8 would out perform my FL-18 when comparing target separation. Was it designed that way? NO! But my FL-8’s picked up so much interference that I couldn’t be within 100′ of other units.
Some people don’t like change and refuse to embrace advances in technology. As a guy who has run Vex’s since the conception of tri-color, I really held out as long as I could before making a change. My Vex’s had worked good for so many years, I didn’t really think there was a need to consider it.
That was until I had a guy fishing right next to me with a LX-3. After about 30 seconds of watching his screen, I knew the Marcum has a superior display to my Vex.

But set aside the Chevy/Ford debate and print out the specifications to each model your thinking about. Scratch the features that are about the same – then look at the differences. After that, ask someone to show you there locator on the ice. I found most people are VERY open to showing you their electronics on the ice when asked. Take some time and check them out!
Regardless of which locator you buy, you also need realistic expectations of how it will perform. I bought the FL-18 expecting it to do a better job on perch (bottom to 1 foot off) in 50 to 65 fow. Wasn’t any better than my FL-8 for showing fish. It did a better job of showing my jig that deep, but if I couldn’t see both – what good is it?

I own a fl-8 and I have yet to have an issue with it. I also have yet to have a time where I felt that it was “not enough”. I don’t plan on upgrading anytime soon because it does everything I need it to. There is my opinion on my vex. Can’t make a comparison since I haven’t used any Marcums enough to make a decision, but they do seem pretty nice.

Quote:

---

The marcum mechanical flashers have very little problems, maybe a bad battery or charger but that has nothing to do with the unit itself. 90% of all the problems you see on here regarding marcum units are the lx6, 7, or 9. The rest were solved with a new battery or charger.

---

http://www.idofishing.com/forum/showflat.php/Number/1209502/fpart/1/marcum-lx5-power-switch

haha ironic

Quote:

---

I would like to get people’s opinions on this electronic good or bad both comments are welcome

---

SCORE!

I’ve had a Fl-8 since 1998. It’s as durable as a rock and still on the same ducer. I beat the crap out of it too. Only had to replace the battery every couple years. Now I’m not nieve to realize the Lx 3 and 5 blow it out of the water on separation and crispness and zoom features. Once I have enough Cabelas money banked I’ll be getting a 5 which will be next year but the vex isn’t going up for sale. It does what I need it to.

B fish n tackle jigs will not catch fish, especially if you put on a non bfish ringworm. Draggin jigs are for pitchin and h20 jigs are for draggin.

Any thoughts???

Quote:

---

I’ve had a Fl-8 since 1998. It’s as durable as a rock and still on the same ducer. I beat the crap out of it too. Only had to replace the battery every couple years. Now I’m not nieve to realize the Lx 3 and 5 blow it out of the water on separation and crispness and zoom features. Once I have enough Cabelas money banked I’ll be getting a 5 which will be next year but the vex isn’t going up for sale. It does what I need it to.

---

The lx5 is awesome! I switched this year and will not go back. Crisp and great even in direct sunlight.Go to the store and push and hold the zoom button and turn unit on. That is simulator mode. Shows you the Great separation

I own a Vex. What I notice is the thing that sent me off the ice to find one back in the mists of time still holds true. It catches fish. The other guys like to talk about features and power and crap. I like catching fish till I see one catch more fish than me consistently I’ll be keeping the Vex.

Quote:

---

Post deleted by joint sub-comity of Doge and Ford

Post edited by Chevy

There is nothing wrong with a Vexilar. I owned two of them when they were still SiTex or what every company that was. I still have the 1 FL-8 vex that I bought in about 1990-1991. Loud as could be, but it still works and considering the 1000’s of hours on it, not bad! Vexilar did some improvements along the way and they got better. Though, my old FL-8 would out perform my FL-18 when comparing target separation. Was it designed that way? NO! But my FL-8’s picked up so much interference that I couldn’t be within 100′ of other units.

Some people don’t like change and refuse to embrace advances in technology. As a guy who has run Vex’s since the conception of tri-color, I really held out as long as I could before making a change. My Vex’s had worked good for so many years, I didn’t really think there was a need to consider it.

That was until I had a guy fishing right next to me with a LX-3. After about 30 seconds of watching his screen, I knew the Marcum has a superior display to my Vex.

But set aside the Chevy/Ford debate and print out the specifications to each model your thinking about. Scratch the features that are about the same – then look at the differences. After that, ask someone to show you there locator on the ice. I found most people are VERY open to showing you their electronics on the ice when asked. Take some time and check them out!

Regardless of which locator you buy, you also need realistic expectations of how it will perform. I bought the FL-18 expecting it to do a better job on perch (bottom to 1 foot off) in 50 to 65 fow. Wasn’t any better than my FL-8 for showing fish. It did a better job of showing my jig that deep, but if I couldn’t see both – what good is it?

---

Randy, when you say interference what do you mean? My buddy has a Vex as do I. We were fishing with in 15 feet of each other and he got interference from mine. I shut mine off and he didn’t have the problem anymore. I have fished with in feet of others and have never had this problem. Don’t understand why I don’t have the problem. I know this is good for me but don’t get it. Love my Vex.

I’m guessing your buddy’s vex doesn’t the IR function and yours does??

I consider interference to be the reception of signal from another locator and display it on my flasher. That is regardless of being a couple “extra” lines siting stationary or a glob of crap spinning around the circumference of the flasher. My Fl-18 wasn’t bad, but my 8’s were very susceptible to it.
I should have also clarified that I’m referring to fishing deeper water. Not 5fow for gills, but out chasing fish in 30 to 60 fow. I know of guys that have Vex’s that aren’t as bad. I don’t know which model years they have, never thought to ask. Maybe the newer ones are better at rejecting interference? I can just base my observations on what I have owned and used.

Randy, thanks for the info. Mine is newer then his but they are both FL8’s. I know his has the interference button as does mine. We were fishing about 15 feet of water. Should have went over and looked at his screen.Thanks again.

My LX5 drives my son’s FL20 nuts, but his doesn’t bother mine. The last time was in about 25 FOW. I have a 2001 FL8 and my FW fishes next to my LX5 all the time without any interference issues at all. Go figure?

Last saturday I had my LX-9 and my 1991 FL-8 running in the same hole over 30 fow. Both functioned fine as far as interference goes.