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Vexilar FL8 upgrade opinions

4K views 23 replies 19 participants last post by  Shortdrift 
#1 ·
I'm thinking about upgrading my sonar. Options on what brand/model to get. Also best store/sites to buy from?
 
#9 ·
My old Vexilar is one of the early models. It's got 300,000 miles on it. It's been dropped out of a truck, left over night on the ice and went through an 8 inch hole in 30' of water and retrieved the next day. Long story, don't ask. But it works as good today as the day it came out of the box. It's just that my Lowrance has more bell & whistle. These products have come a long way. Lots of good stuff out there. Regardless of what I'm buying (TVs, washer/dryer/ computers, etc.) the first thing I ask the sales guy is "Which one of these brands has been returned the most?" It will tell you everything you need to know.
 
#15 ·
I run the H-Bird 35. It is as simple as it gets. The zoom feature on it is no different than looking at the full water column. It shows my jig and shows fish........... does all i need, but looking to upgrade myself.

In all my reading/watching reviews, the Vex's have a good zoom feature and nice thin lines to show better definition and separation of marks. The FLX-28 sure looks like the sh!t. That said though, i can't help but keep going back to look at the H-Bird Helix 5. Couple hundred less and get the graph along with GPS and mapping capabilities. I am with guppygill and will most likely end up with a Helix when i do make the jump.

I never see anyone on here talk about how much they love their Helix Ice. Any members actually have one they use on the ice?
 
#16 ·
I bought the soft pack conversion kit from factory outlet for my 'bird 597 w/the mapping card and that set-up works great for me.It gives you an education on reading the marks on your graph by watching what you catch when the fish move in on your rig.My friend has the helix 5 with the same results and no complaints.
 
#22 ·
Many fishermen have a tendency to purchase more bells and whistles than they need. The serious tournament fisherman needs the latest and best information electronics available. I have used my FL-8 with great results both Erie and Inland. I will say a friends FL-18 is sharper and clearer but we both mark the same fish when in a two man shanty. I had my 8 refurbished by Vexilar for less than $50 including shipping and it is a bit clearer due to internal dust. Think hard about what you REALLY NEED before purchasing any of the great units available.
 
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