Best Laser Rangefinder Buyer Guide

Rangefinders are almost a must have for modern hunters and golf lovers. In addition, they are widely used in construction, speeding automobiles, photography or anywhere needs distance measurement. There are a variety of laser range finder on the market, different features, different brands, the cost of them may be as low as $70 or as high as $10000. There are big differences in quality of course. How to find the best laser rangefinder to your application? There are some factors you need to consider when buying a range finder: range and accuracy, weight and size, portability and brand.

The chart below outlines the price and features of some the most popular rangefinders on the market.

Top 10 Besting Selling Rangefinders

However, if you don’t find a suitable laser rangefinder in above chart, the following buying guide may help you find the right one for you.

This first thing you might want to know is: How do laser rangefinders work?

Laser rangefinder works by emitting laser beams at the push of a button. The beams bounce off the target and the rangefinder’s high-speed clock measures the total time it took from when the beam left the unit until it returned. Using that time measurement, the rangefinder calculates the distance and displays it to the user.

A laser range finder’s ability to get an accurate measurement of the distance to a specific target is largely based on the target’s reflective characteristics. Keep in mind that Most maximum ranges are calculated on highly reflective targets under ideal conditions. If the target is dark or not very reflective, the ranging capability or the accuracy of the rangefinder would be greatly reduced. That is to say, a rangefinder listed for 1200 yards doesn’t mean it will range a bear or flagstick at 1200 yards. In addition, bad weather like rain or fog will also affect the rangefinder’s capability.

Factor to consider when buying a rangefinder:

1. Your main purpose of the rangefinder

How will your rangefinder be used? That’s the first step in ensuring you choose the most useful item. There are rangefinders designed for hunters, golf lovers and engineering survey, what do you want it for?

2. Brand guarantee

There are various levels of rangefinders on the market, choosing the right one may be a little difficult especially for beginners. It’s always good to choose from brands for their quality guarantee and nice customer service.

Famous brands include but not limited to:

Uineye Rangefinder , Nikon Rangefinder , Bushnell Golf Rangefinder , Simmons Rangefinder , Leupold Rangefinder , Halo Rangefinder , Leica Rangefinder

3. Price and budget

As we mentioned before, the cost of the rangefinder varies as low as $70 and as high as $10000. How much are you going to spend? Simmons 801600 rangefinder is rated at $125.91, Leica CRF 1600-B is rated as high as $749.95. And of course, price is related to quality to large degree. So you are looking for a basic rangefinder, a medium unit or an advanced tool? Price and is especially important for budget conscious buyers.

4. Maximum Range and Magnification Power

The basic function of a rangefinder is to measure the distance to the target. So the maximum range is the first and most important feature of a range finder. In the market, maximum range of most rangefinder falls in the 550 yards to 1500 yards range. The popular Leupold RX-1200i TBR rangefinder has a listed max range of 1200 yards, Vortex Rangefinder 1500 has a listed max range of 1500 yards while the Nikon Aculon is rated at 550 yards and TecTecTec VPRO500 is rated at 540 yards. Always remember that most maximum ranges are calculated on highly reflective targets under ideal conditions.

The magnification power dictates how far you can see through it, and how much you can enlarge the image of your target. Generally speaking, 4x is ok but not good enough. A 6x or 7x magnification is fine. 7x simply means that the object appears 7 times closer through the rangefinder compared to what you can see with naked eyes. Bushnell Tour V4 comes with a 5x magnification, most models like TecTecTec VPRO500 and Nikon Coolshot 20 comes with a 6X magnification, a very small part like Bushnell Pro X7 Slope and Leica CRF 1600-B claims to have a 7X magnification, few but Uineye HK1500 has a magnification of 8x!

5. Picture Quality

A good picture is ensured by good glass and coatings. Good glass and coatings are expensive, the additional money on good glass and coatings might not make big sense for golfers, but usually very important for hunters. The Nikon 8397 ACULON is known to be crafted with Nikon’s multiple-layer coated optics for a high transmission of light across the entire spectrum of visible light.

6. Size and Weight

Size and weight is very important when it comes to hunting rangefinders. Small and lightweight is crucial for hunting. It is preferred to be carried along in your pocket or backpack. But this doesn’t make big difference for golf range finder, as they are always carried in golf cart or wheeled bags.

7. Additional Features

Advanced models have advanced features. Are they necessary for you?

Slope Features

Rangefinder with slope features are more common than before. Players can get adjusted yardage with slope technology when playing uphill or downhill as it will compensate for elevation. It is an excellent choice when practicing golf, but you cannot use it for most tournaments because the rules and regulations of these tournaments do not allow players to use them.

Target Priority

It allows the device to display the further of two objects ranged. This is of great help especially when trying to range animals. For example, if this rangefinder picks up both a tree branch at 20 yards and a bear at 200 yards it will report the 200 yards to the deer(the further of the two objects).

Bluetooth Functions

Rangefinders equipped with Bluetooth functions allows you to link the device to your smart phone by Bluetooth APP.

8. Customer Review

Customer shared experience is very important. By reading rangefinder views of other buyers’, you could get a better understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of the product.

Conclusion

Finding the best laser rangefinder is very important for any hunter or golfer who wants to improve his/her performance. With so many brands out there on the market, it should not be so easy to find the perfect one for your game.

In this guide, we listed the top 10 best selling rangefinders on the market. And with our advice on how to choose the best rangefinder for your application, it should not be a problem for you finding the perfect laser finder to take your game to a higher level. At last, it is always a good idea to compare to make the final decisions.