Hey Everyone, I posted a thread a while ago asking if a range finder is necessary. I got a lot of positive response about it and decided that i will look into getting one. Now my question is what range finder(s) do you use? If money was no option what would you get (or have)? And if you were on somewhat of a budget what would you get (or have)? Thanks.
Great question. I had a Leupold but lost it in the woods last December while out hunting so I will be in the market for a new one soon too and was starting to wonder which I should get.
Probably blew away in the wind on one of those several days we had in IL ha. As for the op's question I can only give my experience with the lne rangefinder I've had. Its a bushnel chuck adams edition, for the most part I've been pretty happy with it and it didn't break me. I'm guessing some of the newer ones are better and have more features but its worked out good. The one thing I don't like is it won't shoot through the mesh that ground blinds have on the windows but maybe none will. Don't know but thought I saw somebody on here say theirs will. So if you hunt out of blinds that's something to think about with any model you get.
Glad you posted there have Been few of these threads in the near past and I think the one that stuck in my head was the Nikon pro staff I think it was pro staff 5 but not 100% sure. I am in the market for one myself and from all the good reviews I read on here that is probably the one I will get. Hopefully someone will post more for you/me and I just got up 15 min ago and can't. Remember the price. Lol, hopefully someone with a clearer mind can help you out. Let us know what you get and good luck.
Ive had the Bushnell Check Adams Edition for like 3 years now and its never failed me, i think i paid 150 for it.
I have a Bushnell VLR II and it has been great! I have had it for about 5 years with no issue! Very compact and light fits in your pocket.
I have the original Nikon Archer's Choice and it has worked really well for me. It only ranges to +/-100 yards. I like the newer one that came out in 2013. It ranges a lot further (600 yards to be exact). But, I only Bowhunt and 100 yards is good for me.
I've got one of the cheaper ones, a simmons LRF 600, and have been very pleased with it. I've only had it since Christmas but I've used it A LOT. When I was comparing them at the store it was bigger and I thought that might be a problem but for the price I had to try it. Honestly, I don't notice it at all. If you're on a budget I would recommend one.
Check out Leupolds rx 1000 tbr. Is a much better unit than the cheaper ones IMO. Bushnell , however, takes care of customers well if there is a warranty problem.
I use a Nikon ProStaff 3 and for an inexpensive unit it works very well. I wanted to keep my costs low as I only bowhunt and really just wanted it to range some trees around my stand. If I hunted out west I maybe I would reconsider, but for eastern whitetails it is great.
If $ isn't an issue then I'd steer you toward a Leica CRF 1000-R ($600). Tremendous value can be found in a Vortex Ranger 1000 ($380). The Vortex has a very nice belt clip which I love and think is convenient. Born & raised in Wisconsin, I'm partial to Vortex as they are based out of Middleton, WI. Test a few out and see what you think. I feel the red reticule is absolutely necessary, but different strokes for different folks. Good luck.
I have the Wildgame Innovations Halo Z8X Rangefinder and it works great, was not too expensive and was made for bow hunters so it can accounts for steep decline/incline angels.
I have a Bushnell Chuck Adams, which is now the Bushnell Primos Truth Edition. It is a great range finder for the money. It does ARC out to 100 yds and flat line distance out to 400 yds. It has never failed me in the field. I spent about $180 for it.
We have a leupold 1000i (or something like that) A Nikon pro-staff An old Bushnell pro scout They all are pretty decent. The leupold has the best optics, best at picking up long range things. Has a red readout instead of black like the other two. Sometimes the red is nice, other times it sucks. The Nikon is bulkier than the other two and has less max distance but for the price, it's a nice range finder. The bushnell is older so it doesn't have some of the newer features that are available today for the same price I paid. I've beaten the snot out of it and yet it still works... mostly. I do have to take the batteries out when I'm not using it or else it drains them. If you aren't going to hunt steep angles (mountains) or waaay up in a tree, you don't really need the arc. If you aren't going to use it for hunting at long (rifle) ranges, you don't need one that ranges past a couple hundred yards.
I have a Wildgame Innovation Halo Z8X. Has worked good for me... Although it can be a bit tough to see in very low light. Was also quite cheap and didn't break the bank. Although for something like this... You get what you pay for. I would say you are fine with anything in the $200 range.
