January 2012 – unbiased reviews, ratings and rankings of golf laser rangefinders. Our editors test and compare the latest golf laser rangefinders for 2012 head-to-head to help you determine which golf laser rangefinder is best. Rangefinders tested include offerings from Leupold, Bushnell, Laser Link and Opti-Logic.
Carved from a single block of aluminum, the GX-3 is Leupold’s top-of the-line tournament-legal laser rangefinder, featuring a red OLED display that can easily be read against any background. While the unit carries a high price tag, the traditional excellent Leupold performance on the course, portability and red OLED display make the GX-3 one of the best options in its class. More…
Retail Price: $400
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Score
93
Grade
A-
The Bushnell Pro 1600 Tournament Edition laser rangefinder provides an industry-best 7x magnification, excellent ability to find flagsticks and other targets, large field of view, rapid distance updates and crisp clear display. If you don’t mind the size, the Bushnell 1600 product should definitely be on your short list. More…
Retail Price: $399.99
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Score
92
Grade
A-
Leupold has topped our list with past devices, and they stay there with their latest release, the GX-1. The smallest laser rangefinder in our test features 6x magnification, panning mode to continuously update target distances, solid ability to pick out flagsticks at long distances, and even a setting to change the cross-hair in the viewfinder. Improvements include enhanced performance in foggy conditions and on flagsticks with reflective prisms. More…
Retail price: $375
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Score
91
Grade
A-
From the best-known brand in rangefinders, the Bushnell Tour V2 offers solid performance in a portable package. Its 5x magnification and ability to target flagsticks at a distance trails the leaders, however. More…
Retail price: $375.99
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Score
85
Grade
B
The Laser Link Red Hot is a pistol-styled laser rangefinder that can target any object on the golf course (unlike Laser Link’s QuickShot, which can only target flagsticks with reflective prisms). We liked the Red Hot’s point-and-shoot design and its vibrate mode, which vibrates the device when it has locked on to a target. Our concern about the Red Hot arose from the difficulty in getting a confident reading on targets without prisms at longer distances – a problem that was exacerbated by the lack of any magnification in the viewfinder. More…
Retail price: $389
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Score
83
Grade
B-
The Opti-Logic can’t quite keep up with the rest of the pack. While it does offer the lowest price of any device tested, the lack of any viewfinder magnification (ouch) or ability to scan across objects left most reviewers looking for more. More…
Retail Price: $329.95
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Score
82
Grade
B-
The most simple laser rangefinder in our tests, the Laser Link QuickShot only works for reading distances to flagsticks with reflective prisms. While the QuickShot’s lack of versatility is a bit of a non-starter for us, players who appreciate the pistol-shaped form factor and frequently play on a course equipped with reflective prism flagsticks may be drawn to this device. More…
Retail price: $289
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Score
80
Grade
B-
Bushnell, makers of the “#1 laser rangefinder on the PGA Tour” now offer the Bushnell Hybrid, the first combination GPS and laser rangefinder on the market. Leveraging Bushnell’s course database, the Hybrid offers over 16,000 courses in North America out of the box, without any yearly fees.
Retail price: $499.99
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Bushnell, the best known of laser rangefinder manufacturers, has introduced the Pro 1M, the successor to its Pro 1600 line. The Pro 1M has new display technology that is marketed as providing improved contrast and clarity, along with a brighter digital display. The waterproof device is held horizontally and has 7x magnification, the highest of any laser rangefinder.
Check back for our Bushnell Pro 1M review, or follow us on twitter (twitter.com/criticalgolf), where we tweet all our latest reviews they are released.
Availability: late January 2012
Retail price: $499
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Bushnell has introduced the compact, vertically held Tour Z6. The Tour Z6 looks like it has taken things to a level far beyond the Tour V2 (the most obvious Bushnell comparison), introducing both new display technologies (also found on the new Pro 1M), and technology to provide faster readings from 5-125 yards with ½ yard accuracy and distances displayed to 1/10th of a yard. The Tour Z6 features 6x magnification, with range from 5 to 1,300 yards (900 to trees and 450+ yards to flagsticks).
Availability: April 2012
Retail price: $399
The Callaway Diablo Octane laser rangefinder is the newest rangefinder to hit the Callaway line. The Diablo replaces the Callaway LR1200 laser rangefinder, a device that received high marks in Critical Golf testing. We look forward to testing how the Diablo Octane stacks up against the competition.
Retail price: $299.99
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From one of the top optical companies in the world comes the Leica Pinmaster II. The Pinmaster II is the latest in their golf laser rangefinder line, sporting a lightweight carbon-reinforced body that is not only waterproof, but get this – submersible!. The Pinmaster II offers an industry best 7x magnification (matching the Bushnell 1600 series and the Callaway LR1200), with an adjustable eyepiece that is suitable for glasses wearers.
Retail price: $699.95
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The Leupold GX-3i has an aluminum body and technology to separate background from target readings, the ability to lock onto flagsticks with prisms and freeze distance readings, and a red OLED readout that is significantly easier to read against dark course backgrounds than competing devices that have standard LCD displays with black text. The device has 6x magnification and flagstick range to 400 yards at +/- 1 foot (is your game ready?).
Check back for our Leupold GX-3i review, or follow Critical Golf on twitter, where we tweet all of our latest reviews as they are released.
Retail: $399.99
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