Dan Parker from Golf Monthly his favorite golf rangefinders on the market this year.
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00:00We have tested over 15 of the latest and greatest rangefinders available this year
00:05to help you decide which is the best for your game.
00:07I've broken them down into five categories in this video
00:09and at the end I'm going to pick my overall winner.
00:11Let's get started.
00:16Right, let's get cracking.
00:17Those five categories we've been talking about are some best budget options,
00:20the best feature packed options, the best optics,
00:23the best compact laser rangefinder
00:25and my fifth and final category, a bit of a wildcard for you at the end
00:28so stick around for that as well as my overall winner.
00:31Now, if any of these lasers I talk about in this video interest you,
00:34you want to pick them up, I've put some handy links down in that description
00:37where you can find the best price for each model in your area.
00:40Right, starting off with budget,
00:42I'm going to break it down into three different budgets,
00:44under $100, under $150 and under $200.
00:46Starting under $100 and the first model is this,
00:49it's the GoGoGo, so good they named it three times, Sport V Pro.
00:53Now, while this retails at $129,
00:55I know it can be picked up in most places for under $100,
00:58that's why it's here and it does everything you want a laser to do, right?
01:03It's got six times magnification, it's got slope mode,
01:06so slope adjusted distances which can be turned on and off nice and easily
01:10with this button here, it's got vibrate when you hit the pin,
01:14it's also got a scan mode, it's also IPX4 waterproof.
01:17What more do you need from a laser rangefinder for under $100?
01:21I found it to be really accurate,
01:23it picks up the pin pretty quickly,
01:24not as quick as some of those I'll talk about today,
01:26but quick enough for you not to notice.
01:28Yes, it might be a bit more rudimentary
01:30and a bit clunkier from the graphics and the feel
01:32as some of the other ones we're going to look at today,
01:34but if you're after sort of that absolute basic minimum level of functionality
01:38for the lowest price possible, under $100,
01:40you can't go much further than this.
01:42And actually I forgot, it's got a magnet built in,
01:44so if you're a kart golfer, you can pop it on there.
01:47Okay, so for under £150 or dollars is the Golf Buddy Laser Light 2.
01:52Now this retails at £170, but again, shop around,
01:54you can find it for under £150 pretty easily,
01:57but for that extra sort of £50, $50 over the Go Go Go,
02:01you get a much lighter device.
02:03It's only 140 grams, so it's really compact
02:05and it's got some much more premium sort of tactile materials over it
02:09that make it just feel a bit nicer in the hand.
02:11I think you'd agree, it looks a bit better than the Go Go Go.
02:14As well, all the same functionality,
02:15so slope-adjusted distances that can be turned on and off,
02:18six-time magnification, scan mode, pin mode,
02:21it vibrates, it does everything you need a laser to do.
02:24And again, for under £150, you know,
02:26that £50 extra gets a slightly more premium device look,
02:29feel, the case, for example, all look a bit better,
02:31but that functionality is all there.
02:34Right, so if you're shopping for one around the £200,
02:37$200 mark or under, this is the one I'd go for.
02:39It's the Blue Tees Series 3 Max Rangefinder.
02:42So it's got the slope that you can toggle on and off here,
02:45it's got a scan mode, it's got the dual display,
02:48which you can change using this button here,
02:50so there's black or red graphics depending on the lighting,
02:53which I really like.
02:54It's got your cart magnet, so you can pop it on the car,
02:56on the sort of frame of your car or buggy.
02:59And for me, the tangible difference is sort of how it looks and feels.
03:03You can feel this is a more premium device
03:05and the case kind of reflects that as well.
03:07I think it's a really nice case that Blue Tees have made.
03:09One other feature which I love on this device,
03:11which kind of makes me think that alone is worth the extra investment,
03:15is when you zap the pin and get your yardage, right?
03:19So what have I got there? 114.
03:21Sometimes you'll zap it, put it down and just go,
03:24I didn't even take that number on board then, let me zap it again.
03:27What this does is once you've zapped the pin,
03:29is leave that number up there for sort of five or six seconds,
03:32so if you've zapped it, look down, gone brain dead and forgotten what it was,
03:37you can look back in your viewfinder and it's still waiting for you there.
03:39A really nice little touch there from a brand that's clearly thought
03:43about how golfers use laser rangefinders
03:45and how forgetful golfers can be sometimes.
03:47So a really nice added feature in this really premium device.
03:50For under £200, you get a lot of value here.
03:54So in this whole sort of value segment,
03:56basically pick your budget, pick what price you don't want to go over
04:00and there are three rangefinders there in the Go Go Go,
04:03the Golf Buddy and this Blue Tees that will really serve you well.
04:10Okay, so we're going to go right to the other end of the spectrum here
04:12and look at the most feature packed rangefinders that we tested
04:15and our favourites.
04:16I'm going to start with the Bushnell Pro X3+.
04:20Now the Pro X3 came out about two years ago.
04:22This plus version has got a really unique new feature on it
04:25where it basically casts wind speed and wind direction
04:29from the Bushnell app into the actual scope of the laser itself.
04:33So when you're scoping a pin or whatever you're scoping out in the course,
04:37it will give you the exact wind speed and direction
04:39once you've paired it with the app.
04:41This is totally unique to this device and a pretty cool feature
04:43if that's what you're into.
04:45To be honest, we found the actual pairing of the app and the device
04:48a little bit of a faff, but when we got there, it was really useful
04:52and it is worth noting that this wind speed calculation,
04:54much like slope-adjusted distances, are illegal in competition.
04:58So if you're a regular competition golfer,
05:00perhaps this device isn't quite for you.
05:02I will say this feature is a little bit niche,
05:05but when it's in there, it is really helpful to know
05:08which direction it's coming from.
05:09It's then just on to you to kind of understand,
05:12let's say it's 10 miles an hour out of the left.
05:14It's on you to understand how it's going to affect the ball.
05:16Obviously, the device can't tell you that.
05:18So if you're looking for that kind of extra bit of knowledge on the course
05:21and you're not playing competition,
05:23this is something totally unique to this device
05:25and worked really well once we finally got it paired.
05:28The rest of the device is brilliant. It's a Bushnell, right?
05:30So it's got seven times magnification,
05:32which is the most we've got on test today.
05:34IPX7 waterproof.
05:37It's got slope-adjusted distances.
05:39It's got what's called Jolt technology,
05:41which gives you a little jolt through the device when it's zapped the pin.
05:43And I will say, it zaps that pin unbelievably quickly.
05:47And you can really quickly sort of zap the pin
05:49and get on with your golf, basically.
05:52And listen, Bushnell's used by, I think,
05:54over 95% of tour players across the world tours.
05:57And if it's good enough for them from an accuracy
05:59and feature-packed point of view,
06:01then I think it should be good enough for us as well.
06:03Right, next, I'm going to chat about this.
06:05It's the Garmin Approach Z30.
06:07Before I get on to the features,
06:08to which degree this is a really good-looking rangefinder.
06:10I think pretty unique in the colour scheme they go for.
06:12I find some lasers a bit clunky.
06:14This is just sleek and looks great.
06:16Garmin do great at that.
06:17And the reason it's in this feature-packed segment
06:20is because it's got a really unique feature on it,
06:22whereby when you zap the pin
06:25and it's linked to either the Garmin app or a Garmin smartwatch,
06:29once you zap that pin,
06:30it will then give you the distance to the back of the green from that pin
06:33and then the distance to the front of that green,
06:34all displayed through this viewfinder.
06:37That is totally unique to this device
06:39and is something, perhaps unlike the wind feature on the bush I just spoke about,
06:42is so useful out on the golf course.
06:44Let me give you an example.
06:46Less relevant to this particular pin,
06:48but if you're zapping a pin,
06:49you can't quite see the bottom of it.
06:51It's on an elevated green, for example.
06:53Having that information of how far is to the back of the green
06:56and how far is to the front of the green
06:58lets you know where that pin is positioned on the green
07:01when you can't see the bottom of it.
07:03Even more useful if you've got a supported Garmin smartwatch,
07:07once you zap it,
07:08it will then give you a bird's eye view of the green on your watch
07:12and place that pin precisely.
07:14You could, if you have both devices,
07:16zap that pin,
07:17look down at your watch
07:18and you can see where that pin is positioned on the green
07:20and how far it is to the back or the front.
07:22It is absolutely superb.
07:24I'd appreciate, again, a bit like the Bushnell,
07:27its niche,
07:28as in you have to already have a device in the Garmin ecosystem
07:30to benefit from that,
07:31but you can just use the phone app as well.
07:34If you link this with the phone app,
07:36the free phone app,
07:37that's where you get those GPS distances
07:39to back and to front of the green.
07:41On its own, without any of that functionality,
07:44it's still a brilliant laser rangefinder.
07:46Beautiful clear display,
07:48bright red graphics in there.
07:49It's got the cart mount as well.
07:51I think if you're after something like that,
07:53that little bit more information on the course
07:55from a feature-packed, beautiful rangefinder,
07:57the Garmin Approach Z30 is awesome.
08:00Finally, in the feature-packed section,
08:02meet this little guy.
08:03It's the VoiceCaddy LaserFit.
08:04Look how small and compact this is.
08:06I'll talk about a bit more of that later,
08:08but one really unique feature on this device,
08:10which I think Warren's chatting about,
08:12is ball triangulation
08:13or just general triangulation data
08:15out on the golf course.
08:16What that means,
08:17especially if you're playing cart path only golf,
08:20where normally you'd have to walk to the ball,
08:23zap the pin,
08:24walk back to your cart,
08:25pick the club,
08:26or just go down there and guess entirely.
08:28What this allows you to do
08:30through one of the modes here
08:31is zap the ball from wherever you are,
08:33however far away,
08:34zap the pin,
08:35and then it'll tell you that distance
08:37from the ball to the pin
08:38from wherever you're stood.
08:40I absolutely loved it.
08:41Listen, I'm not much of a cart golfer,
08:42but for those of you who are,
08:43I think having that functionality
08:45is just absolutely huge.
08:47And to have it in this beautiful little compact device
08:49that you can pop in your pocket
08:50is brilliant.
08:51I'll come on to a few more bits about this later,
08:53but it's also got an automatic dual display on it,
08:56so it will change the graphic colours for you
08:58depending on the light.
08:59I've spoken about it in a couple of other devices.
09:01I really like that.
09:02But again, we're talking feature pack.
09:04We're talking unique features
09:05here in this specific section,
09:06and that triangulation feature is brilliant.
09:08Again, for a specific type of golfer,
09:10but if that is you,
09:11here's the device for you.
09:13So three really brilliant laser rangefinders
09:16that I've just spoken about,
09:17all with their own unique features.
09:19Whichever one appeals to you a little bit more,
09:21that's the kind of one to go for, I guess.
09:23If I had to pick one, though,
09:24I think that Garmin,
09:25as a standalone rangefinder,
09:26is superb.
09:27And that front-back distance from the pin,
09:29that feature is brilliant.
09:31So if you were to go for one,
09:32I'd choose the Garmin.
09:37Okay, for my next category,
09:38we're going to chat in about
09:39some of the best lasers
09:40and the best optics within them, right?
09:42So I'm talking about the graphics
09:43and the general clearness of the view
09:45you get when you're zapping
09:46various bits on the golf course.
09:47I'm going to start with this.
09:48It's the Nikon Coolshot 20i G3.
09:51Silly name, but that's beside the point,
09:52because this is a brilliant little rangefinder.
09:54Nikon renowned for making
09:56these brilliant optical devices,
09:58cameras, et cetera,
09:59for over 100 years now.
10:00So it only makes sense
10:01they make a brilliant laser rangefinder,
10:03and this is superbly clear.
10:05Six times magnification,
10:06so not quite as much as the Bushnell,
10:08but it still, for me,
10:10just looks unbelievably clear down this.
10:13The graphics are nice and clear and simple,
10:15and it is rapid at picking up those pins.
10:17My only sort of annoyance with it
10:20is there's no way of displaying
10:21to your playing partners
10:22whether the slope is on or off.
10:23Normally, there's a flashing light
10:25or a switch on the side.
10:26This doesn't have that.
10:28But for £229,
10:30which is pretty reasonably priced
10:32in the market in general,
10:33there's a lot of features on this.
10:35A nice, clean, compact device
10:37and a pretty unique case as well.
10:38So if you have something that's crystal clear
10:40and as reliable as a Nikon product is,
10:42this is a great option.
10:43Okay, next, let's chat about this.
10:45It's the Zoom OLED Pro,
10:47and as you might guess from the name,
10:49it's got a dual OLED display in it,
10:51and that's the kind of technology
10:52we're used to seeing in high-end TVs.
10:54The top thing is this laser rangefinder.
10:55Jeez, now this is clear.
10:57This is the clearest probably of them all.
10:59If I try and zap this pin behind me now,
11:01not only does it do that really quickly,
11:03but when you're looking around the green
11:05and doing other bits with it,
11:06it's a step ahead of the rest of them, basically.
11:09So if you're after a laser
11:10that can give you a more clear idea
11:12of what's going on in front of you,
11:13that sort of extra bit of vibrancy,
11:15this does it really well.
11:16It's a decent rangefinder all around as well.
11:18Slope, toggle mode,
11:20you should turn it on and off here.
11:21It's got a free scan mode.
11:22It vibrates when you zap the pin.
11:24It's also got a magnet built in.
11:25These are the kind of things we expect
11:27and you're seeing in a lot of these rangefinders today.
11:29But this unique device,
11:31beautifully built, I must say as well,
11:32very tactile, very premium.
11:34And if sort of total vibrancy
11:36and the clearest view possible is what you're after,
11:38this is the one to go for.
11:40Okay, finally, in the optics category,
11:42we're going to look at this.
11:43It's the ShotScope Pro ZR.
11:45Now the reason I put it in here
11:46is it's really clear.
11:47It's got six times magnification
11:49as most of these guys do.
11:51But I like the amount of graphics it's got going on.
11:53I wouldn't say it's overly busy,
11:55but there's plenty of information in there.
11:58And if that's what you like, which I do,
12:00it's a really good option for it.
12:02It's a heavier, bulkier design for sure.
12:05This is 340 grams,
12:06so at least 100, 150 grams heavier
12:09than some of the ones we've tested today.
12:10That's a preference thing.
12:12I don't mind the lightweight one,
12:13but if you want something a bit bulkier
12:15that's good on a bit of a blustery day like today,
12:17that'll hold its own in the wind.
12:19It's got all the features you'd expect.
12:21Slope you can toggle on and off.
12:23It's got a dual optics mode,
12:24which isn't automatic,
12:25but you can just flick it with this button here.
12:28It's got a magnet built into the side.
12:30It's got a scan mode.
12:32And it is absolutely rapid at picking up pins.
12:34It really doesn't take a lot,
12:36even for the most unsteady hand,
12:38but to find the pin, vibrate,
12:40let you know it's there,
12:41give you the slope information,
12:42and away you go.
12:43So another great option in this space here.
12:46But if I was to go for one,
12:47for out and out optics,
12:48and out and out clearness,
12:49it would have to be that Zoom OLED.
12:51Again, unique technology used in that
12:53to make the view down the course
12:55as crystal clear as possible.
13:01Okay, so we're coming to the studio
13:02for the next category,
13:03which is the best compact lasers.
13:04I've tested some since I last filmed
13:05with someone on the golf course
13:06that I need to talk about here.
13:08We've already seen two that are worth mentioning.
13:09That's the Nikon,
13:10which is incredibly small,
13:11comes in a beautiful little sort of mesh carry case,
13:14which is a bit different as well.
13:15And the voice carry laser fit.
13:17I've already mentioned this.
13:18It's 130 grams.
13:19The lightest on test today.
13:21Fits in the palm of my hand.
13:22Fits in your pocket without being intrusive,
13:25which I really, really like about it.
13:26And it's still feature packed, isn't it?
13:28We've mentioned that already.
13:29Ball triangulation, dual display,
13:31things like that.
13:32An excellent compact range finder.
13:34Right, three more to talk about here.
13:36First, the Caddy Talk Mini Me.
13:39This footprint of this laser
13:40is compatible to a credit card.
13:42This is the size of this,
13:43weighing just 132 grams.
13:45So pretty much the same as the voice caddy here.
13:48It's incredibly accurate,
13:49thanks to its magic slope,
13:50which applies the concept of ballistics
13:52to improve accuracy.
13:54I know, pretty feature packed for something that small.
13:57It's got an LED bar,
13:58which lets you know that you're playing,
14:00probably know what state it's in,
14:01so whether the slope's on or off.
14:04It's got pin mode, vibration,
14:06a USB-C charging port as well.
14:09So again, pretty feature packed, $280.
14:12So on the more expensive side,
14:13but if you're after something
14:14that is minuscule footprint-wise,
14:16that's a great option.
14:17Another one I want to talk about,
14:18something again, very unique in the way it's designed,
14:20the Golf Buddy Aim Quantum.
14:21£299, $299.
14:23This is sort of unconventionally compact
14:25in the way it's shaped.
14:26So it's got a cuboid kind of design
14:28that you can see now.
14:29It's designed to be stored
14:30in a variety of ways on your purse,
14:32whether that's on the golf bag
14:33or primarily on your belt.
14:36I know this is pretty unique
14:37and it looks a bit naff, we'll be honest.
14:39When you're using it,
14:40it's not the most hip, trendy thing
14:42you've ever seen in the world.
14:43But if you're a cart path owning golfer,
14:45for example, trudging back and forth,
14:47having that attached to you there
14:48is always very, very useful.
14:50It's got three targeted modes too,
14:52which includes scan and pin.
14:53We kind of know these now,
14:55pretty much all of these have that,
14:56but it's useful to have on it.
14:57It's also got seven times magnification,
14:59which is the same level as the Bushnoy
15:01we spoke about earlier in the video,
15:02which is the most we've got on test,
15:03equal with that.
15:04Fully waterproof, charged via USB-C cable.
15:07So again, unique in its compact nature
15:09because of the shape of it.
15:10And if you want something that's a bit different
15:11the way you store it,
15:12that's a really cool option in this compact market.
15:15Finally, the Bushnoy Tor V6 Shift.
15:17I've spoken about Bushnoy products already.
15:19This isn't conventionally compact either,
15:21but it's one of the smallest Bushnoy rangefinders
15:23you can get.
15:24399 pounds, so a damn sight cheaper
15:26than that Pro 3X Plus I was already talking about,
15:28which is helpful.
15:29This thing locks onto the pin almost automatically.
15:32It's a Bushnoy project.
15:33We've come to expect how good these things are
15:35at doing that.
15:36This is brilliant.
15:37It's got the jolt technology.
15:38It's got the magnet that fits on a buggy.
15:39So if you want the sort of high-end Bushnoy product
15:41that's a little compact,
15:43there's a great option there.
15:48Right, I promised you a wild card.
15:50We're going to chat about that now
15:51before I come on to my overall winner.
15:53And that is the Precision Pro Titan Elite rangefinder.
15:56Now my colleague Joe's been testing this.
15:57It's now his gamer, his go-to.
15:59He loves it.
16:00It's got one really unique feature
16:01which makes it totally stand out
16:03versus the ones we've tested today.
16:05So before we get on to that,
16:06as a rangefinder on its own,
16:08it is superb.
16:09Really quick at picking up the pin.
16:10Great graphics in a nice design, basically.
16:14It's IPX67 waterproof,
16:16which means it's highly waterproof
16:18and dustproof for you adventurers out there.
16:20It's going to survive pretty much any conditions.
16:22But that unique feature I was talking about
16:24is that it is both a rangefinder
16:26and a GPS device all in one.
16:28To get that GPS information,
16:29all you've got to do is sync it to the app on your phone,
16:32and you've got all that information in one device then.
16:35So you can zap the pin as a normal rangefinder
16:38and get your slope adjusted distances
16:40and all that stuff.
16:41But press another button and sync to the app.
16:43It will give you the distances to the front, middle, and back.
16:46So you have totally in one device
16:48through one viewfinder
16:50all of that information at your hands.
16:52So as I said, it's Joe's go-to device now.
16:54He absolutely loves it.
16:55And I think I just want to bring it to your guys' attention
16:57that this device is out there in the marketplace.
16:59That sort of GPS rangefinder mix is all there
17:02at a pretty decent price, I must say, as well.
17:04So well done, Precision Pro, for making that unique device.
17:07And yeah, there's your wild card.
17:08There's your wow factor.
17:13Right, then back in the studio for my conclusions then.
17:16And as I promised, I'll be picking out an overall winner.
17:18My personal favourite,
17:19but I've got to give a few shout-outs first.
17:22The Blue Tees Series 3.
17:24Love that.
17:25Again, for £200, $200,
17:27that is pretty much all you need from a rangefinder.
17:29I think at any price point,
17:30that thing really, really stands out.
17:32Bushnell Tour V6 Shift.
17:34If you're after the sort of high-end,
17:36the highest possible end,
17:37the quickest flag-locating rangefinder,
17:40that's the one to go for.
17:41Pretty compact as well.
17:43And I love the Garmin as well.
17:44Spoke about how much I enjoyed that technology
17:46where it zaps the pin
17:47and gives you that front and back distance.
17:48So three great options there.
17:50I'm really sitting on the fence here,
17:51but I'm going to have to pick a winner.
17:52And I think you probably heard
17:53from how much I've loved it so far in this video,
17:55it's going to be the VoiceCaddy LaserFit.
17:58Again, really well-priced, still feature-packed,
18:00and it highlights how small it is,
18:02how light it is,
18:03and that ball triangulation feature
18:05I think will really suit a lot of you golfers out there.
18:08So that is my conclusion.
18:09That's my overall winner.
18:10As I said, if you like the look
18:12of any of these laser rangefinders
18:14I spoke about in this video,
18:15there are some handy links down in the description
18:17to find the best price for these in your area.
18:20That's it for me from now.
18:21Hope you found this useful and informative.
18:23Until next time, see you then.