Cheap RF: Older "name brand" or a new "Amazon special"?

[Bogey Fett]

For about the same price as one of the many off-brand Amazon RF's ($80-90) I could easily pick up an older Bushnell Pinseeker/V2 or equivalent on the 'bay.  What would you do?  

[cristphoto]

Neither.  A new name brand laser will have the speed, accuracy and dependability that might be hard to duplicate in a cheap Amazon Special.  Buying a much older used Laser may be problematic. You're going to typically have it for over five years so spend wisely once.  It's generally cheaper in the long run.   

[dubbelbogey]

Just another data point. I've bought three "Amazon Special" rangefinders (WoSports is the brand, to be exact.) One is 5-ish years old, and was strategically poached by another family member. That was replaced about 3yrs ago and is now in my spare bag that friends and family use when they're in town, and then my own current one, which is just over a year old. They all still work fine.

[driveandputtmachine]

Costco has a great rangfinder.  https://www.costco.com/caddytek-golf-laser-rangefinder%2c-caddyview-v2-%2bslope.product.100419508.html

 

My regular playing partner has had it for a few months now, and it is accurate as my bushnell.  The slope works as well as another member's bushnell slope finder as well.

 

I bought one for my stepson since he didn't have a rangefinder and it has worked well for him.

[VNutz]

@Bogey Fett  It's a roll of the dice and completely up to you. I play fairly often with @DavePelz4 and his cheapy Amazon rangefinder is often within a yard of my Leupold. That said, my Leupold will soon be 10 years old and has been worth every penny. I don't baby it nor do I abuse it but it's still going strong. YMMV.

 

I'd give a good look at the Costco model posted above, and if you don't like it you can return it during their window. Personally I'd do that over something used.

[phil75070]

On 6/25/2021 at 8:50 AM, driveandputtmachine said:

Costco has a great rangfinder.  https://www.costco.com/caddytek-golf-laser-rangefinder%2c-caddyview-v2-%2bslope.product.100419508.html

 

My regular playing partner has had it for a few months now, and it is accurate as my bushnell.  The slope works as well as another member's bushnell slope finder as well.

 

I bought one for my stepson since he didn't have a rangefinder and it has worked well for him.

I guess I had an older version that did not include the vibration function, until I lost it this past week (I hate cart path only!). I found it compact enough, quick to acquire yardages and accurate. I will either go with another one of these or one of the "Amazon cheapies" (https://tinyurl.com/4d5syzjm) that has great reviews.

[Voltore]

I had a Costco Caddytek special but left it on a tee box and was never seen again.

 

I then bought a cheapo Amazon special ~$80. (GoGoSport) that works ok. I call it the "Never Same Distance Twice" as it'll vary by a yard or two but Ok with that for me. :-)

[theboypinoy]

The Costco one is great. In the few months I've used it, it's been fantastic for practice rounds and tournament rounds.

 

Consistently gets good yardage, just as accurate as my previous Bushnell. Comparing it to playing partners' yardages, we're always within a yard.

[Chuck_IV]

Ugh, you just missed a great sale during Amazon Prime days. I picked up the 2021 version of the Callaway 300 Pro during Prime Days for $119. I wasn't really looking for a range finder but couldn't pass it up.

 

I think it's running about $199 now. I've seen some of the lower priced ones getting pretty good reviews out there, but even though many reviews are listed as 2021, they sometimes seem to be for older models.

 

[phil75070]

I left my CaddyTek somewhere out on the course this past week (darn cart path only holes!). I am considering this cheapie off Amazon as it seems to have very good reviews:

 

https://tinyurl.com/4d5syzjm

[tjl48]

I have had a precision pro NX7 for about 5 years now, and am planning on getting a name brand later this year. Without a reflector it has a hard time picking up pins and even with them can be finicky. Playing with a buddies Bushnell and having it picking up the pin every time no problem, and fast was enough for me. 

[phil75070]

After losing my Caddy Tek on the course (never turned in!) I got a cheap one ($99) off Amazon, a "Ragu". First one I received wouldn't power up but the replacement has worked flawlessly! It has all the bells and whistles such as slope, vibration, etc. It is also extremely light and uses the same CR2 battery so all the extras I bought won't go to waste. I have sat in the cart before going out to play and it has consistently picked up the pin on 10, some 422 yards away. It is currently selling for $69.99.

[casman]

Bought a Wakyme cheapo on Amazon for $59.99.  It worked great at first but then got a little squirrely.

It has slope ,vibration features and is battery operated. It seems to have settled down after I put an OEM battery in it.

Bottom line is you get what you pay for.

[PhilsFanDrew]

I just picked up an offbrand rangefinder w/ slope on Amazon (ACEGMET) for under $70 (20% off coupon) and I have no complaints after 3 rounds of using it.  My buddy has a more expensive Bushnell and we scoped the same yardages on a few of the holes and my cheap one was never more than +/- 1.5 yards of his.  As a recreational golfer that generally shoots in the mid 80s-low 90s and only only averages about 54 holes a month, I don't see the need to invest in a more expensive rangefinder.  If I played more I would probably be concerned that something like this wouldn't hold up and would want to invest in a more well known brand but for how sparingly I play by GolfWRX standards this gets the job done.

[swgolfer]

Exactly right, there is no need to over pay for a laser anymore and the prices will keep going down...........its a simple technology to produce  and as you say unless you want all the extras it gets the job done! 

[phil75070]

52 minutes ago, swgolfer said:

....unless you want all the extras....

What extras? The inexpensive one ($99 from Amazon) has great magnification, vibrates when it locks on the pin, has a "scan" function, an LCD display on the back which can be turned on or off, the slope function that can also be either on or off, and even though accuracy is +/- 1 yard it measures distance to the tenth of a yard. It also included a choice of three "extras", a $20 credit on Amazon, a magnetic strap to affix it to the cart and I forget the 3rd.

[ckay]

Make sure you find independent reviews on the offbrand stuff.  Blue Tees, one example, can be off 5+ yards.  That may be acceptable to some, but if you are expecting tight deviation of +/- 1yd you may want to invest into a higher end unit.  I'm dealing with this now.  I had a V3, sold it to go onto a SkyCaddie, but having issues with the device and lack of tech support so I will most likely buy a new RF this week.  Blue Tees was what I was looking at first but I don't like that it is a roll of the dice on its accuracy and will most likely end up with a V5.

 

It's a spread of about $180, but I spend a lot more than that on my equipment some of which I don't hold onto for too long.  So the additional cost for the next 5+ years is worth it to me.

 

Not saying my thought process is right, this is a matter of what you expect out of a RF and whether you value the savings or consider it a long-term purchase.

 

As for buying an older model, I wish I never sold my V3.  You can't go wrong buying a V3 in great shape.

[swgolfer]

Was just referring to some higher end Lasers where the Optics are premium and like the Bushnell XE with Temperature calculations etc which I think is probably Over Kill for 99.999% of Golfers. 

[dfenton]

I had a Bushnell that I loved and left in the cart, then bought a cheapo off Amazon. The cheap one is slower and harder to get a good shot with but it's accurate when compared with other's watches and rangefinders.

 

If you can find a good price on a used name brand I would do that. Just do what you can to make sure it's in good shape.

[mogc60]

Caddytek all day. It’s accurate, quick and easy to use. For the price I don’t think it’s beatable

[TeeJeff]

Just received a Precision Pro NX7.  So far, it seems great, especially for the price, but - mission creep always seems to set in.  I'm wondering if I should have went for a slope rangefinder.  The Costco Caddytek reviews are good as is the price but is it worth the hassle of returning something bought on Amazon?  Wondering how often rangefinder users on this forum rely on the slope function(?)  My club is somewhat hilly in spots but also pretty flat in spots.  I usually just add or subtract a club as per my gut feeling.