Searching for a Rangefinder

[Trapper0925]

Am looking at buying the Bushnell Tour V2. I really like the compact size but have noticed many comments about the short battery life with the rather expensive CR2 3 volt lithium batteries. If one uses it say 30 times per round, how many rounds will it be before replacing a battery? I golf approximately 50 times a year, so I don't want to be spending $150/year on batteries (approximately $15 a pop)!

I'm also looking at the Bushnell Pro1600 - uses 9 volt batteries (much cheaper, but do they last any longer?) but is twice as heavy, larger and $100 more. Are there other brands I should consider - Callaway, Leupold? Thanks for any help you can offer.

[klund]

i have the V2 and i think i would use it about 40-50 times per round measuring mine and playingpartners shots. i have not really timed how long it lasts but it feels like i change about every 10-15 rounds. I buy panasonic CR2 batteries for about $5 here in Malaysia.

I seen a few sales where they sell bulk, like 50+ batteries for about $2 each.

[Fourputt]

My battery finally died 2 weeks ago - It was installed in the spring of 2010.  This was only the second battery I've ever had in it, and I bought in in the spring of 2009.  Maybe if you use the thing 5 times a week on the range, then play twice a week, it will go out faster, but I find that the batteries last a very long time when I just used it for on course measuring.  I play 50-100 rounds a year, but I didn't use it for every shot either, only when I actually needed it.

I admit that it didn't get used as much this year since I bought my Garmin Approach G5 GPS.  The Garmin does everything that the laser did, and more.

[hoser]

I play about 50 times per year and replace my battery 1 or 2 times a season with my Bushnell V2.

[RPMPIRE]

I have a Leupold GX1 and love it. It's compact, light and durable. They do have other models if you're interested. I stuck with the basic one because all I need is distance to the pin and also scanning yardages for different spots on the golf course.. Other models have a nicer OLED display and features such as slope compensation and club selector. But since it's not tournament legal, I would just practice on gauging slope, wind, and club selection on your own.

[Trapper0925]

Thanks for all the comments. It seems that battery life with the V2 varies but many users don't seem to have an issue with it. I called Bushnell and was told the V2 was meant more for an infrequent golfer - someone golfing 3 times per week should get the 1600 although I wonder if this was more of an an attempt to upsell me to the next model.  The V2 certainly gets overall rave reviews from most.  But so does the 1600, although it seemed heavy and awkward in comparison. One comment I read said that the V2 was easier to get a reading because the 5x magnification didn't accentuate the shaking as much as the 1600's 7x mag. Could be true? How important is the magnification rate?

The Leupold GX-1 seems very similar/identical to the V2 in size, features and price - although it does have greater magnification at 6x. Same battery too - I wonder if battery life is similar to the V2. Two factors, however, make me lean toward the Bushnell - a 2 year warranty over Leupold's 1 year and there doesn't seem to be any local retailers in my region (Eastern Ontario) that carry Leupold's golf line.

I suspect I'm being far too anal on this but $300+ seems pricey to me when I can't seem to bring myself to spend more than $150 on a new driver!

[RPMPIRE]

Agree that there's not too many dealers out there that carry Leupold. I actually had to order mine online through Golfsmith. Unfortunately, I can't say too much about battery life because I haven't been out there to play many rounds in the last year due to injury and a new addition to the family. And yes, $300 is a lot and I had a similar decision only the decision being between a SkyCaddie (or other GPS device) and a rangefinder. Obviously, you can see what I chose.

Good luck with your decision!

[ghalfaire]

I also considered the laser range finders but settled on a GPS device.  It gives you a lot more information and you don't have to worry if you "aimed" it correctly.  But it is a trade off as the laser is more accurate (if you can aim it) and there is no annual fee with a laser.  However I think the GPS is more convenient and is accurate enough.  But admit it is a Ford/Chevy argument and either will work OK.

[sean_miller]

I used my V2 almost every round when I first got it (spring of 2010) and replaced the battery exactly 1 time.  This year I've played most of my rounds at the same course and I don't need a rangefinder (or GPS) since I mapped out a few key distances (e.g. pine tree on the right side to the back lip of the front pot bunker) and I can pace from there. When I play a differerent course it's nice to have. I've used the cart GPS a few times and always preferred the rangefinder. I like to see the distance to the object (flag, hill, tree, person standing on the green, people in the fairway landing area so I know if we can hit yet, etc) and get a number. The cartoony hole renderings GPS provides don't do much for me to be honest, but to each their own. This thread is not that debate (hopefully).

Originally Posted by Trapper0925

Am looking at buying the Bushnell Tour V2. I really like the compact size but have noticed many comments about the short battery life with the rather expensive CR2 3 volt lithium batteries. If one uses it say 30 times per round, how many rounds will it be before replacing a battery? I golf approximately 50 times a year, so I don't want to be spending $150/year on batteries (approximately $15 a pop)!

I'm also looking at the Bushnell Pro1600 - uses 9 volt batteries (much cheaper, but do they last any longer?) but is twice as heavy, larger and $100 more. Are there other brands I should consider - Callaway, Leupold? Thanks for any help you can offer.