October
06
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Rangefinder Binocular Review 2017 results
Rangefinder Binocular Review 2017 results
I’m always looking for ways to lighten my load and still have everything I need (want) to be successful in the field. So I started looking at getting and set of range finding binoculars so I wouldn’t have to carry binos and a rangefinder around my neck and deal with tethers etc.. As a bow hunter the ability to have an easy to use, compact, fast ranging, with excellent glass rangefinder is very important to me. So this season me and my staff set out to test most of the Binocular Rangefinder combos out there and although we could not review them all we certainly hit the lions share.. Now my disclaimer don’t just look at the score of the Binos read the write ups on each before you make a decision to purchase a bino rangefinder. Binocular rangefinder
The players:
Vortex Fury HD: We got to play with these a little bit and we will be doing a separate review on them but unfortunately we got them too late to include them in the test
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Test parameters: A group |
Zeiss Victory RF t*: | Swarovski EL Range | Bushnell ARC Fusion | Nikon Laser Force |
| Bang for Buck | 6 | 7 | 9 | 9 |
| Weight | 6.5 | 8 | 7.5 | 9 |
| Ease of use/functionality | 7 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| Durability | 10 | 10 | 8 | 10 |
| Warranty | 8 | 10 | 7 | 10 |
| Glass | 10 | 10 | 7 | 8 |
| Mounting accessories | 10 | 10 | 5 | 10 |
| Speed | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Max range | 6 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| Min Range | 8 | 5 | 8 | 9 |
| Totals | 80.5 | 83 | 76.5 | 92 |
Here is my Bino Rangefinder review for 2017 There was no clear winner for me because they all lacked something in the end:
Swaorski EL Range:
The EL Range- The Pros: was very accurate, very fast, a good overall size and weight, the glass is amazing, you can mount them to a tripod if you like, they have a nice feel in your hand… The cons: I just couldn’t cant get over the dam button being on the left side, every time I want to range I have to put my bow down or switch hands very cumbersome and the fact that you cant range anything under 30 yards is foolish.. I love Swarovski they make the best optics in the business but these two cons are a no no for me and I just could see passed them, especially not for the price!
Zeiss Victory RF:
The Victory RF rangefinder T*: Excellent ranging capability, it was the best at ranging deer at long distances, the glass is amazing, speed was very good but honestly I cant get over the price tag and my biggest complaint about them is the feel in your hands, the weight and the eye cups. If you got endless cash these might be the right choice for you…
Bushnell ARC Fusion:
Fusion 1 Mile ARC 10x 42mm
Bang for the buck these are great set of binos, glass is good, range finder works really well, comfy eye cups that don’t move on ya, and the feel is pretty good in the hand. The cons- There is no way to mount to tripod, the center battery holder tends to snap off, they don’t give adjusted angle range past 100 yards in bow mode, and they are on the bulkier side. Plus their warranty kinda sucks so honestly for a couple more bucks I’d go with the Nikons.
LaserForce, Nikon’s 10×42 Rangefinder Binocular.
Glass is very good especially for the price, they were the lightest tested and most compact, the feel in the hand for one hand use was very good, range finder itself was the best tested accurate, fast and longest distance on reflective objects. Ranging a deer (long range) on the other hand was good but not the best Ziess seemed to have the best in this category. Honestly just a super well put together bino rangefinder. For the money it cant be beat, it was my overall pick. But it wasn’t without faults and to be honest it was a big FUALT for me because it affected my ability to harvest a buck… The Diopter constantly needed to be reset, literally every-time I put the binos into my harness and pulled them back out it would move. This became a giant nuisance for me, I don’t know if it was just the pair that I have but this in itself was enough for me to throw my hands up and say I’m going back to my standard rangefinder. I’m hoping it was just a defect on my set.. I did get one of the first few off the line.
Well I hope this helps you make a decision on which Rangefinder Binoculars to buy.. good luck!
Some more Rangefider Binoculer info
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Tech Specs |
Zeiss Victory RF: | Swarovski EL Range | Bushnell ARC Fusion | Nikon Laser Force |
| Wieght | 35.1oz | 31.5oz | 32oz | 30oz |
| Dimensions | 6.6 x 5.3 x 3.6 | 6.3 x 5.6 x 3.2 | 6.4 x 5.2 x 3.3 |
5.8 x5.2×3.4 |
| Min Range | 10 | 33 | 10 | 10 |
| Max Range | 1300 | 1500 | 1760 | 1900 |
| light transmission | 89 | 91 | 84 | 88 |
