Budget range finder?

[BLJ]

I’m looking for something good for archery. I have a Bushnell now that I use for rifle but it is to large for one hand. I’m looking for something that would be good to the yard out to 100 yards max. Budget minded if possible. Thanks.

 

[Dave0317]

I recently bought the Tidewe HR-F700. It ranges well past 100, and has the typical angle compensation modes that bow hunters often make use of. I like the feature set for the price.

It’s small enough to use one handed, and pretty light. Perfect in that area.

Optical quality is a weakness. I carry a decent set of binos at the same time so I don’t usually rely on the rangefinder for scanning the environment much. It’s ok in full daylight, but in twilight conditions in the woods, it’s not very bright.

Battery life is good. Recharges with micro USB, and one charge lasted our entire 4 month hunting season.

Last weakness to mention is the ability for it to scan through fog. Some newer and more expensive rangefinders can filter through rain and fog much better. On a day of medium fog density here, I got nothing but 10 yard readings, even though naked eye visibility was much more.

I think the weaknesses of the Tidewe are pretty much common to all sub $100 rangefinders. It’s good for what I needed short term. In the future I will buy a much better one with optics that are good enough that I can leave the binos at home.

If all you need to do is pick out a few landmarks 30-40 yards from your tree stand it’s probably all you need.

 

[BLJ]

Thanks @Dave0317. I'll look into it today.

 

[Billy Goat]

I don't know what your "budget" is, but for archery hunting I use a Vortex Ranger of some sort. I'm not a big fan of Vortex, but the warranty on a rangefinder is hard to find. So rather than a cheap one crapping out and then buying another, it's at least got a lifetime warranty, currently.


There's better rangefinders out there, but being burned a few times I'm happy with the Vortex. When I travel I take a backup, cause a warranty ain't worth a thing at the time your device actually fails.

 

[BLJ]

I’ll admit that Vortex would be highly considered because of the warranty on the electronics. Hard to not be on board with that.

 

[bojangles808]

I don't know what your "budget" is, but for archery hunting I use a Vortex Ranger of some sort. I'm not a big fan of Vortex, but the warranty on a rangefinder is hard to find. So rather than a cheap one crapping out and then buying another, it's at least got a lifetime warranty, currently.


There's better rangefinders out there, but being burned a few times I'm happy with the Vortex. When I travel I take a backup, cause a warranty ain't worth a thing at the time your device actually fails.

Yea i would agree I got sick of range finders crapping out on me and got a vortex and its been surprisingly solid. only changed the battery after 4 years the other day on my ranger 1300. I would get the cheapest one with angle comp they make if i had limited funds. you basically have one for the rest of your life with their warranty

 

[ScreamingPotato]

Not sure what your budget is, kinda varies per person. I picked this one up on sale this last year and it's been great. I like it a lot more than the Vortex Ranger 1800 we have, that thing is just clunky compared to the Leupold. I won't do much past 250 to 300 or so though in real hunting settings so it's just for archery but it's good to go for that.

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[KMF]

Leupold Rx-1400i is the nicest range finder in the price point that I have used but if planning to keep for a long time the vortex crossfire is now illuminated and it tough to beat the warranty especially for a rangefinder. The illuminated reticle is definitely a must have imo.

 

[Billy Goat]

Leupold is a rangefinder that I never plan to spend money on again.

 

[Balazar]

I have an Astra. It has the same warranty as Vortex. It is very similar in appearance and uses the same lens coatings. I suspect they are made in the same factory. The Astra comes in a little cheaper than the Vortex. That allowed me to get the red OLED version for the price of the Vortex LED.

 

[BLJ]

What about Athlon? Cameraland has the G1 Midas under $200. Any experiences?

 

[CB4]

I had a Nikon Prostaff 3I that I used for almost a decade and it worked great. Finally was in a place to upgrade and got the Leopold Full Draw. With Vortex redesigning their line recently Im sure you could find a good used one and they warranty is still good.

 

[Marble]

For archery purposes, something to consider is how well the range finder works against a dark environment. Some range finders will not get a reading on something in the shadows or on something like the trunk of a burnt tree.

My vortex works well in all conditions. I really have no complaints. I have a Bushnell range finder that will not range through the mesh on my blind or very dark dirt or a burnt tree. Other than that, it works well.

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[HUNTMO-06]

I purchased a vortex crossfire as a replacement for my old Bushnell that gave up the ghost. I’m very happy with the crossfire’s red display- coming from a black LED display that washed out in dark backgrounds. Even used it in rifle- ranging whitetail no problem.

 

[rootacres]

Not sure what your budget is but I rocked a Vortex Impact and then Vortex Ranger 1300 for a few years (the 1300 has angle compensation). My wife bought me a new one for my birthday. So I have the Ranger 1300 listed in the classified for $200 shipped if you're interested.

 

[LostArra]

I had a Nikon Prostaff 3I that I used for almost a decade and it worked great. Finally was in a place to upgrade and got the Leopold Full Draw. With Vortex redesigning their line recently Im sure you could find a good used one and they warranty is still good.

I'm still using the same Nikon Prostaff model. Over 10 years. I'm 99% archery so it works fine. Occasionally think about upgrading but not for very long.

 

[BLJ]

@Marble. I never have the mesh of a blind a thought. I don’t know how I could determine what would work and what wouldn’t. Good to know about the Vortex.

 

[CB4]

I'm still using my the same Nikon Prostaff model. Over 10 years. I'm 99% archery so it works fine. Occasionally think about upgrading but not for very long.

The only reason I did is I started seeing more deer early morning and wasn't able to see the range due to the black screen.

 

[Jeffro]

Another solid recommendation for the Leupold Rx1400. Light, easy to use, eye relief, settings for archery, rifle balistics, and simple Line of Sight measurements.

 

[doc holiday13]

i've been using the same bushnell arc something for about 10 years