Rangefinder Freezer Test

[Elk botherer]

A thread on Sig Rangefinders performance in cold weather prompted me to start this thread. Another member put his rangefinder in his freezer and then tracked how it performed as it warmed up with some interesting results.

For those of us who hunt in cold weather and don’t want to be let down by our electronics, here’s a thread where we can test our various brands of rangefinders and see how they perform so we can make informed decisions on purchases to reduce our chance of equipment letting us down in the field when it counts most. Maybe this can be like Form’s drop test thread for scopes

There can be two ways to test your rangefinder- Place your rangefinder in the freezer for 1 hour to simulate being in the field for a hour or 24 hours in the freezer for a cold soak as suggested by Form to replicate camping over night to get real functional testing.

Here’s the procedure to make testing accurate and repeatable:

Step 1- state your make and model of rangefinder (including what brand and model of battery) and then test your warm rangefinder in normal conditions and record its performance and accuracy.

Step 2- put your rangefinder in your freezer for one hour or 24 hours (record the internal temp of your freezer).

Step 3- after one hour pull your rangefinder out of the freezer and document how it performs when you test it out such as display brightness, ranging ability, and general function.

Step 4- after initial testing place rangefinder somewhere warm whether it’s in your house on a counter or inside of an internal jacket pocket for 30 minutes and then retest your rangefinder and again, document functionality and performance. When done testing, place rangefinder back in warm environment to continue the warming up process.

Step 5- test again one hour later and record data.

I’m no engineer and if anyone has better ideas of testing, let me know- such as maybe test every 15 minutes instead of 30 minute intervals and length of time left in freezer. Maybe this whole thing is silly but I think it would be interesting to see various brands performance compared side by side in equal conditions. Let’s keep the posts in this thread focused on data and not anecdotal examples. Thanks and good luck!

Edit to address issues

 

[Elk botherer]

Sig Kilo 2200BDX with a Panasonic battery Was able to range to 1,300 yards with quick returns.

After one hour in a -2 degree F freezer I reinstalled the battery and the display was barely visible, even in the darkness outside. It wouldn’t range anything accurately. I had to carefully remove the frost from the laser lens a couple of times while testing to make sure it wasn’t a factor.

30 minutes later I tried it again and the Sig’s display was brighter and I could range up to 700 yards. It was a little slow but worked for hunting ranges.

1 hour later the Sig was back to normal performance and accuracy.

 

[Formidilosus]

A thread on Sig Rangefinders performance in cold weather prompted me to start this thread. I personally have had issues with Sig rangefinders in the cold which led me to wonder if it is a Sig issue or a general problem that affects all rangefinders? Is it a cold battery hindering the rangefinder’s performance or is it the rangefinder itself? Maybe battery brand is a factor? Another member put his rangefinder in his freezer and then tracked how it performed as it warmed up with some interesting results.

For those of us who hunt in cold weather and don’t want to be let down by our electronics, here’s a thread where we can test our various brands of rangefinders and see how they perform so we can make informed decisions on purchases to reduce our chance of equipment letting us down in the field when it counts most. Maybe this can be like Form’s drop test thread for scopes

Here’s the procedure to make testing accurate and repeatable:

Step 1- state your make and model of rangefinder (and battery type) and then test your warm rangefinder in normal conditions and record its performance and accuracy.

Step 2- Remove the battery from your rangefinder to keep it warm and then put your rangefinder in your freezer for one hour (record the internal temp of your freezer).

Step 3- after one hour pull your rangefinder out of the freezer and reinstall your battery and document how it performs when you test it out. Display brightness, ranging ability, and general function.

Step 4- after initial testing place rangefinder somewhere warm whether it’s in your house on a counter or inside of an internal jacket pocket for 30 minutes and then retest your rangefinder and again, document functionality and performance. When done testing, place rangefinder back in warm environment to continue the warming up process.

Step 5- test again one hour later and record data.

I’m no engineer and if anyone has better ideas of testing, let me know- such as maybe test every 15 minutes instead of 30 minute intervals and length of time left in freezer. Maybe this whole thing is silly but I think it would be interesting to see various brands performance compared side by side in equal conditions. Let’s keep the posts in this thread focused on data and not anecdotal examples. Thanks and good luck!

There has been quite a bit written about it.

A couple of things- cold soaking is the issue, not “cold weather”. The RF’s need to be in the freezer over night/for a day to cold soak. The battery needs to be left in them- you don’t walk around with the battery out of the RF and then put it in right before you range. RF’s run the battery down or need more juice when cold soaked to different degrees- same battery, different performance with different RF’s. When pulled out of the freezer after cold soaking overnight, if the RF doesn’t work- then swap batteries with a fresh one and see what happens.

 

[Elk botherer]

Leupold Rx-1400i TBR/W with an energizer battery was able to range to 1,250 yards with quick returns at warm temps.

After one hour in a -2 degree F freezer I reinstalled the battery and the display was bright but it wouldn’t range anything accurately. I had to carefully remove the frost again from the laser lens a couple of times while testing to make sure it wasn’t a factor.

30 minutes later I tried it again and the Leupold was back to normal operation

 

[Tmac]

My brothers Leupold RF quit working on a MT hunt due to cold. My Leica worked fine. Fresh batteries in both. Was in the single digits/low teens at daylight to around 20-22 highs. Warmed it up and it worked. He has a Leica now with no issues so far.

 

[Elk botherer]

There has been quite a bit written about it.

A couple of things- cold soaking is the issue, not “cold weather”. The RF’s need to be in the freezer over night/for a day to cold soak. The battery needs to be left in them- you don’t walk around with the battery out of the RF and then put it in right before you range. RF’s run the battery down or need more juice when cold soaked to different degrees- same battery, different performance with different RF’s. When pulled out of the freezer after cold soaking overnight, if the RF doesn’t work- then swap batteries with a fresh one and see what happens.

That was a quick reply! Thanks for the feedback. Maybe we should test them after 24 hours in the freezer in addition to the one hour test to simulate overnight cold weather camping vs being in the field for an hour? Another member said to remove the battery and put it in your pocket to keep it warm and that will fix a rangefinder so that’s why I decided to take it out to help prove what the cause of lack of performance was. I never take the battery out of mine. Maybe you should set up protocol for cold testing rangefinder brands since you have more knowledge than I do and make your own better thread?

 

[Formidilosus]

That was a quick reply! Thanks for the feedback. Maybe we should test them after 24 hours in the freezer in addition to the one hour test to simulate overnight cold weather camping vs being in the field for an hour? Another member said to remove the battery and put it in your pocket to keep it warm and that will fix a rangefinder so that’s why I decided to take it out to help prove what the cause of lack of performance was. I never take the battery out of mine. Maybe you should set up protocol for cold testing rangefinder brands since you have more knowledge than I do and make your own better thread?

I wasn’t intending to poo poo your effort. Just wanted to clarify so that people get the information that they are actually looking for. What you wrote was just fine, those couple of additions or tweaks just makes sure you’re seeing the full picture.

 

[MC2FS]

I wasn’t intending to poo poo your effort. Just wanted to clarify so that people get the information that they are actually looking for. What you wrote was just fine, those couple of additions or tweaks just makes sure you’re seeing the full picture.

Hey Form!

I can speak to this a little since I kinda prompted it in the other thread.

I had issues with my range finder 30-45min after leaving the house on a 15° F day. When I contacted CS about it, they said it was a battery issue and other members also said they have had to keep their battery warm, replace it, etc.

So to attempt to recreate my scenario, it was short duration and I wanted to isolate just the unit for testing. What I found was the unit performed worse than it did in the field even without the battery sitting with it. Possibly because the freezer temp was -3?

 

[MC2FS]

Here was my results copied from the other thread:

I first tested my RF with a fresh battery and everything being at room temperature. It was functioning perfectly normal. I then placed the rangefinder without the battery in the freezer for 45min. I kept the battery in my pants pocket, the one that Terrapin was referring to…

Once I took it out, I quickly put the battery in the unit turned on but wouldn’t range anything (house at 100yds, brush, rocks, outbuilding at 10yds, nothing) and within about 20 seconds slowly dimmed before I couldn’t see anything on the screen. Popped in another new, warm battery and still nothing on the display.

Placed it where it could warm up in the sun on the window sill and within 30min it slowly started to work at some ranges. Let is set for 30min more and it was back to working as normal. I looked at the “ambient temp” of the unit in the app and it said 80°.

 

[5MilesBack]

For my Sig Kilo 2000 that I had I didn't even need to freeze it. I just used it every now and then and one day it wouldn't do anything......even with a new battery. I've heard of this type of thing with the Sigs a lot.

Now that I think about it, my Sig quit working on a nice balmy -5 degree morning two years ago during third rifle elk season. But even after it warmed back up, it never functioned again. Thankfully they replaced it under warranty with the 3k, which I promptly sold, and bought another Leica.

 

[Elk botherer]

I wasn’t intending to poo poo your effort. Just wanted to clarify so that people get the information that they are actually looking for. What you wrote was just fine, those couple of additions or tweaks just makes sure you’re seeing the full picture.

I didn’t take it that way and I was being genuine, just acknowledging you have superior knowledge I’ll tweak the testing procedure and if you have more to suggest, I’m wide open. Thanks!

 

[Maverick1]

Have your testing replicate real life.

Leave battery in the unit.
Leave it in the freezer overnight.

Not realistic to install a warm battery just before testing.

Buy a new battery if that is a concern.

Want to test the unit? Submerge it in water for a long period of time before putting it into the freezer overnight. “But it might break” - that is the point of the test.

 

[MC2FS]

Did the same test with my trusty but outdated 15 year old Leica Rangemaster 900 just to see except I didn’t use a new battery.

Display was maybe very very slightly dimmer but still readable the whole time and I got a few ranges out to 100yds before it stopped giving me anything. I wiped the frost off the lens that had just built up and it was able to get some ranges out to 800. Best I can do with it on a good day is 999yds anyways.

I can’t remember the last time I changed the battery on it but it’s been atleast 3 years or more.

This unit may benefit from a longer test as it’s noticeable heavier/thicc.

 

[Elk botherer]

Have your testing replicate real life.

Leave battery in the unit.
Leave it in the freezer overnight.

Not realistic to install a warm battery just before testing.

Buy a new battery if that is a concern.

Want to test the unit? Submerge it in water for a long period of time before putting it into the freezer overnight. “But it might break” - that is the point of the test.

Procedure edited to address battery issue to make it more realistic. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[Skerhunter]

I tested my leica 2800.com when I first got it. Didn’t need a freezer because it was the middle of January! Left it outdoors in sub zero temps to replicate multiple days of hunting and cold never affected the performance enough to mess up a hunt (ranged way further than you can shoot game). Also tested it in rain/fog/snow to see how much my range would be reduced. The range was basically limited to how far I could see game, so no worries there.

It does however eat batteries compared to older basic rangefinders, which makes sense when the Bluetooth is in. I went through 4 this year compared to my old 1200i that gets used 10x more and only needed one battery.

Another thing I learned is to do a gut check on the sensors (make sure shooting solution matches data still). I saw one go down this year, where it would range but wouldn’t give the correct shooting solution (angle was off on up/downhill shots). Check mine constantly now.

 

[Huntin Fool]

my vortex fury’s never leave the pickup and we have long periods of below zero weather. They’ve never not worked

 

[mt terry d]

My Fury 5000 AB sucks in the cold.
I haven't done the "test" but if it's around +5F or less the RF
aspect is practically useless. That's with a new lithium battery
When it's cold I carry a backup RF in my pocket which works better
no doubt because it's warmer in my pocket.

I'd carry a spare battery in my pocket but there's no way in hell I can
change that in the field with cold hands; and I doubt it would last
very long anyway

I've considered putting a handwarmer in the bottom of the marsupial
bino case but have not tried it yet. Has anyone else?

 

[Huntin Fool]

My Fury 5000 AB sucks in the cold.
I haven't done the "test" but if it's around +5F or less the RF
aspect is practically useless. That's with a new lithium battery
When it's cold I carry a backup RF in my pocket which works better
no doubt because it's warmer in my pocket.

I'd carry a spare battery in my pocket but there's no way in hell I can
change that in the field with cold hands; and I doubt it would last
very long anyway

I've considered putting a handwarmer in the bottom of the marsupial
bino case but have not tried it yet. Has anyone else?

Maybe you should send them in for warranty, I have hunted coyotes in 10-20 below windchill and they work fine

 

[mt terry d]

I didn't think that would be a warranty thing.

I'll give it a try, thanks.

 

[Huntin Fool]

I didn't think that would be a warranty thing.

I'll give it a try, thanks.

Or if you happened to buy them at scheels they might just swap them for a new pair. Another plus for shopping at scheels