Laser Rangefinder Review

Carrying a Rangefinder
One of the first decisions a hunter needs to make after buying a rangefinder is how he will carry it. There are a number of options, from stuffing it in a coat pocket to carrying it on a tethering system.  Here is a look at the options and the advantages and disadvantages of each carrying type.

Carrying in a pocket: Here the obvious advantage is that it is cheap with no special case or equipment required. Second, if you can carry it in a coat pocket this often makes the rangefinder easily accessible for quick use. However, there are several disadvantages here as well, first coat pockets are known to collect all sorts of debris and the fabric they were made out of wasn’t designed to be gentle on rangefinder lenses. Also, not every hunting occasion calls for heavy clothing with large pockets.  Finally, since most coat pockets weren’t designed to carry a rangefinder they don’t ride as securely as other methods of transporting these devices, and losing a new rangefinder that cost several hundred dollars can ruin a good hunting trip quickly.

Tethers: These units attached to a piece of your clothing, often a belt or vest, and also attach to the rangefinder. These units are simple, lightweight, fast to access and keep track of your rangefinder for you even when things get exciting. Tethers also allow you to place the rangefinder in a variety of positions so you can place it in a spot that won’t interfere with other gear like binoculars or your weapon. The main disadvantage of tethers is that it leaves the lenses exposed to the elements while you are hunting. Also if you find yourself doing a lot of belly crawling or hunting in thick cover then a tether might be for you as the exposed lenses can get scratched.

Carrying Cases: Sometimes carrying cases are included with the purchase of a rangefinder, and can usually be attached to a belt, which provides for quick access. The main issue with carrying cases is noise, as snaps and Velcro are often used on the cheapo cases that often come with rangefinders. Fortunately, there are many good aftermarket rangefinder cases that have been well thought out and utilize bungee cords or magnets for securely closing the case. Furthermore, these cases generally provide protection of one or both of the rangefinders exterior lenses. Carrying cases, depending on the design, usually offer nearly full protection from the elements, and provide a secure way to keep you rangefinder with you and easily accessible.

 

Rangefinder Lens Care and Maintenance
The key to keeping any good hunting optic’s view as clean and crisp as the day you bought it is taking good care of the lenses. This is probably one of the most overlooked aspects of hunting equipment maintenance; keeping optics free of dirt and debris without scratching the surfaces or without removing any special lens coating isn’t rocket science but does require the proper equipment. Hint: Your shirt sleeve is not proper equipment.

Lens Pen: A lens pen, in my opinion, is the most importance piece of optics cleaning equipment you can own is a good lens pen. The good news is that they range in price from under $10 to over $30, and some are better than others but the main thing is to have one. A lens pen is a very simple, it looks like a pen and on one end it has a piece of circular optics cleaning material, and on the other end it has a retractable optics brush. To use a lens pen you first gently dust the lenses with the brush end, which knocks off dirt and debris that can scratch a lens; then flip the pen around and clean the lens with the circular pad. The circular pad works excellent for cleaning right to the edges of the lenses. Tip: These are well worth taking with you into the field as they can be use to clean riflescopes, binoculars, and spotting scopes as well as your rangefinder.

Optics Spray Cleaner: Is designed for use on optics, good optics spray is designed to clean the lenses without affecting or removing any special coating the manufacture might have used on the optics. Spray helps remove oil smudges from fingerprints, or dried water spots that can be tuff to get off with a lens pen alone. Note, these usually come in tiny spray bottles and a little goes a long way, so don’t be afraid to get the good stuff as a tiny container will clean a lot of small optics lenses, or large ones for that matter.

 

Micro Fiber Cloths: These are designed to clean optics without scratching the surface, assuming that you have got all the loose debris off with a brush. These cloths work well in conjunction with optics spray, as they are larger than the circular pads on a lens pen and can soak up more moisture. Tip: Most first time users of optics spray over do it, very little liquid is needed for cleaning something with the surface area of a rangefinder lens.

 

 

 

Rangefinder Miscellaneous
These are some other rangefinder accessories that really didn’t fit into a category but are worth mentioning, well at least the first two.

Spare Battery: When hunting it is always a good idea to have back up batteries for your equipment, and rangefinders are no exception. Some rangefinders use a common 9 volt battery, but the majority of rangefinders today use a less common 3 volt style battery. While the 9 volt battery can be found almost anywhere, the 3 volt battery is harder to find, but really no matter what type of battery your rangefinder takes you should have a spare one with you, so you can keep your rangefinder operating at all times. Many rangefinders will experience a decrease in ranging performace as the battery starts to get weak, so it is a good practice to get a new battery installed when hunting and use weaker batteries for practice or emergency backups.

Tripod: Some long range shooters and varmint hunters find a tripod a handy tool for getting the most out of a rangefinder (not all rangefinders have a built in tripod adapter so make sure yours does before ordering a tripod). Tripods hold the rangefinder steadier than they can be held by hand, which enables the shooter to get more first attempt readings, and sometimes range targets that can’t be ranged off hand. Of course tripods aren’t for everyone as they are too bulky for most hunting application. However, if you do most of your shooting from a bench and have room, a tripod can help you get the most out of your rangefinder. Shoot tripods are generally favored for rangegfinder use as they are generally stationed on a bench.

Rangefinder Scope Mount: Okay this one is pretty specific, but if you find yourself hunting with a crossbow or rimfire rifle, and have a horizontal style rangefinder (apparently a vertical rangefinder adapter is made) then a scope mount is available. While the idea seems good, and it could be, you might make yourself the target of a Jeff Foxworthy joke if you are seen with this setup, but hey function first right?