The 10 Best Laser Rangefinders

Golfers who want a laser that stays out of the way should start with the Bushnell Tour V7 Shift. It buzzes and flashes a red ring when it locks onto the flag, and its two-color screen shows the hill-adjusted yardage in green and the true distance in red. A side switch turns slope off for tournament rounds, and a magnet holds it to a cart bar. It's new enough that few owners have used it for more than a season.

Hunters who shoot both rifle and bow get a lot for the money in the Leupold RX-1400i TBR/W Gen 2. It corrects for steep angles, gives holdover for common rifle loads and has a bow mode that warns when a branch sits in the arrow's path. Outdoor Life called it a great buy after it ranged well past 1,000 yards off plain grass. The red readout looks sharp only when your eye sits dead center in the eyepiece.

The Callaway 300 Pro has sold steadily for years because it covers the golf basics at a fair price. A pulse tells you it has locked onto the pin, an outside switch turns slope on or off, and a magnet strip grabs the cart frame. A hard case and a battery are included, so it's ready for the first tee. It's an older design, and the disposable battery needs swapping about once a season.

For hunters who glass wide open country, the Vortex Diamondback HD 2000 reaches deer-size game well beyond half a mile, by the maker's figures. Its seven-power view and bright red display make a distant animal easier to hold in the sight, and it gives angle-corrected distance for steep shots. Vortex covers it for life, and the warranty passes to the next owner. It gives no holdover for bullets or arrows, so you work that out yourself.

The Vortex Triumph HD 850 is a small, light starter laser for bowhunters and casual rifle hunters who rarely shoot past a few hundred yards. It reads true horizontal distance for treestand and hillside shots, and a scan mode keeps updating as an animal walks. Vortex backs it with the same lifetime warranty as its pricier optics. On a deer it ranges only about 350 yards, and the black readout is harder to see at dusk than a lit display.

League and club-event players should look at the Nikon Coolshot 50i. A light on the outside shows when slope is switched off, so playing partners can see it's set up legally. The bright display and a double buzz confirm the pin lock, and a magnet holds it on the cart. Nikon USA covers it for five years, longer than most golf lasers. It sells in far smaller numbers than the big golf brands, so owner feedback is thin.

Golfers who want every bit of data before a shot can turn to the Bushnell Pro X3+ Link. Its slope reading also accounts for temperature and air pressure, a phone app puts wind direction in the view, and it can pair with a launch monitor. The armored metal body survives a dunk and has a cart magnet. It's heavy in the hand and costs a lot, and the wind feature works only with your phone close by.

Weekend golfers who would rather not spend much can cover the basics with the REDTIGER C001. It has slope with an on-off switch, a magnetic strip for the cart and a battery that charges from a phone cable, so there are no coin cells to buy. The seller lists accuracy to half a yard, a claim no outside test has confirmed. REDTIGER is a young brand, so support and long-term durability are harder to judge.

The Bushnell BoneCollector 850 keeps things simple with one button and a camo shell that blends into a treestand. It reads true distance on steep up and down shots, has a bow mode, and a scan setting follows a walking deer. All-glass lenses give a clear six-power view. It gives no ballistic holdover, and its reach on a dull, dark animal falls well short of the number in its name.

The TIDEWE HR-F700 takes the guessing out of distance at the archery range or in a deer stand for very little money. It has a scan mode, angle-corrected readings and a camo body, and its built-in battery recharges instead of eating coin cells. It works best on shots inside a couple of hundred yards. The maker is little known, so warranty help is an open question, and it struggles with small, dark targets far away.