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Nikon COOLSHOT 20 Laser Rangefinder - THP Review Thread

SuperStroke
Jman said:
Its nice, I will say I wish they'd used a carabiner setup instead of the double overlap velcro. Its sturdy as heck on my bag, but for the price of a rangefinder (even a more affordable one like this) I want to never ever think twice about how its attached to the bag.
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I have lenses that attach to my camera bag by the same method and if the sturdiness of their attachment is any indication you should have no worries unless you move the case from bag to bag hundreds of times. Apart from that maybe a stop by a sporting goods place to pick up a large carabiner that the strap fit through would mean you only have to undo it once.
 
Tedfroop said:
I have lenses that attach to my camera bag by the same method and if the sturdiness of their attachment is any indication you should have no worries unless you move the case from bag to bag hundreds of times. Apart from that maybe a stop by a sporting goods place to pick up a large carabiner that the strap fit through would mean you only have to undo it once.
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Oh, its durable and strong for sure, just saying IMO a carabiner and non-velcro strap to attach to the bag is a safer setup in my mind.

Sorry for no updates, I blanked as I was actually trying to get the review written and waiting to get good weather. I've got I think 8 rounds on it now and frankly, it is what it is. It locks on good, little slower than some of the top-tier models but not bad. Numbers are reliable and consistent. The form factor is going to be interesting for some I think, as this is TINY. I'll add though, for the price, I think its a hell of an intro unit for people, it does what it needs to and frankly for most golfers that is all they need.
 
Miller Time said:
What a great price. If this performs well, I could definitely see myself finally taking the plunge on a rangefinder.
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I had the same exact thought... I have a rangefinder on my list of next things I want to buy. I'll be interested to see how this works.
 
Wow really like what i am reading so far. Great review James! With this price point really really has me thinking about pulling the trigger. Been wating a good range finder just could stomach the $400+ price points. This seems like it really might be made just for me.
 
musicmaster6921 said:
Wow really like what i am reading so far. Great review James! With this price point really really has me thinking about pulling the trigger. Been wating a good range finder just could stomach the $400+ price points. This seems like it really might be made just for me.
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Here you go dude, review thread w the review link to the homepage in the first post is up: http://www.thehackersparadise.com/forum/showthread.php?71736-Nikon-CoolShot-20-Rangefinder-Review
 
Picked up one of these today with some Christmas money I had gotten. This will be a back up/adjunct to my watch.


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Great price point and it looks like a nice compact unit.
 
Used mine a little on my Florida trip, no issues hitting the flag, the scan feature is nice to go the the lip of a bunker to the flag.


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Nice ppt and nice little size to it.
 
Been in the market for an "affordable" laser for a while, this might fit the bill.

Good read Jman!
 
Great review. I have loved and owned Nikon rangefinders for the past 17 years and I have one that is 9 years old that is sitting in my golf bag at our condo that still works perfectly. That one is a higher end Monarch 1200 yard series that I bought from a hunting store and its ability and speed of picking up a flag is as good as anything I've owned, including a Bushnell Tour Z6 and my current favorite, a Leopold GX3i2.

Nikon often makes the exact same rangefinder in their hunting line that differs only in color. From what I can tell, the Nikon Aculon 8397 is the exact same rangefinder as this Coolshot 20 except for the skin. All the specs(eye relief, field of view, range, power, dimensions, etc) are identical. From a quick search on Amazon the 8397 model is $149, a steal and very likely the best performing rangefinder at that price.

http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-8397-ACULON-Laser-Rangefinder/dp/B00EF30VWA
 
I have used this the last two rounds I've played since I can't find the cord for my gps watch. I've had zero issue hitting the flag, bunkers, trees and even the ground. I'm really happy with the performance of this unit and for the price you can't beat it.

The size of the unit is awesome, small, light and fits nicely in the square hole in the middle of the cart.
 
I'm not here to contradict Taheobum because I've never used Nikon rangefinders. Reviews I just read about the Aculon model say it's terrific for golf.
However, just based on these published descriptions, I'd want to do more research.

The Coolshot description: First Target Priority technology quickly and accurately identifies the flagstick from the background.
The Aculon Description: The ACULON rangefinder is conveniently programmed to display the range of the furthest target among a group of targets measured.

That sounds like a significant difference, but in practice, is it really? I don't know.


 
Anyone still using this rangefinder? I bought one last summer and have been having a lot of trouble out of it lately. Anything over ~170 it won't register at all, and is very spotty outside of 145. I put a new battery in, hoping it would solve the problem, but no luck. I've almost given up on it.
 
RadRob said:
I'm not here to contradict Taheobum because I've never used Nikon rangefinders. Reviews I just read about the Aculon model say it's terrific for golf.
However, just based on these published descriptions, I'd want to do more research.

The Coolshot description: First Target Priority technology quickly and accurately identifies the flagstick from the background.
The Aculon Description: The ACULON rangefinder is conveniently programmed to display the range of the furthest target among a group of targets measured.

That sounds like a significant difference, but in practice, is it really? I don't know.
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I received the Aculon as a Christmas gift. It's very hard to get the flag. When I use it, I usually just try to shoot the green around the pin to give me a distance. If it's an elevated green, forget it.
 
I just got one and it is working fine, obviously because it is new. But I don't have any trouble getting a reading. A little shaky with 1 hand but 2 is no problem.
 
I decided to buy this as my first rangefinder and I've only used it at the range but so far so good. It's really, really small. A lot smaller than I thought it would be. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but you have to two hand it for longer distances to keep it steady. Looking forward to trying it out on the course. My go to driving range flags are off by almost 10 yards! lol
 
cwsiggy said:
I decided to buy this as my first rangefinder and I've only used it at the range but so far so good. It's really, really small. A lot smaller than I thought it would be. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but you have to two hand it for longer distances to keep it steady. Looking forward to trying it out on the course. My go to driving range flags are off by almost 10 yards! lol
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I got one of these a few month ago.

great rangefinder for someone who cant justify spending $400 on Bushnells
 
I've been using this rangefinder for over a year now and it's great! I like that it will easily fit in a pocket when needed and I haven't had to replace the stock battery yet. I have no problems locking in on the flag and appreciate that I can point and shoot at any hazard for a quick distance check. Personally I couldn't justify spending another $100 when the Nikon Coolshot 20 does everything that I need!
 
For those in Canada - price at Golftown is $289.99 CAD. I just bought it online from a golf club in Ft. Erie, Ont. for $229 CAD (+ tax) with free shipping to Canada and USA. Not sure if I am allowed to put in a link to the course.
 
My course Nuneaton UK has lots of background trees and unless the flag is blowing its hard to pick up where as the bushnell my mate has finds it whatever's going on, started using my phone as really struggling with it !

anyone else had the same with poor background light ?
 
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