Cobalt Q6 Laser Rangefinder Review

[RabidWombats]

Had an old college buddy into town last night so I didn't get to the unboxing pics until this morning. The Q6 ships with the Rangefinder, Case, cleaning cloth, and a owners manual. I flipped through the manual and it is well done, succinct with good diagrams. The case is nice. Feels like a MauI Jim Sunglasses case and has some faux fur lining in it. Wouldn't want to run over it but should handle a drop pretty well. The clasp feels like the weak point to me. It is an elastic band that hooks over a heavy plastic rivet. Could see this losing its elasticity over time and not being an effective closure. Time will tell. The back side of the case has a metal ring with a carabiner style gate closure. Feels sturdy in hand but is a little small, I estimate that the opening is ~3/4 inch or so.



In hand the rangefinder feels great. The unit itself feels solid, what one might call field grade. It is a little heavy but I interpret this as quality construction. The "Fire" button and the settings wheel are nicely located for my hands. The wheel and the slope switch do not feel cheaply made and take a little effort to toggle. I doubt that there will be many inadvertent setting changes. One thing that I had "trouble" with is the little flap to access the battery compartment. It's definitely not a deal breaker but my fat fingers were a little big to just pop it open. A tee popped it up just fine so just a minor inconvenience. Took it around the yard and shot various objects just to try it out and it locks and displays a yardage quickly. We are still pretty saturated from Ida so not sure when I will be able to get it out on the course but will post a follow up once I test it out during play.



Hit me up with any questions and I will try and get them answered as quickly as possible.

 

[Golfers Anonymous]

Had an old college buddy into town last night so I didn't get to the unboxing pics until this morning. The Q6 ships with the Rangefinder, Case, cleaning cloth, and a owners manual. I flipped through the manual and it is well done, succinct with good diagrams. The case is nice. Feels like a MauI Jim Sunglasses case and has some faux fur lining in it. Wouldn't want to run over it but should handle a drop pretty well. The clasp feels like the weak point to me. It is an elastic band that hooks over a heavy plastic rivet. Could see this losing its elasticity over time and not being an effective closure. Time will tell. The back side of the case has a metal ring with a carabiner style gate closure. Feels sturdy in hand but is a little small, I estimate that the opening is ~3/4 inch or so.

View attachment 9025430

In hand the rangefinder feels great. The unit itself feels solid, what one might call field grade. It is a little heavy but I interpret this as quality construction. The "Fire" button and the settings wheel are nicely located for my hands. The wheel and the slope switch do not feel cheaply made and take a little effort to toggle. I doubt that there will be many inadvertent setting changes. One thing that I had "trouble" with is the little flap to access the battery compartment. It's definitely not a deal breaker but my fat fingers were a little big to just pop it open. A tee popped it up just fine so just a minor inconvenience. Took it around the yard and shot various objects just to try it out and it locks and displays a yardage quickly. We are still pretty saturated from Ida so not sure when I will be able to get it out on the course but will post a follow up once I test it out during play.

View attachment 9025434

Hit me up with any questions and I will try and get them answered as quickly as possible.

How clearly would you say it displays the information in different situations like sunny vs cloudy and as well as when the sun is towards you?

 

[brians]

The Q6 rangefinder arrived today. First thoughts on the unboxing:
I like the fact that it’s already in its case. As mentioned above it looks like an eyeglass case with a round metal carabiner ring securely attached. The case is easy to open and close. It’s a good overlap. The elastic clasp might be the only fear in a few years if it dries out. For now I like how quickly it can be opened and put away.
The Q6 itself is so so simple. Two buttons. And a slope on/off. That’s it. It has good weight to it as well. It is small in size but it feels durable because of its weight.
We took it outside when it was almost dark. It picked up the center of the object just by holding the “fire” button. It vibrates and gives a nice bright readout on the yards ( btw: one quick no-look button push changes it to meters ). Really that easy to use. There is a bright square that shows what you are aimed at and focused on.
This will be used on a really short course this weekend to give a more detailed hang from a carry bag review. The picture is the clasp I was concerned about.

 

[brians]

How clearly would you say it displays the information in different situations like sunny vs cloudy and as well as when the sun is towards you?

The information is clear as day in the sunset. We faced both directions to get a look for glare etc. The readings are bright red and seemingly impervious to sun. I did notice as it was getting darker, I really had to hold it still to get focus. Even then though, the whole process is literally seconds. It is really fast.
Hopefully one of us can get really good information regarding sunny vs cloudy soon for you.

 

[RabidWombats]

How clearly would you say it displays the information in different situations like sunny vs cloudy and as well as when the sun is towards you?

@Golfers Anonymous I took the Q6 out in the backyard today and played around with the brightness. The illumination dial is a really nice feature. In the shade I wheeled it all the way down to the lowest setting and could see the aiming reticle fine. Stepped out into the full sun and worked my way up to just looking at the blue sky and it quickly disappeared. A quick turn of the dial and within a few clicks it was visible. I turned it all the way up and it was bright red, very visible looking into the bright sky.

TL/DR: The illumination dial offers a wide range of brightness options that should make the aiming reticle visible in any light conditions.

 

[Shepx13]

I got my unit yesterday morning and sat down to unbox it soon after. Thank you @RabidWombats for posting so many fantastic pictures. There’s been some great discussion already about much of this so I will try to focus on things that either were not yet brought up or elaborate on others.

The packaging for the Cobalt Q6 is well designed to protect the unit during shipment. The box looks like a large egg carton slipped inside a sleeve. Since these are direct to consumer products, it makes sense to design the packaging in a way that can be sent right out in the mail without being put inside another box. Apple set the standard years ago for sleek product packaging and many other companies have realized the importance some people put on the "new shiny thing unboxing experience" (I don't really care myself). But if you are a fan of the TV show The Profit, I can imagine Marcus being slightly disappointed and telling Cobalt they need a better product presentation upon opening.



As the others have stated, the case for the Q6 feels high-quality with a furry material on the inside. It reminded me of what a nice set of binoculars would come in. The case gives you confidence it will protect the unit against whatever inadvertent abuse you may put it through. As some others have stated, I do have some reservations about how well the strap that keeps it closed will hold up over time. A button snap would have been preferred. One other thing that I wonder about is the blue accent that runs along the inside of the case and just peeks out slightly on the outside. It's a cool visual touch but it appears to be a zipped enclosure with no actual zipper on either end. If it ever opens up, I'm not sure how you would ever get it closed again.



Upon taking out the Q6, I immediately noticed how solidly built it felt. As someone with many years using industrial measuring equipment of various kinds, this thing seems built for many years of use (hence the lifetime warranty). The buttons and dials have the right amount of tension on them to feel quality as well. I have never used a rangefinder for golf before, but the unit was easy to figure out without reading the manual. I have included the picture of the battery and cover that was mentioned before. I have medium size hands so I had no problem taking the cover off and back on. A pet peeve of mine with any piece of hand-held electronics are snap-on battery doors (or other compartments that don't firmly close). Dropping something and having the battery come flying out is never fun. I'd much rather see a design like this than something easier to get to. Plus I'd imagine the battery will last a while so it's not something that will be messed with often.




I'm scheduled to play a round on Thursday when I'm out of town so I will report back sometime next weekend. But my initial impressions of the Cobalt Q6 are very good. The unit is built great and the controls seem easy to use. My nitpicks thus far are minor and have zero to do with the unit itself.

 

[Tee1Up]

I wouldn’t worry too much about the strap becoming a problem. I have had a Precision Pro for over 3 years and they use the same type of strap and I haven’t had any problems whatsoever.

 

[Golfers Anonymous]

Delivery date is suppose to be this Friday! Can’t wait to get this in hand to use this weekend. Excited to see how well the optics perform as I struggle sometimes to see the black in some other rangefinders like the red and ability to adjust the intensity.

 

[Jman]

These units are LEGIT. I can’t wait to follow this one, these have long time been in my “need” category.

 

[brians]

You will be very happy with the brightness knob. Looking into the sun was still a super fast process. I’ve never used a laser rangefinder before. It likes picking up trees in the background with the sun at my back, but it never once “locked in” on them. It is awesome so far. Now if only I could find a club that worked this consistently from 170 out..,

 

[RabidWombats]

Course review coming. Got a round scheduled for Saturday morning. Will post write up post round.

 

[Golfers Anonymous]

Knock on wood if USPS comes through I’ll have this in hand by this evening. Extremely quick shipping considering I ordered over the Holiday weekend and it’s already in the area just 3 days later so kudos on the delivery process.

 

[JB]

Knock on wood if USPS comes through I’ll have this in hand by this evening. Extremely quick shipping considering I ordered over the Holiday weekend and it’s already in the area just 3 days later so kudos on the delivery process.

Looking forward to your thoughts.

 

[Golfers Anonymous]

Quick write up for the Cobalt Q-6 Slope as it was sitting on my porch when I came home from work this afternoon so here are my first thoughts. Must say as of now I am thoroughly impressed with both the speed at which the unit was shipped (bought Holiday weekend at front door Thursday) and so far the performance and ease of use while just playing around in the yard. The build of the unit is rugged and looks really high end versus ones I have used in the past. I am really enamored with the Smart Switch as it is so simple to use it leaves you wondering why something like this hadn't been done before as it is a great asset vs. the typically multiple pushes or holding down this one then that one to change between the settings commonly found on others. The Slope toggle is pretty cut and dry as to it's either on or off an if it's on the light on the side is a dead give away to others as well as the readout on the display when looking through the lens. Switching back and forth between Yards and Meters is as simple as holding down the button at the center of the switch for 2-3 seconds to bounce back and forth between both units of measurement. As of yet my absolute favorite aspect of the switch is the ability to adjust the brightness of the display seen through the lens it goes from faint but easily readable to glowing red that could be read through smoke I'd think with how bright it shines. On this same subject counting I can tell I believe 9 different settings on the unit and you know when it's adjusted as there is a noticeable "click" for lack of a better word when going through without an actual audible sound. This is huge for me as I struggle sometimes to visually see the displays on some units when in black and in certain conditions. Accuracy of the unit seems outstanding and quite incredible as far as both with and without slope and gives noticeably different measurements between the two, and match what they where when taken with my past units. The ability to shoot targets within a tenth of a yard is quite nice although I highly doubt my game is capable of that standard. Mentioning past units and ones I have borrowed on course this is incredibly quick to give a read out to target I'm talking noticeably quick vs my old PP NX9 Slope, even more so on the 99$ ones I've borrowed in the past. this is one aspect that most don't realize till it's gone and it makes a huge difference especially if you don't have steady hands as it doesn't need to be held for quite as long. The display is crystal clear and the "red" gives off a slight orange like tint but that also could be my own vision but still clear to read and the display stays lit for 20 seconds after the last button is hit after timing. So far these are my thoughts on this unit and I'll have more once I play with this on course this weekend, if any questions or you want any specific tests let me know.

 

[Golfers Anonymous]

 

[JB]

Looking forward to the reviews from those we sent these out to.

 

[brians]

Live update!! Playing 9 holes. Giving it a test on its first big boy course.

 

[JB]

Live update!! Playing 9 holes. Giving it a test on its first big boy course.

Fun. looking forward to your thoughts post round.

 

[brians]

Live update!! Playing 9 holes. Giving it a test on its first big boy course.

It clips right onto the bag. It is so easy to get in and out of the case. A nice bright day.

 

[Shepx13]

I took this out for my first course test yesterday. As a reminder, this is the first laser rangefinder I have used.

The Cobalt Q6 feels great in the hand is very simple to use. Rotate the dial at the eyepiece for the diopter adjustment if you wear glasses (or need to and are too stubborn for them, like myself). The optics are large, clear and easy to see through. Press down on the fire button on the top of the unit to get your distance reading. The red color for the information (Pinsense Brackets, distance to target, slope) is easy to see and the brightness adjustment dial on the left is well placed to find the right setting depending on the time of day and your preferences. It was a bright day and I never had any problem reading the data.

This was the first time I played this course so I used the Q6 to measure distance to hazards, trees, and obviously to find the flag continuously throughout the round. In almost every situation, the Q6 was just about instantaneous with giving me a reading. When measuring distance to a flag, the Pinsense worked on every occasion (except one) and the Surge confirmation (a vibration and audio tone) inspired confidence that the distance reading was accurate. The Q6 did a great job picking out the flag from any surrounding trees or objects. I would randomly double check the distance reading and verify it came back the same (it always did). The lone exception of when the Pinsense did not work was on a hole where the green was up a steep hill and the sun was just out of view in the background. There was a ton of glare and it was hard for me to see so it may have even been user error.

As mentioned in a previous post, I was very excited to try this unit out for another reason as well: ARCCOS has been a disaster for me and caused a ton of frustration in the past. My main issues have been with the app stopping in the background (even though I have changed the iOS settings as needed) and sometimes losing place of where I am on a course. Yesterday I started a round on the ARCCOS app and then didn't mess with the app again (but just like clockwork, somewhere during the round it stopped working). I'm always "plugged into" my phone due to my business, so the freedom of mentally unplugging from my phone and not having to pull it out for distances allowed me to just focus on my game and enjoy the day.

I will continue to give updates over the next few weeks, but if anyone has any questions or requests, let me know.

 

[brians]

Cobalt Q6 rangefinder got its first long workout today. A quick note before I get to the blow by blow:
1: it made for a faster round as a walker. Having never owned one before, I was still in the habit of pacing markers. The speed in which this thing “fires” though mentioned a lot in the thread, can’t be stated enough.

Arrived at the course and got my clubs and push cart out of the hatch. Without thinking, I clipped the case onto my bag with one hand. No fumbling, or fuss, the circle carabiner is perfect. Once clipped on, the case sat horizontal without slipping or twisting at any point. Taking the unit out of case was easy and again one handed. I felt there was never a chance of it slipping out whenever the case was open. It was very well balanced. Super underrated design.
First hole par 4. I went a little left of fairway. It was nice to make a beeline for ball and not cut up the middle first to get a look at markers. 175.1 was the first reading. Did it again. 175.1. This thing is accurate.
Again: one handed grab and point. There is a little square that you just line up anywhere on the flagstick. That’s it.
It’s ridiculous to say it improved my score but it did. The wedge shots made a huge difference KNOWING it was 68.7 yards to the pin.
The slope switch was fun. It’s doesn’t clutter the screen and it really helped in telling me to put a little extra or a little less in the shot. It felt like cheating lol. it just gives a small number on the bottom of screen.
The adjustable eye piece was a really nice to use. Between that and the brightness knob, every picture was crystal clear.
The weight of it feels good on the hand. The “fire” button on top was perfect and it’s where the index finger should sit. The material is also a very solid grip. Putting it away it drops right in the case. Again one handed! All day. The quick sip of beer or quick puff of a cigar group should really look into this unit!!
please ask any and all questions. It’s getting another field trip Monday as well

 

[brians]

A glimpse inside the unit. Kept in mind, this is a phone 3 or four inches from eyepiece. The word vibrant doesn’t do this thing justice.

 

[JB]

A glimpse inside the unit. Kept in mind, this is a phone 3 or four inches from eyepiece. The word vibrant doesn’t do this thing justice.

What did you think of the adjustment as you turn the dial?

 

[Golfers Anonymous]

Good question. I love this feature, don’t recall if this has ever been an option on units before but it’s outstanding. Allows the users to pick their setting preference almost one of the only ways that comes to mind to “customize” a range finder in the internal aspect.

 

[YukonLiving]

Some great feedback coming in!

@brians - What do you think of the red colour readouts in the eyepiece? It sure looks sharp in your photos, considering.