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Nikon CoolShot 20 Rangefinder Review

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Great job Jman. This sounds like a good no frills range finder. Nothing wrong with that.
 
Thanks for the great review James. Was timely for me as I have been eyeing them and don't really need a bunch of bells and whistles coming from stepping off distances from yardage markers.
 
I have a Nikon currently, the optics are great. I just wish it help with my shaky hands haha. Great review James!
 
I have this unit as well. Big pro for me is size as it's easy to take when traveling (I keep a bag in two places so it goes back and forth with me).

Downside is that it is a little hard to lock on the pin sometimes - my shaky hands more than anything. I wear a GPS watch and between the two it is great having good input on distances.

Added: Like any rangefinder - a lot more useful at the range than a GPS watch too.
 
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Great review. Given the price, size and simplicity, it's hard to beat. I've been pondering on one, as the smartphone app I normally use isn't allowed in tournaments; this might be the one to solve my problems.
 
Fantastic review James! Solid bang for the buck at $200.


That thing looks tiny in your hands but I know you don't have the smallest.


Does it use the standard CR2 battery?


Not a fan of the velcro on the case. I can see the side of the unit in the case, how does this compare against the Bushnell with the full case that it slides into? Just as safe?
 
I looked at this, the 40 and the AS extensively before settling on the as because of the price. Although they dont have a beep or buzz i find that getting the distance is pretty quick and easy with all 3 of them. The 20 is a great product for the cost.
 
Thanks for another great review James.

Having shopped around recently for a range finder, it's nice to see a quality option at an affordable price point. Like you said others in the market offer more options, but for what it provides, the Nikon Coolshot 20 is a solid buy.
 
Love the size of this thing and the price is pretty nice compared to all the $300-$400 lasers out there now. This one should move the needle I would think. Thanks James!
 
Great review James, this is exactly what many people are looking for. A solid device that's not going to break the bank. Sounds like the CoolShot delievered in every possible way. Thanks buddy!
 
Did you make it through 1 battery? With the 8 second continuous scan after you press the button, I'd be interested to know if that hurts battery life significantly.
 
Jank said:
Did you make it through 1 battery? With the 8 second continuous scan after you press the button, I'd be interested to know if that hurts battery life significantly.
Click to expand...
I had no battery issues. Still full capacity.
 
Nice to see a quality unit under $200. I just need to figure out how to hold one steady enough to actually get a good reading.
 
#Cookie said:
Fantastic review James! Solid bang for the buck at $200.


That thing looks tiny in your hands but I know you don't have the smallest.


Does it use the standard CR2 battery?


Not a fan of the velcro on the case. I can see the side of the unit in the case, how does this compare against the Bushnell with the full case that it slides into? Just as safe?
Click to expand...

Its small dude. Super compact.

Yep, cr2.

I prefer the Bushnell cases, but as I mentioned I had zero issues with it staying. Bc the velcro double overlaps, it hangs really secure.
 
Great review! Hard to beat a quality rangefinder for $199 in todays market.
 
Great review James. The CoolShot 20 sounds like a solid, accurate rangefinder at a great price point.
 
I'm glad this came out. I've been looking for a laser range finder for a while, just didn't wan to spend $400 on a top of the line model, as much as I'd like to. So, this fits the bill. Good stuff Jman!
 
$200 is about as much as I'm willing to pay for a rangefinder. Glad to hear it performs well. All I want from a rangefinder is a solid number and this seems to do that well. Nice writeup, Jman!
 
BradMorris said:
Nice to see a quality unit under $200. I just need to figure out how to hold one steady enough to actually get a good reading.
Click to expand...
If you ride a roofed cart often, use the roof support pole to steady the rangefinder. I've seen quite a few people do this
 
EaglevsFalcon said:
If you ride a roofed cart often, use the roof support pole to steady the rangefinder. I've seen quite a few people do this
Click to expand...
I also have good luck pressing it between my palms since you don't have to hold the button down

Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Tapatalk
 
Very intriguing. I haven't ever been able to justify the cost of an expensive range finder as my phones gps generally does a good enough to get by job. This might just hit the price point where I'll make the jump.
 
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
 
tahoebum said:
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.

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.

http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-8397-ACULON-Laser-Rangefinder/dp/B00EF30VWA
Click to expand...

Isn't this different? Honestly I hope you're right because I received the Aculon as a birthday gift. Since it's winter I haven't had a chance to try it on the golf course yet. I'm hoping to get to the range this weekend and try to test it there, but from what I've read online it's pretty worthless over 150 yards. I'm hoping it surprises me.

Aculon

  • The ACULON rangefinder is conveniently programmed to display the range of the furthest target among a group of targets measured

Coolshot 20

  • First Target Priority technology quickly and accurately identifies the flagstick from the background.
 
Will82 said:
Isn't this different? Honestly I hope you're right because I received the Aculon as a birthday gift. Since it's winter I haven't had a chance to try it on the golf course yet. I'm hoping to get to the range this weekend and try to test it there, but from what I've read online it's pretty worthless over 150 yards. I'm hoping it surprises me.

Aculon

  • The ACULON rangefinder is conveniently programmed to display the range of the furthest target among a group of targets measured

Coolshot 20

  • First Target Priority technology quickly and accurately identifies the flagstick from the background.
Click to expand...

Good catch, Yes, that is different so the Coolshot would be better for golfers. I will say that I have an old hunting Nikon with furthest target priority and I never had problems with any flags up to about 260 yards. I'm sure the Coolshot 20 would read flags well beyond that.
 
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