If you have followed the distance measuring device scene over the past few years, you have probably noticed an influx of inexpensive devices claiming to offer precision, and Wosports 600Yards Laser Rangefinder is on that list. Can a range finder coming in at under a hundred bucks that has many of the features of the more expensive units on the market deliver?
Before we get into the unit itself, which we were sent by the company, I want to point out that I found the website rather confusing. The company offers a number of options, each designated by the number of yards (assumably how far you can be from the target). When you use the links at the top of the website to choose golf (there are multiple that say golf), different options come up. We can assume this is done for search, but as a golfer looking for a device, it is confusing and poorly done. You can see this actual unit and what we mean about the website here. With that said, their website business presumably pales in comparison to that of their Amazon business, so we will move on for now.
Upon arrival, and initial interaction with the device, it is what you would expect for a sub $100 range finder. A bit “plasticky”, light-weight, and fairly bare bones. Coming from using the Precision Pro NX7 Pro unit, the device feels cheaper, but at the end of the day, the goal is accuracy, so off to the range we went for some measuring.
The Features
Flag Locking 150 Yards: When the flag distance is locked, the machine will vibrate automatically.
Powered by CR2 Battery (Included)
Guarantee: Wosports Happy Guarantee Worry-free 18-month warranty and friendly customer service.
Measuring Time: 0.5-1 sec
Distance Measure Accuracy: ±1Y
Measurement Distance Range: 5-800Y
Looking through the features, there are a number of things that jumped into my head. First, this unit says it is capable of up to 800 yards, yet is called the Wosports 600Yards (no spaces). Yes, they also have an 800Yards unit that is rechargeable and for what it’s worth, a 650 yard unit as well. The second thing that we were looking to test out is the flag locking, because only giving the vibrate feature to 150 yards seems a bit short sided, no pun intended. Finally, the measuring time of up to 1 second seems rather slow in comparison to a few other units we have tested.
At the range, we measured 75, 100, 150, 185, 205 and 265 for a bit of time alternating not only between flags but between devices. Speed wise, the unit is plenty fast. It may say up to a second, and no it is not offering the blazing speeds that some of the models we have reviewed recently offer, but it didn’t feel like it was an eternity. Accuracy, we are also happy to report, was right there with the Precision Pro and Bushnell devices we used side by side. So we have decent speed and the unit appears to give accurate distances.
Next we moved on to scanning flags and locking in with vibration. No go. Well, I shouldn’t really say no go because it did vibrate occasionally, even sometimes on a flag. At 75 yards, it buzzed us once or twice in the dozen or so times we hit the target. At 100 yards, we got nothing and at 150 it zapped us once, but nothing passed there which based on the features listed makes sense. If you are looking for “Jolt Technology” from the Wosports unit than this might not be the device for you as our test model was a bit lackluster in that department.
Measurement range up to 800 yards is wonderful. I don’t know about you, but I don’t play holes that long, so 600 would have been perfect too. After use, I would have been okay with 300 honestly. When you get the target, the accuracy is in line with anything on the market. Scanning does work similarly to other models in the market place, but when comparing side by side, it doesn’t work as well. This is where the speed comes into play and the pin lock technologies that many of the top devices use. As a laser user for over a decade, it was a bit frustrating and I had to remind myself more than once that we are speaking to a device that is priced at 20% of the latest Bushnell model.
The question becomes price vs features in devices like this. Here is a unit that comes in at less than $100 and is as accurate as the Bushnell unit we just tested at over $500. If those were the only two options, this would be a no brainer. There are a myriad of choices in between there that haven’t given me the same issues scanning and locking that this one has in comparison and that is where my struggle is. For the price, it delivers on what it says it will do, minus the vibration part, so it has a lot going for it.
This unit reminds me a lot fo the Tour V2 that came out about 10 years ago. At that time, it was a great device and with little to compare the Wosports 600Yards to, I think I would feel similarly. As a golfer that is looking for not just accuracy, but convenience, the Wosports 600Yards falls a bit short on the delivery to me. With so many units available today at price points ranging from this level to more than five times the cost, there will be something for everybody.
Have you tried a Wosports unit out? Leave us a comment below or join us in the THP Forum thread for more conversation here.
