Customer Reviews

Swarovski Laser Range Finder

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have tried different rangefinders on my ranch in Montana and these are clearly the top of the line. They are not the lightest I have used, but at 2 lbs they are not bad, even if you plan on hiking around all day with these and a pair of binoculars. Very well built and able to stand up to the drop test.

Ranging out to 1500 yds is a bit on the crazy side, nice to be able to do it and to be able to brag about it, and these do it well, but a bit crazy, as unless you are a marine sniper why would you care if something is at 1441 yds vs. 1500 yds? Most people would say in either case, "It's just a darn long ways away". And it is!

They work the best of any I have tried in bad weather conditions and do work well through the windshield of the truck, etc. Note: No rangefinder works that great in rain or snow as naturally the laser has to be able to reach the target point to be accurate, but these tend to be the best.

Accuracy seems to be spot on. Battery life is good. Optics are very good. Sighting in doesn't seem to be any harder than other brands - none are super easy. Ranging short distances (25 yds, 50 yds and 100 yds) works just fine.

So if you like top of the line products, want to know exactly how far "a long ways away" is and can afford them, you want this rangefinder.

Expensive, but beautifully built, solid, compact and surprisingly small in the hand. Comes with a very good *trouser ( *pants for the benefit of our US friends ) belt holster which locks the rangefinder securely in place when on the move. Excellent optically as one would expect from a name and reputation of Swarovski, the instrument is simple to use.

Downside, in certain lighting conditions it can be difficult to see the superimposed orange range indicator. The only other negative is in the ability of holding the instrument steadily enough when targetting a small-ish distant object. You do need to be very steady and consistent in order to hold the target circle on the object to be measured.

Overall, the Swarovski is a first class top draw laser rangefinder with just a few minor hiccups to keep the score down to 4/5 marks.

Two things stand out about this product immeadiately:

1) Easy to hold by hand and range objects

2) Very sturdy and the glass is EXCELLENTLY clear

Cons:

Unlike so many other units on the market this point, there is no inclinometer (angle detection) in this unit.

What you get is a somewhat hard to see circle based reticle, that when attempting to range distances at the limit of it's range, the unit WILL range objects OUTSIDE the aiming reticle that are closer to you.

This is very annoying.

When it does range, it is VERY accurate.

However, when compared to a Bushnell 1600 Elite ARC, it's not worth, IMO, more than twiece the price.

It will range LARGE object that have NOTHING in the foreground between you and that object to a consider distance, but you may need a tripod or need to make MANY attempts.

What I'd really like to see is an updated version that has angle detection and brush modes (that would cause it to ignore close in objects).

Out of 30 attempts to range a chruch steeple between the canopies of of two trees, and WITHOUT the aim reticle any near the tree, I got ONE successful ranging of the steeple. (Ever other ranging attempt either got the trees or gave me "---" [aka "no reading"].)

The ONE time it was able to give me a read, I got 1876 yards. Which turns out to be DEAD on...

Considering the fact that this did not range well (in the conditions described above), I returned it.

I have owned countless laser rangefinders throughout the years. Before they were available to civilians, I used to use angles, cosine & calculus calculations to range targets.

Though the Leica rangefinder has a ballistic calculator built-in, it is not worth the money. If you are going to rely on software to calculate your bullet placement, then you MUST consider all of the environmental conditions (wind, elevation, temperature, barometric pressure, angles, bullet coefficients & weight, etc.).

The Swarovski Rangefinder is ACCURATE! I have verified it's accuracy with a surveying transit and calculus, and have found it to be +/- 1 YARD at a distance of 1500 yards!

The error factor of most laser rangefinders begins to increase with the distance. Their optics and laser sensors are not of sufficient precision tolerances to guarantee accuracy. The SWAROVSKI'S are a precision device with MIL-SPEC components! They will survive your drop tests too! Mine have survived a few falls from a tree stand without and internal damage!

YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR! Most hunters will never fire a shot at a target over 500 yards, but knowing that your rangefinder is DEAD-ON at that distance will ensure an accurately placed shot.

These weigh about 2 pounds. On a short trip, they can be used to replace binoculars - they are THAT BRIGHT & CLEAR. However, I always take along my Steiner 10x50 Military Binoculars, so that I do not get headaches from closing one eye all day.

WORTH VERY SINGLE PENNY!