Which Rangefinder??

apapro

apapro

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Behind my 338 Lapua watching a bull elk
I am looking to upgrade my rangefinder. I have narrowed it down to the VX-IV Leupold, the Leica 1200, and the Swarovski. I realize these three are in different price ranges and quality. If anyone has had a chance to use all three please input your 2 cents.

I will use the rangefinder for long range target shooting, hunting and archery. Are there any pros and cons for the more expensive rangefinders?

Thanks for the 2 cents!!
 
im in the same situation too.ive done some research on the lieca and swarovski .lieca is the fastest rangefinder . the swaros is the one which will range the farthest .i have looked and tried both of them .to me the swaro has the nicest glass in it .the swaro has a more stronger outer housing . the lieca looks a little plastic to me .the difference in price is about 350 dollars .when im ready to upgrade the swaro gets my vote.
 
Well I have compared the Leica and the Swaro and to me there is no comparison, the Swaro wins hands down. Better optics, and better ranging capabilities in the Swarovski..it's the reason why people who get paid to hunt use them. As far as the Leupold, I would buy the Bushnell 1500 before I bought that, I think it's very over rated, particularly at the price point. It's not even in the same galaxy as those other two, never mind the same class.
 
Admittedly, I don't know much about the Swaro, but I've read extensive comparisons and reviews about the Bushnells, Leupolds and Leicas. They all say essentially the same thing: You can basically forget the rest, and do it right with a Leica. Bushnells don't range up to their said range a lot of the time (eg. buy a 500 yard unit so you can get a 200 yard reading in less than ideal conditions (read: ordinary conditions that don't include the deer holding a mirror so you get a better reflection)) and Leupolds are overly complicated to use, with many different menus and buttons to cycle through and other garbage cluttering the display. Leicas are simple: Hit the button, get a reading. A good reading. Every time. Apparantly the optics are pretty darn good in them too.

Swaro is usually the creme de la creme with a price that reflects that, but if the price difference is slim, I would put some serious thought and research into establishing which one is truly the best. Like I said though, when you search for rangefinders on the internet, Leica always floats to the surface as being the rangefinder by which all others are judged.
 
X2 Muley. I've had the chance to compare all of the above, including the Bushnell, Leica, Leupold and
Swarovski under identical conditions at the same time.

The Swarovski was the hands down winner. The optics are so clear that I no longer carry my binoculars when I'm carrying the range finder.

The Swarovski is worth every penny above the cost of the others.

I bought mine from a site sponsor, Camera Land, flagged at the top of the page. It was a field tested unit but in perfect condition and about half the price I could pick it up in Canada for.
 
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You should also consider the new Zeiss 8x26 T PRF. You can get a demo unit at Cameraland, a site sponsor, for $629 US - a lot cheaper than the Swaro.

I have the Zeiss Victory 8x45 RF binoculars and I'm very pleased with the unit. Clear, fast and I've ranged beyond 1,500m with it.
 
I'm planning a similar purchase soon. Just wondering if anyone knows the price for the Leica 1200 here in Canada? I'd prefer to buy from a Canadian source if possible.
 
Range-Finder Selection

Burris 7x40 binocular, max 1500 yards. This LRF has relatively poor optics and is large, but it ranges well. $650.

Leica 1200 / 1200 Scan monocular, max 1200 yards. This LRF has good optics and is nice and compact. $650. If pressed for price, the 1200 and 1200 Scan models can be found for as cheap as $350 used. This is the best buy.

Leica Geovid binoculars, 8x or 10x magnification, max 1300 yards. This LRF has great optics and ranges well, but is large. It is the ultimate tool for target location, spotting, and ranging within 1000 yards. $1800 - 2100.

Swarovski 8x Laser Guide monocular, max 2000 yards. This LRF has good optics and is nice and compact. It ranges further than anything under $6000. Price is $900 new, $700 used. To get 2x the ranging ability, you have to spend at least 10x the cost of the range-finder. If you regularly need to range targets from 800-2000 yards, this is the best choice. Its only downside is the large reticle which is hard to pinpoint on targets.
 
malenurse said:
Range-Finder Selection

Burris 7x40 binocular, max 1500 yards. This LRF has relatively poor optics and is large, but it ranges well. $650.

Leica 1200 / 1200 Scan monocular, max 1200 yards. This LRF has good optics and is nice and compact. $650. If pressed for price, the 1200 and 1200 Scan models can be found for as cheap as $350 used. This is the best buy.

Leica Geovid binoculars, 8x or 10x magnification, max 1300 yards. This LRF has great optics and ranges well, but is large. It is the ultimate tool for target location, spotting, and ranging within 1000 yards. $1800 - 2100.

Swarovski 8x Laser Guide monocular, max 2000 yards. This LRF has good optics and is nice and compact. It ranges further than anything under $6000. Price is $900 new, $700 used. To get 2x the ranging ability, you have to spend at least 10x the cost of the range-finder. If you regularly need to range targets from 800-2000 yards, this is the best choice. Its only downside is the large reticle which is hard to pinpoint on targets.
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Are you getting these prices in Canada or the US?
 
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We carry almost every brand of rangefinder on the market. Leupold has a new RX-1000 compact(smaller than a Leica CRF1200). We had this model (demo only) at the Calgary Gun show and let lots of customers compare the two. Most prefered the new Leupold due to the smaller size and brighter read out. The new Leupold also is a point and shoot model without all the extra stuff that makes the other Leupolds more difficult to use. There will be a new RX 1000 with TBR but I suspect the simpler model will be the more popular. The best news however is that it will price out around $500 CDN. I have none yet in stock but am expecting my first shipment soon...exact price will be determined on arrival of product. Phil.
 
Savage said:
Phil has Leupold corrected past issues and made improvements on thier new models of Rangefinders
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Yes...this is a brand new model...the smallest and the simplest unit on the market. I have never realy liked the original models as I found them too complex to use by a regular shooter who didn't want to spend three hours reading the manual and programing the unit. One model will have the TBR settings but the one we had at the show was point and shoot. The Leica may have a slight advantage in resulotion but the Leupold had brighter and easier to use display. Also the new Leupold had USB port and can be upgraded in the furture on the internet. Phil.
 
P of PDent said:
Yes...this is a brand new model...the smallest and the simplest unit on the market. I have never realy liked the original models as I found them too complex to use by a regular shooter who didn't want to spend three hours reading the manual and programing the unit. One model will have the TBR settings but the one we had at the show was point and shoot. The Leica may have a slight advantage in resulotion but the Leupold had brighter and easier to use display. Also the new Leupold had USB port and can be upgraded in the furture on the internet. Phil.
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Phil that is good news I like the Leupold line up of products but the issues with the earlier range finders had me concerned. So I went out and bought a Bushnell 1500 ARC which has been performing very well . Next year time to upgradeto a Leupold LRF
 
MuleyMadness said:
Well I have compared the Leica and the Swaro and to me there is no comparison, the Swaro wins hands down. Better optics, and better ranging capabilities in the Swarovski..it's the reason why people who get paid to hunt use them. As far as the Leupold, I would buy the Bushnell 1500 before I bought that, I think it's very over rated, particularly at the price point. It's not even in the same galaxy as those other two, never mind the same class.
Click to expand...

Leica Vector, it's the reason why people who really get paid to hunt use them.
 
The wife bought me a Bushnell for Christmas a couple of years ago. I think it was supposed to be good out to over 1000 yards and had some fancy features - never would range past 3 or 4 hundred yards and was not dependable took it back and got a bunch of reloading gear.

I was just looking at Rangefinders in Kelowna over the weekend at Grouse River. Looked at the Leica, the Zeiss, and the Swaro.

I could not discern a difference in the glass or function except that the Swaro and the Leica matched or were within a couple of yards on the same object and the Zeiss was consistently 10 yards closer.

I thought they were all pretty nice, got to give this one some thought.
 
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