Best rangefinder brand for longevity????

[Billy Goat]

I have Bushnell (2), Leica, Vortex, and Leupold.


I trust the Leica the most, but use it the least.

The new Bushnell (broadhead for archery) I put on a tape to 100 yards and its dead on.

Have a Bushnell that's over 20 years old and still works.

Leupold and I have a troubled past. I got a few days outside of their warranty and they wouldn't cover it. Sits on a shelf to remind me.

My main hunting RF is a vortex. It works, I don't use it for Archery comp where I want to know distances to 1/10 yard, but for hunting coupled with warranty it's hard to beat.


Had a good nikon years ago, about have away to a young hunter now guide.

Guys I know with the mavens really like them.

 

[mighteywhitehunter]

Leica all the way.

 

[sasquatch]

Leica


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[5MilesBack]

My Leica CRF 900 is 18 years old and still works the same as it did brand new. My 5 year old Sig Kilo 2000 is as you stated......nothing but a paperweight at this point without a working display.

 

[wesfromky]

I just got it a couple weeks ago, so can't comment on longevity, but I really like my Maven rf.1. Optical quality is really good, and seems to work well in "forest" mode from the testing I have done so far. Maven also offers a lifetime warranty, though not as much feedback out there on that vs Vortex.

 

[Tmac]

I’ve had the best luck with Leica for longevity. But I have one very old Brunton I got for near nothing that just won’t die. I let the grands play with it.

 

[HoneyBadger2484]

Buying electronics that don't last just grinds my gears (in all aspects of life). I'm looking for rangefinder - simple and fast and optimized for archery and mid range rifle work. (I haven't used one that pairs with a phone for ballistics, so I may not know what I'm missing, but that isn't needed at this point.)

This rangefinder is replacing a Sig KILO 2000 (that I really liked and suited my needs), but the auto brightness / display crapped out at 5 years and a couple months.

I have a new in box unopened Sig Sauer Kilo5K that I haven't tried yet and I'm wondering if there is something better as far as longevity and performance. Leica seems like they might fit this niche, but I'm also seeing that the new mid priced models have a janky angular range feature in that they display the straight line range then they give you the corrected horizontal range after..

Leica certainly is hard to beat. Depends on the application. If your going to use it for Rifle I would almost always recommend a range finder Bino with quality ballistics. If you’re looking for an archery only I have had great luck with durability and longevity out of the Leupold products. Currently running a RX-1600 and have for years without issue. The RF Binos are spread across the cost and function map. If possible buy the Leica GeoVid Pro AB+ if you want great glass for hunting. If you want mid range price and glass the SIGs are a good option. Have had bad luck with Swaro EL Ranges and the laser leaves a lot to be desired. Hope this helps, lots of good feedback in this thread.

 

[Hotmail]

If you have unlimited funds just keep buying SIG and just keep on throwing them away after they fail and always buy couple extra spares. Same goes for anything without a real lifetime warranty on their electronics. I know of a friend who doesn't even send anything in for WARRANTY who just kept on tossing broken optics into the trash. Of course he's ridiculously rich unlike me he can afford to throw away expensive things without even bothering about sending ANYTHING in for warranty. I think it's due to laziness not wanting to pack anything and go to ship things back to any company and having to wait. Funny thing even when he prepays cash for gas if his tank is already full before the total he prepaid is pumped he just doesn't even bother to walk to the cashier for his change either and doesn't even mind going to the most expensive gas station because it was on his way to his destination. Also never price shops for the cheapest deals either. Paying maximum prices buying locally if possible to get everything "right now".

 

[manitou1]

Leica for me.
It replaced a sig 2000 and that thing would never range cows past 600-800 yards, much less smaller animals.

I had to have it for the season so used it and didn't send it back... regrettably.

 

[Tod osier]

If you have unlimited funds just keep buying SIG and just keep on throwing them away after they fail and always buy couple extra spares. Same goes for anything without a real lifetime warranty on their electronics. I know of a friend who doesn't even send anything in for WARRANTY who just kept on tossing broken optics into the trash. Of course he's ridiculously rich unlike me he can afford to throw away expensive things without even bothering about sending ANYTHING in for warranty. I think it's due to laziness not wanting to pack anything and go to ship things back to any company and having to wait. Funny thing even when he prepays cash for gas if his tank is already full before the total he prepaid is pumped he just doesn't even bother to walk to the cashier for his change either and doesn't even mind going to the most expensive gas station because it was on his way to his destination. Also never price shops for the cheapest deals either. Paying maximum prices buying locally if possible to get everything "right now".

I'm not big on warranties, I'd rather buy quality and not need it than to rely on it. I know it is all marketing, but... I'd rather pay for goods than warranty.

I note that you offer no suggestion of brand other than not to buy a Sig.

 

[Tod osier]

Leica for me.
It replaced a sig 2000 and that thing would never range cows past 600-800 yards, much less smaller animals.

I had to have it for the season so used it and didn't send it back... regrettably.

I find it interesting that there seems to be so much unit to unit variation in rangefinders. This isn't only sig, you see it all the time that someone gets one that only does X when everyone else's does Y.

 

[Tod osier]

Buying electronics that don't last just grinds my gears (in all aspects of life). I'm looking for rangefinder - simple and fast and optimized for archery and mid range rifle work. (I haven't used one that pairs with a phone for ballistics, so I may not know what I'm missing, but that isn't needed at this point.)

This rangefinder is replacing a Sig KILO 2000 (that I really liked and suited my needs), but the auto brightness / display crapped out at 5 years and a couple months.

I have a new in box unopened Sig Sauer Kilo5K that I haven't tried yet and I'm wondering if there is something better as far as longevity and performance. Leica seems like they might fit this niche, but I'm also seeing that the new mid priced models have a janky angular range feature in that they display the straight line range then they give you the corrected horizontal range after..

Interesting that the outcome of this question is 2 routes, really. Buy a Leica for quality or a Vortex for Warranty. I'll have to see if I can try the new model Leicas.

 

[JGRaider]

I'm not big on warranties, I'd rather buy quality and not need it than to rely on it. I know it is all marketing, but... I'd rather pay for goods than warranty.

I note that you offer no suggestion of brand other than not to buy a Sig.

That's well and good, but with electronics you will eventually need repair/warranty work sooner or later. It is interesting regarding sample variation though. I've tried 3 different Geovids over the years and none performed anywhere near spec, and one of them wouldn't range anything when temps got around freezing. My Sig crapped out after 2 years and Sig hosed me on the warranty. Who really knows?

 

[Rjk300]

Leica for me! I have an old 900 still going strong and I have the 1600b, 2000b, and 2700b never an issue to date.


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[Quicksilver]

I have been using a Leica 1600b since 2016/2017. It has been very reliable.

Been using the same since 2012, other than the battery dying on me mid hunt (I replace them annually now!) it hasn’t skipped a beat, and has also ranged past 1600 on many occasions. It’s small in size too, and I’m finding it very hard to replace.

 

[cornstalker]

Been using the same since 2012, other than the battery dying on me mid hunt (I replace them annually now!) it hasn’t skipped a beat, and has also ranged past 1600 on many occasions. It’s small in size too, and I’m finding it very hard to replace.

I had one instance where I could not get a bounce on some antelope in the fog. I still don't know why. I could see them well enough, but it just would not read. Outside of that they have been great.

 

[Quicksilver]

I had one instance where I could not get a bounce on some antelope in the fog. I still don't know why. I could see them well enough, but it just would not read. Outside of that they have been great.

Same! Fog has definitely cut my yardage down when I didn’t think it was bad.

 

[roadrunner]

Interesting that the outcome of this question is 2 routes, really. Buy a Leica for quality or a Vortex for Warranty. I'll have to see if I can try the new model Leicas.

When I said I had a Leica since 2007, that didn't necessarily mean I prefer it over the Sig I've been running lately.

I know people that have had Leica that didn't work worth a flip, so there are lemons everywhere...

 

[WSMHNTR]

For the warranty factor Vortex can't be beat. I'v had Leupold, Vortex, and an older Swarovski. For the money Vortex gets my vote if nothing else its cheap insurance should something happen. The flip side is living with the worry that they might crap out in the middle of a hunt although I personally have never had an issue.

 

[svivian]

I'm not big on warranties, I'd rather buy quality and not need it than to rely on it. I know it is all marketing, but... I'd rather pay for goods than warranty.

I note that you offer no suggestion of brand other than not to buy a Sig.

There's very few electronics that last a long time with actual hard use for hunting purposes. Leica being one of those that doesn't from my experience.

I've ditched most vortex other than their rangefinder. I send it in once a year in the spring regardless if something is wrong or not(which has only been once due to abuse on my part).