palindromicbob
Tour Winner
After this was mentioned on the main forum there was very little feedback. Probably because no one had one.
In a moment of madness I bit the bullet and took the risk. Could a range finder in the £100 price point really do the job when most would opt for the >£200 known brands.
I bought this item through Ebay to make use of Paypal but in the 3 places I found this for sale they are all from the same supplier, UK sports imports. It is also for the same price of £99.95 with free delivery. I soon discovered that free delivery excludes N. Ireland so was asked to pay an additional £15 with Citylink. To be honest I think this was a bit of confusion on the suppliers part as they say they use Royal Mail for the rest of the UK and this would have been equally suitable to post to N.Ireland. But I'll not go into the failures of Citylink here.
WHAT YOU GET:
TM-800 key Features from the websites:
Ranges 5-900 yards
Range 300 yards to flag
7x Optical Magnification
Monocular Adjustment
Pin seeker Display Function
Scan Funtion
Rain-proof
Now first thing first. The item arrived well packaged. Protected by a wall of bubble wrap this wasn't getting damaged in transit. A nice black box opened to revel the range finder in a nicely made padded nylon carry case with belt strap, web pocket for cloth, spare batteries etc and the important range finder itself. It also came with a shoulder strap, wrist strap and a CR2 3V battery. The instruction are written in Chinese and decent English and easy to understand. Obviously a few translation issues but nothing confusing.
The range finder itself was very compact and light weight. Construction quality is good and a rubberized outer shell assists with grip. It also has simple 2 button controls. One for mode the other for turning the laser on and off. The company state that the TM-1500 model has a higher quality finish and if so it must be very good.
The rubber eye piece is comfortable and focus can be adjusted by a simple twist.
One flaw I have read about other cheap range finders is the battery compartment being difficult to open. This is not the case with this. It is very easy to open and close.
Distance is displayed in either Meters or Yards and simply holding the mode button for 3 secs changes this. It will also convert an existing reading if you do this.
Do not confuse Pin seeker display function with pin seeker or similar technology used in higher end ranger finders. It is actually simply referring to the target reticle display and I don't count this as a feature since the item would be useless without it.
It has 2 working mode. The first is a simple point and shoot mode. This works very well if the target is close but I found at distance it would often display the wrong yardage. Fortunately this is easily rectified using the scan mode. In this mode it continuously updates readings and you can scan onto the target which will give the lower yardage reading. This worked brilliantly when trying to get a yardage at distance when the target is quite small and hand shake is a problem.
THE TEST:
To test the range finder I hit the course at 8pm. This was in a light rain with the wind blowing fiercely. The light wasn't great but I found the display easy to read despite this. I tested the finder from the yardage markers on my course and on 2 different holes. One in which the wind blew the flag sideways giving a big target the other the wind blowing the flag straight at me giving a much smaller target. Both flags where yellow. The instruction do say that best results are with red surfaces.
The markers gave distance to center of the green. I have previously checked them with a Bushnell and friend stood in center of green so know them to be accurate enough.
The holes are also very flat giving the best chance for accurate readings without worrying about slopes.
The first flag was cut front of center the second cut behind the center.
From the 100 yard marker the point and shoot mode was sufficient to get a reading on both flags. A bit of shake required me to make a second attempt on the harder flag but still I was given good yardages. 98 yards for the first, 105 on the second.
Next at the 130 yard mark again the point and shoot was grand for this. This gave consistent results, 128 and 135. Perfect going by the first readings.
Next 150. This was a little more difficult for the small target and I needed to use the scan mode on the smaller target. Still gave consistent results. 148 and 155.
From 200 yards the 7x scope gave a good view of the flag but hand shake required me to use scan mode for both targets. This was still easy and quick to use. The results 199 and 206.
Then the big test. Test it outside it range. I went to the tee box of another hole at 333 yards. The system is rated to max of 300 for the flag. I got a reading of 366 and only once did it flash up 328. The target was small through the scope but the 366 was consistent with the distance to the trees behind the green. Maybe with a steadier hand and the flag being still I may have got a steady reading. Still a good result considering.
Next test was gauging distance to hazards. I choose a bunker I know from experience my drive usually ends up level with it. My average distance calculated with Golf Mentor GPS app based on 4 drives is 219 (Max 230 Min 215. Using the point a shoot mode I got a reading back of 200 yards to the front of the bunker. Consistent with my experience of that sandy little monster. The scan mode was nice here because it allowed my to sweep the area and gauge my layup without repeatedly pushing the button.
Lastly I tested it within it minimum range. I stood at the back of the first green. The reading showed 17yards. I paced out using even strides. 17.5 paces later I was at the pin. Not a bad result at all.
CONCLUSION
Overall I was very impressed with the speed of response to targeting. Quick to update and easy to read. The display also shows the quality of the signal it is receiving using arrows and the continuous light rain had no noticeable effect on performance. The scan funtion is excellent but is likely to effect battery life. The auto shutdown thankfully was reliable.
Some may prefer the styling of the slightly more expensive TM-1500 and the fact it uses 2x AAA batteries rather than the more expensive 3V lithium CR2 may be a plus. But with the same specs it should perform equally.
I hope to test it during a playing session soon but first impressions are very positive. If you are after a laser range finder but find the big boys outside your price range, I can say you are unlikely to be disappointed by the TM-800.
On a side note I also found UK Sports Imports very good to deal with. Communication with them was easy via email and they had a number which was always offered as an alternative contact at the bottom of emails. They were quick to respond and very helpful. Despite problems with Citylink they kept me updated and chased up the issue for me. Very good customer support on their part. I'd be happy to deal with them again. They have a showroom in the Westmidlands as well for anyone that may be local.
http://www.uksportimports.com/catalog/golf-equipment/rangefinders
In a moment of madness I bit the bullet and took the risk. Could a range finder in the £100 price point really do the job when most would opt for the >£200 known brands.
I bought this item through Ebay to make use of Paypal but in the 3 places I found this for sale they are all from the same supplier, UK sports imports. It is also for the same price of £99.95 with free delivery. I soon discovered that free delivery excludes N. Ireland so was asked to pay an additional £15 with Citylink. To be honest I think this was a bit of confusion on the suppliers part as they say they use Royal Mail for the rest of the UK and this would have been equally suitable to post to N.Ireland. But I'll not go into the failures of Citylink here.
WHAT YOU GET:
TM-800 key Features from the websites:
Ranges 5-900 yards
Range 300 yards to flag
7x Optical Magnification
Monocular Adjustment
Pin seeker Display Function
Scan Funtion
Rain-proof
Now first thing first. The item arrived well packaged. Protected by a wall of bubble wrap this wasn't getting damaged in transit. A nice black box opened to revel the range finder in a nicely made padded nylon carry case with belt strap, web pocket for cloth, spare batteries etc and the important range finder itself. It also came with a shoulder strap, wrist strap and a CR2 3V battery. The instruction are written in Chinese and decent English and easy to understand. Obviously a few translation issues but nothing confusing.
The range finder itself was very compact and light weight. Construction quality is good and a rubberized outer shell assists with grip. It also has simple 2 button controls. One for mode the other for turning the laser on and off. The company state that the TM-1500 model has a higher quality finish and if so it must be very good.
The rubber eye piece is comfortable and focus can be adjusted by a simple twist.
One flaw I have read about other cheap range finders is the battery compartment being difficult to open. This is not the case with this. It is very easy to open and close.
Distance is displayed in either Meters or Yards and simply holding the mode button for 3 secs changes this. It will also convert an existing reading if you do this.
Do not confuse Pin seeker display function with pin seeker or similar technology used in higher end ranger finders. It is actually simply referring to the target reticle display and I don't count this as a feature since the item would be useless without it.
It has 2 working mode. The first is a simple point and shoot mode. This works very well if the target is close but I found at distance it would often display the wrong yardage. Fortunately this is easily rectified using the scan mode. In this mode it continuously updates readings and you can scan onto the target which will give the lower yardage reading. This worked brilliantly when trying to get a yardage at distance when the target is quite small and hand shake is a problem.
THE TEST:
To test the range finder I hit the course at 8pm. This was in a light rain with the wind blowing fiercely. The light wasn't great but I found the display easy to read despite this. I tested the finder from the yardage markers on my course and on 2 different holes. One in which the wind blew the flag sideways giving a big target the other the wind blowing the flag straight at me giving a much smaller target. Both flags where yellow. The instruction do say that best results are with red surfaces.
The markers gave distance to center of the green. I have previously checked them with a Bushnell and friend stood in center of green so know them to be accurate enough.
The holes are also very flat giving the best chance for accurate readings without worrying about slopes.
The first flag was cut front of center the second cut behind the center.
From the 100 yard marker the point and shoot mode was sufficient to get a reading on both flags. A bit of shake required me to make a second attempt on the harder flag but still I was given good yardages. 98 yards for the first, 105 on the second.
Next at the 130 yard mark again the point and shoot was grand for this. This gave consistent results, 128 and 135. Perfect going by the first readings.
Next 150. This was a little more difficult for the small target and I needed to use the scan mode on the smaller target. Still gave consistent results. 148 and 155.
From 200 yards the 7x scope gave a good view of the flag but hand shake required me to use scan mode for both targets. This was still easy and quick to use. The results 199 and 206.
Then the big test. Test it outside it range. I went to the tee box of another hole at 333 yards. The system is rated to max of 300 for the flag. I got a reading of 366 and only once did it flash up 328. The target was small through the scope but the 366 was consistent with the distance to the trees behind the green. Maybe with a steadier hand and the flag being still I may have got a steady reading. Still a good result considering.
Next test was gauging distance to hazards. I choose a bunker I know from experience my drive usually ends up level with it. My average distance calculated with Golf Mentor GPS app based on 4 drives is 219 (Max 230 Min 215. Using the point a shoot mode I got a reading back of 200 yards to the front of the bunker. Consistent with my experience of that sandy little monster. The scan mode was nice here because it allowed my to sweep the area and gauge my layup without repeatedly pushing the button.
Lastly I tested it within it minimum range. I stood at the back of the first green. The reading showed 17yards. I paced out using even strides. 17.5 paces later I was at the pin. Not a bad result at all.
CONCLUSION
Overall I was very impressed with the speed of response to targeting. Quick to update and easy to read. The display also shows the quality of the signal it is receiving using arrows and the continuous light rain had no noticeable effect on performance. The scan funtion is excellent but is likely to effect battery life. The auto shutdown thankfully was reliable.
Some may prefer the styling of the slightly more expensive TM-1500 and the fact it uses 2x AAA batteries rather than the more expensive 3V lithium CR2 may be a plus. But with the same specs it should perform equally.
I hope to test it during a playing session soon but first impressions are very positive. If you are after a laser range finder but find the big boys outside your price range, I can say you are unlikely to be disappointed by the TM-800.
On a side note I also found UK Sports Imports very good to deal with. Communication with them was easy via email and they had a number which was always offered as an alternative contact at the bottom of emails. They were quick to respond and very helpful. Despite problems with Citylink they kept me updated and chased up the issue for me. Very good customer support on their part. I'd be happy to deal with them again. They have a showroom in the Westmidlands as well for anyone that may be local.
http://www.uksportimports.com/catalog/golf-equipment/rangefinders
