Bushnell V3 or V4

[Mcook929]

I am interested in buying my first rangefinder.

 

I have been looking at the V3 slope but with the V4 coming out I am wondering if I should just wait. I am a little impatient so I think I am leaning towards the V3. And since they are on sale right now it would save me about $70.

 

I'm just wondering if it would be worth waiting or just pick up the V3 now. Any advice?

[njauq676]

I too would like to hear some opinions on this.

[sportingpc]

I am interested in buying my first rangefinder.

 

I have been looking at the V3 slope but with the V4 coming out I am wondering if I should just wait. I am a little impatient so I think I am leaning towards the V3. And since they are on sale right now it would save me about $70.

 

I'm just wondering if it would be worth waiting or just pick up the V3 now. Any advice?

 

If it were my, I'd wait and get the new V4. The V4 will fit in your hand better than the V3 and it is faster as well. The V3 has been a great product but I'm confident you will be impressed with the shape/look/performance of the new unit. Let me know if you have any other questions.

[robrey85]

I'd buy the V3 and save myself the additional premium. "better ergonomics", "up to 400 yards" to utilize the jolt tech and "rain proof coating" for an additional X premium? No thanks. Who needs 400 yards jolt tech when you have 300 already not to mention the pace is not that big of a deal. I have the V3 and my favorite part is the jolt tech because I KNOW, I got the flag. It really is great.

[CJP1012]

I saw the V4 at the PGA show in Orlando and it is noticeably lighter than the V3. Very fast response with distance as well.

[cristphoto]

Each new version gets a bit better with more features. I have a Bushnell V2 and a Bushnell Z6. When comparing the two they both virtually always give the same readings. However the Z6 attains the reading much easier and faster. The battery life is better, is waterproof and the unit is smaller so I just put it in my pocket when playing. I'd guess the V4 will have improvements over the V3 but functionally they will both give you the accurate info you need.

[Smash Factors]

I did a comparison at the store yesterday between the Bushnell Tour V4 and the Nikon Coolshot 40i. The Nikon is tempting because it's priced the same as the V4 ($299) but it has a slope feature. The Tour V4 with slope is $399. That's too much. So, I choose to compare the two rangefinders priced at $299. Both rangefinders find the distance very quickly and have clear optics. In terms of performance, there's no difference. I shot them both several times and couldn't see any difference. However, one of them was the clear winner.

 

I bought the Bushnell V4 for a number of reasons.

 

1. The V4 is newer technology. The Nikon has been out for a few years. They seem to perform the same, but on the course newer technology might prove to be better.

 

2. The button on the V4 is far better than the Nikon button. The V4 button sticks up a little bit and is very easy to find without having to search for it. When you press it, the button had a nice "click" to it. The Nikon button is like a soft-key. It sits flush on the top of the unit and was a bit difficult for me to find without looking. And when you find it, your not really sure if you finger is directly on the center of it. You really have to feel around and search. Also, when you press it, the response is not that great. Doesn't have a good "click". It's just not a very good button. The V4 button is perfect. It's a firm button that's easy to find with great response.

 

3. The yardage display on the V4 is directly at eye level. It's easy to see and read. On the Nikon, the yardage is located in the upper right hand corner. So, when you are looking in the cross hairs at your target, you need to shift your eye to the upper right corner to see the yardage. This might seem a little nit-picky, but to me it's kinda annoying to have to move my eye back and forth if I want to take the reading two or three times. With the V4, it's right there in the center at your eye level.

 

4. Ergonomically, the V4 is better than the Nikon. It has a better, more comfortable design for resting in your hand.

 

5. The focus feature is easier to use. The V4 has a small, notched dial for the finger to adjust the focus. You don't have to grab onto it and rotate it. You just move it with your finger. The Nikon has a rotatable eyepiece. I found myself using my other hand to rotate the eyepiece. With the Bushnell, you can do it all with one hand.

 

Leupold also has a $299 option (GX-1i2), but it's a very small unit. Also, it just seems like a lesser product because of the big price gap between it and the $500 GX-4i2. To me, the V4 seems closer to Bushnells state of the art technology. The GX-1i2 seems far away from Leupolds state of the art technology.

 

If you think it's silly to spend an additional $100 to $200 for slope technology, the Bushnell V4 is the clear winner at the $299 price point.

[ucfdad]

I am interested in buying my first rangefinder.

 

I have been looking at the V3 slope but with the V4 coming out I am wondering if I should just wait. I am a little impatient so I think I am leaning towards the V3. And since they are on sale right now it would save me about $70.

 

I'm just wondering if it would be worth waiting or just pick up the V3 now. Any advice?

 

If it were my, I'd wait and get the new V4. The V4 will fit in your hand better than the V3 and it is faster as well. The V3 has been a great product but I'm confident you will be impressed with the shape/look/performance of the new unit. Let me know if you have any other questions.

I am borrowing a V2 from a friend to try out. Bushnells website doesn't have a comparison between the V2, 3 and 4. Anybody have ideas?

[Smash Factors]

Took the V4 out to on the course yesterday. It worked really well. There was however one hole that would not read the pin. It kept giving me the yardage for the small hill behind it. Other than that, I thought it worked fine.

[NYCgolfer17]

I still use my V2. It gives accurate yardage and I never had a problem. I'm sure the V3 is just fine if the price difference matters to you. Your goal is to get the yardage to the pin and both will do that for you.

[ucfdad]

I still use my V2. It gives accurate yardage and I never had a problem. I'm sure the V3 is just fine if the price difference matters to you. Your goal is to get the yardage to the pin and both will do that for you.

I played my first round using a borrowed V2 today. Worked great at layups, water etc. Where I had trouble is getting the flag distance. My watch would say 145 middle and the rangefinder was picking up trees in the distance behind the flag, giving me 300 plus. My hands aren't the steadiest, could that be the problem? Would a newer model help with this?

 

OP, did you buy one and what model?

[Mcook929]

I ended up buying the V4. Never owning a rangefinder before this I really have nothing to compare it too but so far I am very happy with it. I have had a couple of times that I have had to shoot the pin a couple of times to get a good reading but that's about it. My reasons for going with the V4 are pretty simple. I intend on buying only one of these and using it for the rest of my life so I decided to go with the most recent technology. I also went with the slope version. I wanted to be able to turn it off and on when needed. I live in Colorado and we have some elevated courses around here. So far after a month I'm happy with no buyers remorse.

[Smash Factors]

I ended up buying the V4. Never owning a rangefinder before this I really have nothing to compare it too but so far I am very happy with it. I have had a couple of times that I have had to shoot the pin a couple of times to get a good reading but that's about it. My reasons for going with the V4 are pretty simple. I intend on buying only one of these and using it for the rest of my life so I decided to go with the most recent technology. I also went with the slope version. I wanted to be able to turn it off and on when needed. I live in Colorado and we have some elevated courses around here. So far after a month I'm happy with no buyers remorse.

 

Do you notice that it flashes a longer distance first before giving the actual distance? I've noticed several times (For example) where it flashes something like "159" and then gives the actual yardage which is shorter than 159