Replacement for Bushnell Neo XS

bluedot · July 11, 2017

It would appear that my 4 year old Bushnell Neo XS is either dead or dying, and it will be the last Bushnell product I EVER purchase if this is the case. It replaced a previous Bushnell watch that didn't last very long, either, and enough is enough.

So I'd love to hear opinions about possible replacements. I don't need the pin position function; front/middle/back, with hazard distances is enough. Battery life it not that big of a concern; I rarely (if ever) play 36 in a day anymore, and don't want to pick a watch based on a once or twice a year event. Price matters, but getting a good watch matters more.

So what do you like, why do you like it, and what do you NOT like?

(And please: No advice about getting a range finder instead, or using a phone GPS program. I do all of that already. This is about watches, and watches only!)

shizzel2112 · July 11, 2017

I don't know.... I think 4 years for an electronics device is a fairly good lifetime. Bushnell has the new replacement, the Neo Ion which is basically the same watch but with replaceable bands and other bits. I have the Neo XS and I love it. Bushnell has better battery life than the Garmin watches but I'd say you couldn't go wrong with any of them.

Rickochet · July 11, 2017

I am a gadget guy and have tried 5 different GPS watches. One was by Izzo and was DOA on delivery. I had a Garmin S2 but would only do about 33 holes between charges. I have the Bushnell Neo that was good until it croaked after about 3 seasons. I now have a Precision Pro. It does everything the Neo did with FCB info and hazards. You get about 10 hours of battery in GPS mode. Very easy to use. The best thing is the size which is about half the size of the Neo and Garmin. The black background/white letters takes some getting used to. The click on band is comfortable once you get it on but takes some getting used to. Here is a link where I got mine. https://www.rockbottomgolf.com/electronics/gps-watches/precision-pro-gps-golf-band/

bluedot · July 11, 2017

I don't know.... I think 4 years for an electronics device is a fairly good lifetime. Bushnell has the new replacement, the Neo Ion which is basically the same watch but with replaceable bands and other bits. I have the Neo XS and I love it. Bushnell has better battery life than the Garmin watches but I'd say you couldn't go wrong with any of them.

Except that it's 4 years using it only several times a week for several hours at a time; it's not 4 years of continuous use in GPS mode. You could be right, though; I may find that the others don't last any longer than Bushnell. But I'm going to try something else to see; two Bushnells in 6 years is a little much.

atteberry23 · July 13, 2017

My buddy has a Garmin watch with the ability to download apps, he loves it and has no issues whatsoever.

bluedot · July 14, 2017

Got the Garmin S20 last night, and used for the first time today. Lots of features, so we'll see.

FWIW, Bushnell customer service referred me to igolf to "update my software". I called igolf, and the guy there walked the thru a pretty complicated, multi-step process for updating my home course, at which point I asked him, "Wait a minute; you mean I have to do this for EVERY course?"

To which he replied, and I kid you not, "Look, it isn't going to work anyway; something has gone wrong with your GPS chip, but Bushnell always refers people to us first." I asked him what Bushnell would do for me, given that the watch was 3 or 4 years old, to which he replied, and again I kid you not, "Absolutely nothing!"

I don't know if it was the guy's last day on the job, or if he'd just had enough, or what, but it was startling truth-telling about what I suspected was actually the case. Anyway, I appreciated his honesty, and that'll be the last Bushnell product I buy, I think.

dcmidnight · July 17, 2017

I don't know.... I think 4 years for an electronics device is a fairly good lifetime. Bushnell has the new replacement, the Neo Ion which is basically the same watch but with replaceable bands and other bits. I have the Neo XS and I love it. Bushnell has better battery life than the Garmin watches but I'd say you couldn't go wrong with any of them.

4 years is a very good lifetime for something used several times a week for several hours each. Small, rechargeable batteries do not have an infinite life, no brand's watch will last forever. Eventually they will stop holding a charge. I think my Garmin S1 has finally arrived at this point after 3 years and probably close to (rough guess) 5-600 charges. I think this is a really good life for a $125 device. I'll probably replace it with another Garmin, I was really happy with it.