Advice needed -- need to choose between Callaway LR550, LR800 and LR1200

e-man · December 6, 2009

Price about the same!!!!

Hey guys. I need some sound advice here. I need to choose between these 3 units. Here are the details:

LR1200 -- bought it at Costco a few weeks ago for $269.99 plus tax. Of the 3, it is the biggest of the bunch. It has 7x magnification and is good up to 1,200 yards (not that I need that). It is black and the surface has a grit to it so it's not slippery.

LR550 -- I would buy this at Golfsmith. It is $299.99, but you can use a 20% off coupon (when they become available, which I believe will be in a few weeks), so the total would be $240 plus tax. It is 6x magnification and is good up to 550 yards. It is bright yellow and has the same type of surface as the 1200 (gritty, non skid). It is definitely smaller than the 1200. I can't say by how much, but it is noticeably smaller and lighter. Also, I have a store credit at Golfsmith for $130 that I would be able to use to help pay for this one. I'm a little concerned about the color -- it really stands out and it seems like it would be a target for theft if someone were to see it.

LR800 -- I have a friend of a friend who has a brand new one in the box that he will sell to me for $250 cash. There's no receipt, so it's not returnable. Also, the sticker on the bottom of the unit (which I believe has the serial number) has been taken off. Not sure what that means, but I think I have an idea. It is 6x magnification and is good up to 800 yards. The surface is not the same type of gritty non-skid surface as the 1200 or the 550. It's slippery. Believe it or not, it is the smallest of the bunch (not by much, but it is definitely a tad smaller than the 550).

All of these units come with a protective skin to slide over it, but the skin definitely makes these units feel more bulky. I feel that the only one I would really need to use the skin for would be the 800 because of the fact that it's surface is more slippery than the other two.

So, let me know what you think. Any and all thoughts are welcome. Thanks.

e

e-man · December 6, 2009

Anyone? I know it's a matter of personal preference to some degree, but maybe there's someone out there with an opinion.

I did just learn something annoying about the LR550 today. The unit is always in scan mode. In other words, once you lock onto a target and get the yardage, if you move it one way or the other, you can get the yardages of other things in the vicinity. I think this is a useful feature, but I also think it would be nice to be able to turn it off. With the feature on, the hash marks in the middle of the screen are always blinking at you. Both the LR800 and the LR1200 have this feature as well, but it can be turned off.

e