The new LR has an aiming port on top of the unit. That would lead me to believe the unit is much more picky about "aiming" the beam down range. The Garmin is not picky at all. LR probably got tired of Garmin kicking their asss.
You can buy a cheap aiming point and clip it right on top of the current Labradar i believe i got mine off of ebay, I also have a remote battery that clips onto the side using the USB port the battery lasts forever. I have zero issues with my current Labrador i see no reason to spend 600.00 on another
Sherm,
hate to say this, but I had the exact same thoughts until today.
Today I saw the new Garmin in action. A fellow shooter bought his like 4 weeks ago.
It wasn't much bigger than my Flip Cell Phone....and his come with a small tripod, with legs like 2 inches long.
He just puts in on one side or the other from his barrel muzzle, and turns it on... and that is about it.
Watching he use it for about 2 minutes, and I'm sold.