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Leica CRF 1200 works well and compact enough to carry in a shirt pocket

I got a Swaro a few years ago, it has been without issue.

I appreciate all the input from you guys on models and brands and their features. Would anybody care to tell of their experiences with using or needing any warrantee services.? with the brands they have had. Magnum Man

A good friend bought a Nikon 6-8 years ago. He threw the box in his pickup and drove out the the Breaks to bowhunt with us. Didn't work from the minute he took it out of the box and Nikon pretty much told him to get bent. They would fix it for almost as much as it cost. Shop wouldn't take it back either. Expensive lesson learned - Nikon sucks (and so does that shop)!!

I've had a Nikon Riflehunter 1000 for 3 years and it works well for me. IMHO, I think it has one of the better displays and responds as quickly as any range finder I have used tried at a store. Very happy with mine.

Mman . Won't do much good for me to tell you how much I like my Burris RF bino's as they don't make them anymore. But they have served me well for the past 5 or 6 years, and the rangefinder part has been able to range antelope at 900 yds on sunny days.

I've used the Nikon 1200, the Bushnell 1000 w/ARC, and several Leupold models.

My current favorite is the Leupold RX-1000, for bow and rifle. Optics are good enough to replace my binos in the arhcery treestand in the Virginia hardwoods, where visibility for me is limited to 80-100 yards tops. I've used the same model in Idaho, ranging about anything I wanted to out to 950+ yards for two seasins now, no issues. Carry size is great, fits into about any pocket. The small size can be a bit tricky to hold steady at further ranges, but I haven't had enough issues to say it's a problem. Love the three-output levels of red display, easy on the eye, adjusts well, and fast to read.

The Nikon unit is nice, accurate, but just BIG! It doesn't fit well in a chest pocket, and is a big bodied unit to get a hand around. It does have a tripod mount and a flat surface to rest on, so I like it more for the range, scouting from the road, than for daily carry. The unit feels solid, and I like the quickness of the returned range reading.

Bushnell is my least favorite, just feels cheap. I almost stripped the battery cap threads when I installed the first battery. If you notice the Bushnell sales ads, the rangefinder is almost always paired with another higher dollar item to keep the price point about $300. Just sell me the darned rangefinder for a better price, I don't hunting DVDs, cheap China knives or bootom end binos with it....JMO. It has a tripod hole, so it does range and field duty for archery.

If Santa is feeling kind, I may be able to try the Leica line this coming year...

Fwiw, I have a pair of the Leica Geovids in 15x56 and the Leica 1200's for general work. I find their ranging abilities not as good as their optics as others have mentioned. In fact they are not as good in that function as the Bushnell Fusion 10x40s were but then my eyes could just not get past the Bushnell's optics and I sold them.

Leica 1200 is fantastic.

Had Nikon 400's which worked great and fit easily into my shirt pocket. Would often range out to 500 rather than the 400 advertised. Really liked them but wanted more range, gave them to my brother.

Bought a Leupold RX IV and can't say enough bad about them . Supposed to be good to over 1,000 yards but considered myself lucky to get 500. Bigger than the Nikon and not as capable. Lost the damn things while elk hunting three years ago. (Thank goodness!)

Bough a Nikon RifleHunter 1000 and really like them. Consistently reads over 900, which is further than I'll take any shots. Has the ability to automatically adjust the readout to effective range for up/downhill shots. Really like them.

My hunting buddy's Leupold just died. It has made in China on the bottom. I told him to send it back as Leupold has great CS. So, he'll probably get a new Chinese RF to use till it bellies up.

My go to RF has for years been the Leica 1200. It ranges to 600 yds on soft targets, a bit further on hard targets. It's pretty worthless in fog and spotty in rain.

I just got a set of Zeiss Victory RF binocs from Doug and company on special. Still pricey but, very good. The glass is really good, I can't say better than Swaro or Leica, but in the ball park. The RF is the best I've seen. According to Zeiss ads the laser beam is the smallest in the industry. That's good when ranging long distances over flat ground. It will range in the rain and about half the distance I can see in a fog. For example, if I can make out a shape at 300 yds, this unit will range to 150-160 yds. Clear weather will give 1,500-1,600 yd repeatable readings.

And it's really fast. Ranging binocs are the quickest way to ID game, get the range and make the shot.

What's that worth? Potentially a bunch.

DF

Was out to the local Cabela's on saturday. Checked out the RX-1000 TBR model of Leupold's ,Vortex 1000, the Bushnell Scout 1000 with ARC, Bushnell Fusion Bino's. I didn't ask to see the Leica Geovids(they cost more than my truck is worth). I think I eliminated the Bushnell Scout right of the bat for its all dark display. So I think I'm down to the Leupold and the Vortex. Leupold has a 2 yr warrantee on the electronics does anyone else offer more? Magnum Man

Don't know much about the Vortex, but have heard and seen some less than optimal accounts of the Leupold.

I'd get a used Leica before a new Leupold.

Just saying...

DF

I use a set of Bushnell 1500 with the ARC. ARC only works for really close stuff so it's great for bowhunting, can range decent out to 1350 or so if I can keep it stable enough. used it alongside EH76's Leicas and was consistent to within a yard or two at most. his were faster, clearer and nicer since it was built in the binos. for the price and what they do I can't complain about the Bushnells.

1135 I looked thru the Fusion at Cabelas, they looked ok and they had them at 699. I just figured if they won't warrantee past 2 years, spend less. Magnum Man

With all due respect DF, the RX1000i DNA is a different animal than the other piece of crap Leupold RF's. It is outstanding actually. I've heard great things about the Zeiss too.

I sold brand new Leica 1600 and bought Leupold 1000i TBR. Leica's are worthless for archery.

I have to disagree JGRaider. I bought a new Leupold 1000i TBR this year, optics aren't very good in low light at all. Ranging is weak compared to the Leica CRF 1200 I had previously and neither were as good as the Bushnell 1000 I used prior. I don't recommend the Leupold at all, mainly due to the poor optics and the fact that it doesn't range nearly as well as either of my previous RF. It's the Leica 1600B for me. Just too useful a piece of gear to compromise on the optics or ranging abilities. If you only shoot short distances or on flat ground, there's no need for a ballistic program in the RF. If you do, the 1600B is the only answer short of a G7 BR2 or a Vectronix.

Thanks, JG, for that clarification. I haven't studied Leupold RF's, just saw the one my buddy had. As you can tell, I wasn't impressed. Maybe I need to look at their other offerings.

I still think a used Leica 1200 would be a good RF at a reasonable price. I think my buddy paid $400 for the Chinese Leupold that went belly up on him. For $400, I think I could get him a lot more RF than what he showed me.

DF

I picked up the Leupy after two of the crf 1200's wouldn't range anything in challenging light, and anything but a reflective target it wouldn't range past 400. I was very disappointed in the Leica's I had so they went down the road. Conversely I've used the 1000i hundreds of times now and it's done quite well, much better than the Leica's. I'm not representing they're all like my sample of 2 though. I will wholeheartedly agree that every other leupold rf I've ever used was a piece of garbage.