Nikon sent me another product to test this fall and I feel that I did a much better job taking this item into real field situations and putting the product through the proverbial “ringer”.

Product Name: Archer’s Choice w/ APG Camo Case by Nikon

Retail Price: $279.95

Features:

*Angle compensator to 89 degrees vertical
*6X magnification
*Single button operation
*Meter or yards mode
*Up to 0.2 yard increment accuracy
*Battery source – 1 Lithium CR2 battery
*0-100 yard range

The Good:

*Before I even took the product into the field, I loved the camo protective case that the rangefinder came with.  The flap that is pictured above is a great feature that gives the optics lens full protection when not in use and easily tucks back over the bottom of the rangefinder to be securely out of the way when in use.  Throughout the course of the whole hunting season, I never had a single complaint about the case.  Nothing tore or discolored and I couldn’t even tell it had been in the field a single time by the end of January even though I had carried it upwards of 40 times afield.

*The next feature that grabbed me was the ultra long cord that attached to the bottom of the case.  If you pushed the adjustment all the way out, disconnected one of the grapples, and connected it back to the cord itself (that was a jumbled mess but you get the idea), it would easily stretch 4-5 feet long.  That was a great asset because I would loop it around a branch or my bow hanger arm and then it would be available for me to grab, get a quick range, and let go again without much movement at all.  I’ve never liked having a rangefinder around my neck because I can see it getting in the way of a moving bow string all too easily when I’m leaning forward for the shot.

*Great battery life – I never had to change the battery but i guarantee that I took hundreds if not a couple thousand distance ranges over the course of my experimenting in the backyard and in the hunting woods.  That’s pretty good battery life I would say.

*If you’ve followed me long, you know I like simple and efficient.  Check out this rangefinder’s readout.

Bingo!  Does it get any simpler.  I don’t think so.  I was impressed with the clarity of the optics and even more impressed that they transmitted a good amount of light that I could get ranges in very dark conditions right at the first and last shooting light of a hunt – a problem I have run into with other rangefinders in the past.

*The angle compensator also worked great.  The “Red Oak of Death” is a classic example of when this rangefinder was at its most valuable.  When you are talking about a 50 foot elevation change for a 25 yard shot, you better have a rangefinder that do some quick geometry for you.

The Bad:

*Nikon’s Archer’s Choice rangefinder had trouble getting a range with high humidity and any amount of moisture in the air.  It wasn’t until the middle of January that I ran into this problem, but no matter how many times I tried to get a range that morning the rangefinder kept spitting back readings of 3, 4, and 5 yards.  It was about 55 degrees at daybreak and it was misting so fine that you couldn’t really even tell it was raining.  By 9:00 a.m., the weather had changed and the rangefinder decided to work properly again, but those conditions wreaked havoc on this product.  So, if you find yourself hunting in similar conditions with any regularity, you might want to consider other options.

The (Downright Honest) Truth:

*Sponsors might quit sending me products to review if I keep on nitpicking, but I think this is a case in which I can’t ignore my own common sense.

If someone offers you a sirloin or a filet mignon for the same price, which are you going to choose?

The answer is so obvious that I won’t insult your intelligence by answering it for you.  In my own opinion, Nikon completely missed the boat on this one though.

My question to anyone who ever picks up a muzzleloader or rifle in addition to his/her archery equipment is this…

Why buy a rangefinder that maxes out at 100 yards (actually about 140 or 150 yards under the best conditions) when you can buy one that performs accurately at ranges 4-, 5-, or even 6-fold the distance for the same price?

Unfortunately, it is a glaring weakness of the rangefinder that leaves this product review on a very sour note.

Bottom Line:

Is this a great product?  Yes, minus the mid-January malfunction I give the rangefinder a A-.  It’s hard to explain how nice the case and optic quality (for the $$$) is without using the product for yourself.

Would I buy one for myself?  Absolutely not.  It doesn’t make economical sense!

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