Leupold Wind River RB800... any good?

zakwalker · Joined: 12 Mar 2006 Posts: 1

I have a friend interested in the Wind River RB800... Could you guys be so kind as to give opinions on this range finder? Such as accuracy, ease of use, likes and dislikes, etc... Thanks in advance - Zak

opticsplanet.com · Posted: Mon Mar 13, 2006 4:04 pm Post subject:

Hi

As a binocular goes, the Leupold Wind River RB800C is good. This is an individual eyepiece focus binocular with click stop settings on the eyepiece - a nice feature. I'm not a big fan of this type of focusing system for short range work, as in bowhunting, since you are constantly having to refocus each eyepiece at close range, but for rifle work, this is of no consequence.

Like all binocular laser rangefinders, the RB800 is rather large and bulky, especially compared to a standard 8x32 binocular, but nice handling is one of the things you give up when combining two instruments in one housing. (There is a socket for tripod mounting if needed, though, and it can be directly attached to a tripod without an adapter.) You also give up the usual lifetime warranty offered with most binoculars, since the RB800 is an electronic product (warranty two years), so keep this in mind if you plan to give the RB800 some hard use.

Optically, images are on a par with a decent mid-priced 8x32 binocular. It's not a Leica Geovid, of course, but it's not bad.

Operation of the laser is a simple, uncomplicated operation. Hit the power button once to activate the unit and show the crosshair, then hit the power button again to read the distance. A mode button gives you the option of yards or metters.
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