Expert Review Quite a handy tool to have. - Vortex Ranger 1500 Range Finder

The first thing that stands out is the body of the rangefinder. Built ergonomically, here are no sharp edges and the whole unit has a rubberized coating. This provided for no noticeable fatigue, even during extended use. The buttons were easy to manipulate and well located. They provide positive feedback in the form of a click that can be both heard and felt. Using only the two buttons, it is easy to change the settings of the rangefinder to meet your needs. The display is concise, displaying the information that you want in an easy to use format. Both a carrying case and a pocket clip on the rangefinder itself are provided, so it is easy to travel with. An attachment point is located on the bottom of the unit should you desire to screw it to a walking stick or a tripod. This rangefinder also has a neat feature whereby it will measure the angle from you, of what you are ranging, as well as the distance. You can select to get this information in a raw format or to have the rangefinder use it to calculate the equivalent horizontal component distance, allowing you to quickly use your predetermined holdovers with no need for calculus. Distance readings are very quick and very easy to obtain. In use I was able to get readings out to around 1200 meters, but his was a limitation of the terrain around me and not of the unit.

The reticle is an LED system instead of the older LCD that other devices use. This has the strength of being useable in lower light conditions than older rangefinders. The downside is that there are only three power levels to the brightness. I found the dimmest one to be very bright in low light, perhaps a little too bright. I found the brightest setting, while still visible, to be a little washed out and faded on bright sunny days. The optic itself provides a magnification of 6x, but with a blue-green tint. I was able to ignore this tint after a couple minutes of getting used to the system.