It's good to 500 yards - Vortex Ranger 1500 Range Finder

I searched all over the internet and could not find any reviews for the Vortex Ranger 1500 rangefinder. I was a little skeptical purchasing it, but reviews for the ranger 1000 were good, the product warranty was superb and the price was much lower than comparable products so I took a chance and I am glad I did.

I began ranging everything I could see around my house as soon as the brown truck dropped off my package. The afternoon was very bright and the sun was approximately 35 degrees off the horizon directly behind a herd of cows. The furthest cow I could see was black and I was able to range it at 641 yards. I ranged it repeatedly with the same distance reading. The unit returned a reading 3 or 4 times out of 5 when ranging the cow. I was able to range a red barn at 1161 yards under the same conditions using my deck rail as a rest. Without the rest I couldn't hold it steady enough to get a return.

In the field of closely eaten grass in front of my house, I was able to get readings on the ground out to 450 yards.

As soon as the sun sank below the mountains, I took it out again. This time, the herd of cows had moved closer and I was able to repeatedly get readings on the furthest cow at 475 yards without using a rest. I was far from steady and didn't expect to get a return so I was happily surprised. I was also able to get a return of 1230 yards on white a building. For this reading I used a very steady rest.

I was surprised by the size of the Ranger 1500. It literally fits in the palm of my hand. At 7.7 ounces it is much lighter than all the comparable products I considered purchasing. When I hunt, I walk long distances with a heavy pack so the light weight is a big plus.

I hadn't given much thought to the quality of the optics, but if you have, you will be happy when you look through the Ranger. They are very clear.

As I use the Ranger 1500 under different conditions such as snow and cloudy skies, I will update this review. I will also give an update when I have opportunity to range smaller animals such as deer and coyote. Normally I would have waited to write this review until I had used the range finder more, but since there are no other reviews, I am giving my initial impressions to help others as they consider purchasing this product

With the limited use I have given it, I am giving the Ranger 1500 two thumbs way up. It meets most of my expectations and exceeds the rest. For the price, I don't think you can beat the Ranger 1500 and it has a lifetime, no questions asked, warranty thrown in for good measure.

UPDATE 2/6/16

I have had the opportunity to use the Ranger 1500 some more and here is what I have found: With the sun almost directly overhead with a very thin overcast layer, I was able to range a deer at 561 yards in a snow covered field. I had to have a completely solid rest and the deer had to be standing broadside to get a reading and I was only able to get a reading about 40 percent of the times I tried.

I have ranged black lava rocks at 550 yards approximately 15 minutes before sunrise on a clear morning. Sage brush in snow covered plains can be ranged just past 500 yards in the same pre-sunrise conditions. I was able to range my 80 pound German Shepherd at 350 yards in the snow at noon under clear skies. At that point he came back to the house so I don't know how much further I could have obtained a reading on him. Under no conditions have I been able to range cows past 660 yards and I have tried repeatedly. With a solid rest, I was able to range a lone juniper tree at 1060 yards. I was surprised as the foliage was not thick.

Now for the bad. I have had an intermittent problem with the Ranger 1500 powering on. Two of the times the problem reared its head after the unit was sitting on the dash of my truck with the defrost on. The unit felt warm, but not hot. While hunting in mid twenty degree weather I continually got a low battery reading and the unit wouldn't give a distance reading. I was using a nearly new lithium battery that was fluctuating between a full three bars and two bars on the unit's power meter before I left home. Because there is obviously a problem I am sending it back to get a new unit that functions properly. The second issue I have is this: Based on my experience with ranging full grown cows, I seriously doubt I will be able to range a deer at 750 yards as is claimed by the company. All in all, it is still a very good unit for the price, but I am lowering my initial 5 star rating to 4 stars. If you are satisfied with ranging deer sized animals at 500 yards I think you will be very pleased with the Ranger 1500. If you are looking to range them further than 500 yards, it seems, in my experience, that it may be a stretch for the Vortex Ranger 1500.