TecTecTec VPro500 vs Nikon Coolshot 20 Review – Which One Is Better?

TecTecTec VPro500 vs Nikon Coolshot 20 Review – Which One Should I Buy?

Using a rangefinder can teach you a lot about which club you should use for every shot and what kind of distance you can expect from each club.

That’s all well and good for beginners, but what kind of advantages do range finders have for advanced golfers? For starters, a good range finder can help you assess the terrain of the shot more accurately and let you know how far you will have to carry.

The key is finding that good range finder (no pun intended). In the following review, we scrutinized two popular golf range finders. We chose these 2 because they would be a solid choice for both novices and veterans to the game. But only one will earn our endorsement in the end. Let’s get started.

The TecTecTec VPro500 Key Features

We start with the TecTecTec VPro500. When we opened up the box, we were relieved to see that it came with a carrying case and a micro fiber wipe. We get so annoyed when rangefinders don’t come with these simple yet essential accessories – range finders become worthless if the lens gets scratched.

The TecTecTec VPro500 is a sleek little number. It fits easy in the hand (dimensions are roughly 1.5×2.5×4 inches) and is comfortable to use. It uses laser technology to measure distances and features a diopter lens which is useful if you are near or far-sighted.

It’s pretty simple to use. All you have to do is look through it and focus the lens by rotating the eyepiece while looking through it (much like binoculars) and then press the power button when you’re focused.

Now there are 3 different modes to choose from. The normal mode is simple: just point the cross hairs at a target and hit the power button once to see its distance (you can toggle between yards and feet).

The scan mode lets you move the crosshairs over objects in real time to find their distances. You simply press and hold the power button, scan the terrain and release the power button to get the distance of any given target.

The Pin mode helps you find distance to, you guessed it, the pin or flag. You have to aim the crosshairs to the left of the pin and while holding the power button, pass the crosshairs to the right of the pin and then release the power button. Then the distance to the pin will appear on the lens.

 

The Nikon Coolshot 20

Right out of the box, we took note of this thing’s weight. It was very light despite being slightly larger than the TecTecTec VPro500. It also comes with a carrying case. We used the Coolshot 20 for about 5 rounds of golf and found that it was accurate for shots of up to around 450 yards.

We had high hopes for the Coolshot 20 since it was made by Nikon. Many of our staff own Nikon cameras and absolutely love them and the Coolshot was not a disappointment. We loved the size right away since past Nikon golf range finders were bulkier and heavier.

What also impressed us about the Coolshot was the lens. It has a very high quality, crystal clear (16.7mm diameter) 6x optic magnification lens that is assisted by an LED display for reading distances even when conditions are dark. We would expect nothing less than a great lens from Nikon.

This range finder is very easy to use and the features are pretty intuitive and straight to the point. The continuous 8 second scanning lets you see distances in real time of multiple targets. It also does a good job of discerning pins from trees that are behind it.

 

Price Point Comparison

At most retailers, you are going to find about a $100 difference between the Nikon Coolshot 20 and the TecTecTec VPro500. The Nikon costs around $230 while the TecTecTec VPro500 retails for generally $130.

 

Performance Comparison

The first difference we noticed between these two was that the Nikon made it easier to focus and get distances while the TecTecTec VPro500 would take some time to display distance read-outs. This is most likely due to the lens of the Nikon being higher quality. It feels beefier and better protected.

That being said, we did notice that the Nikon was very sensitive to any obscurities in the air such as sand kicked up from a trap. If there were debris or haze in the way, the Nikon wouldn’t even give a read-out.

The Nikon was also more accurate with long-range shots. The further a shot was for the TecTecTec VPro500, it seemed to be less accurate (we tested against multiple GPS watches).

 

TecTecTec VPro500 Pros & Cons

Pros:

• More affordable
• Different scanning modes
• Comes with a soft cloth for cleaning
• Good accuracy for short-range shots
• Displays battery life in the viewfinder
• 2 year warranty with online registration

Cons:

• Not so accurate on long targets
• Batteries are difficult to replace
• Not as fast for giving distance read-outs
• You have to hold it very steadily

 

Get The Best Price On The TecTecTec Here:

 

Nikon Coolshot 20 Pros & Cons

Pros:

• High quality lens
• Accurate for long targets
• Comes with a carrying case
• Easy to read LCD display
• Gives distances quickly
• Simple user interface

Cons:

• Sensitive to obscurities
• It’s lighter so it’s harder to stabilize
• More expensive
• Shorter battery life

 

Get The Best Price On Nikon Coolshot 20 Here:

 

Our Recommendation

These range finders bring a pretty much equal amount of pros and cons to the table. But if you can spend the extra money, we suggest going with the Nikon. It can be problematic if there is sand, dust or haze in the air but other than that, it performs more accurately than the TecTecTec VPro500.

We may have given our endorsement to the TecTecTec VPro500 since it is significantly cheaper and performs comparably but the lens of the Nikon was the deal-breaker. It is simply better quality and will last longer. With that, we suggest you go out and try the Nikon Coolshot 20 for yourself!

 

***Winner Nikon Coolshot 20******

Get The Best Price Here: