TecTecTec VPRO500S Rangefinder Review – Big Performance, Tiny Price

Those that know me and those that read my reviews know I’m all about “bang for your buck” when it comes to my golf purchases.  That’s not to say I’m “cheap” (okay, maybe a little) but it’s much more about value for me.  I’ll spend the money, but only when I’m comfortable that I’m getting as much value for my dollars as possible.

In other words, spending $350 to $400 for a rangefinder is absolutely out of the question.  You want me to spend the same on a rangefinder than what I basically spent on an entire set of new irons?

Yeah, I’ll pass.

Enter the VPRO500S rangefinder by TecTecTec.

At $180 it definitely hits on price.  But does it sacrifice functionality and performance?

In a word…no.

Here’s what it can do:

Pretty much everything that the others can—like, say, a company whose name rhymes with Smushnell.

The VPRO500S has 6x magnification along with what’s called diopter adjustment.  That means you can adjust the focus of it as you would a pair of binoculars to match your eyesight.  And the 6x magnification lets you get up-close and personal with objects from about 200 yards away.  I’ve used it just to watch the expressions on guys’ faces when they miss a four-foot putt on the green ahead of me.  It can be mildly entertaining.

It also has a few different options when measuring distances.  It’s “pin seeker” mode does, well, exactly that while quickly providing you with a clear visual of the yardage to the pin, plus or minus one yard.  In every comparison, be it a GPS app, a course marker or sprinkler head, or versus another rangefinder, the VPRO500S is as accurate as any of them.

That is if you’re measuring yardage “as the crow flies.”  If you’re measuring actual distance to a hole that is uphill or downhill, my VPRO is better.  Way better.  Because that “S” in its name stands for “slope.”  That means my measurement to the pin automatically builds the effects of elevation.  (Side note: Yes, I know it’s illegal in USGA play.  No, I don’t compete in USGA play.)

But this rangefinder is no one-trick pony.  It also has settings that allow you to find the distance of the closest object, like the 150-marker or tree along the fairway, as well as a scan mode where you can move from object to object and get immediate readings.  The scan mode comes in real handy when you’re looking down a fairway and asking yourself, “how far out is that bunker?” or “can I reach the water?”

So basically, this rangefinder does all the things just as well as any other rangefinder. Yet costs about half as much.

Now that’s value.