50 Words or Less
The Zoom Focus X rangefinder is a quick, compact laser rangefinder. A rechargeable battery eliminates the need to carry a backup.
Introduction
We seem to have reached a point with laser rangefinders where there are no more major breakthroughs. From slope to improved optics to speed, we’ve seen it all before. The Zoom Focus X doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel, but it offers many top of the line features – plus something unusual – at a very affordable price.
Set Up & Ease of Use
The Zoom Focus X rangefinder is as easy to use as any that I’ve tested. Pushing the red button powers it up, another press gives you a yardage. There is another button just in front of the red one that toggles the slope feature and also switches between yards and meters. The Focus X displays thoughtful design – the slope button is set lower than the power button making button errors very rare.
One unusual thing about the Focus X is that it’s powered by a rechargeable battery. It charges through a micro USB port near the eyepiece. My Focus X was ready to go right out the box, and I rang up over 200 yardages during my testing. After all that, the low battery indicator did not appear, so it seems that one charge should be good for multiple rounds.
Zoom’s website does not indicate how long one charge should last or how long it takes to fully charge the battery. I like the idea of a rechargeable battery, but I do wish that there was a battery life indicator on the Focus X rather than just a low battery indicator.
*UPDATE: Per Zoom, the battery should last 30 hours on a single charge.
Accuracy & Performance
As always, we’ll start with the most important piece: accuracy. I tested the Zoom Focus X against several other top shelf rangefinders, and it performed very well. Readings between the different units was always within one yard.
The Focus X is also very quick. With or without the slope adjustment turned on, yardages displayed the moment that my finger was off the power button. I’ve tested units that are slightly quicker, but the difference between them is completely meaningless.
Another notable thing about the Focus X is its size. While the size differences between rangefinders isn’t immense, the Focus X is one of the most compact units. It’s also lighter – 178 grams vs the 256 grams of the Bushnell Pro X2 [review HERE].
Value
The Zoom Focus X rangefinder retails for $200. At that price, you get the laser, the charging cable, and the carrying case shown above. This a very strong value, particularly given that you won’t have to buy expensive batteries.
Conclusion
If you’re in the market for a compact rangefinder with speed and accuracy, the Zoom Focus X will fit the bill. While I hope to see a battery life indicator in future versions, the fact that you’ll never have to track down a CR2 battery is an attractive feature.
Visit Zoom Rangefinders HERE
Matt Saternus
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Biggest failure is micro USB, come on, why not just use USB-C instead of something that is dated.
This is pretty much the exact range finder I’ve been waiting for.
I totally agree that we seem to have reached a point with laser rangefinders where there are no more major breakthroughs.
What I’d like to see is improvement on some of the existing features. Bushnell putting the magnet on the side so it sticks to the cart is a great feature. Why isn’t everyone else copying that? I have a Nikon and I bought a $10 rubber skin case and stuffed some magnets inside it to add that feature, but I’d love for that to be built in considering the price I paid.
I use a Nikon because of their stabilization feature and they use larger font which is easier for my aging eyes to read. Why does Bushnell insist on being so small on the font?
Just some examples of how a perfect rangefinder still doesn’t exist, even though it should by now…