Rangefinders are very useful on the course, but they are also very expensive!
Precision Pro is a newer company that is trying to keep the usefulness and change the really expensive part.
I recently had the opportunity to review the Precision Pro NX7 Pro Rangefinder. It is a much more affordable entry into the rangefinder market with all the fancy features that the top models have.
If you want to see more options, check out our breakdown of the best golf rangefinders.
Precision Pro NX7 Pro
With all the features of its more expensive competitors at a much lower cost, the NX7 Pro is a great option for the budget conscious golfer that wants accurate yardages and slope calculation.
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Accuracy
This rangefinder is as accurate as any other rangefinder I have used. After using it alongside my Bushnell for a number of rounds, I trust the numbers it’s giving me (once it acquires the target…more on that below).
Rangefinders are extremely accurate. The technology has been around for a while now. I have tried a number of rangefinders and there really isn’t one modern rangefinder out there among the popular brands that has inaccurate numbers.
So the bottom line is that you’ll get great numbers from this rangefinder.
However, there is one aspect of this device where it falls just short of some of the more expensive models…acquiring targets.
Sometimes, even when the flagstick is within the circle and crosshairs, it might not pick it up.
You do have to be careful on the course when you’re approaching a green with trees in close proximity behind the flag. If it misses the flag and picks up the trees, the difference may not be obvious enough for you to notice that it missed the flag.
The closer you are to the flag, the less likely this is to happen. I am almost always able to acquire the flagstick on the second or third try.
I have also encountered situations where the Precision Pro had trouble grabbing something that wasn’t a flagstick (like a bunker, a tree, or a mound of grass) while an older Bushnell was able to get yardage to those things. Generally, the more reflective the object, the more likely you are to be able to get a yardage to it.
This is really the only aspect of this rangefinder that that differentiates it from others that are double its price.
Slope Functionality
As far as the slope functionality, it works and seems to be very helpful. In my experience, it gives you a good idea of yardage adjustments you should make for elevation changes.
However, one shortcoming of any slope enabled rangefinder, is that it really can’t take into consideration your specific shot trajectory. I would say that this rangefinder assumes a regular to slightly high trajectory, so if you hit a low ball, you may want to take an extra club from what the rangefinder tells you. But that is true of all slope rangefinders.
Like most new rangefinders, this device allows you to turn off the slope function with a single button press. This makes it legal to be used in tournaments that do allow rangefinders so long as you turn off the slope functionality.
Other Features
Like some of the more expensive devices, the NX7 Pro vibrates when it acquires its target. At first, I thought this was a silly feature that was created by the marketing department rather than the engineering department. But it does actually help to know that it is locked on. This makes the process a little faster because you’ll know if you need to re-shoot rather than just wondering if it still looking.
There is a slight delay when it comes to acquiring the target. It’s not slow by any means. I have used faster, but the NX7 Pro is certainly within the range where you really don’t notice it.
The viewfinder has an adjustable diopter, which is helpful to those of us with imperfect eyesight. The diopter is the part you look through and the adjustability means that you can fine tune it to match your eyesight, so if you usually need reading glasses, you don’t have to take them out to use the rangefinder and read the numbers.
Design
There are a lot of things I like about the design of this rangefinder.
This is one of the smaller and lighter rangefinders I have had the opportunity to use. I didn’t think it was that big of a deal until I started using it on the course. But smaller and lighter makes things a lot easier.
Even though it comes with a nice and easy to access case, the small form factor meant that I could put it in my pocket. This is very helpful for those situations when you are in a golf cart and can’t take the cart to where your ball is. I can’t tell you how many times I have carried a rangefinder to the ball in this situation and left the rangefinder sitting in the fairway.
The case is light but seems like a hard durable plastic material. Though not on purpose, I did drop the device on the cart path and it held up with no visible damage.
There were a couple things that could be improved upon, but I wouldn’t consider them deal breakers.
First, the viewfinder seemed a little narrow. I often found myself having to move it around to line it up right. This wasn’t a huge deal but I have seen others with easier to use viewfinders.
The other thing that I have seen in recent models is a built in magnet that lets you attach the rangefinder to your golf cart. This isn’t something I would call a negative, but it is nice to have. Although, if you have a model without a magnet, I highly recommend these rangefinder magnet straps.
Overall, I really like the compact design of this rangefinder.
Price
It may seem strange to consider price a “feature” but in this case I think it is the best feature of this rangefinder. Precision Pro has managed to get 90% of the way to the most expensive models on the market at about half the price.
So I would easily call the NX7 Pro the best value on the market when it comes to rangefinders.
In addition, Precision Pro has a unique offer with their devices that I haven’t seen offered by any other rangefinder company on the market.
They will send you battery replacements for this rangefinder for the entire time you own it. Precision Pro estimates this to be about $60 over the course of ownership, but I find myself replacing the battery in my old rangefinder at least once a year for around $10, so if you hold on to this for 6-7 years, you’ll probably exceed that $60 in value.
So, in effect, the already low cost is reduced by $60.
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