Anyone seen or heard about this upcoming rangefinder from Precision Pro?

[Tupperwolf]

Seriously, all I want to see is a simulated image of what I will see when I look through the lens.  Is it going to be simple or information overload?  Can the user turn off the wind function, I'd much rather get front/back/pin yardages and use my own senses to decide how much wind to play rather than have the finder give me an inaccurate yardage based on weather data from the cloud (no pun intended) that doesn't match real life.

[3_Jack_Par]

1 hour ago, Tupperwolf said:

Seriously, all I want to see is a simulated image of what I will see when I look through the lens.  Is it going to be simple or information overload?  Can the user turn off the wind function, I'd much rather get front/back/pin yardages and use my own senses to decide how much wind to play rather than have the finder give me an inaccurate yardage based on weather data from the cloud (no pun intended) that doesn't match real life.

The tournament mode should switch off the wind and slope adjustment, but I doubt you'd be able to switch off one but not the other. Either way, I'm sure that it will show you the actual yardage and the adjusted yardage, so you could ignore the adjusted one if you want. I am curious about how the weather adjustment actually works. It says it uses "real-time weather data", which seems to indicate that the device itself has some way of measuring things. According to the video on their site, the weather adjustment is based on info you enter about your launch conditions combined with measurements of wind speed, temperature, humidity, air pressure and air density. For that to be at all accurate, I'd have to imagine that it would need to be based on onsite measurements. Most weather apps don't even have that kind of information, so it seems it would be difficult to get reliable, real-time information based on any kind of web-based weather info. I'll be curious to see how accurate/useful the Wind Assist adjustments will be.

[3_Jack_Par]

22 hours ago, 3_Jack_Par said:

Of course, I just ordered an NX9 yesterday, and this gets announced the next day!🤬 I contacted their customer service, and unfortunately they can't cancel that order, but they're saying I can return it for a refund, and I can pre-order the R1.  I'll be curious about a few things before pulling the trigger:

• Is the GPS an internal unit or does it use the GPS on your phone? It sounds like it's internal, but I'd like to confirm, because phone GPS accuracy isn't always totally reliable
• It mentions that it comes with a charging cord -- is that for the GPS only, or for the entire unit? On other PP devices, it mentions that a battery is included, so does this one use a rechargeable battery, and if so, how long will it work on a charge, and is the battery replaceable if it stops holding a charge?

 

@Precision Pro Golf, is there anything you can share about these two questions?

[3_Jack_Par]

I emailed customer service and got some answers to my questions:

The GPS functionality in the R1 uses your phone's GPS.

It does use a rechargeable battery. The charge is supposed to last for at least 2 rounds. The battery is part of the unit, so if it stops holding a charge within the warranty period, they'd replace it under warranty, but if that happens after 2 years, it sounds like you'd be out of luck. 

 

Both of these things make me think twice about the R1. The phone GPS isn't as much of an issue, as that has improved a lot and I find it's pretty accurate when using it with Arccos, for example. But the rechargeable battery that can't be replaced is the big issue. With every rechargeable electronic item I have ever had, the batter life degrades over time, and I could see this becoming a problem a few years down the road where it's outside the warranty, the battery stops holding a charge, and you can't get a full round out of it. With that and needing to remember to recharge it all the time, I'm not sure if the R1 is for me. A lot of the functionality sounds really cool, and the integration of the laser yardage and the GPS in the viewfinder sounds slick, but these are issues that I think might rule it out as an option.

[BirdieBob]

From the MGS....

"The R1 gives targeted yardages, plus front/middle/back GPS measurements."

If the GPS info is limited to just the green then the Garmin Z82 blows it away from a GPS standpoint with all the info it has on a visual of each hole.

 

[Laznasty]

1 hour ago, 3_Jack_Par said:

I emailed customer service and got some answers to my questions:

The GPS functionality in the R1 uses your phone's GPS.

It does use a rechargeable battery. The charge is supposed to last for at least 2 rounds. The battery is part of the unit, so if it stops holding a charge within the warranty period, they'd replace it under warranty, but if that happens after 2 years, it sounds like you'd be out of luck. 

 

Both of these things make me think twice about the R1. The phone GPS isn't as much of an issue, as that has improved a lot and I find it's pretty accurate when using it with Arccos, for example. But the rechargeable battery that can't be replaced is the big issue. With every rechargeable electronic item I have ever had, the batter life degrades over time, and I could see this becoming a problem a few years down the road where it's outside the warranty, the battery stops holding a charge, and you can't get a full round out of it. With that and needing to remember to recharge it all the time, I'm not sure if the R1 is for me. A lot of the functionality sounds really cool, and the integration of the laser yardage and the GPS in the viewfinder sounds slick, but these are issues that I think might rule it out as an option.

A rechargeable battery lol? That's a deal breaker. Thanks for the info, cancelling my pre-order

[3_Jack_Par]

30 minutes ago, BirdieBob said:

From the MGS....

"The R1 gives targeted yardages, plus front/middle/back GPS measurements."

If the GPS info is limited to just the green then the Garmin Z82 blows it away from a GPS standpoint with all the info it has on a visual of each hole.

 

The Z82 is also close to twice the price, so that's a consideration

[BirdieBob]

14 minutes ago, 3_Jack_Par said:

The Z82 is also close to twice the price, so that's a consideration

Got mine for $470 new!

-Pay less and get less in this instance.

 

[3_Jack_Par]

13 minutes ago, BirdieBob said:

Got mine for $470 new!

-Pay less and get less in this instance.

 

That's great for you, but everywhere online is showing that it's $600, so unless there is some way that a lot of people can get a similar deal to what you got, they're paying $280 for that additional functionality, and not everyone would think that's worth it.

[BirdieBob]

1 minute ago, 3_Jack_Par said:

That's great for you, but everywhere online is showing that it's $600, so unless there is some way that a lot of people can get a similar deal to what you got, they're paying $280 for that additional functionality, and not everyone would think that's worth it.

Just check with one of the WRX Forum sponsors and you too will be delighted!

[3_Jack_Par]

29 minutes ago, BirdieBob said:

Just check with one of the WRX Forum sponsors and you too will be delighted!

I don't think I want one myself (either the R1 or the Z82). The rechargeable battery seems like something that would be come a problem in the future, and it looks like Garmin's warranty is only one year. I'm also a master of forgetting to take stuff with me when I leave the house, so having to charge it every couple of rounds and remember to take it with me is probably a recipe for disaster.

[BirdieBob]

19 hours ago, 3_Jack_Par said:

I don't think I want one myself (either the R1 or the Z82). The rechargeable battery seems like something that would be come a problem in the future, and it looks like Garmin's warranty is only one year. I'm also a master of forgetting to take stuff with me when I leave the house, so having to charge it every couple of rounds and remember to take it with me is probably a recipe for disaster.

Mine stays in my golf bag which I keep at home and gets recharged at home.  Very simple.

Rechargeable batteries last 100's of cycles now and that also is a non issue and these can be replaced.

*Do you ever recharge you smartphone?   Duh...not a problem same with the Rangefinder.

 

Edited May 21, 2021 by BirdieBob

[Skydiver22]

My buddy just shot the commercial for this rangefinder at Lake Las Vegas. He liked it... I guess it has a find me feature so you can track it on your phone.  Cart guys are probably punching walls over this feature.

[IC3BURGH]

I think I'd rather carry around 6 extra CR2 batteries than recharge my Rangefinder after every couple rounds, though this rangefinder remains very tempting considering my Bushnell Pro X has seen much better days.

 

I actually had this rangefinder in cart and was partially through checkout when I decided not to proceed. Something about the fact that PP has not released certain images gives me extreme pause on the reliability of the unit. This is a completely unfounded concern, but it did prevent me from pre-ordering an R1. I very much look forward to some reviews. 

Edited May 21, 2021 by IC3BURGH

[Sons_of_Pitches]

From the pre-orders page....

 

https://www.precisionprogolf.com/product/r1-smart-rangefinder/

Golf Rangefinder

R1 Smart Rangefinder

$319.99

Available Mid to Late June

Currently available to U.S only 

Precision Pro Golf introduces the smartest, most personalized rangefinder… EVER. The R1 Smart Rangefinder provides golfers with a wide array of features to help them improve their game. These features include:

• MySlope™
• Rechargeable Battery
• Front-Center-Back Distances
• Find my Precision Pro
• Wind Assist™
• Pulse Vibrations
• Magnetic Grip

Edited May 21, 2021 by Sons_of_Pitches

[moadhia]

I have preordered it but the whole rechargeable battery thing is making question the purchase. I know I am going to forget to charge this before a round. No harm in giving it a run with a 90day money back guarantee 

[Zeros]

Hey guys, I am also considering ordering this but am concerned about the battery issue.  I did see this on the product page though:

 

*Free Lifetime Battery-Replacement Services Included

[jds_mlb]

Yeah. I emailed and asked about that specifically. The response was that the R1 won’t be part of the free battery program. 

[Laznasty]

30 minutes ago, Zeros said:

Hey guys, I am also considering ordering this but am concerned about the battery issue.  I did see this on the product page though:

 

*Free Lifetime Battery-Replacement Services Included

I'd be shocked if they paid for shipping, but I'm sure that'll be a fun few weeks of finding yardages and sprinkler heads while it's being replaced. No thank you.

[3_Jack_Par]

38 minutes ago, jds_mlb said:

Yeah. I emailed and asked about that specifically. The response was that the R1 won’t be part of the free battery program. 

Same here -- They said if the battery failed within the warranty period (2 years), they'd replace the rangefinder. After than you'd be out of luck, I guess.

[Zeros]

Ugg, not what I was hoping to hear.  Oh well, on to the next I suppose.

[messtoph]

Has anyone who preordered received theirs?  I ordered mine because I love their app and want to see how the connectivity works. I am anxiously waiting for it. 

[Fairways_and_Greens]

@Precision Pro Golf any word on when the R1 pre-orders are shipping?

[My2Dogs]

Hoping someone can shed some light when they finally get the pre orders shipped and in the hands of folks.  Really thinking of getting this but wanted some feedback from users.  

[jds_mlb]

Has anyone gotten one of these in their hands yet?

[swgolfer]

Don't believe they have shipped any of these yet, like everything else probably challenges getting it from Overseas on time.....

[CMUgol4]

I did inquire and the response was in the next week or 2.  Though before that they told me they wanted to have it hands for July 4th weekend (which obviously didn't happen). Hoping it's a supply chain issue and not a technical one

[mixtapevibes]

Looks like its going to be somewhat significantly delayed. Just got this response. I went ahead and cancelled my order for now, doesn't seem worth it to be the guinea pig for this anymore.

[CMUgol4]

Welp, got mine today.  Unfortunately it will not connect to my Pixel 5, tried various ways the past 30 minutes with no luck.  Hoping it's a quick fix otherwise this thing is headed back ASAP

[CMUgol4]

Emailed them and got a response quickly.  Unfortunately they're saying it may be 48 hours before Android will pair.  At this point I've told them I want to return it as my fear is ongoing connection and software issues.  Bummer because it seems like a cool product but given it was later than expected delivery and doesn't work, it's not a good look.  I know I'm probably in the minority with Android but still definitely disappointed