Rangefinder Battery
A rangefinder uses a wide range of batteries to provide the power needed to get the job done while playing several hours of golf or practicing at the range.
A Bushnell Tour V4 battery and others, like the Bozily, provide three essential services. It delivers electricity, is relatively small, and is affordable.
When the amount of stored energy in a battery can power a golf rangefinder and other consumer electronics for up to months for just a couple of dollars, the price barrier no longer exists, and you have a very successful product.
Disposable Vs. Rechargeable Golf Rangefinder Battery
When pondering what kind of golf rangefinder battery to use, you have two basic options: Disposable or rechargeable batteries. Both types of batteries offer great benefits and have their faults. But they mostly get the job done well enough.
The big advantage of a rechargeable battery is obvious: Once it discharges its stored energy, you can recharge it many times over and continue getting good service from your rangefinder and other portable electronics.
The initial cost is higher to buy rechargeable batteries, and you need to buy the equipment to charge them, but that mostly is a nominal cost.
The disposable battery has been around for a very long time and will continue to do so for as long as people use portable electronics.
A disposable battery has two big advantages over rechargeable batteries. The first is that it is much more affordable to buy and use.
The second is that a disposable battery holds an initial charge much longer than rechargeable counterparts, so you can count on getting a many more hours of use from a disposable battery than you would a comparable rechargeable one.
The major disadvantage of disposable batteries it that once they are out of power, recycling is the only way to get them back into circulation.
A rechargeable battery will not power up your electronics for as long on a single charge as a disposable battery would, but the ability and very low cost to recharge them makes the rechargeable option a smart choice for many consumers.
Commonly Used Rangefinder Battery Types
A check of the popular Bushnell Tour V3 rangefinder shows it uses a CR2 lithium battery, but Bushnell also uses 9-volt alkaline batteries in many of its rangefinder models.
The apparent deciding factor on which one to use is the amount of energy used to provide the service for which you bought the item.
In the case of a rangefinder, those that offer longer ranges and more functions, like slope compensation in a golfing rangefinder, the more likely it will use a CR2 battery or an internal rechargeable. Here is a closer look at the various batteries used in rangefinders and their particular advantages and disadvantages.
Unfortunately golf watches use the a different kind of battery, some do not even have the ability to be changed without sending it back to the manufacture.
Commonly Used Disposable Batteries
When it comes to the rangefinder, the most commonly used battery is the CR2. The CR2 battery is about a half-inch wide and about an inch tall and shaped like a cylinder.
It weighs just a fraction of an ounce and takes up very little space inside a rangefinder or other small electronic device while packing a lot of power.
The CR2 battery holds about 3 volts of electricity that it discharges very slowly, which makes it a perfect solution for providing power for small handheld electronics, like a golfing rangefinder.
Most CR2 batteries use lithium-ion but also might be an alkaline type. The disposable CR2 batteries can store a full charge for up to a decade, which is why they always will be around.
How to Change a CR2 Rangefinder Battery
The ease of changing out a CR2 battery is what makes it one of the most popular for golfing rangefinders.
The Bushnell Tour V2 battery is a great example to show how quickly and easily you can swap out a CR2 battery while on the golf course. That makes it possible to always make sure you have a fully powered rangefinder to complete 18 holes of golf.
The battery compartment on the lower right side of the Bushnell V3 rangefinder has a small lever that you flip up with your fingernail.
Once it is expose, you use it to turn the battery cover counter-clockwise and remove it. The CR2 battery is located beneath and will slide out by tipping the rangefinder to the side and letting gravity do the rest.
The replacement goes in with the negative and positive terminals properly positioned to give your rangefinder the power it needs. Then you place the cover back on and turn it clockwise to tighten it properly.
Once the cover stops turning, everything is in place and your rangefinder it ready to go again.
Other Commonly Used Disposable Batteries
Some rangefinders use disposable AAA batteries and the 9-volt alkaline batteries already mentioned for use in various Bushnell rangefinders.
The more electronics your rangefinder uses, the more power it needs from the battery. That is why a 3-volt lithium-ion battery outperforms a 9-volt alkaline battery in rangefinders that have a lot of bells and whistles.
If your rangefinder vibrates to affirm it has the flag locked in, the vibration and flag-lock functions are using more power.
The same goes for the multitude of features that current rangefinders offer, including speed readings, scan modes and slope adjustments.
Many of those functions are not legal for tournament play. When using a tournament-dedicated rangefinder, you mostly are using the laser function for straight-distance measurements to the hole.
That requires much less power, which is why Bushnell and other rangefinder brands also use 9-volt alkaline batteries in some rangefinder models.
The more power your rangefinder uses while on the course, the more power that battery needs to store and provide. That is why a Leupold rangefinder battery or similar model might require a slightly larger CR123A battery that is a bigger version of the CR2.
Commonly Used Rechargeable Batteries
Virtually all types of disposable batteries also are available in rechargeable versions that you use just like the disposable batteries. That can give you lots of options for choosing your preferred rechargeable battery.
Our list of the best golf rangefinders includes models like the Profey 1500 and the Garmin Z82, which include their own internal rechargeable batteries.
A USB port lets you recharge a relatively large internal lithium-ion battery using an outlet adapter, car charging port or a computer connection.
The exceptionally large internal Nikon rangefinder battery or other type could add a lot of weight to the unit, but it should provide many hours of use between charges.
They also enable a very large number of charges to provide up to 20 years of service life. That generally will cover most people’s realistic expectations and the remaining golfing careers of many older golfers.
About the only handicap to an internal rechargeable Bushnell battery or other model is that when they are dead, so is the rangefinder.
Replacing the battery would be costly to do, which is why you need to get a lot of service life out of that battery if you choose a rangefinder win an internal rechargeable unit.
The cost to replace the battery generally would encourage most people to replace the entire rangefinder with a new one.
Some people also might be unhappy with a Callaway rangefinder battery or other type that pushes a pound or more in weight due to a large internal battery.
But those who do not mind a few extra ounces in exchange for long service life while eliminating the need to buy replacement disposables will find these rangefinders to be an ideal solution for their needs.
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