Do you spend too much on hunting gear? Of course not! We could never spend too much on such a thing (if only the Misses felt the same way, right?). Even so, it helps to not blow the budget on every hunting purchase. With the Halo XL 450, you are almost certainly guaranteed to get the most bang from you buck than any other rangefinder out there. Let’s walk you through our detailed analysis of the this budget friendly rangefinder.
Contents
About the Halo XL 450
The Halo is equipped with several great features that make it a great value pick for most people looking to grab a new rangefinder.
Quick run through of how to operates the Halo.
- There are two buttons on the top: Power button and mode button
- The power button turns it on (obviously) and also is what is used to get the range. It has an auto off function so the power button does not shut it off.
- Once the rangefinder is on, you can use the power button not only to range, but also hold it down to use the scan feature.
- Use the mode button to switch between normal mode and AI(Angle Intelligence) mode. Note you do have to press it 4 times to cycle through all 4 modes because it has two the two modes mention for yards as well as meters.
Here is a quick breakdown of all it’s features
Angle compensation: This is the key to any good bow hunting rangefinder. It allows for those steep angles to be accounted for when high up in the tree stand.
Auto acquisition: Not sure that this is much of a feature, but they list it on their product page as such. It’s basically their way of saying that it can acquire your target easily. No actual extra feature here though
Scan mode: This is a nice feature to have to do a quick scan of your surroundings.
Water resistant: Will hold up nicely to some rain fall, but I wouldn’t drop it in a lake.
Range distance: Going to be accurate at about 200-225 yards. However, we have found that it gets very shaky at around 100 yards.
Something to note is that it does not include the ability to range through brush as some other nicer rangefinders are known to do. So if you go with this, keep that in mind as you prepare for your hunt to keep your shooting lanes clear.
What’s in the package?
- No case. Many rangefinders include a case so just wanted to clarify this point.
- CR2 lithium-ion battery.
- Cleaning clothe that is standard for most electronic screens.
- Attachable lanyard
Reasons to buy this
– Great purchase for the money
Chances are you are reading this because you want a cheap rangefinder that will get the job done. This is the number one reason the Halo might be right for you. It perform very nicely for the price range as well has all the features you need for bow hunting. It is also worth mentioning this bad boy has over 1,700 reviews and 4.5 stars on Amazon!
– Accuracy holds up to some of the nicer rangefinders
Surprisingly, this budget rangefinder can hold it’s own with some of the higher in price rangefinders. Accuracy is obviously highly important when it comes time to take the shot, so this is good plus
Reasons to maybe not buy this
– Not the most visible display
This is one of the biggest cons of this rangefinder and by far the most widely talked about downside. The Halo might not be for you if you have trouble seeing contrast or seeing in low light situations. Many people have noted this as an issue, however, it actually does have the ability to adjust the brightness but that doesn’t seem to help everyone for some reason.
– Not the longest lasting build quality
Being as budget friendly as it is, the build quality feels about as expected. Has a god rubber grip so it doesn’t easily slip, but still feels kinda cheap in the had. Many people have had experiences of it breaking right after the 1 year warranty is up.
– Focus is not perfect
It has a bit of a lag between when you press the button and the time it takes to give the reading. If you were to put this rangefinder up against some nicer ones such as the Leupold RX-1600i TBR/W, you would instantly notice not a speed difference. Not to mention it gets rather shaky and hard to lock on to a target the further out you range.
Should you buy this rangefinder?
If you still aren’t sure about this rangefinder, It may be because you are worried about the low contrast optics it has. Or maybe because you are wanting something more quality that will last you years and years to come. If this is you, you may want to check out some other options in our post where we break down our top 5 archery rangefinders.
But on the other hand if you are wanting to keep that budget in mind (and the Misses), then this could be your choice. If you don’t have a rangefinder yet, this would be the single best $100 you could spend to take your archery hunting up a notch and build that confidence in your shot! And that’s why this is our pick for the best rangefinder for the money.
