Leupold RX-1000 TBR Rangefinder Review - Part 1: What's In The Box

Leupold Rangefinder Review, RX-1000 TBR Review, RX-1000 Review, Leupold Review
I remember my first rangefinder.  It was a Ranging TLR 75.  I thought I was on the cutting edge of bow hunting 20 years ago when I made this purchase. It was a prism type of rangefinder where you dialed a wheel and lined up two images on top of each other.  I can't remember the price, but I can remember it was not cheap.  I have not carried it in several years because my bows have gotten faster and I struggled with being so far behind the times compared to my hunting buddies.  Also as I have continued along in my career and can now afford it, I'm working towards going out west on a big game rifle hunt.  Since this type of hunt is not cheap, and I'm sure long shots will be part of the hunt, I want to make sure distance doesn't become an issue.  I decided it was time to upgrade and did some research on the web and purchased the Leupold RX-1000 TBR Rangefinder.  I ended up buying it from Opticsplanet.com for $419.99 with free shipping (they charged an extra $20 for the camo version).

Leupold does a pretty good job at their website describing their products.  Throughout this review, I have included key features and specifications from their website in italics .  After comments taken from their website, I have made comments of my own about these key features or specifications.

The photo below shows the package and then a detail of each side so you can see Leupold's marketing information. Throughout this review, if you click on a photo it will bring up a higher resolution photo.

> Accessories included: Cordura® holster, battery, instructions and other items. Also includes a lanyard.

The photo below shows what you get inside the box, which is the rangefinder, case, neck strap, battery, quick reference card, owners manual and product registration card.

 

> Rugged and weatherproof body formed by a solid block of aluminum
> Compact pocket size, lightweight
> Length 3.8 in / 96.5 mm

> Width 1.3 in / 33 mm

> Height 2.8 in / 71.1 mm

> Available with Mossy Oak Breakup™ or two-tone black/gray finish 

When I took the Leupold RX-1000 TBR Rangefinder out of the box, my first impression was that it was a solid piece of equipment.  The overall fit of the rangefinder in my hand is good.  The button placement on the top matched up with my index finger while my hand was in a comfortable grip position.  The rangefinder measures 3.76" long, 1.35" wide, and 2.90" high.  All these are slightly different than Leupold's website or what was printed on the side of the package (which match), but the differences are in no way considered significant.  Also I rounded to two decimal places and they rounded things to one decimal place which may account for some of the difference.  The compact size of this rangefinder allows you to stick it in a shirt pocket if desired.  I was also pleased with the rubberized camo coating that covers the body of the rangefinder.

In the photo above and on the right, there is a small cover on the front of the unit.  When you remove this cover, there is a electrical connector similar to that on some USB cords which may allow updates in the future.  I found no mention of this in the Leupold literature, but it is nice to know they were thinking ahead.

> Weight 7.8 oz / 221 g

My rangefinder weighed in at 7.30 ounces, slightly less than advertised.  When you included the case, the combined weight of the case and rangefinder was 8.83 ounces.  When you include the neck strap of 0.32 ounces to the rangefinder alone, I think that matches close enough to Leupold's weight.

> Fast focus eyepiece with precision clicks.

> Obj. Aperture (mm) 22

> Exit Pupil (mm) 3.6
> Fold-down rubber eye cup adjusts for eyeglasses
> Eye Relief (mm) 14

The fast focus eyepiece as 20 clicks of adjustments. I found it very easy to adjust the eyepiece for my eyesight which isn't so great.  The exit pupil is basically the objective aperture divided by the power (22mm / 6= 3.66mm).  The combination of the fold-down rubber eye cups and the eye relief of 14mm made using the rangefinder with my glasses on a perfect fit for me.  When I bring the rangefinder up to my eye and touch my glasses lens with the folded down eyepiece, it works out to be the perfect distance.

> The common CR2 lithium camera battery is easy to change in the field.

Just like Leupold said, the battery compartment is easy to access and change the battery.  You flip a portion of the lid open and turn in the direction identified.  The lid comes off and you drop the new battery in in the direction identified by the picture on the inside of the compartment.

 

Leupold didn't say anything about the case, but I want to point out that the it has a magnetic cover catch, pocket inside to store a quick reference card, angled belt loop to put the rangefinder at a better angle when pulling it out in the field, and finally that the rangefinder does fit nice in the case.

So far, so good with the review.  I haven't found anything that I would consider a negative point in the basic build of this rangefinder.  There are many more features that I plan to cover in other parts of this review.  A list of these features and Leupold's description is shown below.

> 6x magnification gives you plenty of power, with a wide field of view to track movement.

> Bright colorful optics, markedly brighter than previous rangefinders.
> Three user adjustable intensity settings allow you to perfectly match the OLED display to dynamic lighting conditions.
> Three selectable reticles
> Includes a built-in inclinometer.
> Scan mode continuously updates the range as you track a target or scan an area.
> Accurate to 1000 yards (reflective targets), with measurements in yards, or meters.
> A newly redesigned Quick Set Menu® uses on-screen prompts for exceptionally intuitive and easy use in the field.
> Battery power indicator for easy battery level checks.
> Multiple ballistics settings…True Ballistic Range (TBR®) provides accurate aiming information matched to the performance of your rifle or bow. By calculating the incline, line of sight range to the target, and a projectile’s ballistics, your RX provides rifle hunters using Leupold Ballistics Aiming System reticles as well as bow hunters the correct equivalent horizontal distance for precise shooting on an incline. In other words, aim using the True Ballistic Range, not the line of sight range. Rifle hunters can also get this data as an MOA adjustment or a holdover point. With practice, long distance/steep angle shooting will become second nature. TBR is effective to 800 yards for most rifle cartridges.
> Max Range (Reflective) 1000 yd / 914.4 m
> Max Range (Trees) 600 yd / 548.7 m
> Max Range (Deer) 500 yd / 457.2 m
> Min Range 10.0 yd / 9.1 m
> Linear Field of View (ft/1000 yd) 320
> Linear Field of View (m/1000 m) 97.5
> Angular Field of View (degrees) 6.0
> Close Focus Distance 18.0 ft / 5.5 m

Click here to see Part 2 of the review which covers the Functions and Menus along with the optical quality. 
Part 3 will cover the accuracy of the rangefinder.  Please check back in the near future to read this portion.