Laser rangefinders have been a part of the game for a while now and the Nikon Coolshot is the latest generation and does exactly what it says on the tin.
The Coolshot is smaller than the previous Nikon 350G and 15 grams lighter at only 165 grams. The other main difference apart from the colour is the waterproof rubberised cover which means you don't need the cover sleeve of the 350G and we feel this makes it sit better in your hand.
Another plus for the Coolshot is the automatic, light sensitive, LED illumination that lights up the display in low light. On a gloomy day at the range, the Coolshot brightened the view markedly and the option to back light the display in even darker conditions was very useful as we had cut playing the last hole too fine. It may seem a simple thing but the improvement in contrast was noticeable.
The actual field of view is 1.5 degrees more than the 350G and the size of the view finder is larger too which makes using the Coolshot much easier. However compared to the 350G the size of the numbers displayed through the viewfinder seemed smaller and not quite as easy to read, which is a shame as the Coolshot is a better rangefinder in every other way.
Overall we liked the smaller size, better cover, light sensitive lens and bigger viewfinder so it would be harsh to mark it down for the smaller numbers so check you are OK with this before you buy.
Overall Rating - 5 stars: