Volvik V1 Laser Rangefinder Review

Volvik V1 Laser Rangefinder Review

Volvik is more known for its colourful balls than anything else, but it has brought that vibrancy to a smart rangefinder as well. The first thing that strikes you is how compact the Volvik V1 is – noticeably smaller than most of the best golf laser rangefinders. The robust case can be easily clipped to your bag and the smaller size means it doesn’t look too conspicuous or bounce around too much.

We put the V1 through its paces over multiple rounds of golf in a variety of weather conditions, light levels and course styles and we also noticed straight away how lightweight it is. For some golfers that carry their bag this will be a plus point, but we found it more difficult to hold it steady as a result, especially in crosswinds.

The Pin Finder function is absolutely seamless as it enables you to lock onto the flag and get an accurate yardage first time, every time. Some other laser rangefinders can take a couple of goes to pick up the flag if it’s lying flat or even zap trees or hills behind it, but there were no such worries with the V1. It was always easy to read the numbers off the visual display.

There’s a Slope Compensation mode that can be switched on and off. This tells you the yardage the shot is actually playing with any elevation changes taken into account, so it’s very handy when it comes to accurate club selection. This feature must be switched off for it to be legal in competition. It was also pretty easy to pick up and measure objects in the foreground like bunkers or the edge of water hazards (penalty areas) if you wanted to calculate carry distances. A vibration confirms when you’ve measured something.

It comes in three colours – black, orange or the teal model that we tested. The shape and textures feel very comfortable in the hand. At £199, it represents fantastic value for money as it provides the distances you desire easily and efficiently.