Cobalt Q-6 Slope Rangefinder Review

Cobalt Q-6 Slope Rangefinder Review

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; if you’re playing golf without a quality laser rangefinder, you’re leaving shots out on the course. Fortunately for golfers, the number of impressive options in the category continues to grow with each passing year, so there’s really no excuse to make the game harder than it needs to be. One of the more impressive rangefinder options to hit the market recently comes from Cobalt Golf, which is an emerging brand with a storied history.

The technology team behind Cobalt Golf’s newest rangefinders has been creating laser devices for more than 25 years, starting with collaborations with NASA as Laser Technology Inc. before moving into golf, where its rangefinders were widely used by PGA Tour players in the early 2000s. The most advanced product available from Cobalt is the Q-6 Slope, which I recently had the chance to test and now ranks as one of the best golf products in any category that I’ve tested this year.

My first impression of the Cobalt Q-6 Slope when taking it out of the box was that the black and blue color combination was visually sharp and that the device felt incredibly sturdy. While many newer rangefinders are going for a more lightweight, compact design, the Q-6 Slope was anything but. In fact, it checks in at just over 300 grams from a weight standpoint, a result of high-end construction rather than unnecessary bulk.

More specifically, the Q-6 slope was constructed using a magnesium chassis that is housed in waterproof aluminum. The device is fully waterproof (IPX7) and Cobalt also offers what for this category is an extremely rare lifetime warranty and will repair or replace at no cost to the consumer any rangefinder that through normal use ever becomes defective or damaged.

- Buy the Cobalt Q-6 Slope rangefinder for $450

With first impressions in the book, it was time to test the Q-6 Slope on the golf course, which was done at Atlanta National over the course of a dedicated testing day and a couple of 18-hole rounds. On the testing day, I compared the Q-6 Slope to a Bushnell V4 Shift in terms of accuracy and performance on the course using marked sprinkler heads and at the driving range using measured targets that are available.

As impressive as the Q-6 Slope’s performance was, which I’ll get into shortly, I’d be remiss to not start with the device’s display optics. The combination of the 7x magnification and crystal clear projection display were impressive enough, but when adding in the fire red digital numbers that are populated after acquiring a target the result was a vibrant, pleasing optical experience that visually exceeded what any other rangefinder I’ve ever tested had to offer.

Optics aside, the Q-6 Slope was equally impressive in terms of performance, and my expectations were high based on what Cobalt promised from this device, which included a flag range of 600 yards and target acquisition time of 1/4 of a second. Bold claims to be sure, but the Q-6 Slope delivered. It was incredibly fast at capturing yardages, a process bolstered by a vibration surge upon locking on the target, and it proved to be impressively accurate even from significant ranges in all of the testing I conducted.

The Q-6 Slope also features a scan mode that allows golfers to acquire multiple yardages by holding down the power button and moving from one target to another. This type of technology is readily available in other laser rangefinders as well, but I’ve never tested one that was as effective in that regard as the Q-6 Slope.

While the Q-6 Slope marveled from a technology standpoint, it also offered an understated simplicity in terms of its use. One of its greatest features is what Cobalt calls SmartSwitch, which effectively is the knob-like structure that is prominently positioned on the side of the device.

In that location, players will find a switch to turn slope functionality on or off as needed, a must for using the Q-6 Slope in tournament play. There’s also a red light that illuminates as a reminder that slope is on when the device is in use. Additionally, there’s a dial that can be used to adjust the brightness of the display depending on the lighting conditions you’re playing in, which is a tremendous feature, and there’s also a button that can be used to switch between yards and meters.

If there’s one thing about the Q-6 Slope that some might find to be an issue it’s that actual and adjusted yardages cannot be displayed at the same time. In slope mode, the device only shows the adjusted yardage and degree of slope being measured. This wasn’t an issue for me, as the slope switch can easily be moved while looking through the lens to get both numbers without having to “shoot” twice, and I imagine others will find such a setup to be less complicated. But for some, not having access to both readings at the same time could be a deterrent and therefore worth mentioning.

The Cobalt Q-6 Slope retails for $450, which is on the higher side in the laser rangefinder category but also highly competitive for a device of this caliber. Based on my experience, the Q-6 Slope would be worth every penny and a great investment for any golfer as a long-term solution to his or her measuring device needs. It’s not only one of the best laser rangefinders and best slope rangefinders I’ve ever used, it’s one of the best golf products I’ve tested in recent memory.