This New Rangefinder Costs $800 But I Wouldn’t Pay Half That

Mileseey has always been something of a sleeper brand in the best golf rangefinder space. I've always seen them as something of a 'discount' brand, often on sale during Black Friday for under $100 for it's cheapest device. To perhaps counter this preconception, the brand is going all out with a near $799 (£633) laser rangefinder with every bell and every whistle imaginable attached, including a new feature I've never used on a rangefinder before. I dislike talking too much about the RRP of a product when I review something. Quite simply, if someone is willing to pay that much for a product, who am I to say if something is too expensive? However, when a laser rangefinder nearly breaks the $800 mark, I can't help but let it dominate my opinion. So here goes...

We'll start with the device itself before going on to any of the technicalities. It's quite a hefty device as rangefinders go. I'd compare the shell to the likes of the ShotScope Pro ZR or Bushnell Pro X3+ though the build quality feels a little shy the same to these competitor products. To me, the chrome detailing on the buttons and elsewhere around the device cheapens it somewhat. We live in an age where people are trying to 'de-chrome' their cars and homes after years of chrome being a way of making something look more expensive than it is. Those days of fashion are gone, and it doesn't look great on a $800 device. This would be the kind of detailing and quality you'd want on rangefinder at the $400 mark, but seeing it come in at $799 it doesn't feel like it quite meets the mark. The case is cheap and filmsy too. Putting a decent case around the device would've been an easy win, but it was yet another misstep in the overall feel of this product from the designers. Seeing as you'll be touching the device every time you use it, for it to not feel as premium as some much cheaper devices is frustrating.

The tech built into the device is no doubt impressive. Firstly, the 7.5x magnification is a market-leading number - no device can beat this. It's bolstered by a 2000 yard range too. Why anyone would ever need this on a golf course is beyond me (please get in touch with me if you've ever tried to zap something more than 400 yards away), but I guess it's nice large number to shout about.

Coach mode is the Mileseey's triangulation feature, an increasingly common feature on modern rangefinders that allows the user to gain the accurate yardage between the ball and the pin without having to be stood next to the ball. I've tested this on the Voice Caddie Laser Fit and found it to be an excellent feature. It speeds up cart path golf and you'll find plenty of other uses for it too while you're out on course. As for 'normal' use, it picks up pins very quickly and it's broadly as accurate as anything I've tested. The fact it can calculate adjusted distances by factoring in wind, temperature, air pressure and altitude is useful too, though this is banned in competition of course.

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We talk a lot about pace of play as an issue in the game, and the overwhelming amount of data at a golfer's fingertips with this device really isn't going to help speed up your game. What doesn't help this is the final feature on the GenePro S1 - Pin Point Green Technology. This feature allows you to scan the pin when you're on the putting surface and measure how far away you are from the hole to the inch. It's a clever feature that golfers who struggle with pace on long putts may well benefit from. However, considering the size and weight of the device, it's not the best to have on you while you're on the putting surface, and I found myself using the feature less and less as the round went off. That's not to say it's not an interesting new addition that some golfers may love, but I found it a little time consuming and I was quickly fed up with having the device on me at all times.

Quite simply there is a long list of rangefinders I'd recommend you invest in ahead of this model, and that's before I talk about price. The premiere Bushnell device (often regarded as the market-leader) is $599, but there are more than a handful of models I'd recommend ahead of this. Yes the GenePro S1 is feature-packed and has some unique features on it that may attract a few golfers into the device, but it simply doesn't make much sense to me. I appreciate the work the brand has done to innovate, and that has clearly come at a huge cost, but the positives don't quite outweigh the negatives on this occasion and I wouldn't feel comfortable parting ways with $400 for this device let alone double that.