50 Words or Less
The Nikon COOLSHOT PROIII STABILIZED rangefinder delivers slope adjusted distance measurements in the blink of an eye. Steady, brilliant optics. Appealing size, impressive warranty.
Introduction
Full disclosure, I’ve been gaming the COOLSHOT PROII STABILIZED [review HERE] since it was introduced in 2021. Double full disclosure, I gamed the original COOLSHOT PRO STABILIZED prior to that. I think that’s relevant for two reasons. First, it’s a testament to the form and function of the COOLSHOT PRO STABILIZED model in general. I’ve tested many rangefinders over those years and none of them have taken over the spot in my bag. Second, I’m going to be ultra critical in my evaluation of the third generation Nikon COOLSHOT PROIII STABILIZED rangefinder since I’m intimately familiar with the prior models. Sound reasonable? Let’s get right to it.
Setup & Ease of Use
In the fairly nondescript box, I found the rangefinder, case, CR2 battery, and Quick Start Guide. The Nikon COOLSHOT PROIII STABILIZED rangefinder’s default settings should be perfect for most golfers, making the unit ready to go right after installing the battery. The PWR ON button closest to your eye and under your index finger is really all you need to engage with to achieve distance measurements.
The pre-sets provide you slope adjusted distance (what Nikon calls Golf Mode), auto-adjusted display brightness, yards as the distance unit, and DUAL LOCKED ON QUAKE. Making changes to the four modes shifts slightly beyond intuitive and it’s worth downloading the Instruction Manual from the Nikon website. Here’s the quick rundown:
Briefly pressing the MODE button toggles between four distance measurement modes – Golf Mode with actual and slope adjusted distance, actual distance mode (for tournament play), actual distance plus height mode, and horizontal distance plus height mode. I’d love to meet the elite golfer or caddie that engages those last two modes. When the Nikon COOLSHOT PROIII STABILIZED rangefinder is in the actual distance mode a flashing green light on the front left of the unit offers visual confirmation to officials and other players that slope is off. It’s worth getting familiar with the corresponding display of the preferred mode as it’s easy to move off it – like when your cart mate grabs the unit and starts hitting buttons.
Pressing and holding the MODE button brings up three additional modes, each toggled by the PWR button, as follows:
F1 is Internal Display Luminance. Default A automatically adjusts for the brightness of the surroundings, or you can chose brightness levels from 1 to 5. The display brightness adjusts as you toggle through the numbers – a cool feature. But for me, the auto setting is perfect.
F2 simply switches between yards and meters.
F3 switches the new LOCKED ON QUAKE (more on that next section) on or off.
Accuracy & Features
Let’s start with accuracy – it’s excellent. The Nikon COOLSHOT PROIII STABILIZED rangefinder was never more than a yard different when compared to other name brand, well regarded laser rangefinders. What jumped out at me with the PROIII was the speed – clearly faster than the prior model. Nikon lists the “new and improved” HYPER READ technology as 0.1 seconds, which I’ll say is as fast as any rangefinder I’ve tested. While on the subject of accuracy, the yardage is displayed with one decimal point. As an engineer, that just screams precision. And for those readers into specs, the PROIII range is 1200 yards – impressive, but hopefully never needed on the golf course.
When shooting the distance to the pin, the Nikon COOLSHOT PROIII STABILIZED rangefinder features both a visual green circle and gentle vibration to confirm the flagstick was detected. As mentioned in the prior section, Nikon refers to this as DUAL LOCKED ON QUAKE – with the vibration feature being new to the PROIII.
That green circle really pops with the other graphics being red in the display. I can’t state enough how much more easy red graphics are to read versus black for my eyes. The 6X magnification also aids in reading the numbers quickly and clearly. Not surprising for a Nikon product, the optics are crystal clear.
And then there’s the namesake stabilization, which is what truly sets the Nikon COOLSHOT PROIII STABILIZED rangefinder apart from others. Happening almost instantly, the image appears stable regardless of unit movement from shaky hands or blustery winds. If you’ve never witnessed the stabilization, let me just say it’s pretty cool.
Two additional features deserve mention: First Target Priority and scanning. The Nikon First Target Priority algorithm determines the closest object and displays that distance. I have a couple holes on my courses where shooting the distance to the first tree on a slight dogleg is important and the Nikon COOLSHOT PROIII STABILIZED rangefinder proved reliable, never giving me a tree in background. Pressing and holding the power button engages scanning, where distances are continuously displayed for up to 8 seconds. I found this useful for general familiarization on holes with a lot going on near the green.
Value
With a retail price of $500, the Nikon COOLSHOT PROIII STABILIZED rangefinder falls into the premium laser rangefinder category. Consider buying it from Plugged In Golf sponsor Play Better HERE.
Many rangefinders around that price point include some sort of GPS and/or environmental integration, so it’s important to evaluate which features that matter most to you. Personally, I prefer simplicity and easy to read displays over some of those other features. Having enjoyed stabilization for years, it’s a feature that truly stands out to me. The PROIII also comes with a 5-year warranty – more than double that offered by Bushnell.
Conclusion
I was impressed with the changes Nikon made to their flagship COOLSHOT PRO STABILIZED. The PROIII felt a bit different in my hand at first, but I came to like the new contours of the black rubberized grip. Size wise, the PROIII fit my medium sized hands nicely. Relatively lightweight, the Nikon COOLSHOT PROIII STABILIZED rangefinder is a nice size for walkers or for slipping in your pocket on those cart path only days. The one feature the PROIII lacks is a magnet, but that’s by design – it would interfere with the stabilization mechanism. For me, the lack of a magnet isn’t a deal breaker. Without hesitation, I’m putting the Nikon COOLSHOT PROIII STABILIZED rangefinder straight into my bag.