Which current crono/radar

[AJC1]

I try and collect data for all of my load development, and having to go down range isn't possible at the range closest to me. I've got a basic pro crono, that acts up a lot and has let met down enough to be annoying. I still have shooters world heavy pistol data to collect from my last trip where the crono didn't want to play. So I see the current offerings of Garmin, Cadwell or lab radar... the Garmin I hear is getting a bunch of software updates. Looking for ease of use and data export, which to grab????

 

[Bartojc]

I have not used anything but a Garmin. I finally decided to get a chrono and my timing was right. Very easy to use and very dependable so far.
A friend has/had a Magneto Speed and something else. They mostly stayed home do to the set-up or needing to set up down range. WIth the Garmin and I suppose the new smaller Labradar you can take them anywhere anytime.

I look at updates as a good thing. You keep getting the latest software long after the purchase.

-Jeff

 

[Varminterror]

So I see the current offerings of Garmin, Cadwell or lab radar...

Garmin Xero C1: They're on the street, they work reliably, aiming is easy, data interfacing is easy, battery life is great. Gun mounting is awesome, so we can track velocity live without more stuff on the field. Phone transfer is simple/automated.

LabRadar LX: I've been able to handle 2 of these which buddies have as demo units before the pre-orders ship next month, they're about 3x bigger than the Garmin, and a lot heavier. Aiming is easy, data interfacing is easy, I haven't played long enough to get a sense of battery life.

Caldwell Velociradar: It's vaporware, and has been for multiple years - they re-released the pre-order with a $200 price hike, without actually changing anything about the unit except the color. If they ever do become real, it's too little too late - or maybe, "too big, too late." They're huge, like the same size as the original LabRadars. For the price, the Garmin and the LabRadar are much more compact.

You're probably waiting 3 months to get in line for a LabRadar. It wouldn't be a mistake to wait for an LX, but it wouldn't be a mistake to buy a Garmin C1 now either.

*I currently have a ProChrono Digital, MagnetoSpeed V3, LabRadar, and Garmin C1. I'm going to buy an LX when they hit the market, give my old LabRadar to a buddy, and sell my ProChrono and MagnetoSpeed. Two is one, one is none, so I always want two chronographs, and between my son, wife, and I, we often need more than 1 chronograph on the line, and I like the LX and the C1 a lot.

 

[AJC1]

Garmin Xero C1: They're on the street, they work reliably, aiming is easy, data interfacing is easy, battery life is great. Gun mounting is awesome, so we can track velocity live without more stuff on the field. Phone transfer is simple/automated.

LabRadar LX: I've been able to handle 2 of these which buddies have as demo units before the pre-orders ship next month, they're about 3x bigger than the Garmin, and a lot heavier. Aiming is easy, data interfacing is easy, I haven't played long enough to get a sense of battery life.

Caldwell Velociradar: It's vaporware, and has been for multiple years - they re-released the pre-order with a $200 price hike, without actually changing anything about the unit except the color. If they ever do become real, it's too little too late - or maybe, "too big, too late." They're huge, like the same size as the original LabRadars. For the price, the Garmin and the LabRadar are much more compact.

You're probably waiting 3 months to get in line for a LabRadar. It wouldn't be a mistake to wait for an LX, but it wouldn't be a mistake to buy a Garmin C1 now either.

*I currently have a ProChrono Digital, MagnetoSpeed V3, LabRadar, and Garmin C1. I'm going to buy an LX when they hit the market, give my old LabRadar to a buddy, and sell my ProChrono and MagnetoSpeed. Two is one, one is none, so I always want two chronographs, and between my son, wife, and I, we often need more than 1 chronograph on the line, and I like the LX and the C1 a lot.

Your professional analysis and experience were greatly appreciated. I was on the fence between the new lab radar or the Garmin, but sounds like just grabbing a Garmin isn't going to drive much buyers remorse later...

 

[Soonerpesek]

but sounds like just grabbing a Garmin isn't going to drive much buyers remorse later...

16 pages about it in a pinned thread….
Well…….MOSTLY about it…..
Some good info in there…

 

[Varminterror]

Your professional analysis and experience were greatly appreciated. I was on the fence between the new lab radar or the Garmin, but sounds like just grabbing a Garmin isn't going to drive much buyers remorse later...

Nah, it's a good unit, you won't regret the purchase. But like I said, you wouldn't regret waiting for the LabRadar LX either.

For the last 8 years, I've seen about 50/50 of LabRadars vs. Magnetospeeds on PRS zero lines before matches. Now, the whole field is Garmins, except for the few dudes with the demo LR-LX's. Uniquely, we even have guys running Garmins mounted to their rifles throughout matches, just to be able to get 100 or 200 round strings - which is a volume of data that guys simply have never captured before. The LX can do the same, but it's a lot heavier, and a bit larger than the Garmin, I'm certain we'll see guys doing the same. We also see a LOT of Garmins being deployed by ELR shooters - I attended a class this past weekend hosted by Team Manners, which included 3 experienced competitors which have won matches all over the country, and which have set multiple "longest impact in competition" records, and they all had Garmins on the firing line beside their rifles (we used mine to open a 4th lane of shooters during the class). I'll admit, I shot a couple of ELR matches last season and kinda regretted not having my Magnetospeed mounted to my rifle during my strings to track my velocity (my LabRadar is too big to have on the line, gets blown off of target too easily by brake blast, and takes too much time to reposition) - but I also hated the idea of having the bayonet mount hanging off of the rifle too... This weekend, I just plopped the Garmin down beside my bipod on the front mat, so when I transitioned between targets, it stayed in line with my muzzle enough to catch speeds - and when I sailed a shot high over target at 2913yrds, I could see that shot was ~12fps faster than my average for the string (which would promote 4 1/2ft higher impact), so I knew to not make any elevation correction based on that shot - huge confidence boost to KNOW why a round went high, and know for sure whether that splash "data" deserved correction or not. I'm certain that 6mos from now, we'll be seeing 50/50 LabRadars & Garmins on PRS firing lines, and likely 50/50 also on ELR firing lines. Both are great units.

 

[ms6852]

Haven't had a chrono since mine committed suicide by jumping in front of the bullet. Luckily I have the load data before the suicide. I had been contemplating buying a new one and could not decide on the magneto or labradar, then Garmin came into the picture, still undecided.

 

[Soonerpesek]

Shooting with 10 Garmin Xero C1 Pro Chronographs

We test consistency between 10 Garmin C1 Pro chronographs. From shot to shot, read velocities varied by less than 2 fps, with one device as an outlier.

www.youtube.com

Not comparing, but some interesting info.
Guys shoot over 10 Xero C-1's...........................

 

[Bearded Phil]

I'll cast my vote for the Garmin Xero C1.

I've been using it since I got my hands on it in November last fall and only a few hiccups since I first got it.

A handful (like, literally 4 or 5) shots not picked up for whatever reason, whether on the edge of the velocity range or just a blip by the unit. One of the last times I had it out I was wrapping up a 5 shot string of 45-70 and when I went to end the session it rebooted itself and I lost the string. No huge loss there, it was a known load, I was just chronographing it because it's so easy with the Garmin there's almost no reason to not even though I've settled on the load.

The velocity range cut off being 800-1700/ 1700-5000+ or whatever the upper limit is I find a bit annoying. In my opinion the cut off should be above or below 2200 or so when shooting rifle. The upper limit of 357 mag in a rifle and middle of the road with 30-30 is in that 1700 fps range and at least a few of the shots I had not picked up were with both cartridges when I got to that velocity range in a ladder test and had selected the lower velocity range.

My personal opinion is that the Garmin's app is still pretty basic if I'm being nice and pretty crap if I'm being honest.

If you want to put in info about a cartridge, rifle, bullet, powder, powder charge, etc. you have to type it out on each recorded string. It doesn't control the unit so there's not much use to keeping it open and connected while shooting. I just sync after I get home and then transfer all my data to a composition notebook. Personally I'd rather long write out every shot's velocity on a single page where I can review easily than repetitively type out load info and then hop in and out of string screens (the "session" screen doesn't give you the SD & ES at a glance and the screen that does only shows the latest 10 sessions). If you're used to writing (and I believe I have seen you doing that before) then a sub-par app probably doesn't mean too much of a hit against the Garmin, but I have to mention it because I have gripes with it.

The Garmin is stupid small and light, it goes into the side pocket of my range bag and I can't even notice it's there until I fish it out.

No tech is 100% perfect but the Garmin was a game changer for me for recording data, especially going from optical chronos to the Garmin. I don't think you'd regret it if you bought one, and like Varminterror said, they're out there available now.

 

[lordpaxman]

I started out with the Pro chrono and added the Bluetooth tumor on the side later. Anything to make data collection easier.
Bought the LabRadar about 10 years ago, I think, and it was definitely easier/convenient than the Pro Chrono, but it is big and bulky. Depending on your budget there may be second hand units for sale out there.
If I didn’t have the LabRadar I’d invest in the smaller units, I’m not sure if it’d be the Garmin or LX.

 

[mcb]

Does the new smaller Labradar LX have ability to track the bullets down range like the original? I love my Garmin but I miss that one capability from using the LabRadar. That data file with range, velocity, & SNR every millisecond going down range.

Any one looking to unload an original LabRadar at a reasonable price I might be interested.

 

[Walkalong]

You're probably waiting 3 months to get in line for a LabRadar. It wouldn't be a mistake to wait for an LX, but it wouldn't be a mistake to buy a Garmin C1 now either.

I suspect this is 100% correct.

I haven't played with the new LabRadar, but bought a Gramin and it's great, stupid easy to use, super portable, can hang it off of some rifles.......

 

[Kaldor]

I have the old Labrador and have used a Garmin.
Both collect data accurately. Garmin is easier to setup. Labradar can be somewhat finicky.
The Garmin has a more usable interface on the unit. I cant speak to actual operation of the unit via Bluetooth, but it does save and allow you to view data on an external device.
The Labradar (if/when it works correctly) has full control from a phone or tablet as well as saves data. The interface on the unit is pretty bad.
Garmin is small and sips it batteries! Labradar is huge and eats batteries which brings a need for a power brick.

If I was purchasing new right now, I would buy the Garmin. However, I have a "golden child" Labradar that has minimal Bluetooth and aiming issues, so I am not going to replace it.
For others? I would examine use case. Are you needing to collect alot of data in a convenient manner? Then Garmin. If you are going to use it once in awhile, buying the older Labradar for $250-300 used might be a great option.

 

[Jim Watson]

Agree with most. I have a Garmin and its portability, no wires, and no out-front setup are great advantages. My CE and CED are completely obsoleted. Now if I had my own range where the CED could be left set up, it would serve well, but I don't.

I agree that clicking through the options every time you start a new "session" is tedious, it would be nice if it would stay set for "strings" of the same family of ammo. With my pistol ammo, it shows Power Factor for individual shots but not the average. Strange.

I posted about the app oddity that left me with one session on my iPhone and two sessions on my iPad, neither of which was turned on or even nearby while I was shooting over the chronograph.

Is there literature for the LR LX that would let you compare "features?"

 

[Walkalong]

I agree that clicking through the options every time you start a new "session" is tedious, it would be nice if it would stay set for "strings" of the

I imagine they could add that with an update.

I didn’t mind it, but steps saved are always good

 

[AJC1]

I have the old Labrador and have used a Garmin.
Both collect data accurately. Garmin is easier to setup. Labradar can be somewhat finicky.
The Garmin has a more usable interface on the unit. I cant speak to actual operation of the unit via Bluetooth, but it does save and allow you to view data on an external device.
The Labradar (if/when it works correctly) has full control from a phone or tablet as well as saves data. The interface on the unit is pretty bad.
Garmin is small and sips it batteries! Labradar is huge and eats batteries which brings a need for a power brick.

If I was purchasing new right now, I would buy the Garmin. However, I have a "golden child" Labradar that has minimal Bluetooth and aiming issues, so I am not going to replace it.
For others? I would examine use case. Are you needing to collect alot of data in a convenient manner? Then Garmin. If you are going to use it once in awhile, buying the older Labradar for $250-300 used might be a great option.

If it's convenient as I hope it will be, I'd probably collect every shot I take....

 

[Soonerpesek]

agree that clicking through the options every time you start a new "session" is tedious,

You can turn off 2 of the options….

posted about the app oddity that left me with one session on my iPhone and two sessions on my iPad, neither of which was turned on or even nearby while I was shooting over the chronograph.

Possibly, if you used the “force cloud sync” option, you may be able to get all the info on both devices…….maybe….??

 

[Walkalong]

You can turn off 2 of the options….

Interesting, but I'm doing centerfire and rimfire, so I toggle back and forth on the velocity, but of course I do more than one of each at times, so skipping it would save some time. I'll probably leave it as is.

 

[Soonerpesek]

Interesting, but I'm doing centerfire and rimfire, so I toggle back and forth on the velocity, but of course I do more than one of each at times, so skipping it would save some time. I'll probably leave it as is.

Yeah….. there really is no time savings….
But the option is there….so far I still go thru them all…

 

[GW Staar]

I was born unlucky I guess........timing was amazingly wrong when I bought my first and only Chrono. Even bought a nice case for it........

pe
Fit was perfect!

Next day, the Radar units were introduced! Boy that took the wind out of my sails.....lost my interest immediately.......I decided for what I do I don't need one period.
So here it sits.......never used and probably worthless. Getting old is a factor too.....

 

[EricBu]

Garmin Xero C1: They're on the street, they work reliably, aiming is easy, data interfacing is easy, battery life is great. Gun mounting is awesome, so we can track velocity live without more stuff on the field. Phone transfer is simple/automated.

LabRadar LX: I've been able to handle 2 of these which buddies have as demo units before the pre-orders ship next month, they're about 3x bigger than the Garmin, and a lot heavier. Aiming is easy, data interfacing is easy, I haven't played long enough to get a sense of battery life.

Caldwell Velociradar: It's vaporware, and has been for multiple years - they re-released the pre-order with a $200 price hike, without actually changing anything about the unit except the color. If they ever do become real, it's too little too late - or maybe, "too big, too late." They're huge, like the same size as the original LabRadars. For the price, the Garmin and the LabRadar are much more compact.

You're probably waiting 3 months to get in line for a LabRadar. It wouldn't be a mistake to wait for an LX, but it wouldn't be a mistake to buy a Garmin C1 now either.

*I currently have a ProChrono Digital, MagnetoSpeed V3, LabRadar, and Garmin C1. I'm going to buy an LX when they hit the market, give my old LabRadar to a buddy, and sell my ProChrono and MagnetoSpeed. Two is one, one is none, so I always want two chronographs, and between my son, wife, and I, we often need more than 1 chronograph on the line, and I like the LX and the C1 a lot.

Very well done breakdown sir!

 

[Jim Watson]

I have a CED M1. I like its features, including the vocoder, but the wires to string, especially if you need artificial lighting, are a hassle. As I said, it would be good for a fixed location.

 

[jmorris]

Anyone messed with one of these?

Chronographs - FX Airguns

fxairguns.com

That TBC looks interesting.

 

[Jim Watson]

Bigger than Garmin or LX at 7.4 x 9.6 x ??
More expensive, $900.

 

[Rimfire McNutjob]

Anyone messed with one of these?

Chronographs - FX Airguns

fxairguns.com

That TBC looks interesting.

I was really interested in that TBC. Then they just never appeared. There were Youtube reviews that seemed pretty positive, then they just never hit the distribution channel. It's definitely bigger than the Garmin or new LX. More along the lines of the anticipated VelociRadar from Caldwell.