Bushnell Tour Z6 Review: Compact, Fast, Accurate
Welcome to our Bushnell Tour Z6 review. The Z6 is the flagship model in Bushnell’s Tour series of rangefinders, offering a rich set of features and plenty of accuracy and speed enhancements. Let’s evaluate this model to see what it has to offer.
Quick Features
– Compact design
– Waterproof + RainGuard HD Lens Coating
– Vivid Display technology
– E.S.P. (Extreme. Speed. Precision.)
– Pinseeker technology
– Ranging 450 yards to flag
– 6x Magnification
– 5 – 1300 yard ranging
– Accurate to 1/10th of a yard from 5 – 125 yards
– 3V Battery + Case
– Legal for tournament play
– 2 Year Warranty
Great Online Deal for Bushnell Tour Z6: Amazon.com *paid link
First Look
There’s nothing funky or out of the ordinary about the appearance of the Z6. It’s a simple, compact unit with a pleasing color scheme. The battery compartment is located just below the eyepiece. A few twists is all that’s required to open and close it, and it stays firmly shut. The rubber armored metal housing feels solid and sits comfortably in the hand, while providing a firm grip.
The fold-down eyepiece better accommodates wearers of glasses as you can get your eye nearer to the lens to still have a full view. Diopter adjustment is smooth and easy.
The Power/Fire button is right at the top of the unit, with the mode button blending in completely with the logos and design on the left side. The unit weighs 7.9 ounces and is very compact.
Operation
If you’ve used rangefinders before, the first thing you may pick up on is that the Fire button on the Z6 requires firmer pressure to activate than you may be used to. This is highlighted in many reviews of the product, especially because it can make it difficult to maintain an accurate aim with the device when pressing the button. It does seem to loosen up a bit with repeated use.
Scrolling through menus and activating modes use the same two-button procedure that you’ll get in most rangefinders these days: cycle with the Mode button, activate with the Power/Fire button.
Display
The display on the Bushnell Tour Z6 is an improvement on that of the Tour V2 and V3. The Vivid Display Technology really makes a difference, turning this into one of the brightest Bushnells around. Lackluster optical quality has been a drawback on many Bushnell models, so it’s good to see this being addressed in the Z6.
The bright red text is easy to read under most conditions. The display does have a slight tint to it, which some people do not care for but doesn’t detract from the quality at all.
So far, the immediate improvements over the V2/V3 rangefinders include 6x magnification, brighter display and more range. The Tour Z6 also feature the E.S.P and Vivid Display technologies present on the much more expensive Pro 1M units.
So, you’d expect good performance from this model, and you’d be right. The Pinseeker technology is as good as ever at finding the flag, and below 200 yards you should hit it every time with no problem. It gets a little more tricky once you exceed 200 yards, but that’s the case with all range finders in this price range.
The yardage is displayed below the reticle, keeping it out of the noisy background for easier viewing.
Battery life is impressive, with many users reporting more than 40 rounds of golf on one battery.
Concerns
The major concern with the Z6 is the Fire button being harder than normal to press. This can be, and has been, a serious annoyance to many people. It loosens up a little after a few uses and it’s not a deal-breaker.
Value for Money
Costing about $50 more than the Tour V3, I feel it’s worth the extra price for the better optics, speed and range. Not everyone will need that, but purely in terms of “does it add enough to warrant the extra price”, I’d say yes. The pricing is on par with the excellent Leupold GX-3i, so choosing between the two won’t come down to price.
User Comments
Here are some comments from users of the Bushnell Tour Z6:
“Great rangefinder. Illuminated data is bright, clear, highly visible, and adjustable. Rangefinder is compact, very accurate, and easy to use. Would definitely recommend this, but it’s expensive, but worth the investment.” – Denny F, Optics Planet
“I bought the Z6 in the spring of 2012 and used it all season long. Took me a couple rounds to adjust to the compact size and steady my aim. Otherwise, I found it to be an awesome rangefinder. Very fast and very accurate. The red optics really stand out against any background. “ – Lost&Found, Golfwrx.com Forums
“I also switched from the 1600 to the Z6. I love it! I agree that at first the button was a bit tough to push, but it eased up pretty quickly. This rangefinder is EXTREMELY light and yet very durable. A few weeks ago, my push cart slid down a hill and hit a railing, causing my clubs and rangefinder to skid across cement. The Z6 was not harmed at all.” Triple C, Golfwrx.com Forums
Online Ratings
Amazon: 4.3 out of 5
Golfspy: 94/100
Critical Golf: 90/100
User Satisfaction Ratio: 84%
Bushnell Tour Z6 Review Summary
The Tour Z6 improves on the optics, accuracy, speed and range of other Tour models. If nothing less than absolute precision is good enough, it will be worth the extra price you have to pay for it. This is a very precise and sturdy unit with outstanding battery life and a 2 year warranty.
The stiff resistance on the Fire button is a slight concern though and has been a deal breaker for some people, but in my opinion it doesn’t detract all that much from what is an excellent, accurate rangefinder. If you’re worried about it, the Leupold GX-3i is a superb alternative.
Great Online Deal for Bushnell Tour Z6: Amazon.com *paid link