- Updated: March 7, 2024
Cobalt Q-4 Slope Laser Rangefinder Review
Accuracy and Speed on a Budget
Ryan Heiman
Founder and head author at Independent Golf Reviews
I attained distances to pins, trees, people and yardage markers with a Cobalt Q-4 Slope Laser Rangefinder over 4 rounds of golf. I am impressed by Cobalt’s super fast calculations and accurate yardages. The Cobalt Q-4 Slope might be considered an entry level laser rangefinder, but it can hang with the best of them in terms of ease of use, accuracy, speed and features.
This is the definitive Cobalt Q-4 Slope Laser Rangefinder Review for 2023.
Cobalt?
I’m hoping by now that you have heard of Cobalt laser rangefinders. They have been in the business for decades and was the official laser yardage measuring device on the PGA tour. While commercial in application early on, they have been a consumer brand now for a few years. Their Q-6 Slope (review here) is their flagship model and one of the best on the market. The Cobalt Q-4 Slope is their “entry” level model which is barely a step down from the Q-6. It is budget conscience and yet still has many great features that golfers will appreciate.
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Size
The Cobalt Q-4 Slope Laser Rangefinder is the compact and lighter version of its big brother the Q-6 Slope. It is still on the bigger size, not a tiny laser compared to other brands. It has a nice heft and size that feels good in the hands and enough weight to help reduce some shake. It looks and feels incredibly well built. It has IPx7 waterproof rating so you can take this on your trip to the British Isles or Seattle and it will thrive without worry of damage.
Optics
The Cobalt Q-4 Slope Laser Rangefinder has a 6x magnification which is 1x power less than the Q-6 and lines up with most other lasers on the market. It is the sweet spot for optics, distance, usage and size. The display is very clear and Cobalt makes the slope feature almost unnoticable. They don’t tell you what non-adjusted distance is, just the angle and up or down. It shows up in easy to read LCD numbers. Slope adjusted if it is on, or not when it is turned off. The black or red display option is very nice too depending on contrast and lighting. The red is great in lower light, while the black pops in bright AZ sun.
On-Course Usage
The Cobalt Q-4 Slope Laser Rangefinder comes with Cobalt’s flip top case that opens wide for easy in and out. The bungee cord holds the top down nicely and yet is easy to open. the case is ” firm” enough to protect the laser, but not too hard that it will damage anything it bangs against. It is pretty standard top button that turns it on and off. The adjustment buttons are on the side for display color, slope options and yards/meters. The slope button lights ups so that it is obvious if you are using slope or not. The eye piece adjusts for focus so that you can get it set for your eyes, especially if you’re like me and wear sunglasses while golfing. The point and shoot moto works great for this laser. I was really happy with the “lock” that is had on my target. I didn’t feel like I was shooting the object behind or in front of my target. I still wish they built in a magnet for cart usage, but they do have a package deal that includes a magnetic strap to stick it to the cart arm.
Speed and Distance
The Cobalt Q-4 Slope Laser Rangefinder is one of the best at speed and distance. This unit will measure up to 450 yards to a flag and very quickly. I’m impressed that the slop calculations are as fast as the non-slop ones. They are displayed almost instantly. Everything I experienced on the course says that this laser is very accurate too. I’m pretty dialed in with my clubs and when I used this laser, I was seeing the ball land where it should according to the laser. I really liked the slope settings too, they also lined up nicely with the results I saw from hitting clubs uphill or down hill. I love the “surge” feature which is a vibration to let you know that your target is acquired.
Summary
The Cobalt Q-4 Slope Laser Rangefinder is the budget friendly model from Cobalt. However, it is anything but cheap; it has great accuracy, speed and optics. If you want great performance, don’t want to spend quite as much as the top tier models, but want confidence in distances, waterproof case, and slop, this is an excellent choice.
For more information: Cobalt Website
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About The Author
Ryan Heiman – Founder and Head Author of Independent Golf Reviews
Ryan has over 10 years of experience testing and writing golf reviews of nearly every brand out there.
HCP: 3
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