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Pros - Economical and feature-rich rangefinder - Accounts for slope - Lightweight and compact Cons - Very short eye relief - Display difficult to read in low-light conditions - Accuracy suffers in mild fog conditions - Warranty is only one year

Thanks for stopping by to see what I think of the Wildgame Innovations Halo Ballistix Z9X laser rangefinder. This is a budget-friendly model, but it’s not short on features. The question is, how well does it perform in real-world usage? Let’s take a look-see, what do you say?

The first thing you might want to know is what you get for your money. When you unbox the Ballistix Z9X, here’s what you can expect to find in the box:

• The Wildgame Innovations Halo Ballistix Z9X laser rangefinder itself
• Nylon case
• CR-2 3-volt lithium battery

Unfortunately, you don’t get a lanyard, but the carrying case is high quality and fits well.

What’s the Range of the Wildgame Innovations Halo Ballistix Z9X

The maximum range of this 6X laser rangefinder is 900 yards to a highly reflective target, with accuracy to plus or minus one yard. The advertised range to deer is 300 yards, but I found the device was difficult to accurately gauge distance to anything other than a large white structure from more than around 120 yards.

How Easy is the Halo Z9X to Use?

The rangefinder incorporates one-button operation, and the button is large and textured enough to make it easy to operate even with gloves on. The onboard menu is intuitive and quick to navigate, and I didn’t experience much of a learning curve in getting used to operating this model.

Wildgame Innovations doesn’t specify whether the device utilizes fully multicoated optics or just multicoated optics, but it seems to be the latter. For that matter, WI doesn’t even include its rangefinders on its website, which is a bit disheartening.

The rangefinder’sobjective lens is a beefy 24mm, and you’ll see a field of view of 368 feet from 1,000 yards. You won’t get much eye relief out of this puppy, though, since the distance to your eye will only be around 15mm. Good luck using this model if you wear eyeglasses.

Even worse, there is no diopter adjustment on the eyepiece.

How is the Rangefinder Powered?

The Halo Ballistix Z9X uses a 3-volt lithium battery, model CR-2. You get one in the box, but I recommend buying a spare to carry with you. This type of battery is notoriously difficult to find in rural areas like where most of us tend to hunt.

WI has done an excellent job with power consumption, shutting the device off after a few seconds of inactivity.

What Features Can I Expect?

You’ll find slope compensation, for those times when your target is above or below you. This is especially helpful for bowhunters, but it also has tremendous usefulness for rifle shooters. You’ll also be able to select from single target mode and scan mode, allowing you to quickly get ranges to multiple targets with a single press of the power button. There are no targeting modes, though, so you’re stuck with getting the range to whatever object fills the reticle the most.

What’s the Light Gathering Capability Like on the Halo Ballistix Z9X?

Since this model seems to incorporate just multicoated optics, you won’t get much transmittance out of the rangefinder. This makes it difficult to use during low light conditions such as dawn and dusk hours, especially since the LCD readout is black with limited brightness intensity settings.

How Are the Optics and Focus on This Rangefinder?

The optics on the Z9X are decent, but not outstanding. Image clarity is good, but that’s heavily dependent on weather conditions. Even though the device is advertised as being fogproof, light haze and fog have a deleterious effect on both the rangefinder’s image quality as well as the ability to get an accurate distance to your target. On the other hand, focus is quick and snappy.

How Durable Is It?

The Halo Ballistix Z9X is rubber-coated, so it’s shock absorbent. It’s also been O-ring sealed around the lenses, and the optics chamber is nitrogen-purged. These characteristics lead to a model that is both fogproof and waterproof, as well as being capable of withstanding bumps and falls without too much worry. Unfortunately, the rangefinder only includes a one-year limited warranty.