AOFAR HX-700N Rangefinder Review: Two Seasons of Bow and Rifle Use

The first thing I learned about rangefinders is that the cheap ones lie to you. Not on purpose, but they lie. I spent two seasons squinting through a bargain optic that gave me a different yardage every time I pressed the button, and I missed a buck at 38 yards because I trusted a reading that was off by six. So when I picked up the AOFAR HX-700N, I did not take its word for anything. I tested it against a tape measure, against known distances on my buddy's farm, and then I just carried it. Two seasons later, through bow season, rifle season, and a lot of cold mornings I would rather not repeat, I can tell you exactly what this rangefinder does well and where it comes up short.

This is a long-term review, not a first-impression review. I am Cole Brandt, I live outside Mitchell, South Dakota, and I hunt whitetail and pheasant on public land and a friend's farm ground. The AOFAR HX-700N has been in my vest or on my pack for two full seasons, which means it has been rained on, dropped on frozen ground, stuffed in a pocket with loose cartridges, and used with cold fingers in the dark. Here is what I found.

How I've Used It

I bought the AOFAR HX-700N in late August, two years ago, with the idea that it would be my dedicated bow rangefinder. My bow setup is a 60-pound compound, and I practice out to 60 yards, but the shots I actually take on whitetails are almost always inside 40. For that kind of hunting, I need a rangefinder that gives me a fast, repeatable reading on a deer standing in brush, not a device that needs me to hold perfectly still for three seconds.

The HX-700N has a range mode and a speed mode. I have used range mode for every hunt. You press the button, you get the yardage, you let go. It reads in one-yard increments, and it has a scan function that updates continuously if you hold the button down and sweep across a field. That scan mode turned out to be the feature I use most, because it lets me range a whole field edge in a few seconds and find the deer that is actually in range instead of guessing.

I also used it for rifle season. My rifle setup is a .270, and my longest shot in the last two seasons was 287 yards across a cut bean field. The HX-700N is rated to 700 yards, and while I have not needed it past 300, I have ranged a grain bin at 650 and it read true. For the distances most of us actually shoot, this rangefinder is more than enough.

Accuracy: The Only Thing That Matters

A rangefinder can have the clearest glass in the world and it is worthless if the yardage is wrong. So I tested the AOFAR HX-700N the same way I test every piece of gear: I set up targets at known distances and I shot them. I used a 100-foot tape measure on flat ground, marked distances at 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 yards, and then I ranged each mark from a fixed position. The HX-700N was dead on at every distance. Not close. Dead on.

I repeated the test on a slope, because that is where cheap rangefinders fall apart. A rangefinder that does not account for angle will tell you the line-of-sight distance, which is longer than the actual horizontal distance you need for an uphill or downhill shot. The AOFAR HX-700N has an angle compensation mode that gives you the true horizontal distance, and it matched my hand calculations within a yard on a 30-degree slope. For bowhunters in hill country, that is the difference between a clean hit and a gut shot.

The consistency matters just as much as the accuracy. I ranged the same 40-yard target ten times in a row, and the HX-700N gave me 40 yards every single time. My old rangefinder would have given me 38, 41, 39, 40, and so on. That kind of drift is what makes you miss, because you start second-guessing the device and then you start second-guessing your shot. The AOFAR does not do that. It gives you a number, and the number is right.

I ranged the same 40-yard target ten times in a row, and the HX-700N gave me 40 yards every single time.

Glass Quality and Low-Light Performance

The glass on the AOFAR HX-700N is not going to make you think you are looking through a top-dollar Swarovski. It is clear, it is bright enough, and it is perfectly usable in the conditions where I actually hunt. But if you are the kind of hunter who sits until the last minute of legal light, you should know that the image does get a little soft in deep twilight. I have ranged deer in brushy cover at 50 yards in low light and gotten a reading, but I have also had to wait for a deer to step into a clearing to get a clean lock.

The display is the part I care about more. The HX-700N uses a red LCD display, and it is easy to read in bright sun, which is where a lot of rangefinders fail. I have used rangefinders with black displays that wash out completely in direct sunlight, and you end up holding the device at an angle and squinting. The red display on the AOFAR stays visible, and the numbers are big enough to read with my eyes behind my glasses. That matters more than you think when you are trying to range a buck that is already moving.

The field of view is on the narrow side. It is not a problem in most situations, but when I am scanning a field edge for a deer that is already walking, I sometimes wish I could see more around the target. I have learned to range the deer, then drop the rangefinder and pick up my binoculars to watch. It is a small extra step, and it is the kind of tradeoff you accept at this price.

Durability: Two Seasons of Real Use

The AOFAR HX-700N is advertised as waterproof, and I have tested that claim more than I wanted to. It has been rained on during a September bow hunt, it has been fogged on during a November rifle sit, and it has been dropped on frozen ground more times than I can count. The rubber armor on the body has taken the abuse, and the lens has not scratched, which surprises me because I am not careful with my gear.

The battery door is the one weak point I have found. It is a small plastic door on the bottom of the unit, and it is not the most secure design I have seen. I have never lost the battery, but I have had the door pop open once when I dropped the rangefinder on a rock. It snapped back shut and has been fine since, but it is the part I would watch if you are hard on your gear. The unit comes with a battery included, and a single battery has lasted me through two seasons of regular use, which is better than I expected.

The carrying case is basic but functional. It is a soft pouch with a belt loop, and it does the job. I mostly keep the rangefinder in my vest pocket with the case in my pack, because I want it accessible without fumbling. The lanyard that comes with it is thin, and I replaced it with a heavier one after the first season. That is a five-dollar fix, and it is the only thing I have changed on the whole unit.

Speed Mode and Other Features

The speed mode is a feature I did not think I would use, and then I used it all the time. It measures the speed of a moving target, and it is accurate enough for the way I hunt. I have used it to range a running deer, and it gave me a reading that matched the actual speed when I checked it against a vehicle driving at a known speed. It is not a radar gun, but it is close enough for hunting purposes, and it is a fun feature to play with when you are sitting in a blind with nothing else to do.

The HX-700N also has a fog mode, which is supposed to help in foggy conditions. I have used it a few times, and it does help a little, but it is not magic. In heavy fog, no rangefinder is going to give you a reading on a deer you cannot see. In light fog, the fog mode does seem to cut through some of the haze and give you a more reliable number. I would not buy this rangefinder for the fog mode alone, but it is a nice thing to have.

What I Would Change

No piece of gear is perfect, and the AOFAR HX-700N has a few things I would change if I could. The first is the battery door, which I already mentioned. The second is the field of view, which is a little narrow for scanning. The third is the lack of a tripod mount, which matters if you want to use it for long-range shooting or for ranging targets at extreme distances. I do not need a tripod mount for bow hunting, but I know shooters who would.

The biggest thing I would change is the instruction manual. It is the kind of manual that assumes you already know how to use a rangefinder, and it does not explain the modes clearly. I figured it out by pressing buttons and testing it against known distances, but a beginner might be confused. The good news is that the rangefinder is simple enough to figure out on your own, and once you understand the three modes, you will not need the manual again.

Who This Is For

The AOFAR HX-700N is for the hunter who wants honest yardage without spending a fortune. If you are a bowhunter who shoots inside 60 yards, or a rifle hunter who shoots inside 400 yards, this rangefinder will do everything you need. It is also a great choice for a first rangefinder, because it is simple enough to learn on and tough enough to survive the learning curve. I have recommended it to two friends, and both of them have been happy with it.

It is also a good fit for hunters who hunt in rough conditions. The waterproofing and the rubber armor mean you do not have to baby it. I have used mine in rain, snow, and freezing temperatures, and it has never failed to turn on and give me a reading. That reliability is worth more than any feature list.

Who Should Skip It

If you are a long-range shooter who needs to range targets past 700 yards, or if you need a rangefinder with a ballistic calculator and a tripod mount, the AOFAR HX-700N is not for you. It is a hunting rangefinder, not a precision shooting instrument. The glass is also not going to satisfy someone who is used to looking through high-end European optics. If you are the kind of hunter who notices every bit of edge-to-edge clarity, you will want to spend more.

I would also skip it if you do most of your hunting in the last ten minutes of legal light. The HX-700N will give you a reading in low light, but it is not the best low-light performer I have used. If you routinely shoot in near-darkness, a rangefinder with a brighter image and a larger objective lens is worth the extra money.