Hunting, maven, rangefinder, reviews, Technology - December 9, 2022

Maven RF.1 Rangefinder Review: Everything You Need, Nothing You Don’t

The Maven RF.1 is a dynamic rangefinder that can reach out to 4,500 yards — that’s more than 2.5 miles!

Built for archery hunters, rifle hunters, and long-range shooters alike, the RF.1 includes line-of-sight and angle compensation, obstruction filtering, and effective ranging from 5 to 4,500 yards. Designed around Maven’s award-winning glass, the RF rangefinder was specifically developed for “precise, pinpoint accuracy required for confident ranging.”

In short: I’ve used the RF.1 for 2 years now for turkey hunting, whitetail hunting, and competition 3D archery leagues. I’ve had the RF.1 with me in hot, humid, and rainy weather while turkey hunting in the spring, and sub-zero snowy days in late December while hoping to fill my whitetail tag on a Hail Mary. This rangefinder has become a necessity for me, and I have yet to find a task it can’t handle. There is a reason another editor included the RF.1 as a Best Of in 2021.

Maven RF.1 Rangefinger Review

Specs

Dimensions: 4.7 x 3.1 x 1.8 in.
Weight: 10 oz.
Water-resistant
Yard effectiveness: 5 – 4,500
5 reticle options
5 brightness levels
Tripod adaptable
Lifetime warranty

Overview

Founded in 2013, Maven is the culmination of decades of experience in the outdoor industry and in the field. Frustrated by low-quality options and price points dictated by retailers, Brenden Weaver, Mike Lilygren, and Cade Maestas decided to embark on their own mission to create Maven Optics.

Building off of a direct-to-consumer model, Maven is able to design and introduce products to the market that compete with some of the best in the industry, without the retail markup. Combining industry knowledge and a passion for creating high-quality products, Maven revolves around creating top-end optics for high-achieving adventurers.

What You Should Know

Maven jumped straight into the rangefinder market with a high-end unit. Rather than starting with a budget option, they dove in head first to create a unit that would impress users and prove they can compete with the big names in optics. The RF.1 does just that. Built around powerful technology and user-friendly features, this rangefinder checks all the boxes for clarity, precision, adjustability, and consistency.

Maven RF.1 in the Field

I’ve found the RF.1 to be very simple to use. Setup is a breeze, and the user experience is straightforward right out of the box. I’ve hunted in the rain, fog, snow, humidity, and sub-zero temps, and I’ve never had a hiccup in performance. The unit picks up ranges very quickly — and with confidence.

The option to toggle between Field and Forest modes — which I will get to later — brings a different level of consistency and confidence in finding a range. Within seconds I can be sure I have the right range dialed in and be ready for the shot when it presents itself. I have yet to find a situation where the rangefinder has struggled or come up short of my expectations.

The Knob

One of the things I like most about the RF.1 is how simple it is to use. There is a physical knob on the side of the unit that makes navigating the menus, adjusting settings, and switching between modes a cinch.

Pushing the button in the middle of the knob opens the menu where you can adjust a multitude of items within the rangefinder. Then, you turn the knob to rotate to the setting you want and hit the power button to lock in the changes. It is about as straightforward as it can possibly be.

A small but useful use for the knob is that it quickly adjusts the brightness of the LDC readout on the fly. So when you are in your stand at first light and your eyes aren’t adjusted yet, you can quickly lower the intensity of the brightness. Alternatively, once the sun is fully up, you can brighten it up in a flash so you can see everything you need. Again, the simplicity of the knob can’t be overstated.

Field and Forest Modes + Angle Compensation

The RF.1 has two target modes, Field and Forest, that you can easily toggle between using the lever that sits behind the knob on the rangefinder. The modes allow you to match your environment for better accuracy.

Field mode is to be used when you want to acquire a small, hard-to-hit target and ignore other objects that appear in the background. Alternatively, Forest mode will make it easier to range objects that are moving through trees, behind bushes or brush, or when you’re in rainy and snowy conditions.

This is very helpful for the way that I hunt: I bounce between stands in open fields to denser woods during whitetail and turkey seasons, and quickly adjusting to my environment on any given hunting day is a cinch.

From the Stand

As a bowhunter, the Angle Compensated Ranging mode in the RF.1 is one of the features I rely on the most. Nearly all of my whitetail hunting is from a tree stand. I have access to several different stands at varying heights over sloughs, open fields, and valleys. In short, angle-compensated ranging gives you the distance an arrow (or bullet) will travel relative to gravity. So when you’re in a tree stand that is 10 feet off of the ground and overlooks a small slough, you are getting more than just the literal distance from point A (you) to point B (your target).

The RF.1 is actually accounting for your height from the ground and relative distance to the target. This leads to a more accurate shot. I love this feature, and it gives me far more confidence when I am in my stand waiting for my opportunity to shoot.

Of course, you can always switch back to Line of Sight mode, which will give you the exact distance between the rangefinder and the object.

Drawbacks

At 10 ounces, the RF.1 is a bit bulky when compared to similar rangefinders. With that in mind, I don’t find that to be a huge drawback when considering the features packed into the unit. However, the menu dial on the side adds a fair bit of overall width to the rangefinder, and that makes it difficult to place and remove from my Stone Glacier Skyline Bino Harness and Skyline Range Finder Pocket.

The rangefinder still fits, but it takes some elbow grease and it’s the smoothest entry or exit from the pouch — something to consider. And, while the price point is very competitive when compared to similarly spec’d rangefinders, $450 is not a small investment. You have to use the features on the RF.1 to make it worth dropping the coin.

At $295, Maven offers the CRF.1 if you’d like another quality rangefinder and can work with the max range of 2,400 yards and compromise with Maven’s “mid-range” glass. All being said, the RF.1 offers a lot of bang for your buck if you expect to use the features with consistency.

Maven RF.1 Rangefinder: Closing

The Maven RF.1 is a quality rangefinder that is always on my shortlist of necessities on any hunting excursion. At $450, it is a sizable investment, but Maven backs the product with a lifetime warranty and features that make my hunting experience more simple and effective. Quality glass, thoughtful design, and packed with features, I highly recommend the RF.1 for your hunting and shooting loadout.

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