I think I have the model number right.
This unit is from a French company, who make various range finders and some optical stuff too.
What sets this guy apart is that it's less than $200. It has three modes and will do slope calculations, scan mode for checking out a bunch of stuff and a non-slope mode for tournament play.
My old unit was a Bushnell Medalist. Cost about $250. It's about 5 years old. It didn't do slope.
The market is made up of a few big names, Bushnell, Leupold, Nikon, and some other guys. I'd not heard of Tec^3 until I wandered over to Amazon. The name brands with slope can run you up to $500. That is more than I wanted to spend.
There are a couple of reasons I bought this. I wanted a finder with slope as I was curious about it. It seems my course is totally flat! But there are others that I play on occasion that do and I wanted to gather some numbers.
Also, while the old finder does a nice job on the flag sticks I play on, the sticks have reflectors built into them. The Bushnell has a lot of trouble picking out the stick without the reflectors. Even with them, the readings don't lock in quickly or at all. It was occasionally tough to use.
The new guy is lightening fast to get a number and never missed. I was impressed with its ability to find the sticks.
It's smaller than my old one and lighter too. The carrying case is just ok. I want to hang it on my carry bag and it's really setup for a belt loop. I ran a carabiner through the belt loop and used it that way. I may alter this setup. The case is zipper closed, but also has an elastic band that attaches to a stud to keep it closed. So you get a quick access mode and also a secure zipper mode. Well thought out. Also, even when fully open the case, which is padded and stiffened, has straps to keep it from falling open and spilling the finder.
Update: I've run a flat stainless loop under the belt loop of the case. I then used another tiny S shaped locking carabiner from REI to connect to a key ring. The key ring was large enough to go through a "hole" in the top of my golf bag (Sun Mountain Sports 3.5 III). I'm happy with this. The case does not bounce around nor change position and is about as secure as I can make it.
Looks to be a solid units, works well and I'm happy for now. Only real draw back is that it takes a strange 3 volt battery. But they are supposed to be easy to find and will last about a season.
Update, I managed to drop the unit while playing and it survived it's trip to the fairway just fine. :-)
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