The Quick Verdict
Get the BenQ TK710STi 4K HDR Laser Short Throw Projector. It lists at $2,199, which is $2,700 under the LK936ST at list. It also puts a wider image on the wall from the same mounting spot. BenQ states it can fill a 4:3 screen and backs it with a 3-year warranty. The BenQ LK936ST 4K HDR Short Throw Laser Projector earns its $4,899 list price only where lens shift and a named golf mode are worth that $2,700 gap. Check price at The Indoor Golf Shop →
What They Have in Common
Both list 16.7 ms input lag at 1080p 60Hz, so there's no lag gap. Both use a laser light source rated at 20,000 hours. Both are natively 16:9 and list 3840x2160 resolution, though BenQ doesn't say how either one produces it. Both offer 3D keystone, and both use zoom lenses, so you get a range of image sizes rather than one fixed number.
Where They Differ
Throw and image size
Image width = throw distance ÷ throw ratio. That formula is the whole question for a hitting bay. From 10 ft back, the TK710STi (0.69–0.83:1) throws an image 12.0 ft to 14.5 ft wide. The LK936ST (0.81–0.89:1) gives 11.2 ft to 12.3 ft from the same spot.
For a 10 ft wide image, the TK710STi sits 6.9 ft–8.3 ft from the screen, and the LK936ST sits 8.1 ft–8.9 ft. Both are short throw by the numbers, but the TK710STi gets the same width from closer in. A lower ratio lets the projector hang nearer the screen, which matters when the mount point is the one thing you can't move. Measure from where the lens will sit to the screen and read that against those ranges. The TK710STi has 1.2 optical zoom and the LK936ST has 1.1.
Screen shape
BenQ states the TK710STi can do 16:9 and 4:3. Square 1:1 isn't among its stated modes, which isn't the same as saying it can't do it. For the LK936ST, BenQ lists no selectable modes at all, so there's nothing to quote either way for a 4:3 or square screen.
Brightness, golf mode, lens shift
The LK936ST lists 5,100 lumens and the TK710STi lists 3,200. BenQ doesn't state the measurement standard for either, so I'm quoting the figures as given. I won't tell you either one is enough for your space.
The LK936ST has a golf mode by name. BenQ doesn't publish whether the TK710STi has one, and that's not the same as a no.
The LK936ST lists lens shift of vertical -60%+60% and horizontal -23%+23%, plus keystone at ±40 degrees. BenQ lists the TK710STi's lens shift as N/A for both vertical and horizontal, with keystone at ±30 degrees. Seems like that lens shift is the strongest argument the LK936ST has, because it's the spec that buys mounting slack.
Size, warranty, price
The TK710STi weighs 6.8 lbs (12.0 x 4.4 x 10.0 in). The LK936ST weighs 15.4 lbs (16.4 x 6.5 x 13.8 in), so the TK710STi is 8.6 lbs lighter. That matters for an overhead mount. BenQ quotes a 3-year warranty on the TK710STi and publishes no warranty term for the LK936ST. The LK936ST came out in 2021 and the TK710STi in 2024. List prices are $4,899 and $2,199.
Who Should Buy Which
Buy the BenQ TK710STi if…
- The lens has to sit close to the screen. It makes a 10 ft wide image from 6.9 ft–8.3 ft.
- The impact screen is 4:3, which is one of BenQ's stated modes for it.
- It's going on a ceiling mount where 6.8 lbs beats 15.4 lbs.
- A published warranty term matters. BenQ gives 3 years.
- The budget tops out at $2,199 at list.
Buy the BenQ LK936ST if…
- The mount can't go dead center and you need lens shift. It lists -60%
+60% vertical and -23%+23% horizontal. - A golf mode BenQ actually names is on your must-have list.
- The higher listed figure of 5,100 lumens is a priority, and $4,899 at list is within reach.
The Bottom Line
The TK710STi gives a wider image from the same distance and lists 4:3 among its modes. It also weighs 8.6 lbs less, carries a 3-year warranty, and lists at $2,700 less. The LK936ST's case rests on lens shift, a named golf mode and a 5,100-lumen figure. If I had to bet, lens shift is the only one of those worth the gap. It only pays off when the mount can't go where the throw numbers put it, so measure first.