The Quick Verdict
These two are the same price, same tier, same magnification — and genuinely different in almost every other way that matters. Get the Bushnell A1-Slope. The USB-C rechargeable battery and smaller form factor make it the easier rangefinder to live with day to day. The Garmin Approach Z10 is worth a look only if you've already got a Garmin ecosystem and want the range relay and Bluetooth features baked in. Check price at TGW →
What They Have in Common
Both rangefinders are $299.99, offer 6x magnification, and claim ±1 yard accuracy. Both have slope with a tournament-legal mode. Both have a magnet mount — though they handle it differently. That's about where the overlap ends. Everything else is a real tradeoff.
Where They Differ
Battery and Daily Convenience
This is the biggest practical difference. The Bushnell A1-Slope is USB-C rechargeable and Bushnell rates it at 50+ rounds (around 3,000 actuations). Plug it in like your phone, throw it in your bag, done. The Garmin Z10 runs on a replaceable CR2 battery that Garmin rates for up to a year. CR2 batteries are at every pharmacy in the country, which matters when you're on the road or can't find a charger — but a year of runtime also means you'll probably forget you need to replace it until it dies on you at the turn.
Neither is a bad approach. But if you're the kind of golfer who charges gear after every round without thinking about it, the A1-Slope wins here. If you hate managing another charging cable and would rather swap a battery up to once a year, the Z10 makes that argument.
Size and Build
The A1-Slope is genuinely small. Bushnell calls it their smallest rangefinder ever, and at 3.75 × 1.42 × 2.36 inches and 5.1 oz, that tracks. Bushnell bills it as pocket-size. The Z10 is larger — 4.1 × 3.1 × 1.7 inches and 6.3 oz — which isn't heavy by any stretch, just bigger.
Both have magnets for cart mounting. The A1-Slope uses Bushnell's BITE magnetic skin; the Z10 has a cart magnet built into its design. Just don't forget to check it when you hit a cart path bump — that advice applies to any magnet mount.
Display and Optics
The Z10 uses what Garmin calls a transparent PDLC display (black); the A1-Slope uses an LCD. Neither maker publishes anything that says which reads better in bright sun or low light, and I haven't looked through the Z10, so I won't pretend to know. Honestly, the only way to know is to try both.
Smart Features and Ecosystem
The Z10 has Bluetooth, a Find My Garmin function, Range Relay (which sends ranged distances to a compatible Garmin watch, handheld or the Garmin Golf app), and plays-like distance calculations. If you're already using Garmin's golf ecosystem, those integrations make the Z10 more interesting. If you're not, they're features you'll use once and forget. The A1-Slope is a rangefinder that does rangefinder things — no app required, no pairing, no setup. There's something to be said for that.
Water resistance is also worth noting: the A1-Slope is rated IPX6 (protected against powerful water jets), while the Z10 is IPX4 (splash resistant). That's two steps up the scale for the A1-Slope, and it's the higher rating of the two.
Who Should Buy Which
Get the Bushnell A1-Slope if:
- You walk and want the lightest, smallest option that still has slope — shirt pocket, no fuss
- You charge your gear after rounds and want USB-C instead of buying disposable batteries
- You're playing early fall rounds when there's a real chance of getting rained on and want the better water resistance rating
- You want a focused rangefinder with no app and no pairing — it just ranges
Get the Garmin Approach Z10 if:
- You already wear a Garmin watch, carry a Garmin handheld or use the Garmin Golf app, and want Range Relay to send it your ranged distances
- You prefer swapping a replaceable battery to remembering a charging cable — a CR2 once a year is genuinely low maintenance
- You're curious about Garmin's transparent PDLC display and would rather try that than a standard LCD
- You want Find My Garmin as a last line of defense against leaving a $300 rangefinder on the 9th green
The Bottom Line
At the same price, this comes down to what you value in a rangefinder experience. The Z10's Bluetooth features and transparent display are genuinely interesting, and the CR2 battery will appeal to golfers who'd rather not deal with charging. But the A1-Slope is smaller, lighter, has better water resistance, and works without any setup or ecosystem. For most golfers, that's the better daily driver.