Looking for a sports radar gun? They’re great for coaches, players, and sports fans to measure speed. Our review looks at different radar guns to find the best ones. We’ll help you choose a radar gun that’s accurate, easy to use, and durable. Whether you have a big budget or a small one, we’ll find the right one for you.
Here’s a quick overview of our top picks:
- Editor’s choice: Pocket Radar Ball Coach
- Runner Up: Bushnell velocity speed gun
- Best Budget Pick: Sports Sensors Glove Radar
- Notable Mention: Stalker Sport 2 Radar
- Best Sports Radar Gun for Golf: Sports Sensors Swing Speed Radar
- Best Display – Net Playz
Table of Contents
Editor’s choice – Pocket Radar Ball Coach
Making it to the top of the list is the Pocket Radar Ball Coach. We found that this device is suitable for sports like hockey, baseball, volleyball, and even tennis. With the Radar Ball Coach you do not need to stress about pressing the trigger button at the right moment the ball hits the bat; this is a major improvement from the previous pocket ball classic model. Press down the trigger button on the Pocket Radar Ball coach and it will automatically detect a change in the ball’s speed on its own.
The Pocket Radar Ball Coach can measure the fastest speed of an object while in flight. With this device you can measure and view the velocity at which the ball is thrown, served, shot, and the hitting power through the display. It can also correctly measure speeds between 25 MPH to 130 MPH, and it as an accuracy range within +/-1 MPH.
Many users who have used the ball coach say that the angle at which you are standing matters a lot, and it gives more accurate readings when the ball is approaching you. Some users complained that they had no use for the Tripod and the Tripod mount, while several others complained that these accessories were damaged on delivery.
PROS
- Very easy to use and portable
- Great value for the price
- Comes with free accessories, like a micro fiber cleaning cloth, tripod, and tripod stand that allows for a hands free operation
- Excellent customer service
CONS
- Not suitable for distances greater than 100 feet
- Several of the included accessories are low quality
Runner Up – Bushnell Velocity Speed Gun
Coming in second place is the Bushnell velocity speed gun. It is suitable for people on a budget who still want a moderate quality radar gun. This device is ideal for runners, tennis players, car racers, and baseball players. The extent to which the Bushnell can measure speed and distance depends on the sport.
For Auto racing the speed range of the Bushnell Velocity Speed Gun lies between 10-200 MPH and can be measured from a distance of 1500 feet, while the speed range in softball and tennis is from 10-110 MPH, this can be measured from 90 feet.
The name already gives the shape away; it comes in the shape of a gun, this makes it easy to point and shoot while aiming at the target. The Bushnell velocity gun can also measure the objects fastest speeds to an accuracy of +/- 1 MPH.
People who have used this product advise that it is not suitable for pro scouts and people looking for accurate chronograph levels. Many other users of the Bushnell velocity gun say they use it to check vehicles that are exceeding the speed limit in their streets.
PROS
- Large Led display
- Great value for the price
- If pointed in the right direction, the gun gives near accurate results.
- Easy to use
CONS
- Not suitable for professional use
- Batteries cannot be recharged
Best Budget Pick – Sports Sensors Glove Radar
Selecting the Sports Sensors Glove Radar as the best budget pick was no easy task, but this guide would have been incomplete without this device.
The glove radar is one radar gun you need and the price of this radar gun is almost unbeatable when you consider the features. I like that this unit can be used when you have only one pitcher and one catcher available.
Coaches say the glove radar is excellent when they want to catch balls from their pitchers and give them instant readings. Some other glove radar users say that you have to be a perfect catcher; if not, you will get wrong readings or no readings at all.
PROS
- Great value for the price and it is easy to use
- Can be installed on gloves
- Suitable for baseball practice if only two people are available.
CONS
You might have to do some minor calculations to get the hand release speed because it only measures velocity when the ball gets close to the batters box.
Notable Mention – Stalker Sport 2 Radar
The Stalker Sport 2 Radar from the stalker radar franchise is one of the few sports radar guns capable of measuring speeds from 300 feet. This device can do more than measure speed from a long distance; it can also measure ball speeds between 5-150 MPH and can measure the release and the plate speed.
Compared to cheap radar guns they had used in the past, Customers say they now realize they had been sacrificing quality for cost.
PROS
- Accurate and easy to use
- Can measure both release and arrival speed.
- Excellent range
CONS
- The price might be a bit steep for some people.
Best Radar Gun for Golf – Sports Sensors Swing Speed Radar
The second other notable mention is the Swing speed radar. This device is standard among golf pros as they use it to measure the club head swing speed and tempo time.
As a golfer being able to measure your swing speed will help you increase your swing distance. The swing speed radar can measure speeds between 40 MPH to as high as 200 MPH.
The swing speed radar can measure the time of takeaway of the club from start to impact to one-hundredth of a second, pretty cool, right? You could use any ball available during practice, but the ball you are swinging at must be a replica of a golf ball.
Many people who have used this device advise that to get the best results; you need to set the device 8-10 inches backward away from the ball, not the direction of flight of the ball.
PROS
- Great for increasing your swing speed
- Packs both speed and tempo features in one device
CONS
- The display can get confusing
- Made of low quality plastic. Many of the other radar guns mentioned are made of high quality and high impact plastic materials
- Its use is limited to golf
Best Display – NET PLAYZ
The Net Playz is the last radar gun worth mentioning. This device features a bright led display that makes seeing your readings under the sun easy. The Net playz is also able to calculate and display reading in both Km/hr and MPH.
Another great feature is that this radar gun can take accurate speed readings from 3-150MPH.
Other notable features include a 2.0 megapixel CMOS image sensor camera, a memory card slot that supports up to 32GB SD card, and a 150 degrees HD wide-angle lens for recording videos. This camera can also display images and videos in resolutions up to 1080P.
Users say that the Net playz works well for baseball, tennis and lacrosse but doesn’t work well for Frisbee and that when using it for pitching, it seems to be consistently off by a large margin.
PROS
- Comes with an built-in camera and motion detector
CONS
- Tripod damages easy
- No return back guarantee for a defective product
How we picked the Best Sports Gun Radar
Here are a few things we considered before making our picks for the best sports gun radar.
Usability of the Radar Gun
While selecting the best sports radar guns to include in this guide, we considered how easy it would be for users to use the device. We understand that not everyone is techy and frankly speaking, nobody wants a radar gun that will require an IQ of 200 to decipher. We picked radar guns that can give real, fast, and accurate results.
Reliability
We always advise that before you pay for any device, one question you should ask yourself is the reliability of the device? We tried to select radar guns that will not disappoint you when you need them. While considering the reliability, we also considered the radar guns’ durability.
Features
Some radar guns were able to offer a wide array of features, while others did not. While selecting the best sports radar guns that will make it to this list, we tried to include those that delivered on their promises and had features that many users needed.
Documentation
We looked at the different products, models, drawings, images, and other vital documents that will help us to select the best sports radar guns.
Popularity
The popularity of a product was also significant; some products are famous for being excellent while others are total thrash. We even had to look at the reviews from users and the number of successfully sold units to determine the product popularity.
Community Support
Many people dread buying products that have no community support; this is another critical criterion we used in determining the worthiness of these radar guns. The selected radar guns should have been used by people who are ready to leave reviews helps and guides for new customers, and also, the product should have a good customer service rating.
Finally, let me round up by saying, the best sports radar guns are not only capable of giving you accurate readings; they will also be durable, portable, easy to use, and you wouldn’t need to break the bank to own one.
In summary, we recommend the following sports radar guns:
- Best Radar Gun: Pocket Radar Ball Coach
- Runner Up: Bushnell velocity speed gun
- Best Budget Pick: Sports Sensors Glove Radar
- Notable Mention: Stalker Sport 2 Radar
- Best Sports Radar Gun for Golf: Sports Sensors Swing Speed Radar
- Best Display – Net Playz
