DocUSMCRetired
Well-Known Member
I am going to be comparing the MagnetoSpeed with the Lab Radar in the coming weeks. This will be a 3 part series. This first part is a general look at the physical/feature comparison of the two. In part 2 I will be shooting shotgun, handgun, pellet gun, and rifle through both units at the same time. I also plan on doing a co-op shoot, where we try to see if two shooters can use the Lab Radar at once by firing from different positions. The issue with co-op consists of two problems, the Lab Radar needs 2 seconds between shots, and you don't know which shooter shot when you do a print out. It would be nice if they could implement software that labels them shooter 1 and shooter 2. It does have a mic on each side of the unit.
We will start off with price. The MagnetoSpeed can be had for around 380$, the Lab Radar is around 560$. These are both base prices with no accessories.
Usability out of the box: The MagnetoSpeed is ready out of the box, with everything you need for rifles/shotguns/revolvers. The Lab Radar is not. You must buy a mounting option of some kind, be it the bench mount, a tripod, or supply your own personal mount. The device needs something to hold it upright, which it is not supplied with. Cost is 30$ for the bench mount, 55$ for a tripod from Lab Radar.
Battery Life: The MagnetoSpeed has a huge upper hand here. Mine has run for over a year on the same batteries and still shows 75% life. You can extend the battery life on the MagnetoSpeed by running two CR123 Batteries vs the 9v option. The Lab Radar requires 6 AA batteries, and does not last nearly as long. You can plug in a USB battery pack if the unit is about to die, or as an option instead of using AA batteries. The Lab Radar has two modes, trigger mode, and Doppler mode. Trigger mode is easier on the batteries. Both devices have a time out to help save battery life. Also the Lab Radar can be set to Low Power mode to save battery. If you are going to look for a battery pack to go with it (highly recommended if you plan to use it more than twice a year) you should be looking at 12,000 mAh or more capacity packs. I would avoid solar packs, they can take a long time to re-charge, and generally offer low capacity. You need a minimum of 5V 1 amp output. You can actually find 20,000+ mAh battery packs, which would easily run the Lab Radar, and recharge your phone on a single charge.
Size & Weight: The MagnetoSpeed wins for size and weight. The Lab Radar is larger, heavier, and requires base of some kind (tripod, or bench mount). The exception for the MagnetoSpeed is that users with a muzzle brake larger than 3 inches will need an adapter. If you want to use the MagnetoSpeed with a semi auto handgun, the handgun needs to have a rail, and you need to purchase the rail adapter. The Lab Radar weighed in at 4lbs 15 oz, the MagnetoSpeed in the hard case weighed in at 2lbs 9oz. I am not going in to the weight of tripods, and other mounting options. You literally have hundreds and some are extremely light, others are very heavy. The tripod offered on the Lab Radar site, weighs 4lbs. I will also not go in to battery weight, again way too many options. I will note they sell and demonstrate using Velcro to attach an external battery pack. Generally this is a good idea, since these can burn through 6 AA in a single day.
Placement: This one is interesting. If you are buying the Lab Radar thinking it will be less work to setup, that is not always going to be the case. The MagnetoSpeed simply needs to be spaced correctly, strapped in tight, and you're done. If you have the rail adapter on its even easier. The Lab Radar actually says that muzzle blast, debris, etc from you or other shooters can cause errors. So the Lab Radar needs to be placed out of the blast from the muzzle brake, then calibrated for its position relative to the weapon. The Lab Radar does automatically correct for the distance between the radar cone, and the muzzle, this is part of why you calibrate its distance to the muzzle, but only in trigger mode. Now keep in mind, you can put it in Doppler mode, so its running constantly and gives you a velocity when it detects the bullet/arrow/pellet enter the cone, but this does not account for the distance between the muzzle and bullet being detected.
Carry Case: The MagnetoSpeed comes in a hard case or a soft case, the Lab Radar does not come with a case of any kind. If you want a case, it is 40$ plus shipping. About the same cost of the MagnetoSpeed case if you are wanting to switch from a hard to a soft case.
Shotguns: The MagnetoSpeed V3 (not Sporter) works with shotguns and, the Lab Radar states it only works with slugs, not with pellets. This doesn't mean it won't work, and is one of the things to be tested in live fire.
Archery: The Lab Radar works with a Bow, something the MagnetoSpeed does not do. You do need to buy a trigger adapter at 45$ for this or run it in Doppler mode (at the expense of battery life). In Doppler mode it will start reading once the arrow enters the radar cone, however this is 6-10 feet beyond the chronograph, so bear in mind you need to adjust for this. Same rule applies for air rifles. The MagnetoSpeed always reads at the muzzle, so it's a true muzzle velocity in all modes.
Handgun: Both will work with handguns out of the box, however the Lab Radar has an edge here. If you want to use the MagnetoSpeed with a semi-auto handgun, you will need the rail adapter which is 25$ and a handgun that has a rail to attach it to.
Air Rifles: Both will work with an air rifle(MagnetoSpeed V3 only, not Sporter), the Lab Radar has an option for a 45$ adapter so you can still use Trigger mode. This adapter is basically a microphone that clips on to and extends 6 inches to the side of the device. You can then place the muzzle close to the microphone to trigger it. I will be posting results as to if this causes issues with other shooters triggering the Lab Radar. The MagnetoSpeed works out the box just needs a sensitivity adjustment.
Rapid Fire: The Lab Radar says it requires a minimum of 2 seconds between shots, the MagnetoSpeed has a rapid fire setting.
Environment Limitations: An interesting note is that the Lab Radar works from 14 - 104 degrees F. Lab Radar's website says it's not affected by rain, heat, snow etc. however in the user manual it says otherwise. MagnetoSpeed doesn't really have any temperature limitations hot or cold. Other than the standard limitations of an lcd screen. I will be testing the Lab Radar during one of our spring storms to see how that holds up.
Sensitivity: Both units have the ability to adjust sensitivity for the triggers. The Lab Radar also asks you to select a velocity range (Rifle 984+, Handgun 246-1722, and Archery 66-738) and asks for the projectile weight. The Lab Radar also has the ability to change frequencies for use around other Radars.
Silenced Weapons/Rimfire: You can adjust the sensitivity to try to pick up silenced weapons, and I have heard of shooters moving the device around, or even firing from behind it to get it to trigger. If you read the air gun adapter description carefully it states "The Air Gun Trigger Adapter kit is used for guns that do not discharge sufficient muzzle blast to trigger the radar. This adapter should only be used on Air Guns, Rimfire cartridges that have little or no muzzle blast and some suppressors." So if you are having issues triggering the device you might need to pick up this adapter or use Doppler mode. If you have the Archery Adapter, you can get a 10$ Air Gun Bracket and bring the total to 55$.
Apps: The MagnetoSpeed works with an app that can be found on both Android and iOS, but you will need the 25$ XFR cable. The Lab Radar has built in Bluetooth (Not activated yet), and they state they will have an app in the future. It has been 18 months with no real word on when that app will come out, and when asked it was stated that no app development has begun, but the technology is already built inside.
Memory: The MagnetoSpeed comes with the memory card, which has enough capacity you really don't need to replace it. The Lab Radar has a USB Slot and memory card slot but is not provided with a memory card. These can found for less than 2$.
Setup: Both require you to position and align them. While one needs to be aligned on the barrel, the other needs to be mounted on a tripod and aligned down range. You can use a quick detach tripod mount for this, but you still need to set it up. In some applications you can also use the rail mount with the MagnetoSpeed. Both of them have menus where you setup what you are shooting in the case of the MagnetoSpeed its (Normal, Shotgun, Rapid Fire), and in the case of the Lab Radar its (Handgun, Rifle, Archery). Both have sensitivity settings for the trigger. Both have the ability to set backlight functions, and timeout functions. The Lab Radar does need to be told the offset distance to the muzzle, and the bullet weight. So if you change rifles, don't forget to reset the bullet weight. I will be testing to see if placing the Lab Radar as close to the ground as possible has any negative effects.
Cost: The Lab Radar with all the accessories/adaptars/mounts is around 775$ not including shipping/tax, you can reduce this by sourcing your own components. The MagnetoSpeed V3 with all the accessories and adapters is 645$ (605$ if you don't buy a second case) not including shipping/tax. You are looking at a long waiting list for the Lab Radar (some users have been waiting a year for a Lab Radar), at least for now. They are working on getting orders filled, but there is no real timing guarantee. This is no way a reflection of each devices capabilities, accuracy, performance etc. This is just a look at some of the differences in the units themselves. In the near future, I will post live fire results, battery tests, and some other information to help users decide which unit best fits their needs. Both are made by reputable good companies. So we will see what happens after we put some rounds through them.
We will start off with price. The MagnetoSpeed can be had for around 380$, the Lab Radar is around 560$. These are both base prices with no accessories.
Usability out of the box: The MagnetoSpeed is ready out of the box, with everything you need for rifles/shotguns/revolvers. The Lab Radar is not. You must buy a mounting option of some kind, be it the bench mount, a tripod, or supply your own personal mount. The device needs something to hold it upright, which it is not supplied with. Cost is 30$ for the bench mount, 55$ for a tripod from Lab Radar.
Battery Life: The MagnetoSpeed has a huge upper hand here. Mine has run for over a year on the same batteries and still shows 75% life. You can extend the battery life on the MagnetoSpeed by running two CR123 Batteries vs the 9v option. The Lab Radar requires 6 AA batteries, and does not last nearly as long. You can plug in a USB battery pack if the unit is about to die, or as an option instead of using AA batteries. The Lab Radar has two modes, trigger mode, and Doppler mode. Trigger mode is easier on the batteries. Both devices have a time out to help save battery life. Also the Lab Radar can be set to Low Power mode to save battery. If you are going to look for a battery pack to go with it (highly recommended if you plan to use it more than twice a year) you should be looking at 12,000 mAh or more capacity packs. I would avoid solar packs, they can take a long time to re-charge, and generally offer low capacity. You need a minimum of 5V 1 amp output. You can actually find 20,000+ mAh battery packs, which would easily run the Lab Radar, and recharge your phone on a single charge.
Size & Weight: The MagnetoSpeed wins for size and weight. The Lab Radar is larger, heavier, and requires base of some kind (tripod, or bench mount). The exception for the MagnetoSpeed is that users with a muzzle brake larger than 3 inches will need an adapter. If you want to use the MagnetoSpeed with a semi auto handgun, the handgun needs to have a rail, and you need to purchase the rail adapter. The Lab Radar weighed in at 4lbs 15 oz, the MagnetoSpeed in the hard case weighed in at 2lbs 9oz. I am not going in to the weight of tripods, and other mounting options. You literally have hundreds and some are extremely light, others are very heavy. The tripod offered on the Lab Radar site, weighs 4lbs. I will also not go in to battery weight, again way too many options. I will note they sell and demonstrate using Velcro to attach an external battery pack. Generally this is a good idea, since these can burn through 6 AA in a single day.
Placement: This one is interesting. If you are buying the Lab Radar thinking it will be less work to setup, that is not always going to be the case. The MagnetoSpeed simply needs to be spaced correctly, strapped in tight, and you're done. If you have the rail adapter on its even easier. The Lab Radar actually says that muzzle blast, debris, etc from you or other shooters can cause errors. So the Lab Radar needs to be placed out of the blast from the muzzle brake, then calibrated for its position relative to the weapon. The Lab Radar does automatically correct for the distance between the radar cone, and the muzzle, this is part of why you calibrate its distance to the muzzle, but only in trigger mode. Now keep in mind, you can put it in Doppler mode, so its running constantly and gives you a velocity when it detects the bullet/arrow/pellet enter the cone, but this does not account for the distance between the muzzle and bullet being detected.
Carry Case: The MagnetoSpeed comes in a hard case or a soft case, the Lab Radar does not come with a case of any kind. If you want a case, it is 40$ plus shipping. About the same cost of the MagnetoSpeed case if you are wanting to switch from a hard to a soft case.
Shotguns: The MagnetoSpeed V3 (not Sporter) works with shotguns and, the Lab Radar states it only works with slugs, not with pellets. This doesn't mean it won't work, and is one of the things to be tested in live fire.
Archery: The Lab Radar works with a Bow, something the MagnetoSpeed does not do. You do need to buy a trigger adapter at 45$ for this or run it in Doppler mode (at the expense of battery life). In Doppler mode it will start reading once the arrow enters the radar cone, however this is 6-10 feet beyond the chronograph, so bear in mind you need to adjust for this. Same rule applies for air rifles. The MagnetoSpeed always reads at the muzzle, so it's a true muzzle velocity in all modes.
Handgun: Both will work with handguns out of the box, however the Lab Radar has an edge here. If you want to use the MagnetoSpeed with a semi-auto handgun, you will need the rail adapter which is 25$ and a handgun that has a rail to attach it to.
Air Rifles: Both will work with an air rifle(MagnetoSpeed V3 only, not Sporter), the Lab Radar has an option for a 45$ adapter so you can still use Trigger mode. This adapter is basically a microphone that clips on to and extends 6 inches to the side of the device. You can then place the muzzle close to the microphone to trigger it. I will be posting results as to if this causes issues with other shooters triggering the Lab Radar. The MagnetoSpeed works out the box just needs a sensitivity adjustment.
Rapid Fire: The Lab Radar says it requires a minimum of 2 seconds between shots, the MagnetoSpeed has a rapid fire setting.
Environment Limitations: An interesting note is that the Lab Radar works from 14 - 104 degrees F. Lab Radar's website says it's not affected by rain, heat, snow etc. however in the user manual it says otherwise. MagnetoSpeed doesn't really have any temperature limitations hot or cold. Other than the standard limitations of an lcd screen. I will be testing the Lab Radar during one of our spring storms to see how that holds up.
Sensitivity: Both units have the ability to adjust sensitivity for the triggers. The Lab Radar also asks you to select a velocity range (Rifle 984+, Handgun 246-1722, and Archery 66-738) and asks for the projectile weight. The Lab Radar also has the ability to change frequencies for use around other Radars.
Silenced Weapons/Rimfire: You can adjust the sensitivity to try to pick up silenced weapons, and I have heard of shooters moving the device around, or even firing from behind it to get it to trigger. If you read the air gun adapter description carefully it states "The Air Gun Trigger Adapter kit is used for guns that do not discharge sufficient muzzle blast to trigger the radar. This adapter should only be used on Air Guns, Rimfire cartridges that have little or no muzzle blast and some suppressors." So if you are having issues triggering the device you might need to pick up this adapter or use Doppler mode. If you have the Archery Adapter, you can get a 10$ Air Gun Bracket and bring the total to 55$.
Apps: The MagnetoSpeed works with an app that can be found on both Android and iOS, but you will need the 25$ XFR cable. The Lab Radar has built in Bluetooth (Not activated yet), and they state they will have an app in the future. It has been 18 months with no real word on when that app will come out, and when asked it was stated that no app development has begun, but the technology is already built inside.
Memory: The MagnetoSpeed comes with the memory card, which has enough capacity you really don't need to replace it. The Lab Radar has a USB Slot and memory card slot but is not provided with a memory card. These can found for less than 2$.
Setup: Both require you to position and align them. While one needs to be aligned on the barrel, the other needs to be mounted on a tripod and aligned down range. You can use a quick detach tripod mount for this, but you still need to set it up. In some applications you can also use the rail mount with the MagnetoSpeed. Both of them have menus where you setup what you are shooting in the case of the MagnetoSpeed its (Normal, Shotgun, Rapid Fire), and in the case of the Lab Radar its (Handgun, Rifle, Archery). Both have sensitivity settings for the trigger. Both have the ability to set backlight functions, and timeout functions. The Lab Radar does need to be told the offset distance to the muzzle, and the bullet weight. So if you change rifles, don't forget to reset the bullet weight. I will be testing to see if placing the Lab Radar as close to the ground as possible has any negative effects.
Cost: The Lab Radar with all the accessories/adaptars/mounts is around 775$ not including shipping/tax, you can reduce this by sourcing your own components. The MagnetoSpeed V3 with all the accessories and adapters is 645$ (605$ if you don't buy a second case) not including shipping/tax. You are looking at a long waiting list for the Lab Radar (some users have been waiting a year for a Lab Radar), at least for now. They are working on getting orders filled, but there is no real timing guarantee. This is no way a reflection of each devices capabilities, accuracy, performance etc. This is just a look at some of the differences in the units themselves. In the near future, I will post live fire results, battery tests, and some other information to help users decide which unit best fits their needs. Both are made by reputable good companies. So we will see what happens after we put some rounds through them.
