Description
The Kestrel 2500NV is a handheld weather meter that reads wind speed, temperature, barometric pressure, altitude, and wind chill. It is the mid-level Kestrel: more than the wind-only 1000, less than the 5700 with a built-in ballistic solver. The NV in the name means night vision. The backlight is a dim red that will not wreck your eyes after dark.
Kestrel rates wind speed accuracy at the larger of 3 percent of the reading or 20 feet per minute, temperature at plus or minus 0.9 degrees F, and pressure at plus or minus 1.5 millibars. One CR2032 battery runs it about 300 hours. The case is IP67, so it survives a dunk to 1 meter for 30 minutes, and it floats. It measures 4.8 by 1.9 by 1.1 inches and weighs 3.6 ounces with the slip-on cover. The box includes the battery, lanyard, hard cover, and instructions. Five-year warranty. Kestrel builds it in the USA from US and imported components.
Heads up: This unit does not measure humidity and has no Bluetooth or ballistic calculator. You read the numbers and type them into your own solver.
Specs
- Measures: Wind speed, temperature, barometric pressure, altitude, wind chill
- Wind accuracy: Larger of 3% of reading or 20 ft/min (Kestrel spec)
- Battery: 1 x CR2032, about 300 hours
- Water rating: IP67, floats
- Backlight: Red night-vision preserving
- Dimensions: 4.8 x 1.9 x 1.1 in
- Weight: 3.6 oz with cover
- Color: Olive drab
- Includes: Battery, lanyard, hard slip-on cover, instructions
- Warranty: 5 years
Who it’s for
Precision rifle and Tactical Games shooters who run their own ballistic app and want a rugged, cheap way to get wind and density altitude inputs at the firing line.
Who should skip it
If you want the meter to spit out a firing solution, you need a Kestrel 5700 Elite with Applied Ballistics, not this one. If you only care about wind and never shoot past mid-range, the Kestrel 1000 is cheaper and does that one job.
