5 Reasons Not to Buy the Rapsodo MLM2PRO

My guess is that you’ve heard plenty of reasons why you should buy Garmin’s new FlightScope Mevo Gen2.

And I’ll admit, a lot of those reasons are legit.

The Mevo Gen2 is a very solid launch monitor. I mean, it’s a Flightscope. And for less than $1,200, the elite-level data tracking, no subscription fees, built-in simulation capabilities alone might make the Gen 2 a good value. It’s a beautiful device, no question.

But I gotta say, for a lot of golfers, I don’t think the Mevo Gen2 is the right fit. I think many of you would be better off with a different launch monitor.

So in today’s video, I’m going to share with you the five reasons I think you want something other than the Mevo Gen2.

So, let’s do it

Alright, you know I think highly of the Rapsodo MLM2PRO. I made a whole video about all the reasons you should buy one, and I’m serious about everything that I said. There’s no doubt that it’s one of the best, if not the absolute best, launch monitors you can buy for less than a grand.

But does that make it right for every golfer?

Definitely not.

Here’s the mistake I see a lot of people making. They think that because something’s “good,” it’s automatically the right choice for them.

That’s not how this works. No launch monitor is perfect. Every single one has trade-offs, quirks, and frustrations that makeitm better for some golfers than others.

That’s especially true in this middle ground between “budget” and “pro” gear. The MLM2PRO is a beast for its price, no doubt about it. But some of the very things that make it so appealing are exactly the things that can turn other golfers off.

That’s why, in my opinion, it’s just as important to understand why not to buy the MLM2PRO as it is to hear all the reasons you should. Otherwise, you risk ending up with an expensive piece of gear that looks great on paper but doesn’t actually fit the way you want to use a launch monitor.

So let’s flip the script. Instead of focusing on the ways the MLM2PRO raises the bar for sub-$1,000 devices (which it does), let’s look at the other side of the coin. The drawbacks. The compromises. The reasons why, despite being an excellent launch monitor, the MLM2PRO might not be the right one for you.

Here are five reasons you should think twice before buying the Rapsodo MLM2PRO.

The sticker on the MLM2PRO is $699. But here’s the thing… The experience most people want from this device isn’t $699.

Yes, you can technically use the MLM2PRO without the Premium membership. But the list of what disappears is most of what makes the device special.

Combine, Insights, Rapsodo Courses and Rapsodo Range, Impact Vision, spin rate and axis, club path, angle of attack, deeper video storage… All of that is gone or severely limited without the Premium membership.

The free trial is short, and after that, you’re choosing between $199 per year or a one-time $499 unlock.

What does that mean in plain English? If you expect the full slate of features, your realistic ownership costs jump fast. Add $499 Lifetime to the $699 hardware, and you’re at $1,200 all-in. For some people, that’s well past “budget” territory.

And that matters because there are good alternatives that either don’t lock the best stuff behind a subscription or that deliver deeper “pro-style” accuracy and dashboards for not much more up front.

If you hate recurring fees, or you’re buying this to avoid a four-figure purchase, check your math. The MLM2PRO is a great $699 device, until you realize the parts you wanted were never only $699.

If you practice indoors and you care about spin (which you should), the MLM2PRO’s spin accuracy is a strong selling point. But that’s only if you use RPT balls (Callaway or Titleist variants with the tracking pattern). Without those, you lose spin rate and axis indoors.

The problem is practicality. RPT balls scuff quickly. And you only get three of them with the purchase of the MLM2PRO. That means unless you invest in more, you’ll be babysitting a tiny three-ball rotation that’s going to wear out quickly.

There really isn’t any way around this issue, so I’m not putting it entirely on Rapsodo. To get all the metrics with almost every launch monitor, you need either special golf balls or club stickers. That’s just the way it is for indoor golf.

But it’s something to be aware of. Ask yourself: How much do you value spin indoors? How much hassle are you willing to put up with? And are you comfortable knowing that the accuracy of one of the most important metrics is effectively gated behind special balls that cost $50 a dozen?

I think that Rapsodo’s software is, overall, approachable and polished. It works well.

But there are some limitations, especially for more serious users.

When you’re using your phone for a range session, you can only see a few data metrics at a time. Even on a tablet, you’ll still be juggling layouts rather than building a true “all-metrics” dashboard.

For a beginner or casual user, this is actually a strength. Fewer numbers, cleaner screens, less intimidation. But for a coach or data junkie, it feels limited. The Compare and Insights features are great, but they don’t replace the freedom to slice and dice your own raw data in real time.

I think some people are going to be frustrated when they’re trying to work on improving, but can only see a few of their numbers after each swing without having to go deeper into the app. It just becomes a bit of a pain.

The irony is that the MLM2PRO produces some of the most impressive data in the sub-$1,000 category. But then they make you jump through hoops to view it in bulk.

You may have seen a video I made a couple of months ago talking about how the MLM2PRO added a directly measured club path and angle of attack. It’s a big deal at this price point.

The issue is that to get those numbers to read accurately, you’ve got to be careful to get your MLM2PRO set up just right.

Now, listen, it’s not a huge deal. In fact, I think it’s easier to set this up than the launch monitors from FlightScope, for example. But, still, it’s definitely a thing. So you need to plan on a few extra minutes to dial in the setup before each session.

Another thing is that short chips often go unread. That’s sometimes a problem when you’re trying to play a round of sim golf and you can’t get the unit to pick up your shots around the green. Not to mention that once you’re on the green, you’ll have to use the auto-putt feature.

The hitting zone is a bit tighter than some competitors. That’s fine if you’re hitting off of a mat where you can place the ball in the same spot each time. But when you’re outdoors on real grass and you’re taking divots, it can become a pain to regularly have to reposition and set up the MLM2PRO as your hitting area moves.

None of this is catastrophic. You’ll adapt. But these are things to be aware of before you just buy blindly.

Individually, none of these is are deal-breaker. But again, just stuff you need to be aware of and think through as you compare the MLM2PRO to other launch monitors you might be considering.

First of all, battery life is about four hours. That’s honestly fine for most sessions. But if you don’t remember to recharge, you could face the frustration of a dead unit when you show up at the range. And, indoors, you’ll pretty much need to keep this plugged in all the time if you want to have marathon sim sessions.

As for simulator play within Rapsodo’s own environment, remember the MLM2PRO is one of those launch monitors that’s going to limit you to auto-putt. For a lot of golfers, that’s not a problem. They don’t intend to do real putting during sim rounds anyway.

But for those people who want to hit out all of their shots on a simulator, well, you’ll need to look elsewhere. Luckily, if you connect to GSPro, you can put in your sim rounds. Just remember, that’s another $250 a year for that third-party software.

Also, it’s cool that if you pay for the Premium membership, you get Rapsodo Courses, which are like cartoon renderings of pretty much all the golf courses in the world. It’s similar to Garmin’s Home Tee Hero. But just realize that these are not super detailed, perfectly accurate, realistic-looking renderings of these courses. It’s more like a video game look.

If paying to unlock the best features irritates you, this is the wrong ecosystem. I’m telling you, you’re pretty much forced to buy the Premium membership.

If you’re a coach or power user, I don’t think the MLM2PRO is quite right. I think limitations on how much data you can see while you’re in a session are going to be a problem.

If you’ve got an issue with using special golf balls indoors, well, you’ll either have to suck it up or realize that you’re not going to get spin data with the MLM2PRO.

Then there are the other quirks or annoyances that I’ve touched on. None of them are really big enough for me to say that you should definitely avoid this launch monitor. But they are all things I think you need to consider before making a final decision.

The bottom line is that the MLM2PRO is one of the best sub-$1,000 launch monitors ever made. But it’s not the universal answer. The best launch monitor is the one you’ll use the most, without frustration or compromise. And for some golfers, that might mean looking beyond the MLM2PRO.

Guys, let me know in the comments if you’ve got any experience with the Rapsodo MLM2PRO or with any of the competing affordable launch monitors. I’d love to hear what you think.

And if you liked this video and want to see more like it, please subscribe to the channel. We’ve got a lot of great content in the works.

As always, thank you so much for watching. And I’ll see you out on the course.