Davis Instruments 6250 Review Summary
Best Weather Station for Build Quality and Durability
Bottom Line
Everyone will agree when we say that durability is one of the most important aspects of any device. Long-lasting, robust, and reliable weather stations are always in demand.
Apart from the excellent battery backup of Davis Vantage Vue 6250, it is also the weather station with the strongest and best build quality.
Whether it's the stringent quality tests, corrosion resistance, sealed sensors, or professional-grade sensors, Davis 6250 makes it worth every penny.
There are many home weather stations out there, and choosing the best one suited for your needs is truly difficult. To make your job easier, we've reviewed one of the most popular weather stations- the 6250 Vantage Vue from Davis Instruments.
When it comes to weather stations, Davis Instruments is a name trusted by millions. So how does their midrange weather station fare in comparison to the rest? Let's see it in detail.
Davis Instruments 6250 Vantage Vue Review
The Davis Vantage Vue is one of the latest entries into the market, and it is equipped with all the newest cutting edge technologies. It is compatible with the company’s flagship device, the Vantage Pro 2, and can be synced via radio connections.
You can also mix and match components between the Vantage Vue and Vantage Pro 2 as they work well with another. This is an easy method of officially upgrading the Vantage Vue to a higher-end device.
The rugged and reliable unit consists of an outdoor weather sensor array that relays data over a wide range to the central LCD console. It is also in possession of a special weather center feature that helps in the collection of information on the different weather variables.
This weather center ensures that the highest and lowest values recorded on a given day are saved and stored, apart from indicating the temperature, humidity, barometric and other changes by the hour.
Astronomical observations such as meteor showers may also be indicated on the display screen with this center's help. All these features make Davis Vantage Vue 6250 as the best home weather station in the market.
Davis Instruments 6250 Vantage Vue Features
Build Quality and Durability
Electronic sensors are sealed thoroughly to provide protection against harsh weather elements and are integrated into a sensor suite to withstand storms.
This suite is incredibly tough and strings with the great build quality and a sleek ergonomic design that can withstand all kinds of intense weather.
This weather station is good to use, especially in marine or saltwater areas, as it withstood a number of stringent corrosion testing practices.
Display
The outdoor sensor array equipped with mounting hardware relays data to an LCD console effortlessly.
LCD screen is easy to read from any angle and is supported by a backlight for proper viewing during the night time.
The display features indoor outdoor temperature, humidity readings, barometric pressure, wind speed, wind direction, rainfall, and other parameters.
Refresh Rate
The outdoor sensor's data are updated and refreshed on the display system every 2.5 seconds, which is leaps and bounds faster than the competition.
Vantage Vue 6250 ensures that you’re viewing the latest readings and have access to real-time weather data and records.
Sensor Unit
The integrated sensor suite can transmit data to the display from 1000 feet away. A corrosion-resistant weatherproof cover shields it, and the inner electronic sensors are over-molded or potted for additional moisture protection.
A radiation shield is also present for protection against solar radiation and reflects heat from different sources.
The suite features an anemometer for recording wind speeds and measures wind direction in compass points or degrees. Indoor and outdoor temperature and humidity values are also available.
A self tipping rain collector with a 0.01-inch resolution helps in the rainfall data recordings and calculations.
Data Representation
Apart from the date and time stamp on the display, you can also know the time of sunrise or sunset of that day along with the provision to view all 8 phases of the moon.
The values measured by all the sensors are reported on the display in standard US units.
The display also has trend arrows to indicate whether the values are rising, falling, or stable. There is a graphical representation of the measurements of the last 25 hours, days, or months.
You can access nearly 50 graphs regarding the temperature, rain, rain rate, wind, and barometric pressure that is saved on the console. This helps you in quickly understanding the weather data.
Data points on the graph also represent the weather simultaneously on the previous day, so you can conduct a comparative analysis to get to know about the daily weather trends.
Data collected is represented in an extremely professional yet easy to understand manner.
Alarms and notifications
The weather station also allows you to set up nearly 22 alarms at the same time to alert you of incoming dangers like high winds, freezing temperatures, flood warnings, rain rate, and more warnings.
You have the option to program and custom tailor these alerts based on your needs.
Installation
It is easy to install and comes with a mounting kit, comprehensive instruction manual, and a bubble level that ensures the installation is proper and improves data collection's efficiency.
Though many mounting options are built into the station's design, mounting pole requirements need to be fulfilled independently.
The comprehensive and thorough instruction manual with step by step instructions will also prove to be the ultimate companion during mounting and placement. Overall, there's not much to worry about when it comes to mounting the Vantage Vue 6250.
Battery Power and Backup
Vantage Vue 6250 is equipped with a solar panel that serves as the main power source. The weather station faces absolutely no problems in running when the day is bright and sunny.
The solar panel is also connected with a supercapacitor that provides enough juice to keep the station running effortlessly well throughout the night.
Even on cloudy or dull days, the power situation is totally under control as the Vue has a lithium battery for backup. Talking in terms of the Vantage Vue, battery truly isn't an issue.
Cool features- Keyboard
This weather station's unique aspect is its special keyboard that glows in the dark. This makes it user-friendly and a breeze to use during dim and dark conditions as the keyboard is lit up.
The buttons are dome-shaped, making it easy and pleasant to press. We’re sure you’ll love using or playing around with this keyboard.
Uses and Areas of Application
This station is ideal for use in private property spanning over large areas like estates or farmlands as the transmission range between the sensors and the console is 300m rather 100m provided by most of it’s competitors. This means you can better understand your entire property rather than just a portion of it.
You can use the recorded data for domestic or educational purposes and is especially useful for boating or maintaining marine equipment and activities.
This Vantage Vue weather station is fit for usage in schools, universities, gardens, marinas, vacation homes, and are also applied in home weather watching and fire fighting and emergency response teams.
Conclusion
If we did have anything that we would like to be improved, it's limited to the fact that we'd prefer the radiation shield to be just a little bit bigger, but it still serves it's primary purpose well.
Another tweak would be in the instruction manual aspect, which is really good and comprehensive, yet available only in English. If the future could include instructions in other languages as well, it would be the complete unit.
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About the Author
Tim
I am Tim, a weather enthusiast who loves to watch hurricanes and all other harsh weather conditions. I studied B.Sc(Meteorology) at the University of Miami. With excellent knowledge of Weather Forecasting, Meteorology, and Environmental Science, I am currently working in San Francisco as a Meteorologist. Also, I am a member of The Weather Channel and AccuWeather. In this blog, I will write a detailed review of Weather instruments that you need for survival and other activities.
