The Timer Never Lies: Double Alpha’s New EDGE Shot Timer

Fundamentally, shot timers work by combining a timer with a microphone that detects gunshots. It logs exactly when each shot was fired relative to the starting point, initiated with an audible buzzer. 

Whether you’re performing a drill or shooting a course of fire at a match, the data tells you how long it took from the initial buzzer to the last shot — plus everything in between, such as how long it took you to draw your gun and fire the first shot, the time between shots on the same target (split times), time spent transitioning between targets, and how quickly you were able to reload.

Shot timers are a necessity in competitive shooting sports like USPSA — you can’t have a huge field of competitors shooting head-to-head against each other in brackets to determine a winner; instead each person shoots the same courses of fire and are scored for accuracy and time to rank their performance. 

Even if you aren’t a competitor, shot timers are invaluable for training. They allow you to track your progress over time by shooting the same drills on the clock at practice sessions. You can compare your results with others to see how you stack up and set goals for yourself. You can use different drills to focus on specific skills, and examining the timing data can help you identify areas for improvement. You can quantitatively assess what difference changes in technique and gear make in your shooting.

As technology has advanced, so too have shot timers, with premium units chock full of features that connect with your iOS and Android devices.

Double Alpha Academy is well-known in the practical shooting sports for its holsters and rigs, range gear, reloading machines, timers, chronographs, and other products specifically designed for competitive shooters. Their latest is the EDGE Shot Timer, a Bluetooth-enabled smart shot timer.

At its core, a timer needs to be able to reliably detect gunshots, regardless of the type of weapon system, whether you’re indoors or outside, and with other people shooting nearby. DAA uses shot detection algorithms and echo filtering, with 16 sensitivity levels to match your circumstances. Testing at the range, the EDGE worked flawlessly; you can narrow on the best sensitivity setting to select using its microphone test mode that displays real-time readings. With the sensitivity cranked up at home, the EDGE picked up airsoft guns but had to be very close to detect laser training pistols like the SIRT and MantisX.

The start buzzer has three levels, and at a rated 125dB, the high setting is very loud, especially handy for trainers working with large groups. You can also adjust tone and frequency; we were satisfied with the default settings but DJs and audio engineers will enjoy tweaking it.

The EDGE is a chonky boy at 5.1 by 2.6 by 2 inches, though not that heavy at 8 ounces. It has a large main display and a small five-digit one on top for quick reference on your belt. Both are backlit (unevenly on the small one), coming on with a button press and turning off after about 20 seconds. Those who have old shot timers with scratched displays that you can barely read will appreciate that DAA uses Gorilla glass to protect the screen. The housing is fiber-reinforced polymer and rated IP-65 for water and dust resistance. All of this bodes well for long-term durability.

The timer comes with a large polymer belt clip that can fit over thick belt rigs; an optional thinner metal clip that’s better for pockets is also offered. The clips screw onto the battery door, which has a gasket and opens/closes with a handy latch. Behind the door goes two CR123 batteries, not included. Some will bemoan the lack of a convenient USB-rechargeable battery; others will appreciate the fail-safe of being able to pop in fresh batteries whenever needed.

There are two large primary buttons on top; one is the start button and the other mutes the microphone. The former is lit green and the latter blinks red when activated. You can swap them if desired. The timer’s face features four directional buttons to navigate menus, a center select button, two multi-function buttons, and a lighting button to engage backlighting or a LED flashlight on the back — convenient when indoors or in the shade to check targets. You can also mute the start buzzer and use the LED as a visual indicator. 

The EDGE isn’t as intuitive to use as an iPhone, but you pick it up quickly and the dedicated start and mute buttons are fantastic.

The main screen displays shot strings with times and split times, saving up to 30 in memory for later review. For drills and dry-fire, you can set par times with up to five programmable intervals for more complicated drills. You can designate a start delay, including random delays within a defined range. And you can store five different profiles in the timer to recall commonly used settings for various purposes (e.g. indoor, outdoor, dry-fire).

The EDGE can also control other DAA products, such as their chronograph and target activation pods. 

Bluetooth connectivity allows you to connect your timer to your iOS or Android device. There, you can run DAA’s companion app, viewing shot string info, updating firmware, and recording video with shot time overlays. Not only is this cool for the ’gram, it’s handy to review your own performance. Interestingly, you can also import pre-recorded videos, and the app will analyze it to detect the start buzzer and gunshots, then add overlays. 

We found it had difficulty analyzing footage filmed with muffled audio, such as from our GoPro. You can manually add missed shots; we wish DAA would let you add the start buzzer too, which was often missed in our GoPro clips. DAA seems to be periodically adding features to the app, so we look forward to what’s to come, especially as it lags behind Shooters Global on features right now. You can also connect the timer to Practiscore’s app for direct match scoring.

DAA also separately offers a carrying case. For the premium price, it’d be nice for it to be included, along with the metal belt clip and a set of batteries, though some users might argue that they wouldn’t want to pay even a dollar extra for accessories that they don’t need.

Overall, the EDGE Shot Timer is thoughtfully designed and well executed. 

It works extremely well as a standalone shot timer, with a companion app that’s currently light on features. In particular, the large and lighted activation buttons and the dual displays are real highlights. We couldn’t find dB ratings for all the timers on the market, but the EDGE’s buzzer is probably the loudest. At $250, it’s a good chunk of scratch, but it’s less expensive than the Kestrel or SG Timer 2. If you’re seeking a premium shot timer, it’s definitely worth a look.

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