I am looking at buying either a range finder or a drop away arrow rest this week and would like to know what you would do first and what you would recommend for a range finder if that would be your choice.
I already have the rest picked out if I go that way.

well, which do you feel you need more?.. I think a good rest is very important. If you keep most shots within 20 yards, you really dont need a range finder. That said, I use mine a ton, and would be lost in the woods without it.

My opinion, if you already have a good rest, getting a new one really isn't needed. But if you have a rest and are not happy with it, the rest is what you need!

my choice of a range finder would be a nikon buckmaster. they are a very nice piece of equipment. as for rests if your bow is already shooting good then stick with it. and if you are looking to get as much speed as possible and fine tune accuracy then i would go with a drop away rest. their is alot out, go and check them out. the ones i recommend would be rip cord, drop zone, and a trophy ridge.

I would go with the rest first. I have a range finder and hardly ever use it. Almost all of my shots are within the woods and its hard to find a shot over thirty yards. What I have done is walk off 20 & 30 yards from my tree and place marking tape on those yardages with a different color for each yardage. The tape will stay there all fall so one only needs to do this once.

I personally find it hard to check out the range of a deer that I want to harvest with a rangefinder once its within range. I would rather concern myself with the shot and not being caught by the deer.

The only drop away rest I personally have used is the Rip Cord and I have been very happy with it.

If you feel your really poor at knowing distances, practice with marking of a distnace and then guessing the yardage. Pick a spot and then guess the yardage and then walk it off to check. Adfter doing this for awhile, you will be suprised how accurate one can get.

Most of todays bows are so fast that once the pins are set, I don't believ that 20-30 yards is any big deal. I have only shot one pin for years and it is set at 25 yards. Seems to work very well for me.

I'd go with the range finder. It's nice when you go to new spots or even ones you are familiar with and range trees from your stand. I've had more confidence when I know the exact distance even if I can guestimate within five yards without one. When you can pick up a drop away I'd do that also. I bought one from Alpine Archery which is a great drop away for around fifty or sixty bucks.

I agree 100% with Harvey and Deitz. I would go with the rest first, not the range finder. If you've got a poor rest that flings your arrow in every direction but straight, then it doesn't matter if you have a range finder or not.

Besides, there are ALWAYS those times when you are sitting in that stand and a deer magically apppears from out of nowhere, making it impossible to pull out a rangefinder. What I've always done is pace out common deer trails and other fixed objects surrounding my stand. That way I know the distance.

Thanks for all the info guys,
I am leaning away from the range finder for the above mentioned reasons.
The rest I am shooting now is a good rest and I am shooting well with it, I was looking at trying to achieve max speed, now looking back I am not sure I need that with the accuracy I am getting with all my practicing.
Maybe the money I was going to spend on these items is going else where, who knows.
Thanks for all the input.