Best radar detectors of 2023 ranked with concise reviews.
Review of the Best radar detectors for 2023
What are the best radar detectors for beating speeding tickets?
Updated: 02-11-2023 by Veil Guy
Top 15 Best Radar Detectors of 2023 Ranked
- #1 Best – Uniden R8 – $699
- #2 Best – Escort Redline 360c – $799
- #3 Best (tie) – Escort Max 360c Mk II – $699
- #3 Best (tie) – Escort MAXcam 360c – $849
- #5 Best – Valentine 1 Gen2 – $499
- #6 Best – Uniden R4 – $449
- #7 Best – Whistler Titan – $349
- #8 Best – Uniden R7 – $479
- #9 Best – Uniden R3 – $299
- #10 Best – Escort Max 3 – $399
- #11 Best – Cobra DualPro 360 – $449
- #12 Best – Radenso XP – $189
- #13 Best – Radenso Pro M – $449
- #14 Best – Whistler CR97 – $189
- #15 Best – Adaptiv TPX Pro – $399
Quick summary of our best radar detector test results:
- The Uniden R8, Uniden R4, Escort Redline 360c, Escort Max 360c Mk II, V1 Gen2, and Whistler Titan are best radar detectors to consider.
- The Uniden R8 is the best radar detector overall at any price point.
- The Uniden R7, Uniden R3, and Whistler Titan are the best value-priced radar detectors at their reduced price points.\
- The best GPS single-antenna radar detectors are the Uniden R4 or Whistler Titan.
- The Escort Redline 360c remains the best stealth radar detector.
- The Escort MAXcam 360c is the best radar detector and dash cam.
- The Escort Redline 360c, Uniden R8, and Whistler Titan remain my top choices when I go for long-distance multi state and Canadian province drives.
- The new V1 Gen2 is a worthy replacement to the original V1, although the Uniden R8 and Uniden R4 detectors can detect more types of speed radars.
- For difficult to detect radars like Gatso, MultaRadar, or Redflex we recommend opting for the Uniden R8 or Uniden R4 over all others.
- The Adaptiv TPX Pro is the best motorcycle radar detector.
Best Radar Detector Reviews of 2023
Despite frequent supply-chain issues for much of 2022, radar detector manufacturers have continued to crank out even better radar detectors, although purchasing availability has been spotty at times. For our 2023 radar detector rankings, we have dropped the Escort X80 as it simply is too outdated and has been listed as out of stock on Escort’s site for some time.
We have also dropped the Escort iXc and Escort Max 360c as they too have been out of stock and both have been superceded by newer designs. In March or April of 2023, we expect a new high-end Uniden R9 custom installed radar detector and laser jamming system sometime that is certain to be an extremely impressive system.
As in our previous radar detector reviews, you’ll find short summary reviews with each radar detector’s ranking and at the end of this article a quick overall summation for those that want our bottom line opinions.
To help you learn even more about the specifics of each of the best radar detectors ranked, we have also included more in-depth radar detector reviews. Along with our best radar detector reviews and radar detector rankings, we also make recommendations on where to purchase these radar detectors.
We suggest you avoid purchasing your radar detector from sites like Amazon or sales affiliate review sites linking to them. Such affiliate review sites are often outdated, scraped from other radar detector reviews websites, can be inaccurate, often rank discontinued radar detectors, or offer little substantive information.
Amazon nor Best Buy’s “geek squad” has the knowledge to offer any meaningful support and sites like Amazon, eBay, and Best Buy, while well known, charge state taxes regardless of what state you live in, making purchases even less favorable in terms of actual costs relative to a specialized radar detector retailer that does not.
Veil doesn’t sell radar detectors, Veil manufacturers a inexpensive companion product, a police laser and IR photo enforcement countermeasure, that can be effectively used with any of these radar detectors (which are also designed to detect police laser) and we strongly recommend every driver use it.
If you find our radar detector reviews and rankings helpful and you’ve decided on which radar detector will best serve your needs, we would appreciate you making your radar detector purchase using the links provided.
In some instances, we receive a small benefit on some of these purchasing links which serves to defray our out-of-pocket testing expenses so we can continue our radar detector testing, so it’s a win-win.
In no way does this influence our radar detector reviews and as always we will continue to provide honest and unbiased opinions based solely on how these radar detector perform in the real-world of driving–a review technique we actually pioneered in 2004.
We are the original real-world radar detector reviewer with 43 plus years of driving experience using radar detectors.
No other current radar detector review site can make this claim.
As always, we recommend pairing your radar detector with Veil to improve your chances in beating a police laser ticket as Veil is designed to complement your radar detector’s laser detection performance.
Any radar detector appearing in our top 10 rankings, is more than sufficient to provide the very best protection you’ll need so you ultimate budget and what you desire in a detector should dictate which one to select.
Rest assured, you can’t go wrong with any of them. So, let’s take a look at our top picks of the best radar detectors of 2023!
Summary Reviews of the Best Radar Detectors of 2023
Best Radar Detector Overall – Uniden R8
Uniden R8 Radar Detector
The Uniden R8 is simply the best radar detector in 2023. Simply put, we consider it the new king of radar detectors.
Uniden has infused the R8 with dual LNAs (low noise amplifiers) making it the most sensitive radar detector we’ve ever driven with. The R8 provides class-leading performance, advanced filtering, and customized configurations like no other and is a significant upgrade from the R7.
Uniden R8 Pros:
- Best radar detector at any price
- Most sensitive radar detector to date
- Dual LNAs add significant sensitivity increases
- More advanced digital signal processing (DSP)
- Capable of detecting Sensys Gatso RT4/RT3 speed radars
- Dual antennas, directional arrows
- Built-in bluetooth
- Improved case design and layout
- Backlit front buttons
- Easy to program/customize settings
- GPS with red light camera alerts
- Free GPS database updates
- Updateable via USB connection to PC
- Extremely “bright” multi-color and large OLED display
- Auto-dimming based upon varying lighting conditions
- Special K anti-false filter
- KA anti-false filter
- Ka Narrow/Wide sweeps to maximize performance and minimize falsing on Ka-band
- Ka-band segmentation for potentially increased performance and less falses on Ka-band
- Multa Radar MRCD/MRCT detection without overly falsing
- Individual band sensitivity adjustment (unique to Uniden)
- Excellent BSM filtering (important)
- Two notch filters to help reject certain blind-spot monitoring systems (of GM, Honda, and Acura)
- Multiple threat display with directional arrows
- Most configurable audio and visual alarms
- Nearly SPECTRE RDD undetectable
- Single & dual suction cup brackets included (unique to Uniden)
- Cigarette adapter with MUTE KEY and USB and DAISY CHAIN JACKS
- Audio alerts with direction, band, and frequency
- Quick arrow transitions when passing radar sources
- Power connector located on the right side
Uniden R8 Cons:
- Bright OLED displays have potential to lead to premature failure
- Tough to think of any
Uniden R8 Reviews Summary:
The Uniden R8 is currently the very best detector for both high and city driving. If you are looking for most sensitive and longest range dual antenna detector capable of ferreting out the best radars and the most sophisticated used by police, look no further than the R8. It reigns supreme. Further Reading:
Place to buy:
2nd Best Radar Detector – Escort Redline 360c
Escort Redline 360c Radar Detector
The Escort Redline 360c was supposedly a radar detector that Escort could never build.
For years I was told such a radar detector would be too large in size given the complexity of the hardware.
But things happen. In this case it was Uniden and their R7 radar detector.
The game had been so substantially upped by Uniden that Escort couldn’t sit on their laurels and so the impossible, became the possible.
What Escort has done here is combine their best radar detector platform of the much revered Redline with the sophisticated bells and whistles of the Max 360c.
Escort claims a 6dB increase in sensitivity to radar, which makes it possible that the Redline 360c can alert to a threat at twice the distance of the Max 360c.
This puts the radar detection performance of the Redline 360c squarely in the neighborhood of the Uniden R7 and the new Valentine 1 Gen2.
In fact, the Redline 360c tends to out alert every other radar detector we’ve driven with even if by a small margin. We figured it was the most sensitive windshield-mount radar detector ever produced (perhaps by 1dB) for a short time, but the newer Uniden R4 and Uniden R8 radar detectors are now even more sensitive.
At a price point of $749, I had originally believed Escort was going to have a harder time selling this piece, but time has proven, this is not the case. Firmware updates have made this radar detector much more sure footed and more worthy of its price point.
With its initial release, the arrows were somewhat lethargic in transitioning but they have improved and are now on par with others.
But like many other detectors from Escort of recent years, this radar detector has some issues with its signal ramp-up as you approach a threat making it very hard to gauge the actual distance to the radar source.
Like Escort’s other GPS radar detectors, the Redline 360c alerts very well to redlight and speed camera locations.
When configured optimally, the Redline 360c, like the Max 360c can be scary quiet.
I believe no company is better at filtering out CAS systems than Escort, it’s nothing short of exceptional. However, its filtering does comes at a cost.
The Redline 360c, despite having the ability to detect MRCD, appears to only false to it and when the 360c does encounter a genuine MRCD source, it fails to alert to it.
If detection of MultaRadar is important to you, the Uniden R8 (and R4) are class leaders in this regard.
The Redline 360c, like other Escort detectors comes standard with both WIFI and bluetooth connectivity which allows for updates to firmware without need to connect to a computer, a nice feature.
It’s pricey, to be sure, but its proving worth to many well-heeled buyers and for good reason.
Escort Redline 360c Pros:
- Best radar detector that’s undetectable
- Among the highest levels of sensitivity to a police radar bands (X-band, K-band, 33.8 & 34.7 & 35.5 Ka-band) yet seen in a windshield-mount radar detector
- Class leading filtering of K-band collision avoidance systems
- Very good detection of police laser
- Exceptional quickness and ability to detect instant-on police radars
- Immunity from detection by SPECTRE radar detector detectors
- Three antennas (two front and one facing to the rear)
- Directional arrows that can be configured to display different colors for easy radar band identification
- Doesn’t require band segmentation to extract high performance of Ka-band detection
- K-band segmenting can further cut down on potential falses from collision avoidance systems
- Can display actual frequencies of police radar (good for distinguishing real police radar from non-police radar)
- Built-in GPS for variable speed auto sensitivity and photo enforcement database
- Firmware and photo enforcement database can easily be updated wirelessly
- Bluetooth and WIFI add enhanced connectivity options
- USB Smartcord now comes standard
- Very high level of construction quality both internally and externally
- Good BMS filtering (important)
- Magnetic quick release mount makes for super quick removal and is rock solid and vibration free
- Can easily mount alongside Escort’s new M2 dash camera
- Easy wireless updating of firmware
- Exceptional build quality
Escort Redline 360c Cons:
- No rear detection of X-band
- Did not alert to genuine MRCD/MRCT radar sources
- MRCD/MRCT enabling unusable due to high false rates
- Slightly higher rates of Ka-band falsing than others
- Multi-color OLED display is small and hard to read at times in bright sunlight
- Overly long trailing alerts which continue to sound even when radar or laser source is no longer present
- Highest priced radar detector on the market
- Directional arrows are sluggish and often not accurate
- Signal ramp-up alerts are inconsistent
- Does not provide directional arrows for MultaRadar and police laser
- Very annoying alerting to K-band collision avoidance systems (many alerts appear as full-strength I/O radar)
Escort Redline 360c Reviews Summary: The Escort Redline 360c is Escort’s most impressive radar detector to date and comes highly recommended.
Where to buy
3rd Best Radar Detector (tie) – Escort Max 360c Mk II
Escort Max 360c Mk II Radar Detector
Escort’s new Max 360c Mk II replaces that outgoing Escort Max 360c radar detector which was getting a bit long in the tooth.
The Mk II gets an updated M13 platform, the same that can be found in their MAXcam 360c a dashcam integrated radar detector. This ups the sensitivity of the Max 360c Mk II by 3dB which equates to a potential of about 40% in increased detection range of the Max 360c.
This increased sensitivity puts in the same realm of the MaxCam 360c and the Redline 360c but at a lower cost of $150 and $100 respectively and only $50 more than the Max 360c. That’s money well spent, in our opinion.
The Max 360c Mk II comes with some filtering improvements and as a result makes it one of the more quiet radar detectors currently available.
The Mk II also comes with 5Ghz WIFI, but this is merely an academic exercise as the increased data pipeline that comes with 5Ghz (at the expense of range relative to 2.4Ghz) won’t be apparent because the detector doesn’t even come close to requiring it.
While MRCD/MRCT is marketed as being a feature, Escort continues to have difficulties in actually consistently alerting to genuine sources of this difficult to detector radar. So if you drive in a state where MRCD is used, like Texas and Arizona, the Uniden R8 would be a better option.
And like the MAXcam 360c , the Max 360c Mk II is not a stealth detector, like the Redline 360c, however especially today, being undetectable by SPECTRE RDDs is merely academic as a recent experience proves.
So in short, think of the Max 360c Mk II as a Max 360c with better range, processing, and filtering for $50 more;. It’s a MAXcam 360c without the built-in dash cam.
Escort Max 360c Pros:
- Best radar detector of the Escort Max series of detectors
- Detection range on par with the best radar detectors today
- Class leading filtering of K-band collision avoidance systems that bests the outgoing Max 360c
- Good detection of police lasers
- Exceptional quickness and ability to detect instant-on police radars
- Directional arrows that can be configured to display different colors for easy radar band identification
- Doesn’t require band segmentation to extract high performance of Ka-band detection
- Most configurable metering system yet available in a radar detector
- Can display actual frequencies of police radar (good for distinguishing real police radar from non-police radar)
- Built-in GPS for variable speed-sensitive sensitivity and photo enforcement database
- Firmware and photo enforcement database can easily be updated wirelessly
- Bluetooth and WIFI add enhanced connectivity options
- USB Smartcord now comes standard
- Very high level of construction quality both internally and externally
- Magnetic quick release mount makes for super quick removal and is rock solid and vibration free
- Can easily mount alongside Escort’s new M2 dash camera
Escort Max 360c Cons:
- Multi-color OLED display can be hard to read at times in bright sunlight (but increases longevity of the display)
- Overly long trailing alerts which continue to sound even when radar or laser source is no longer present
- K-band filtering causes it to miss MRCT/MRCD police radars, yet falses frequently when option enabled
- Does not provide directional arrows for police laser detections
Escort Max 360c Mk II Reviews Summary:
Simply put, the Escort Max 360c Mk II remains a solid choice and is among the best detectors currently available and is a worthy upgrade of the older Max 360c.
Place to buy:
3rd Best Radar Detector (tie) – Escort MAXcam 360c
Escort MAXcam 360c Radar Detector
Cedar Electronics, the parent company of both Escort and Cobra, made their first foray into a combination radar detector and dash camera several years ago with the attractive Cobra Road Scout.
The Road Scout provided high quality videos, however, the platform was based upon a Cobra design, which was frankly inferior to Escort’s higher end radar detectors, so in effect, the detector was trying to be a jack of all trades, but ultimately being a master of none.
Even so, it provided good detection performance, but it simply wasn’t up to the performance of Escort radar detectors.
Up until the release of the Escort MAXcam 360c, the only option available to the driver interested in having high levels of detection performance and video, was the use of the Escort M1 (and now M2) video camera that piggy-backed along side of Escort detectors.
With the new Escort MAXcam 360c Escort, fans now have an integrated dash camera and high performance radar detector. In terms of its detection performance, the MAXcam 360c performs at a higher level than the Max 360c and more closely to Escort’s Redline 360c and the new Max 360c Mk II and our rankings is based solely on its detection and filtering performance.
To be sure, its price tag of $849 makes this the most costly radar detector ever. In this context, the MAXcam 360c is a good value for those looking for a combined high-quality dash cam and extreme performance radar detector and this detector/dashcam combo equal to the MAXcam 360c Mk II.
Escort MAXcam 360c Pros:
- Escort’s best radar detector and dash cam combo
- Extreme sensitivity to all police radar bands (X-band, K-band, 33.8 & 34.7 & 35.5 Ka-band)
- Dual antennas
- Directional arrows for maximum situational awareness to all radar and laser threats from the front and from behind
- A bogey counter to inform you of how many radar signals there are at any given moment and what radar band is the most important to be concerned with
- Very good BSM filtering
- Construction quality both externally and internally
- High quality video dash camera
Escort MAXcam 360c Cons:
- Does not provide directional arrows for MultaRadar and police laser
- Multi-color OLED display is small and hard to read at times in bright sunlight
Escort MAXcam 360c Reviews Summary:
For those wishing to reduce the clutter of electronics in their vehicle, the Escort MAXcam 360c is a worthy offering that no longer requires its owner to compromise performance with a combined dash cam and radar detector. Place to buy:
5th Best Radar Detector – Valentine 1 Gen2 (V1G2)
Valentine 1 Gen2 Radar Locator
The V1 has been around since the early 1990s and Mike Valentine’s small cadre of highly dedicated engineers produced their one and only radar detector.
The V1 was way ahead of its time when it was first introduced. Valentines were the only ones that offered both a front and rear facing radar antennas and provided directional arrows that would point to the source of a radar or laser threat.
But, a lot of time has elapsed since then and VR’s patent on their multi-arrow design has since expired and so other manufacturers of radar detectors have also incorporated arrows into several of the top offerings.
Truth be told, even though the original V1 was a fabulous radar detector and has remained one of my favorite reliable detectors, the V1 was getting long in the tooth. Even Valentine’s website had been looking a bit dated in design.
One of the ironies in this industry was the fact that Escort had marketed their detectors stating how unnecessary it was for a radar detector to have both a front radar facing and rear facing radar antennas.
Since the Valentine patent expired, they began touting how important having situational radar detection capability was essential in the best Escort radar detectors they began manufacturing.
The last time I visited the founder of Valentine Research, Mike Valentine, we had a nice long talk about the state of the current radar detectors on the market, including Uniden, and it was clear to me that 1) Valentine took notice, just as the other radar detector manufacturers had done, and 2) I got the distinct feeling from Mike, that he wasn’t going to allow Uniden to dominate the high-end radar detector performance category for long.
With the new Gen 2 V1, the engineers incorporated both LNAs and DSP into their new radar detector meaning that its detection performance is right up their with the best radar detectors available today, including the Redline 360c, Radenso DS1, and the Uniden R8.
Beyond radar detection performance gains and undetectability, the new Gen 2 incorporates Bluetooth into the detector to allow it to pair with Valentine’s free smartphone application which can convey a wealth of information about your radar and laser encounters.
While the V1 G2’s performance is similar to the Uniden R8 and the new Escort Max series of detectors, we placed it lower the others that are higher ranked because the V1 G2 does not have GPS or attempt to detect MRCD/MRCT speed cameras.
However, the new V1 Gen2 will most surely continue to provide the sure-footed performance to which Valentine owners have long been accustomed and remains an excellent choice for looking for exceptional radar and laser detection performance without the bells and whistles of the other directional radar detectors.
Valentine 1 Gen2 Pros:
- Valentine’s best radar detector to date
- Extreme sensitivity to all police radar bands (X-band, K-band, 33.8 & 34.7 & 35.5 Ka-band)
- The greatest sensitivity to police lasers, due to very large lidar sensors
- Exceptional quickness and ability to detect instant-on police radars
- Dual antennas
- Directional arrows for maximum situational awareness to all radar and laser threats from the front and from behind
- A bogey counter to inform you of how many radar signals there are at any given moment and what radar band is the most important to be concerned with
- Accurate and exceptional signal strength alerting for both approaching and receding police radar sources
- Good BSM filtering
- Solid construction quality both externally and internally
- Reasonably priced
Valentine 1 Gen2 Cons:
- Does not include GPS function to alert to photo enforcement locations (red light and speed cameras) and to quiet itself at slower speeds
- More difficult to program without smartphone app
- No frequency display of radar (without smartphone app)
- Reports of early front face plate attachment issues (problem was addressed by VR)
- No MRCD/MRCT detection capabilities
Valentine 1 Gen2 Reviews Summary:
The V1 Gen2 re-establishes itself as one of the very best radar detectors you can own today.
Place to buy:
6th Best Radar Detector – Uniden R4
Uniden R4 Radar Detector
The new Uniden R4 replaces the Uniden R3 as Uniden’s top performing single-antenna radar detector.
The Uniden R4 comes with an improved design and more features, while building upon the already exceptional performance of the R3 by incorporating dual LNAs (low noise amplifiers).
The result is a radar detector that offers an approximate 4dB increase in sensitivity.
This translates to a potential increase in detection range by about 60%, not an inconsequential amount.
Beyond sheer performance increases, the Uniden R4 sports a number of new features and capabilities, including Sensys Gatso detection, better filtering, bluetooth, and integration into future Uniden countermeasure solutions.
Uniden R4 Pros:
- Uniden’s best radar detector with a single antenna
- Dual LNAs yielding significant performance increases
- MRCD/MRCT & Sensys Gatso RT3/RT4 detection
- Identification of police laser guns
- Advanced digital signal processing (DSP)
- Easy to program/customize settings
- GPS with red light camera alerts
- Free firmware & GPS database updates
- MicroUSB connector
- Connection interface jack to support remote control module
- Connection interface jack to support integration with a laser jammer
- Built-in bluetooth
- Extremely “bright” multi-color OLED display
- Advanced BSM filters
- KA anti-false filter
- Ka Narrow/Wide sweeps to maximize performance and minimize falsing on Ka-band
- Ka-band segmentation for potentially increased performance and less falses on Ka-band
- Individual radar band sensitivity adjustment (unique to Uniden)
- Nearly SPECTRE RDD undetectable
- Single & dual suction cup brackets included (unique to Uniden)
- Cigarette adapter with MUTE KEY and USB and DAISY CHAIN jacks
Uniden R4 Cons:
- Bright OLED displays have potential to lead to premature failure
- Tough to think of any
Uniden R4 Reviews Summary:
Quite simply, the Uniden R4 is the best radar detector with a single antenna currently on the market.
Further Reading:
Place to buy:
7th Best Radar Detector – Whistler Titan
Whistler Titan Radar Detector
This Whistler Titan review has been a long time coming.
I expected to publish a review about it at the end of 2020, but the COVID pandemic evolved into causing worldwide disruptions of supply chains, especially semi-conductor production, and so the Whistler Titan had been delayed for nearly two years!
Even though the Whistler Titan has been nearly two years, the radar detector is regarded as Whistler’s 50th anniversary edition. Whistler incorporates digital signal processing (DSP) and improved circuitry with the Titan and it shows.
The end result is, that after many years, Whistler finally has a radar detector that can consistently compete with the best radar detectors available today.
The Titan is a capable of alerting to weak signals on par with the top ranked detectors here while also proving to be the most false-resistant to collision avoidance systems, fairing better than every other detector on this list. This top-of-the-line detector is an absolute pleasure to drive with.
Whistler Titan Pros:
- Whistler’s best radar detector to date
- MRCD/MRCT detection
- Incredibly quite and false-resistant
- Extensive programming and configuration options
- GPS with red light camera alerts
- Free firmware & GPS database updates
- Extremely “bright” multi-color OLED display
- Best of breed BSM filters
- Ka-band segmentation for potentially increased performance and less falses on Ka-band
- Low SPECTRE RDD footprint
- Cigarette adapter with MUTE KEY and USB port
Whistler Titan Cons:
- Wish it were priced $50 less
- Tough to thing of anything else
Whistler Titan Reviews Summary:
Quite simply, the Uniden R4 is the best radar detector with a single antenna currently on the market.
Further Reading:
Place to buy:
8th Best Radar Detector – Uniden R7
Uniden R7 Radar Detector
The Uniden R7 remains one of our top picks even though the newer Uniden R8 is out.
It’s a most capable radar detector and will remain so for years to come.
Without a doubt, Uniden took the industry by storm several years ago and has run away with a significant share of the marketplace in very short order.
The directional R7 was the natural evolution of the incredible little wonder, the R3 and clearly bests its radar detection performance.
We found the Uniden R7 has detection performance even more sensitive than the Uniden R3 radar detectors, which means the R7 has some of the best radar detection range of portable windshield-mount radar detectors we’ve ever witnessed.
But the Uniden R7 is more than simply a directional R3.
Multa Radar detection has been improved; the processor is 50% more powerful to perform more advanced digital signal processing; and currently has the largest display or any of the radar detectors available.
With continued improvements to its firmware and a big price drop (now only $449) we believe the R7 remains one of the best radar detectors with extreme range produced.
Uniden R7 Pros:
- Best value dual-antenna radar detector from Uniden
- More advanced digital signal processing (DSP) than the R1 and R3 detectors
- Generally has the highest radar sensitivity across all police radar guns
- Dual antennas, directional arrows
- Easy to program/customize settings
- GPS with red light camera alerts
- Free GPS database updates
- Updateable via USB connection to PC
- Extremely “bright” multi-color and large OLED display
- Auto-dimming based upon varying lighting conditions
- Special K anti-false filter
- KA anti-false filter
- Ka Narrow/Wide sweeps to maximize performance and minimize falsing on Ka-band
- Ka-band segmentation for potentially increased performance and less falses on Ka-band
- Multa Radar MRCD/MRCT detection without overly falsing
- Individual band sensitivity adjustment (unique to Uniden)
- Excellent BMS filtering (important)
- Notch filter to help reject certain blind-spot monitoring systems (of GM, Honda, and Acura)
- Multiple threat display with directional arrows
- Most configurable audio and visual alarms
- Nearly SPECTRE RDD undetectable (but NOT undetectable, despite some claims to the contrary)
- Single & dual suction cup brackets included (unique to Uniden)
- Cigarette adapter with MUTE KEY and USB JACK
- Audio alerts with direction, band, and frequency (only detector able to do this)
- Quick arrow transitions when passing radar sources
- Power connector located on the right side
- Great lower price point
Uniden R7 Cons:
- Plastic case feels a little chintzy
- Laser sensitivity could be better
- Bright displays can lead to premature failure and screen burn-in and still washes out in bright sunlight
- No back-lit buttons (like on the R3 detectors)
- Mute/DIM and Mark buttons in odd place (hidden and on the left side)
- Arrows can jump around during an encounter (but this is not uncommon with directional detectors)
Uniden R7 Reviews Summary:
The Uniden R7 is one of the very best detectors for both high and city driving.
For those wanting similar performance of the R3 detectors but with directional information, the R7 is the natural choice.
We found the quality of the case material to be below what we would have expected at (an originally priced) $600 (the Escort 360c is much better in this regard), but the R7’s consistently-high performance is undeniable.
The R7, along with the R3, R4, and R8 are the only radar detectors we found that can reliably alert to the difficult to detect Multa-Radar without excessively falsing and it’s the best radar detector at alerting to one of the most difficult to detect radar used by Redflex photo enforcement systems.
The R7 was the first stealth dual antenna radar detector available (it’s no longer) although it is not completely undetectable by Spectre RDDs.
If you are looking for one of the most sensitive and longest range dual antenna detectors capable of ferreting out the best radars and the most sophisticated used by police, it still is a solid choice even though its performance has been trumped by the new Uniden R8.
Further Reading:
Place to buy:
9th Best Radar Detector – Uniden R3
Uniden R3 Radar Detector
Uniden’s re-entry into the radar detector industry several years ago has shaken the industry up big time.
The Uniden R3 offers extreme performance and advanced features like dedicated K-band filtering, K and Ka band narrow sweeps (to increase performance and minimize falsing), band selectable sensitivity, and Multa Radar detection.
The non-GPS version has been discontinued.
Uniden R3 Pros:
- Best value-priced radar detector from Uniden
- Advanced digital signal processing (DSP)
- Extreme radar sensitivity across all radar bands
- Easy to program/customize settings
- GPS with red light camera alerts
- Good BSM filtering (important)
- Free GPS database updates
- Updateable via USB connection to PC
- Extremely “bright” multi-color OLED display
- Special K anti-false filter
- KA anti-false filter
- Ka Narrow/Wide sweeps to maximize performance and minimize falsing on Ka-band
- Ka-band segmentation for potentially increased performance and less falses on Ka-band
- Among the top Multa Radar detection capabilities available
- Individual radar band sensitivity adjustment (unique to Uniden)
- Nearly SPECTRE RDD undetectable (but NOT undetectable, despite some claims to the contrary)
- Single & dual suction cup brackets included (unique to Uniden)
- Cigarette adapter with MUTE KEY and USB JACK
- Great price points for both models
Uniden R3 Cons:
- Laser sensitivity could use improvement
- Bright displays can lead to premature failure and screen burn-in
Uniden R3 Reviews Summary:
The Uniden R3 is well-suited for both city and highway driving.
Both radar detectors offer extreme performance for less cost than other manufacturers’ top models.
For those wanting direction arrows but with similar performance, the Uniden R7 is the natural alternative.
Historically, Uniden has had some quality control issues with defect rates higher than other manufacturers, but that appears to have been resolved. The R3 may soon be discontinued, though, as its more capable R4 is now available.
Further Reading:
Place to buy:
10th Best Radar Detector – Escort Max 3
Escort Max 3 Radar Detector
The Escort Max 3 is the third in a series of the Max detector line and by it’s the best by far.
We have never been a fan of the earlier Maxes, especially the exterior designs as we felt the cases never looked proper and cheapened their appearances.
With the new Max 3, however, Escort has returned to its roots designing a proper case.
In terms of radar detection performance, the new Max 3 is head and shoulders above any other of their single antenna models and is $50 cheaper than the Escort IXc, which we expect to ultimately see a price drop or be discontinued.
Unlike the previous Max detectors, this one is not based upon their all digital front-end and is more akin to an Escort iXc, albeit being more sensitive.
In this regard, this detector is a Max only in name, not underlying design.\
Escort Max 3 Pros:
- Escort’s best radar detector with a single antenna
- Extremely high level of sensitivity to a police radar bands (X-band, K-band, 33.8 & 34.7 & 35.5 Ka-band)
- Exceptional filtering of K-band collision avoidance systems that bests the other Escort detectors
- Very protection from police lasers
- Exceptional quickness and ability to detect instant-on police radars
- Doesn’t require band segmentation to extract high performance of Ka-band detection
- Good BSM filtering (important)
- Can display actual frequencies of police radar (good for distinguishing real police radar from non-police radar)
- Built-in GPS for variable speed-sensitive sensitivity and photo enforcement database
- Firmware and photo enforcement database can easily be updated
- Bluetooth adds enhanced connectivity options
- USB Smartcord
- High level of construction quality both internally and externally
- Magnetic quick release mount makes for super quick removal and is rock solid and vibration free
- Can easily mount alongside Escort’s new M2 dash camera
Escort Max 3 Cons:
- Despite the Max 3 has range topping radar detection, it is a slow radar detector and may miss some quickly-triggered I/O radar
- Multi-color OLED display can be hard to read at times in bright sunlight (but increases longevity of the display)
- K-band alerting coupled with signal rejection needs some improvement (addressable in future firmware updates)
- Higher rates of Ka-band falsing than others
- Annoying alerting to K-band collision avoidance systems (often initially alerting at full-strength as it is detecting I/O radar)
Escort Max 3 Reviews Summary:
The Escort Max 3 is currently one of better Escort detectors overall in terms of range (to constant-on police radar) and the top performing single antenna detector Escort currently offers, but if you travel in areas where instant-on radar is used, you may want to consider a newer detector, like the Uniden R4.
Place to buy:
11th Best Radar Detector – Cobra DualPro 360
Cobra DualPro 360 Radar Detector
The Cobra DualPro 360 is the best dual-antenna detector from Cobra.
The reason for this is simple. The Cobra DualPro 360 is based upon the same platform as Escort’s Max 360c radar detector.
The Cobra DualPro 360 doesn’t have as many features as the Escort Max 360c but those missing features have no impact on detection performance and for that the DualPro 360 is $200 less.
Cobra DualPro 360 Pros:
- Best radar detector from Cobra
- Currently the top-performing detector from Cobra
- Dual antenna and directional arrows
- High radar sensitivity
- All-digital signal processing (dsp) for extreme long range radar detection performance
- Exceptional at detecting instant-on police radar
- Good anti-collision sensor rejection filtering
- GPS enabled
- Builtin Bluetooth for wireless pairing to your smartphone
- Cobra iRadar ready
- Firmware and photo enforcement database are both user upgradeable
- Bi-Lingual Voice Alerts – English & Spanish
Cobra DualPro 360 Cons:
- Cobra brand not historically regarded as high-end, but times have changed
- Not as many features as Escort’s directional detectors
Cobra DualPro 360 Reviews Summary:
Think of the DualPro 360 as a slightly decontented Max 360, but delivering on the essential performance aspects you will need and prior to the price drop of the Uniden R7, was the best value by far. Now, not so much.
It still remains a good choice for those seeking a capable dual antenna detector at a good price point, but it’s design is getting dated.
Further Reading:
Place to buy:
12th Best Radar Detector – Radenso XP
Radenso XP Radar Detector
Radenso’s 3rd & 4th offerings in the windshield-mount radar detector category are also very good units.
While not providing the absolute sensitivity on some bands as its more expensive cousin the Radenso Pro M, they’re still quiet good and perform better on X-band and laser.
What’s even more impressive is that sensitivity to real police radar doesn’t seem to be impacted much while either radar detector is in the proximity of a K-band polluting vehicle.
The GPS-capable Radenso XP is also more sensitive to police laser than the Radenso Pro M and can detect police laser from the rear and from greater angles than the Pro M.
The new Radenso XP can also be Ka-band segmented which ensures the highest levels of Ka-band sensitivity and alerting quickness.
The XP is now a somewhat dated detector with a higher performing DS1 now shipping.
Radenso XP Pros:
- Solid choice for a budget-priced detector
- Very good sensitivity to a police radar bands (K-band, 33.8 & 34.7 & 35.5 Ka-band)
- Incorporates high-end feature of an LNA in its reception circuitry
- Good detection of police laser
- Can be Ka-band segmented to extract the highest performance of Ka-band detection
- Good BMS filtering (important)
- Minimal impact on detection of genuine police radar during times of active false signal rejection
- Exceptional quickness and ability to detect instant-on police radar
- GPS equipped to permit manual lock-outs of known false sources of radar
- Built-in GPS which allows for variable speed-sensitive sensitivity configuration
- Comes pre-loaded with database of redlight camera locations and is updateable with the supplied USB cable (Radenso XP only)
- Firmware can be easily updated at home
- Can display actual frequencies of police radar (the Pro M only gives center frequencies)
- Larger casing than the Pro M pays dividends in features and sound levels
- Bright and readable display
- Recent price drops greatly improves value of each detector
- Nearly undetectable by SPECTRE RDDs
- New versions of these units now come with a power cord that includes a mute button
- Price reduction makes it an incredible value for the money
Radenso XP Cons:
- X-band performance not at the levels of K and Ka band (affects drivers in NJ and Ohio)
- GPS redlight database not as complete as other vendors’ offerings
- Menu and programming procedures is somewhat confusing and can be tricky to use
- Photo enforcement database not as robust as Escort’s
- Does not alert to MRCT/MRCD source with K-band filtering enabled
- Dated design
Radenso XP Reviews Summary:
The Radenso XP is a very good detector for a blend of highway and city driving.
The XP does especially well when in the presence of vehicles equipped with K-band collision avoidance systems.
While it’s very good at filtering K-band CAS systems, it causes the detectors to completely miss K-band FMCW ticketing sources which may be an issue if you drive in an area where such systems are used.
However, the good news is Radenso lowered the price on the XP by a whopping $100 to $249! This makes the Radenso XP currently the best value going by far!
Place to buy:
13th Best Radar Detector – Radenso Pro M
Radenso Pro M Radar Detector
Radenso is a relatively new player in the U.S. market and this very small detector packs very solid detections to K-band and particularly 34.7 Ka-band. Like other top-end detectors, the Radenso Pro M incorporates an LNA (low noise amplifier) to improve detection performance.
Its detection performance in both range and off-axis is in the realm of the Escort Redline series of detectors. The Radenso Pro M comes with GPS and a photo enforcement database, and can by updated by the user at home with a computer.
The Radenso Pro M provides some of the best in-class signal rejection of K-band automotive collision avoidance systems while still being able to detect instant-on K-band police radar as well as detecting frequency hopping/modulated Multa Radar Close Distance (MRCD) and MRCT.
Enabling MRCD/MRCT alerting does increase its falsing rate, however. Another interesting feature is its ability to “notch” K-band which tightens up K-and closer to the center of police K-band of 24.150 Ghz.
By tightening K-band, it can reduce detections of K-band sources like automotive systems that still operate on K-band but do so outside the margins of genuine police radar.
The Radenso Pro M provides a host of interesting sensitivity modes including individual changes to each band for driving around town as well as speed sensitive sensitivity.
This makes the Radenso Pro M a very good detector for combined highway and city driving.
Where the Radenso Pro M falls short, however, is its ability to detect X-band and police laser sensitivity is well below those of other detectors at this price point. X-band is seen in Ohio and New Jersey and on a limited basis in North Carolina, but not many other states use X-band any more, so for many drivers, this won’t present much of an issue.
Radenso stands by their products offering a full two year warranty on their detectors compared to the typical 12-month warranties of other manufacturers.
Radenso Pro M Pros:
- Exceptional sensitivity to a K and Ka bands, particularly 34.7 Ghz
- Very good filtering of K-band collision avoidance systems
- Built-in GPS and photo enforcement database
- K-band sweep can be narrowed to focus more on genuine K-band
- Ability to detect MRCD/MRCT (at the expense of increased falsing)
- Many filtering options
- Large display (for its small size)
- Smallest detector made
- Firmware and photo enforcement database can easily be updated at home
- Exceptional two-year warranty
- Manufacturer is engaged with its customers
Radenso Pro M Cons:
- Display can be difficult to read in bright lighting conditions
- Below average sensitivity to X-band and police laser at this price point
- No rear laser sensor
- Photo enforcement database not as robust as others
- Increased K-band falsing to CAS systems when MRCT/MRCD detection is enabled
- Some filtering options causes it to miss bonafide MRCD/MRCT sources.
- Dated design
Radenso Pro M Reviews Summary:
While very popular with some in the enthusiast community, overall performance is not as well rounded as others at this price point and this radar detector is getting dated.
But, for those seeking exceptional performance on Ka and K-band especially in a very tiny package, the Radenso Pro M is a solid choice.
Place to buy:
14th Best Radar Detector – Whistler CR97
Whistler CR97 Radar Detector
Whistler has stated that both the CR97 has up to a 6dB increase is sensitivity to Ka-band and up to 3dB in K-band over the previous models, the CR90 and CR93. X-band also sees a huge improvement.
While its been superceded by the new high-end Whistler CR97, it remains available at a lower price and remains a good value.
The CR97 has a unique new feature which allows it to identify and alert to ticketing FMCW radar sources.
Off-axis radar detections are also noticeably improved over their previous radar detectors.
Detection to police laser remains excellent.
Whistlers are sold oversees and as such, detection of police laser is a priority as many more difficult to detect police lasers are found abroad.
Whistler is also unique in being able to display the pulse rates of police laser which can be very helpful. Some Volvos and Infinitis use laser-based collision avoidance systems which transmit at very specific pulse rates.
Whistler not only locks many of them out by based on the frequency pulse counts by default, but they allows you to permanently mute out others with different pulse rates that you may come across.
Like other Whistlers, the CR97 is super quick at detecting instant-on police radar and their alerting ramps are exceptional.
Trailing alerts are also properly timed in duration.
The CR97 is a technical radar detector for owners wishing to dig deep into the menu systems to customize it to a very high degree.
For a more quiet operation, we recommend the following settings: XK FILTER 4, TFSR ON, FDSR OFF, KA FILTER 3. Use these settings when driving in heavy traffic. If you are on a more isolated highway you may want to use the following settings: XK FILTER 1, TFSR OFF, FDSR ON, KA FILTER 1.
The photo enforcement database alerted to every redlight camera monitored intersection that I’ve encountered in my driving so far (12,000 plus miles) and like the more expensive detectors out there, the Whistler gives you the ability to be update them at home on your PC.
What’s even nicer is that Whistler includes a USB to mini-D cable for doing so, something that even some of the more expensive detectors do not.
Whistler CR97 Pros:
- Radar detection performance now on par with some detectors costing twice as much
- Excellent sensitivity to a K and Ka-band police radar bands
- Excellent detection of police laser
- Decent BSM filtering (important)
- Exceptional quickness and ability to detection instant-on police radar
- Very good alert ramp and useful trailing alerts
- Can display center frequencies of police radar
- Advanced FDSR ### feature informs driver that K-band FMCW ticketing systems such as TraffiStar SR391 speed-on-green photo enforcement (available on the CR97 only)
- Verilight GPS photo enforcement database (available on CR97 only)
- Firmware and/or photo enforcement database can easily be updated at home
- Speed sensitive automuting makes detector a pleasure to drive around town (CR97 only)
- Very readable OLED display
- Includes USB cable for updating
Whistler CR97 Cons:
- Can sometimes alert with Ka to FMCW K sources
- Dated design
Whistler CR97 Review Summary:
The CR97 has seen a recent price decrease of $50 which makes it the only good GPS detector under the $200 price point, which is compelling for those on tighter budgets.
But the model is getting dated and has been eclipsed by Whistler’s top-performing model, the new Whistler Titan.
Further reading:
Place to buy:
15th Best Radar Detector – Adaptiv TPX Pro (for motorcycles)
Adaptiv TPX Pro Radar Detector
The TPX Pro is specifically designed to be used with a motorcycle.
The large buttons are suited to riders who use gloves.
While the ultimate detection performance is somewhat lower than the top detectors on our list, it is especially suited to outdoor use and is weather resistant.
Radar detectors designed for windshield-mounting are simply not up to the task of being used outdoors.
Couple this with the fact that the TPX Pro can interface with optional Adaptiv’s H.A.R.D. (in-helmet) alerting system, this detector is the clear choice for motorcycle riders.
Adaptiv TPX Pro Pros:
- Best radar detector designed for motorcycle use
- Large buttons for those wearing gloves
- Can interface with the H.A.R.D. alerting system
Adaptiv TPX Pro Cons:
- Somewhat dated design
Adaptiv TPX Pro Review Summary:
Even though, the TPX Pro appears last on our ranking list, it is still a very good radar detector and should be at the top of your list if you are a motorcycle rider who is looking for some protection. Place to buy:
Thanks for reading and remember to drive safely, but most importantly, protected!
