Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsThis is the BEST OVERALL Radar Detector Today
Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2020
I'll give you the short version: if you're looking for the best overall radar detector out there today, this is it, hands down. The Escort MAX360c. You're getting built in wifi which makes this thing work incredibly well alongside connected cars, nicely visible arrows for 360 degree threat detection (and they're spaced apart, so I can identify where the threat is coming from out of the corner of my eye without even looking at the detector), Escort's top notch autolearn technology which is head and shoulders above the competition, IVT filtering which works great, one of the strongest & most reliable mounts I've ever used (with easy magnetic detachment and nothing to break), and Escort Live App connection for crowdsourcing your police/speed trap/accident alerts (it's free the first year, after that $49, but for me $49 is more than worth it). This thing is honestly so quiet, when I get an alert I KNOW it's real. And it detects so far in advance, almost always miles, that if you haven't slowed down by the time you reach a police officer you honestly deserve the ticket. I've compared this to the ESCORT MAX360, the Uniden R7, and the Valentine V1, each of which I lived & drove with for 4 full weeks of evaluation.
First of all, sorry to say it, but the V1 is garbage compared to any of the other three. Now that other companies have arrows it's just a noisy, behind-the-times, overpriced detector. Completely unconnected and falses so much you might as well just drive the speed limit perpetually. It still has good range, but even that has fallen behind the times. I see no reason to buy this detector other than nostalgia. It was great in it's day, the best even, but it's been far far surpassed. Sorry V1 lovers.
Next, the Escort MAX360 is a very nice piece of kit, and cheaper to boot! Detection-range-wise I would rate it very close to the 360c, perhaps a little less range, but I might be wrong about that. But there's no wifi, and it's arrows are rather small and all located on the right side which generally forces you to take your eye off the road and stare at the detector to see where the threat is coming from. Slightly different mount, but still magnet based, so easy to remove your detector quickly and almost impossible to break. Overall it's a great detector, just a hair below the 360c. Honestly, if you don't have a connected car the slight differences may not make it worth spending the extra $100 for the 360c (though you could still use the 360c's wifi through a dedicated hotspot or cell phone, and most people have a hotspot capable cell phone anyways).
Last up is the Uniden R7. Much like the MAX360 and 360c, it's a great detector, but for different reasons. Sensitivity wise it's nothing short of incredible. If I were to guess, I'd say it just edges out the Escort detectors, BUT the Escort detectors really do give you so much range anyways that the Uniden's gains don't count for much real world use. I.e., with the Uniden you might know about a speed trap a few seconds before one of the Escort detectors alerts, but the Escort detectors already give you tons of time to slow down - so there's very little realistic gain here even though I think the Uniden's a bit more sensitive. The mount isn't all that bad, but I don't find it quite as good/sticky as Escort's. I more frequently found my hardwired detector dangling with the Uniden's mount than with Escort's. And that's with the single cup mount, the double cup mount is just plain trash; I don't know why Uniden even includes it. Plus the Uniden slides on with an audible "click" which may break over the long term (had it happen to other detectors in the past). The arrows on this thing are super nice - not only does it display a huge arrow when it alerts, but it's screen is appropriately angled toward the driver (something the 360c totally missed out on). Overall the 360c's separated arrows are still way easier for me to discern out of the corner of my eye, but the R7's a very close second. Both Escort's and Uniden's screens are nice bright OLEDs (as is the MAX360 btw), I prefer Escort's colors but that's just me; may seem minor but little things count with every day use.
Now for the R7 negatives I noticed. Auto-learn? It's completely MIA. Yes you can still manually mute falses, but Escort's auto-learn is just so much easier to use (or rather not use, because it requires literally no interaction). Maybe not a huge con if you don't mind the initial setup with the R7, but I just prefer to be less involved and do less work (and the Escort has never ever failed me with its auto-learn, i.e., never once accidentally muted a real threat). Connection and crowdsourcing are similarly absent from the Uniden, meaning Escort's Live App is a huge advantage. The Live App already provides me a good deal of additional information in my area (a major city), and I only expect this grow. You could even use the App with no detector of your own just to get other's alerts. Some Apps like Waze try to provide this information too, but I find the live app provides better and more up-to-date warnings. If a cop's using instant on trying to catch you, and happens not to target anyone ahead of you, the App may be the only thing that saves you if someone using the app flagged him earlier (which I've actually had happen).
The only thing I really consider the R7 to have over the 360c is the R7 claims to be Spectre I and IV undetectable. If you live in a ridiculously backwards state where radar detectors are actually illegal, this could be a selling point. Escort's only comparable product is the Redline EX, which is a great detector too...probably equals or exceeds the R7's range, BUT completely lacks arrows. So if you need an undetectable detector, consider the R7. Anyways, I don't live near any of those particular areas, so I don't care if my radar detector is detectable.
In summary, if you want the best overall detector Escort's MAX360c pretty much beats them all, if you can afford it, get it - you will not be disappointed. And that's really it's only con - the total expense, but you're getting a hell of a lot of value and features for your money (features available nowhere else). Although I will say all of the detectors I mentioned above (with the exception of the vastly outdated V1) are superb.
On a side note, I also got the M1 Dashcam that attaches to this sort of like a parasite. Can be seen here: https://www.amazon.com/ESCORT-M1-Dash-Cam-Compatible/dp/B07HGJPWSP I found the image quality very good, and I liked how seamless everything looks & fits together, plus it just works - no running separate wires. But overall the camera is way overpriced for what it is - which is a dashcam with a wifi connection. However, funny story...it totally saved me - I'd had it sitting on a shelf since Christmas, unopened, and one day after the new year I just randomly decided to install it before heading out...completely no real reason, just thought I might as well install it since it seemed to simple to put in...literally 20 minutes later I was in an wreck (not at fault), that caused thousands worth of damage to my car and is taking about two full weeks to complete repairs. So I decided I'm keeping it out of loyalty because it saved me from any lies the other driver might have told. Also, I appreciate the fact that it connects to your phone through wifi, allowing you immediately review footage on your phone; I was able to pull up and show the police officer the footage right away so that he could easily see the other driver slam into me with no warning. But in general there are cheaper dashcam options out there that perform just as good (or better if you need/want a rear facing camera as well).
Disclaimer: I don't really speed to be honest, but in a past life I may have when I was younger and now for some reason I feel naked without a good radar detector.
