Review on Cobra RAD 480i Laser Radar Detector - Enhanced Long Range Detection, Bluetooth Connectivity, iRadar App Compatibility, LaserEye Front and Rear Detection, Advanced Next Generation IVT Filtering, Sleek Black Design by Luis Thompson

Rad450-B+. Uniden is twice as expensive, of course, so it should be better. But the RAD450 proved to be quite worthy for its price. It's not as sensitive as the front-facing Uniden. For cops coming from behind, the Uniden definitely seems more efficient. It takes some time to figure out which settings work best for these devices. Both are good but could be better. If you want to just set it and forget it, use #5 for uniden and #6 for RAD450. "Silent Ride" for Uniden works with GPS speed. on the device No sound can be heard below a certain speed. This works great for filtering out useless parking and false brake lights. Because Uniden can also mute at specific points, it's even more versatile for filtering out false signals. I didn't use this in any of my tests. Since the RAD450 doesn't have GPS, its "enough ride" works differently. The sound will beep for a few seconds (2 or 3 beeps) and then turn off. If there isn't a 30-40 second break between alerts, it will remain silent even if it receives a new alert (it will always display the alert). This works really well for parking lots as you get a lot of alerts quickly. However, this shouldn't be a problem when driving on the freeway or in the city. In the driving test below I had all sorts of fakes on the old radar including blind spot radars used on cars. When following a Chevy Equinox down the freeway, my old device kept turning on and off while I was driving behind that car. Both Uniden and RAD450 were completely silent. They registered no warnings. Other cars were causing the same thing on my old block, but I couldn't determine which car was the cause. The remaining 2 devices remained silent. I was lucky that on the test day the police were everywhere so I got good data. I didn't get the actual distance on the city speed trap, but both the Uniden and RAD450 were the same distance and gave enough warning to slow down. The old device might have given enough warnings. In summary we can say that the Uniden is an amazing unit. Spending more is wasting money. If you can't afford the $250 price tag, the RAD450 is a pretty good device and a good option. Anything cheaper than the RAD450 will likely behave the same as my old 7000 that was knocked out by counterfeiting. As a side note, the RAD450's "intellimute" option does not work on the 2004 Lexus rx330. Presumably the device is able to determine engine RPM from voltage spikes in the vehicle electrical system. I'm assuming it can't read most cars, so don't count on that as a useful filtering option. Regardless, the RAD450 performs reasonably well for its price. So I keep both; Uniden for my main machine and RAD450 for my second machine. I should be well protected from all those pesky fakes! Hope this review helps. (See test data below) Test drive in the Big Box parking lot in a circle. 1) Uniden DFR7: Memorized Muted Seats: no 25 mph quiet mode enabled. All filters are included. K is set to wide. Ka is set to narrow. 02) Cobra Rad450: All filters on, quiet ride off, number of beeps: sensitivity at max.: 158, sensitivity at medium: 52, sensitivity at low: 103) Cobra Rad450: all filters on, quiet ride on, number of beeps : Sensitivity at Max: 6 Low Sensitivity: 24 ) Cobra EDS7000: Number of Beeps: 132 Number of False Alarms and Beeps Drive 90 miles. (Suburb/Highway)* Note that each fake message emits multiple beeps5) Uniden DFR7: Saved muted locations: none Silent mode 25 mph enabled All filters are included. K is set to narrow. Ka is set to narrow. : 3 of 3 Highway Cops Distance: Weekly Alert: 2.4 miles Full Alert: 0.8 miles 6) Cobra Rad450: All Filters on Quiet Ride on Sensitivity @ Max: False: 4 Total False Alerts: 8 True Alerts: 3 of 3 Cop Highway Distance: Weekly Alert: No Full Alert: 0.8 miles 7) Old Cobra EDS7000: Falsie: 43 Total Falsie: 482 True Alert: 2 of 3 (yes, one missing) Highway Cop Distance: Weekly Alert: No Full Alert: 0 0.8 miles