COBRA ESR 800 Review – Radar detector with better build quality

Radar Detectors have been here for some time now but with all these new detectors coming to the market it with so many new features that the earlier model did not have is really exciting. Now talking about the Cobra ESR 800, this radar detector has taken me by surprise. Now the ESR800 is not a bad product especially looking at the price at which it comes for, however, you might find yourself wanting to spend a little more simply to do away with the annoyance that comes with owning the Cobra ESR 800.

The detector is pretty good when you look at the hardware and also offers decent performance. While most of their phones come with a lot of essential features the ESR 800, in particular, lacks a few. However, there are also some great features that the radar detector comes equipped with. Let’s discuss in detail them down below.

COBRA ESR 800 Review & Suggestion

Build and Quality

First and foremost the ESR800 is sleek looking and looks and feels like any other high Cobra models. Next, speaking of the LED display, ah it’s not that great. I mean it does the job but lacks the visibility that other radar detectors at this range offer, Also, it does not get that bright which can be a problem while viewing it under direct sunlight. The ESR800 like any most other detectors comes with a mute button which is quite large (which is a good thing) but does not come with an auxiliary mute switch on the charger cable, like what you might normally see in other Escort builds, so hitting the button can be a little difficult, if not outright dangerous.

Now while the ESR800 is not the most pleasant sounding radar detector it is not the worst. Also, the mounting bracket is not the most advanced on the market either, but it gets the job done, and there should be no need for you to worry about it coming loose. However, as it is nothing but a simple suction cup you might need to be careful over rough terrains.

Also Read: COBRA DSP 9200 BT Radar Detector Reviews

Features

The ESR800 is not completely compatible with the iRadar app but you should get it anyways. This is because the iRadar app is near on par with the Escort app, and when you add the feature list found in the said app to the core features here you can get some fairly decent coverage no matter where you are driving. The Cobra ESR 800 though might not come with Bluetooth and real-time ESR 800 updates included, however, the iRadar still updates you with information from all the other Cobra drivers on the road, letting you know about trouble spots and false positives miles ahead of time. The radar detector guarantees you that peace of mind, so when you hit mute, you know it’s safe to ignore.

Legality and Price

If you are not from the US you must know that these things are pretty much illegal everywhere else in the world. As a matter of fact, you can’t even drive into Canada with one. Within the US there are a number of interesting restrictions in place. If you live in DC or Virginia you cannot use one, at all. The same is true on US Military bases. In case you are from Minnesota and California there are laws that restrict you from mounting anything on your windshield but do not outlaw detector use in general. For everyone else in the US, you have the 1934 Communications Act. So long as you are not in a commercial vehicle you are protected by this Act and can get away with one.

Now we come to the price, and it is here that the Cobra ESR 800 shines. The radar detector might not come with a number of great features like some other Cobra models, the fact that you can pick one up for a little over $40 more than makes up for the incessant false positives. It must be noted here that you cannot find this on the Cobra site, it seems to me that the model has been discontinued by them, so might want to look somewhere else like eBay or Amazon.