Cobra XRS9370 High-Performance Radar/Laser Detector with 360-Degree Protection

Let’s be clear up front: one buys the Cobra 9370 for its price. That proved true in my case not so much to save money but to avoid paying for unneeded or ineffective features. In this regard, it’s a bargain.Obviously, it’s very easy to spend eight or ten or more times what I spent on this Cobra 9370 for a top-of-the-line Valentine or Escort or Bel. But, in reading the reviews of this unit in particular and of radar detectors in general, I made a couple of decisions and came to a few conclusions that caused me to lower my expectations and, consequently, reduce my outlay: 1) I’m not buying a radar detector to enable me to drive 100+ mph on a routine basis; 2) laser detection capability is all but useless because, if a laser hit’s been detected, chances are very good it’s too late for you to do anything about your speed; 3) X-band detection is irrelevant unless you drive in Ohio; 4) Ku-band detection is irrelevant unless you drive in Europe or Asia; and 5) even the best detectors cannot eliminate false alerts, and I saw little correlation between price and the complaints of false-alerting by reviewers.So my decision was influenced by not really wanting to pay for features that I really didn’t think I would want or need. In doing my research, I found that the greatest number of false alerts might just be in radar-detection marketing. I concluded that the many features that you really don’t need or want doesn’t keep detector marketeers from touting them and alerting you to them. Something tells me there’s probably not a price-justifiable difference between the fundamental ability of a $60 detector to detect K and Ka bands and a $500 detector to do the same.So that left detection of K and Ka and maybe detecting POP mode in these bands as my top priority. This Cobra got very good scores for doing just that—certainly adequate scores for alerting someone like me sometimes going 20% or 25% over the speed limit—and I really don’t care about the sophisticated additional features, such as GPS, compasses, red-light camera databases, smart phone or Bluetooth connectivity, and such, found on the models that cost eight to ten times as much. Maybe that will change after I actually use this one for a while or if I have some sort of mid-life crisis and decide I really do need to drive 100 mph on a regular basis.But if all the Cobra 9370 does is what I really bought it to do--detect K and Ka for me reliably and not false-alert excessively on them--I will have gotten my money’s worth, I believe. And, most importantly, it was not a lot of money to begin with; its closest competitor in my book was the Whistler 85, because of its special focus on enhanced Ka-band detection, and that model was almost three times the price. I see the Cobra’s real value being on rural two-lane roads, where it would be nice to know of an approaching mobile radar over a hill or around the bend—or the stationary unit set up in the 30-mph zone of a small village. I plan to turn off the X band and Ku detection and perhaps even the laser, if it generates too many false alerts (it alarms each time I go through an EZ Pass toll lane, I suspect because of the license plate camera that’s activated by a laser as one exits the gate).The unit appears well made although fairly lightweight, and the manual is clear enough on programming it, although it would be nice to have a bit more depth on how the city and highway settings differ from one another. The suction cup windshield mount is cheesy, and I am not at all confident it will work at holding the unit reliably. I might try a more robust after-market suction-cup holder, similar to the one that holds my Garmin GPS unit. I also plan to look into a mirror mount and perhaps a hard-wire installation for the unit. I dislike the spools of power cord wire cluttering my dash area and interfering with the gearshift and dash controls.Bottom line is that this is a great experiment in seeing what an inexpensive detector can do for you. If you need more, invest for it. But something tells me it just might meet all my very modest needs—and do so at a fraction of the cost of the feature-laden, big-name detectors.UPDATE from March 2017I had originally titled the review above "Modest Expectations Met" and had given 4 starts based on my relative inexperience with this unit.I wanted to get back in and update my review above and revise the start count up to 5. Now that I've lived with this unit for two years, I'm more impressed with it than when I initially reviewed it. I would estimate that it saves me from a ticket at least once in every 500 miles I drive.I also note that the price has dropped by about nine bucks from when I originally bought, so it's an even bigger bargain now.Once you get used to how it is "talking" to you--i.e., translating the frequency and patterns of its alarms, you will learn to tune out false alarms.The one area where it gives falses that are an annoyance is in how it picks up the onboard lane-change and collision-avoidance systems of luxury cars: you will pick up every late-model Audi, Cadillac, and Mercedes within a half mile. It's easy to tell that these are false alarms because the detector spits out a steady stream of its alarm for every band until the car in question gets out of range. It's a PITA if you're on an interstate and in a pack with these vehicles.I'm not sure whether this problem is unique just to low-priced units like this one or if all detectors have this problem. If I ever decide to upgrade, that would be the one feature I would research before buying: the ability to weed out collision-avoidance radar from other cars.Other than this annoyance, I am thoroughly pleased with this unit. It has performed flawlessly over the past two years and routinely picks up signals at least 0.75 mile out--somewhat less if you're on a high-speed interstate but still more than enough to give you fair warning.At its new lower price, it's pretty hard to beat.

I am simply pleased with this product. It is very accurate on the highways. I put it to test on my 2014 mustang and was driving on I-45 and i-610 in Houston, which are notoriously famous for speeding tickets. I detected six cop cars and 2 speed traps at 12-1.30am early morning. This device is very accurate and its superb value for money. Although it tends to give out frequent false alarms in the city, its very very reliable. I would say this product is the cheap worthy alternative to the more expensive escort or Beltronics radar detectors. The highway and city modes are very simple to use and overall operational instructions for this device are very user friendly. Being a 360 degree radar, its got multi directional detection capabilities. There was one instance where the cop was sneaking inside a parking lot close to a feeder, but then the signal in my 7390 became hotter and hotter until i could visually see him. It gave me ample time to slow down from a 100mph to 60mph (speed limit 70mph @ I45 and 60mph@ I610) at ease. This was indeed impressive as the device was thoroughly put to test. It also caught a little hidden speed trap in one of the deserted streets which i couldn't visually see until i got really close to it.FYI: Most of the cops in the U.S use X band and this one locks in X bands at ease. I heard from couple of my friends that the cops might upgrade to KU band which is currently being used globally, and added perk....the KU band is detectable in this one. The detection beep is really loud and at times, when the signal gets hotter, it is really annoying. The i-mute and mute feature are pretty handy too.*Bunch of false alarms went on inside my office parking lot which apparently has lot of radio communication going on. It is recommended to switch to city mode when there is traffic or when you are inside a parking garage / downtown / city center.I would strongly recommend product to all those out there who want an inexpensive ones or who are tight on budget ! This a 14 band radar with only has beep alerts and digital band detection display.*Other thing, The radar architecture is the same across all 14 band models, except the fact that higher models have text alerts, screens and voice warnings. Basically this gives you what you looked for.This is an anti detector-detector, which means a cop wont be able to know you've got one.High performance delivered.Pros:InexpensiveAccurateErgonomicEasy to install suction cups / welcrowSmall in sizeEasy volume controlUser friendlyGreat range360 Detectionanti detector-detectableCons:False alarmsPlastickyAnnoying beep volume at timesNo text display / voice alertsOVERALL, A WONDERFUL WELL BUILT PRODUCT FOR ITS CLASS.5 STARS, SUPERB !