detectors

Cobra is an old name in the world of radar detectors. The company is well known as a manufacturer of traffic enforcement detection devices and its products are quite popular with drivers in the mainstream. At the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show, Cobra unveiled their latest product line-up. As an authorized Cobra dealer, we want to give you a preview of the latest and greatest coming soon from Cobra.

The Cobra SPX Line
Perhaps the biggest news is the revelation of a completely new series of radar detectors, the SPX Line. According to Cobra, this new line features an ultra-compact design that is smaller in size and offers greater performance. Whether the size and performance improvements are in comparison to their current XRS and Vedetta models or to those of their competitors isn't entirely clear, although the company does claim on its web site that their SPX models are "almost half the size" of those manufactured by their competitors. Not having actually seen one yet, I personally can neither confirm or deny this, but as soon as we get our hands on one, we'll do some measuring of our own.

In addition to an ultra-compact design, Cobra promises the new SPX line will have full feature sets and double the detection range at "highly affordable pricing". Cobra also claims to be using military grade components in these devices. Really? What does that mean? A high end radar detector built to mil spec and priced on the low end? Hmmm. This may be something to watch.

The new Cobra SPX line will launch with three models: the SPX 5300, SPX 5400 and SPX 5500, respectively. Let's take a quick look at each one.

SPX 5300 (MSRP $99.95) -
This is the base model in the series. It features 14-Band™ Detection, which according to Cobra means that it detects 7 radar, 6 laser and 1 safety signal, including X, K, Ka Superwide, and Ku Band, VG-2, Spectre I and Spectre IV radar and LTI 20-20, Ultra Lyte, ProLaser, ProLaser III, Stalker LIDAR and Speedlaser laser signals. In other words, it detects all the standard signals that other radar detectors detect. Other standard features include Xtreme Range Superheterodyne® Technology, LaserEye™ 360-degree laser detection, POP detection, Ku band detection, auto mute, Intellimute®, Intellimute Pro®, an Ultrabright Data Display™, five-level signal strength meter, VG-2 immunity, VG-2 Alert®, Safety Alert®, city/highway modes, dim mode, Stay Set Electronic Memory (retains your settings indefinitely, even with the power disconnected), and Radar Detector Feature Trademark Detection™ (okay, I made that last one up). In short, for a base model, it has a lot of basic and a couple of not-so-basic features. Not bad for starters. Expected arrival: April, 2013.

SPX 5400 (MSRP $119.95) -
This is the middle-of-the-road version. It has all the standard features of the SPX 5300 plus a couple of extras (with trademarks), such as Voice Alert™ and Spectre Alert™, the latter serving a particularly useful purpose to alert you to the use of Spectre I/IV+ radar detector-detectors by law enforcement officials. The SPX 5400 is also Spectre Undetectable, which, while not trademarked (yet) does offer total immunity to Spectre I radar detector-detectors, according to Cobra. So, it detects Spectre while it tries not to make a spectre of itself. For a couple of extra sawbucks, that's not a bad upgrade. We can also expect the SPX 5400 to arrive in April, but Don't Quote Me on That™.

SPX 5500 (MSRP $149.95) -
This is the top of the SPX line. As such, it has all the features of the previously described models and adds a DigiView® data display upgrade and System Self Test for good measure. It seems that extra cost mostly goes toward the display upgrade as DigiView® is a registered trademark. Since the self test isn't trademarked at all, we will perform a little self test ourselves when it Arrives in April™ (tentatively scheduled) and find out exactly what we're getting compared to the other models.

The unveiling of new SPX radar detectors is just one of three product announcements Cobra made at CES 2013 in January, but it's certainly a big one. Stay tuned to the Buy Radar Detectors blog for upcoming details on the other two, including the unveiling of the iRadar Atom and more generic features with fancy labels turned into Ridiculously Overbranded Trademarks™.

Looking for a great deal on a new cordless radar detector? Well, here it is. We are currently offering a special on the Whistler XTR-540. We're really excited about this special deal, so excited, in fact, that we produced a video to give you an up close and personal look at what this radar detector has to offer. Need more information or want to order one now? Just give us a call at 1-800-584-1445 or enter our live chat.

Cobra unveiled a new series of radar detectors during the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show, held January 10-13, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Called The Cobra Vedetta™ Series, the new system promises up to a 30 percent increase in radar and laser detection over Cobra's current models, claiming a new benchmark for both range and reaction time.

In addition to a touted increase in performance, Cobra claimed improvements to both form factor and ergonomics to increase driver comfort, safety and convenience. The new Vedetta features a 2.4-inch TFT color LCD display mounted on a multi-axis hinge with a ball-socket type suction cup mounting bracket for 270 degrees vertical and 60 degrees horizontal rotation. Traditionally, radar detectors need to be mounted in a central zone on the windshield for optimal performance and detection of radar and laser signals. However, the Vedetta allows you to mount the detector almost anywhere on the windshield or dash of your vehicle and still be effective, according to Cobra.

The Cobra Vedetta also offers an integrated GPS receiver and free, lifetime access to its AURA™ national database of known speed/red-light cameras and speed traps. Other features of the Vendetta radar detectors include backlit touch-sensor controls, IntelliMute™ speed-sensitive muting system, Voice Alert, SmartPower (auto shut off when vehicle ignition is turned off), Signal Strength Meter, 8-Point GPS Compass (available on SLR 600 and SLR 650G), User-selectable Speed Alert, storage for up to 1,000 User-marked locations and IntelliShield™ quad-level False Signal Rejection System.

Cobra calls the Vedetta™ Series "The New Standard in Radar/Laser Detection" and said the new series will be available in the US sometime in the second quarter of 2012. Whether it actually sets such a new standard or not remains to be seen, but when it does arrive we will perform our own benchmarks and post the results right here, on our blog. The suggested retail price is expected to range from $199.95 to $299.95.

I'll talk about what you should look for when spending money on a radar detector. I'll explain some of the more popular features that today's detectors offer, and I'll give you a few things to watch out for when choosing a detector.