Police forces in states and municipalities across the US rely upon various pieces of technology to help enforce the law. Cops cannot simply adjudge a person to be speeding down the road with the naked eye. They use radar guns to gauge the speed of a vehicle as it approaches to determine speed. Police can’t be everywhere at once. When they can’t survey areas in person, cameras and in-ground sensors are used to catch traffic violations at intersections.
If you’ve been stopped one too many times by the cops, and are tired of giving all those excuses about how you are late for work or didn’t see the sign, then it may be time to invest in a good detector.
If the police are going to use technology to catch you speeding, then you’ll need to use technology to help detect when you are under the radar gun or approaching a monitored intersection. I’ve researched a variety of radar detectors, and the Cobra XRS 9370 stands out as a great entry-level detector for the car.
Features of the Cobra XRS 9370
You may not know much about radar detectors, but I can tell you that Cobra is a respected brand in consumer radar detectors. If you’re like me, your shopping always starts with a glance at the products offered from industry leaders. The Cobra XRS 9370 is an affordable, compact unit that is capable of detecting the 14 radar and laser bands that are used by police forces in both the US and Canada. Not only is it capable of detecting each of these bands, but it also does so with a greater range than previous models from Cobra.
The Xtreme Range Superheterodyne technology on the Cobra XRS 9370 is a fancy way of saying this detector has fantastic range and quick sweep circuitry. The device is capable of conducting extremely fast sweeps of the local area as you are driving, detecting even the quickest radar guns in use by law enforcement and providing you with advanced warning behind the wheel. Additionally, it possesses a longer range than many other models.
The LaserEye feature of the Cobra XRS 9370 allows the device to conduct 360 degree sweeps of the surrounding area to detect laser signals. Aside from these two pieces of critical technology, this Cobra model offers other features that make it a solid choice if you are searching for your first radar detector.
The Cobra has an adjustable City/Highway mode that allows the detector to adjust to your driving conditions. When you’re driving in the city, there is a higher potential for frequency disturbances and false detections from the device. From a safety standpoint, the UltraBright data display makes it easy for you to recognize the signals on the detector. I don’t know about you, but I prefer to keep my eyes on the road and not have them fixed on the detector at all times.
Pros of the Cobra XRS 9370
The best review you’ll get on the Cobra XRS 9370 is the honest review you get from those who have used this device. Drivers who have relied upon this Cobra model for radar detection on the road have praised the Cobra XRS 9370 for living up to the hype of providing early detection in multiple directions. The LaserEye and Xtreme Range met expectations among the vast majority of drivers.
Perhaps the biggest pro for this device is its pricing point. With a retail price of $89.95 (click here for current price), the Cobra is just as effective as some of its more expensive competitors and provides quality detection for half the cost in many cases.
Cons of the Cobra XRS 9370
There isn’t a radar detector in the world that is free of criticism. Various technologies in use by different manufacturers lead to varying results. Many consumers that have purchased this Cobra model have complained that it either doesn’t beep or alerts them to radar signals too late. Some have questioned the range claims Cobra makes regarding this model, stating that they visually identified patrol cars before hearing any alerts from the device. This is most prominent if the cops are using laser guns to check your speed, so you may face a hard time pumping the breaks if the cops in your area tend to rely on this method.
Other drivers have complained that there is no noticeable difference between detection abilities when using the separate City and Highway modes. The problem most frequently cited was an inability to truly detect all 14 bands used by law enforcement. A handful of drivers, with knowledge of police radar guns, noted that this Cobra detects some signals while completely failing to detect other signals.
Another issue you may face is false alarms, which can make using the device a bit annoying. While it sometimes may be due to a faulty unit, often the device is detecting bands not being used by the cops anymore to catch speeding drivers. Bands such as X are only used in a few areas as most police forces have updated their equipment and moved on to other bands. You can solve this though, by going into the settings and deselecting bands not in use in your area.
On a minor note, there are those who have complained about the attachments on the Cobra XRS 9370. The device uses two suction cups on the mount to attach to the windshield, and two clips to secure the detector in the mounting hardware. Some users have found the suction cups useless and noted that the clips break easily.
Honest Assessment of the Cobra XRS 9370
The pros vastly outweigh the cons when it comes to the XRS 9370. Far more drivers have experienced positive results using this Cobra model and praised it for delivering on its promises to detect signals from all bandwidths, at various ranges. First and foremost, complaints about the detection abilities of the Cobra XRS 9370 are often attributable to poor execution. In order to operate effectively, the detector needs to be mounted in a level orientation inside the vehicle and have a clear view outside the windshield.
Additionally, the complaints about the mounting hardware are pointless. Given the low pricing point of the detector, consumers should expect that some of the parts won’t be top of the line. Suction cups and clip accessories can be replaced by better equipment. If drivers want better suction cups right out of the box, they should consider purchasing a higher quality device from the start. And to be honest, this isn’t an issue some good old-fashioned duct tape can’t fix!
Considering the cheap price you can find the Cobra XRS 9370 for on eBay, you’re basically guaranteed to get your money back with this device, saving you from at least a couple of tickets to make it all worthwhile.
The Cobra XRS 9370 isn’t the flashiest detector available today. There are certainly more expensive models out there that perform better with new and improved detectors coming in with a whole host of new features to help you evade the cops. However, unless you want to break the bank, you’ll be hard pressed to find a detector that performs better than this Cobra model does for the same price.