Customers often highlight the MAX 3 Radar Detector's range, price, and GPS capabilities as its main advantages. Many appreciate its magnetic mount, user-friendly interface, and accurate performance. However, some users have concerns about occasional false alerts and its relatively high cost.
This summary was generated by AI based on customer reviews.
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Page 1 Showing 1-20 of 343 reviews
Pros mentioned:
Radar detection
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Escort Radar
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Posted . Owned for 3 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
This radar has saved me from several tickets and I have only had it a month or so. Someone gave me an old escort and I used it until the volume went out. Once the volume went out I purchased this radar because I was so happy with the radar I was given. If you speed , buy an escort radar. Simple
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Radar detection
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Happy!!
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Posted . Owned for 3 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Excellent radar detector i bought one on July 23rd 2023. Before my 1,500 mile journey from Connecticut to Florida and NO TICKETS!!!!!
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Accuracy
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Radar
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Posted . Owned for 1 month when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
The Escort radar detector is pretty accurate. I only had a couple of times where it went off to late. All in all good purchase.
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Escort
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Posted . Owned for 3 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Very nice. I like the new suction cups. Haven’t downloaded app yet but it works well by itself
I would recommend this to a friend
Brand response from Escort- Cedar Electronics Team
Posted .
Thank you so much for the 5-star review!
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
5 star
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Posted . Owned for 1 month when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
This is no joke worth every penny. I added the camera i almost want to bring it in thw house and tuck it in at night.
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
So nice
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Posted . Owned for 10 months when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I love this detector. I don’t like the cords so I got a mirror mount (inexpensive) and cord that wires into the mirror power. Very easy to do and looks like it’s part of the vehicle without cords hanging down.
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Decent range
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Posted . Owned for 5 months when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Works great. Enough time with advanced warning to monitor my speed. Bought it because of the headphone jack as I use this on my motorcycle with a bluetooth adaptor and earbuds.
I would recommend this to a friend
Cons mentioned:
False alarms
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Great detector, easy setup
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
The detector and the free Escort Live app are surprisingly easy to set up, and the app is NOT necessary to use the detector.
The accompanying “Owner’s Manual” covers enough to start using, but many options not explained well, if at all. For example, even though it is advertised to detect six different signals, about two gazillion are listed in the app’s radar setup (see photo). No idea what they are or where/when they might be encountered. Might also be useful to at least understand why some of them are initially disabled. A more useful Owner’s Manual is available online, but it doesn’t list the multitude of detectable signals. I guess I’ll have to Google that, like I had to do for the manual.
A really good feature of the Max 3 is the ability to ignore the signals that many modern vehicles use to sense nearby traffic or objects. (That probably accounts for some of the undocumented signals.) This is a VERY good thing, considering how many false alarms you could get just from 100% of the vehicles you pass (or that pass you).
The power cord is a “smart” cord (see photo). The meaning is a tad unclear - it’s not like it’s charging something - although it has a “Mute” button which functions just like the one of the unit itself. In neither of the two vehicles I’ve use the detector in was it especially handy; it was actually easier to just press the detector’s mute button. It’s nice that the cord provides a USB port, so it isn’t just taking up the 12V outlet. One downside of the power connection design is that the connection to the detector precludes using a generic power cord. In the past, I have purchased a generic power cord and hardwired it into my vehicle to save the 12V outlet and more importantly, to not have a cord draping over the car’s controls.
It’s nice that there is a mini-USB port by which you can download updates.
There are a lot of small buttons in the detector, and even though they are clearly marked, reading them is a no-go while driving. They really should be larger, at least so that glancing at them when placing and removing the unit will make their placement more familiar over time.
The window mount is a great improvement over the old style with two cheap suction cups, and the magnetic attachment to that mount is brilliant! The old style where you had to slip the detector onto a cheap little piece of sheet metal really sucked.
The unit also comes with a very nice case, which holds the power cord as well, but unfortunately doesn’t have room for the window mount. Perhaps I could spend more time trying to wiggle the pieces around to make them all fit, but I don’t feel like I should have to do that. But again, it is a nice case.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Ease of use
Cons mentioned:
Price
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
It’s a radar detector. But better!
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
So this is the first radar detector I’ve ever owned. But I have family who have had some lesser respected radar brands. And they wouldn’t say great things. But as far as escort goes. I have always heard great things from their high end to their mid range(Max 3) and even down to the lower end. So the escort Max 3 is definitely the best mid range on offer. Price might look high on paper but the value of a well built consistent police alerting system is well worth it. As most know a speeding ticket can go up to 500$ depending on speed and where you get caught. I’ve had alert well down the road to where a police officer was scanning. This model even has built in warnings for speed cameras. Which are more prevalent nowadays as counties reply more on that revenue. That’s a great added feature. Also included is a speed limit warning as well. Helps me slow down sometimes. The app is great as well. It essentially mirrors the radar and allows you to adjust settings. The screen is super bright thanks to the oled screen. Nice!
The set up and included mounting hardware is genius. You don’t think about how little things like how you mount the radar would matters. Until you get the windshield Mount that is included. It’s magnetic and is literally the easy I’ve tried. Simple and easy. So like I said.
Yes it’s a radar detector and it basically has one job. But it does that job well. And I feel safer driving now. As I do drive as if I’m in a rush. So you know. This is a must.
Highly recommend.
The only thing that I didn’t like is that escort only includes a 12v cigarette plug and it’s very short. No extra long mini usb wire was included. And most cars have the plug in the center console. Plus the power wire is a old style phone plug thingy. Not worth deducting a star. But u might have to buy an extra wire.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Performance
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Pretty good for newbie owner
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I’ve been looking to upgrade my radar detector however there’s so many choices out there. The normal Cobra/Uniden/Escort names are really the only ones I’m familiar with. That said, what’s most important is that the radar detectors work and work well. This one seems to work pretty well and haven’t had any issues.
Included in the box is the radar detector, suction cup mount, cigarette charger and a carrying case as well as the instruction manual. Pretty simple, compact setup that’s easy to carry and transport.
The suction up mount is pretty good and provides a solid mount. It’s fall now so I really won’t know how well the mount holds up until summer rolls around. For now though, it’s pretty solid so that’s a good thing. The unit connects to the mount via a magnetic mount which provides just the right amount of support for the radar detector. It’s a solid enough mount where it’ll hang tight while you’re using it but not too strong where it’s impossible to remove the unit from the mount. You can easily connect the unit to the mount and easily take it off as well. I’m certain it’ll hold on if you hit a big bump/pothole so there’s peace of mind there.
The unit itself takes some time getting used to in terms of buttons, functionality, etc. I had a Cobra one before so I got used to that setup. A good look through of the manual is in order for me. I use this radar detector in my F150 so the cigarette power cable is just the right length for my truck. I believe there is a hardwire kit available so I’ll probably get that. I have a dash cam too that’s hardwired so it’ll give my truck a nice, cleaner look.
There is also a companion app to use with this radar detector. It requires a subscription to use however I haven’t gotten to it yet. With this radar, dash cam and another heads up display in my truck, my dash is starting to get a bit cluttered so adding another screen to look at might be a bit distracting.
As far as performance, I haven’t noticed anything out of the ordinary with this. It works as intended and alerts me to known street speed traps. I have yet to go out on the highway with this but I’m certain it’ll work there as well. The unit comes defaulted to Auto mode and I’ve seen other reviews stating you should change that to get better functionality from the radar detector. I noticed that when on Auto, it seems a bit sketchy in terms of alerts and such. There’s still a bit of a learning curve for me with this thing but, overall, seems to function/operate similarly to most other well known radar detector brands.
Hoping this thing works superbly so I won’t get any speeding tickets.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Range
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Best Under $400 Radar Detector?
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I haven't encoutered a lot of radar hits, but the few times I have they were detected in plenty of time, showing the Escort Max 3 has very good range. The only caveat is that while the radar indicator displayed from weak to strong signal, the audio did not give any warning. It may simply be user error, but I haven't had the opportunity to really sort it out as I haven't encountered a lot of warnings. On one hand, this is good as it means there are not a lot of false warnings, but with the lack of encounters it may take me some time to sort this out.
A feature I really like is the GPS lockout. As you drive around, the Max 3 learns stationary speed signs on the side of the road and from automatic door openers in shopping centers. After multiple passes as it learns them it will display “Stored” on screen. After that, it will mute those alerts and keep them grayed out on screen so they don't set off an alarm every time you pass by them.
Thanks to the built in Bluetooth, you can connect it to your phone and run the Escort Live app. Using the app, you can easily change settings, log your alerts, display the current speed limit on the Max 3's display, and it even shares alerts in realtime with other drivers.
The cloud alerts works in a similar fashion as Waze, reporting any alerts but does so automatically. Very nifty.
While nothing is perfect, I feel overall the Max 3 is easy to use, offers very good performance, effective false alert filtering, redlight camera and speed camera alerts, automatic GPS lockouts, realtime alerts that are shared with other drivers via the cloud, and it even offers laser jammer integration. The Max 3 offers a high level of protection with lots of cool features.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Radar detection
Cons mentioned:
Price
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Good radar detector but a bit pricey
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I haven't had a radar detector in almost 20 years so this is a huge leap over my previous one. That being said I like this one due to the integration with an app on my phone to tap into GPS. The app was easy to setup and connected right away to the detector and is very easy to use.
The suction cup is very nice and the magnet it uses to connect to the mount is great for quickly taking down the detector to store in my center console. It is a powerful magnet and quickly attaches/detaches. The cord is long enough to reach without any issue and offers a USB plug to still be able to plug in your phone if you only have one cigarette lighter plug.
The detector has done a good job over the last few weeks detecting both Highway Patrol as well as City law enforcement. We also just had 2 speed signs installed near our house that use radar to tell you your speed and one nice feature of this detector is that it stored these so that it doesn't go crazy every time I approach them and remembers they are fixed radars and ignores them. When you have the app up also it will tell you what the speed limit on that road is as well as your speed at the same time.
In the past few days it has alerted me to various law enforcement and also if the app is up it will prompt you to ask if you saw them or not so that it can record it and I assume share with other Escort owners in the area.
Overall I have been happy with it and it has definitely identified various radars from different law enforcement where I live but still seems a little more expensive than most people will want to pay.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Accuracy, Ease of use
Cons mentioned:
Price
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Cutting Edge Technology Radar
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Posted . Owned for 1 week when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
This is a big upgrade from my older Bell X50. That thing went off all the time and started to go off when I knew there was nothing around. After that became a regular thing, I decided to get one from the last decade. This is not only a superior detector over the Bell but it is far more technically advanced. It does a better job of eliminating the bogus automatic doors at the local grocery store as well as an update on the fly from the network of other users on the system. I have already had that pay for itself as I was well aware of a speed trap way before I was ever in his crosshairs. I find it easy to tweak it the way you want it to notify you, as well as notify of speed, or whatever you're looking for. It is definitely the most flexible of anyone I've ever owned. I like having the ability to notify you when you exceed the speed limit at all as well as a speed or a certain speed over the limit or not at all. I am in my current big brother's portion of switching to a new insurance company. They are all taking advantage of technology and making you run some stupid app on your phone or plug something into your OBDII port in order to get a 20% discount. It's hand to have the ability to have it notify you the minute you hit the speed limit. In a Porsche, it's easy to speed and have no idea you're speeding. A car that is built to do 190 on the Autobahn feels like it is sitting still at 50 mph. The notification is handy. I guess my only con would be it's a little pricey and even when I have the app to run all the time, it still sometimes requires me to launch the app to wake it up and connect with the radar. Not a huge deal but a little annoying. If that is the only issue I have, I"m good. I think it will be a system that will just continue to grow as the ability merges with the technology. I'm an engineer, electronic as a profession. I would like to marry this technology with a Jammer. I would like to Jammer to run, for enough time to reduce my speed only to roll over to the detector after I have slowed down and disabled the jammer. Run the jammer, it sees a signal that gives me a few seconds to drop my speed until it knows I'm under the limit and then allows their radar gun to get a reading of me driving the speed limit. Maybe the next review will be my own. lol
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Accuracy
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Saved me twice!!!
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Posted . Owned for 3 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
This is not a " Blue Light Special" radar detector. Midrange price but worth every penny. I set mine up with the App, mounted my cell phone near by and was in business. This is not a point and shoot radar detector. Download the owner's manual and it will walk you through. I also found a couple of videos on Youtube that were informative. I bought mine in Pensacola prior to my drive back to Wisconsin. With the Escort Live running, I know I was saved twice. The Escort Live is literly a GPS that shows many different hazards on your route. See the police, speed traps, speed cameras, accidents or slow downs just tap to add it to the maps for others to see in real time. Very happy with this purchse!!!
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Good radar detector
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Setup
Setup was very easy, simple plug and play followed by installing the Escort Live app for my iPhone. Installing the app is not required for device to work but it will provide more accurate results and wider area of coverage.
Experience/Feedback:
I owned several different radar detectors in last several years and some things never change: suction type mount and stretchy telephone looking cord, which honestly I am not fan of either and I would to see improvements for those. This radar detector it’s not perfect but it does seems to trigger lot less false alerts than any other model I previously used. I love the red light camera alerts which works by device GPS even without syncing and connecting my phone to detector itself. Unfortunately I live in the area with no speeding traps and I have no idea how and will it works with them. This radar detector will detect several types including laser, k-band, pop radar gun and few others. Other nice feature is display with posted speed limit and your own speed so you don’t have to keep looking for speed limit signs next to road. For better and more detailed results I would definitely suggest installing of the mobile app Escort Live which sync with radar itself. Cords seem to be pretty short for my Audi since my nearest 12V it’s under front console armrest and I will look for longer cord, but downside of that means I will have to replace the plug as well which has alert mute option.
Pros:
Red light camera alerts
Posted speed limit display
Smart app sync
Mote button on 12V plug
Cons:
Short cord
I would recommend this to a friend
Cons mentioned:
False alarms
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Best Radar Detector Best Buy Currently Sells!
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I’ve been using radar detectors for almost 2 decades. The Max 3 outperforms Escort’s $650 Max 360c in recent testing - and it’s $250 cheaper!
This is a great RD and paired with Escort Live gives you even better protection. Update to Firmware 1.2 fixes a few issues upon release. Great range, sensitivity and the mag mount holds it firmly in place on your windshield. Best under $400 radar detector on the market today!
Just make sure to enable K Notch on the settings (via unit not app) and it will be even quieter to BSM from vehicles on the road. This is a must!
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Ease of use, Range
Cons mentioned:
False alarms
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great detector for the price.
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Posted . Owned for 3 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Great detector, minimal false alarms, great range, easy to use. Only thing I miss from my 360 is the arrows
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
Good Radar Detector, App Has Bugs
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
About the Max 3 Radar Detector
The Max 3 by Escort boasts many features. It can detect 6 bands, has an app for real-time alerts and updates, has an IVT filter, uses AutoLearn technology, and can read from a “defender database”. The detector can even be updated using a cord (not supplied).
What It Comes With
The packaging includes a suction cup window mount, a case, and a 12-volt DC power source.
Features
This detector can detect 6 bands of radar; X, K, KA (photo and wideband), Laser, and Pop-Mode. It does not detect KU-Band.
The IVT feature is designed to reduce false alarms from in-vehicle technologies such as adaptive cruise control and avoidance systems.
The Defender Database includes information about known red light, speed cameras, and speed trap locations.
AutoLearn will learn, store, and reject false alarms.
Escort Live App provides real-time updates from users.
The Set-up
This is a typical set up with a 12-volt power cord and suction cup mount. The suction cup works really well, and is far better than my last Escort radar detector. It also uses a magnetic mount between the suction cup and detector which makes it easy to remove the detector. There are hardwire kits available for permanent installation.
The User Interface
The screen for the user interface is a color display that shows band and strength as well as an area that can provide your speed and the posted speed zone if logged into the database. The display has a lot of info crammed into it, and compared to my previous Escort 8500, I think that it’s harder to see. There are also moving display actions that make me think the detector is picking up something. While the display looks prettier, I think that it is harder to use. Also, the speed/posted speed zone information keeps changing to say 70 OSP. I find it annoying. This was a feature that I was looking forward to having, but I can’t rely on it to stay on.
Audio
There are audio alerts. I have a hard time hearing them while driving. The volume controls are on the top of the detector, and I am always hitting one of the other buttons when trying to turn it up or down. The 8500 had a scroll volume on the side which was much more functional. This is something that could be improved on the Max 3.
The App
Escort has an app called Escort Live to help provide user-based updates, which is a great idea. Kind of like someone marking an area on Waze or Google Maps. Unfortunately, the app caused a lot of issues on my S-20 Ultra and drained about 35% of the battery in less than 2 hours. I tried having it connect only while the detector was in use, but it wouldn’t stay in that mode. The app was causing so much trouble that I just uninstalled the whole thing. I know that apps can update, so maybe I will try this again at a later time. This was not an impressive first impression.
The Reality
I think the radar detector is probably fine as a radar detector, but the warnings are not as easy to see or hear. Kind of defeats the purpose of having one. The app is a nice idea, but obviously didn’t work well for me. All in all, I’m giving the Escort Max 3 3 stars. Escort has some improvements to make, and I will probably retry the app at a later time.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend
Brand response from Escort- Cedar Electronics Team
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Thank you for the detailed feedback. Here are suggestions which should improve your experience with MAX 3: - You can disable the scanning animation on the display. To do this, go into the Preferences menu and change Pilot Mode to Full Word. - In its default setting, the volume of an alert will be reduced after a few seconds. You can change the volume level that it reduces to, or disable the change altogether, using the Auto Mute setting. - Speed limits are only available when you are using the Escort Live app with the detector. When not connected to the Escort Live app the Over Speed alert setting is displayed (default = 70 mph). You can change this value in the preferences menu. - To reduce battery drain when using Escort Live, shut off the phone's screen. If you approach an alert from Escort Live, the alert will come through the detector itself.
Pros mentioned:
Performance
Cons mentioned:
False alarms
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great radar detector.
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Posted . Owned for 1 week when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Great product. Functions as described and has advanced features thar are very effective in detection as well as mitigation of false alarms. Very pleased with the performance and the decision to spend a bit more for this detector as opposed to choosing a lower end product. I've had maybe 4 detectors in the past, and this one makes them seem almost pointless.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Ease of use, Range
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Max 3 Review
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Posted . Owned for 1 month when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Love the range on this radar detector. Has already saved me plenty of times! Love the app as well! Very easy to use.