Home > Consumer Reviews > Cobra ESD 7000 6-Band ESD Radar/Laser Detector

I've always wanted a radar detector, especially I got pulled over for driving 9miles above the speed limit! After extensive amount of research, I wanted a Valentine 1 (V1) or a Escort Passport since they are supposed to be the best money can buy. One of my friend has a Escort Passport and I've always been very impressed by it, just not the $300 price tag.
So here I am, wanting something that I can't afford. Nobody knows how that feels right? *wink* Then from a deal site I found this Cobra ESD-7000, I read many (75 last time I checked) reviews for this detector and it's got about 4 out of 5 overall rating. For under 50bux, I think this is a risk I am willing to take. It's been about 2 month and a half now, here's my take:
Pros:
1-Very sensitive and alerts before troopers can get a locked reading on you. (which should be the most important thing when you are buying a detector)
2-Good Design and display, V, K, Ka, and Laser (LIDAR) detection, I rarely see any laser warnings but it's good to have it in for future uses.
3-Auto mute system and city mode, which reduces alarm level when you are near an automatic door or other sensors.
4-long cord which enables the detector to be placed in many places in your car, an important thing to watch for is that make sure you place it in a place where it can have a clear view of the rear window, otherwise the 360 degree detection won't work well.
Cons:
1-Sensitive, and none directional warning. I've found myself looking around for cops when that thing goes off, it only tells you there is one near by, but not which direction. V1 can warn you of which direction and what type of warning it is (false alarm). This can get a bit annoying since it's hard to drive in the city with the alarm going off all the time if there's a auto-door around, in long term, it might give you a heart attack. I know it scared my mom bad when she was riding with me.
2-Self test, it can make just one beep for the test but it actually checks for every single freaken band and makes a out of tune high school band practice sound. No way to turn it off so everytime you start the car, it will do the same thing over and over again.
In closing, I've driven at night where police waits at the exit facing the highway or on top of the bridge gunning at me, I was always able to see them and slow to reasonable speed (say 8miles above the limit). I live in upstate NY, troopers here are smart, when you can see them, it's too late. Not anymore with my cobra, Bite on this, trooper. (that line reminded of the movie super trooper for some reason)
Good Luck and I hope I wont' see you on cops next week doing 110
P.S. Many people asked me if this is legal, I can tell all of you in confidence that it is legal in all states except Viginia and D.C., plus our friendly neighbor Canada (who wont' be friendly anymore if you have this in, TRUST ME). Oh yeah, another reviewer is right, police has to have the radar on in order for it to detect, so don't give up on the product if you seen a cop nearby and the alarm is not going off.

I got this radar detector about 3 months ago at target. i was a bit skeptical at first, due to the price of this unit. it mounts on your windshield/dashboard with included suction cups/velcro pads.
this detector has saved me several tickets, and is very accurate. i would reccommend this to anyone!
just remember if the cop doesn't have the radar ON, the detector will not alert you.
this unit looks and performs nicely. not bad for under 50 bucks!

I bought this last month and tried it out during the memorial day long weekend for long drive to washington DC ... wow it works amazing ..it saved me 4 tickets in just single trip .... I feel its a cheaper and good product ...

This unit is cheap junk as is any detector you pay $40 for. It's just basic economics. No company is going to be benevolent and give you expensive technology for dollar store prices. I've had this unit for more than a week just for fun and it's hilarious how little it picks up. I've passed at least one speed trap, at least a dozen state troopers, and an equal number of city police. Amazingly, the whole time I've had only two hits. One was an X band constant on radar that any detector built in the last 30 years would have got and the other was a K band constant on hit that I didn't pick up until the cop was practically parked on my windshield. Good thing he was outside his jurisdiction and that I don't speed.

Notice a lot of folks have stopped using detectors because they "just don't help anymore." Well, it's because Cobra units like this have saturated the low end of the marketplace and they are JUNK. Really folks, there is a big three of radar detectors, Bel, Escort, and Valentine. Whistler also makes a couple of new units that are right in the low $100 range and are your only hope for good detection if you aren't willing to spend around $300. Go to any site that does testing of Cobras and even their priciest units just aren't worth the money. I have no axe to grind with Cobra. I wish they made better products. I had to see for myself if the low end units were as weak as I've read. Well, they are. All this unit will do, if you're lucky, is let you know you're about to get a ticket unless you're on a straight away in heavy traffic and encountering a policeman using a radar gun using very old technology. But you may not even be lucky enough for that to happen and just see flashing lights behind you.

For those who don't have alot of cash to blow on a radar detector but still would like to try one out. I had read alot of reviews about this dector, many people either hated it or loved it. I found that it worked but it also had plenty of false alarms.

If you can't stand being beeped at every few minutes down the freeway, then I would steer clear of this one. The detector does have a Auto-Mute setting on by default so the sound it much lower after 4 seconds. Also the detector doesn't save your settings everytime you turn it off but it is so easy to get to the settings that you need, that it really is not a problem.

The radar has caught all of the radar on the side of the road so it does it's job. You can't rely on this product to get you out of all tickets because many times cops will not run radar but as long as you don't plan on being a total speed demon you will be fine.

The radar detector does it's job, perhaps too well, so if you are short on cash and want to get a radar dector, this would be the one to get.