Time to test out the brand new $749 Escort Redline 360c. Escort claims it offers “noticeably” better performance than the Uniden R7 and Valentine 1 Gen2, longer range than the Max 360c, and 2x the range of the Redline EX.
Escort Redline 360c vs. Redline, Redline EX, Max 360c, Max Ci 360 (not pictured), V1 Gen2, R7, & Pro M
How good is the new RL360c in practice? Time to run it head-to-head against the toughest competition and see how it compares.
Update: In response to the problems discussed in this test, Escort has released a new firmware update to fix these issues. You can see my updated retest here.
Radar Detectors:
- Escort Redline 360c (fw 1.2) $749 Retail unit
- Escort Redline EX (fw 1.15) $599 Provided by @BestRadarDetectors
- Escort Redline (BS/RDR) Discontinued, Provided by @smokinu454
- Escort Max 360c (fw 1.11) $649 Retail unit
- Escort Max Ci 360 (fw 1.10) $2,399 Provided by Escort
- Uniden R7 (fw 1.29) $449 Provided by Uniden
- Valentine 1 Gen2 (fw 4.1018) $499 Retail unit
- Radenso Pro M (fw US 22) $449 Provided by Radenso
Radar Guns:
- MPH Bee III (33.8)
- Stalker II (34.7)
- Decatur Genesis II (35.5)
Test Course:
Here’s a look at the red barn test course itself. I’ve marked both the radar car and red barn on either end. This time we tested both front and rear detections by driving back and forth between the red barn and radar car.
On this map we do front detections by driving from left to right towards the radar gun. Rear detections are driving from the radar car back towards the red barn. There’s two spots marked on the map where detectors commonly alerted. The longer ~2200′ location is shortly after the red barn for front runs. Then there’s a bend you come around where you clear the trees to your right and at ~1500′ there’s another common detection zone.
The radar car was parked behind a huge bush to block a bunch of the signal. It turns out it didn’t help too much since these are all very sensitive detectors, but it did make for a super short kill zone of ~160 ft.
Weather was clear and traffic was light throughout the day.
33.8 Front Results:
Let’s start with 33.8 results for front detections.
Detectors basically split up between two groups.
The longest range detectors were the Max Ci 360 (which beat out everything else), the V1 Gen2, RL360c, and R7.
In the lower half, we had the RL O, RL EX, Max 360c, and Pro M.
Great job by the RL360c. One thing that was really strange though is that while RL360c managed long range detections, its rampup was awful. Instead of a nice progressive rampup that gets stronger as you get closer to the source, the signal comes and goes and doesn’t properly alert full tilt as I get into the radar gun’s kill zone. Additionally, unlike every other detector, the arrows didn’t flip back after passing the radar vehicle.
So great range, but terrible alert presentation.
33.8 Rear Results
We also did some rear testing, measuring until the last beep of the detector while the radar gun keeps hitting us from behind. It’s not a perfect way to test since there’s always a question of the latch time, but it was pretty straightforward to test while we drove back to the start of the course.
The V1 Gen2’s rear horn did awesome. The R7 and Max 360c did well too, with one shorter run for the R7. The R7’s rear bal was set to 100%.
The RL 360c had pretty poor and inconsistent rear detections, despite its rear horn.
The rear antenna overall sucks. Throughout the test I got poor detection range, super late arrow flipping, or no rear arrow flip at all. The other arrow detectors all flipped nicely when passing the radar gun, but not the RL 360c.
Escort says this is a known issue and that an update is coming to fix this. Regardless, I was surprised to see it as an issue in the first place given that Escort has done a bunch of arrow detectors already at this point. Hopefully the new firmware update really does fix this.
The RL360c did manage one longer rear detection, so there was at least that. The RL O also had a long rear detection, strangely enough. I’m guessing it was picking up a reflection from a vehicle ahead or something, but without arrows, I don’t have a way to verify.
34.7 Front Results:
Things were super terrain limited against the Stalker. Most every detector alerted right as I rounded a bend towards the radar gun and so we weren’t really able to see some of the sensitivity differences between detectors like we had before.
The RL 360c and R7 each managed one longer range detection just after the red barn, but otherwise they alerted in the same spot as the other detectors. (Technically the RL360c did it twice since I gave it 3 runs with KaSW and another 3 segged 2/5/8 to see if segmentation makes a difference.)
34.7 Rear Results:
Again, killer job by the V1 with its rear antenna.
Also good showing by the Max Ci 360 and R7.
Max 360c lagged behind, then the RL360c lagged further still.
The non-arrow detectors all landed towards the bottom as expected. The RL360c was hanging out with the non-arrow detectors, almost as if it didn’t have a rear antenna at all.
35.5 Front Results:
35.5 started splitting up detectors as well since only some managed alerting shortly after the red barn.
V1 Gen2 and RL360c (running Ka wide) both did great, with the V1 doing the best overall. R7 did as well, with one shorter run when a big moving truck drove towards me and blocked the signal from reaching the longer distance alert spot for run 3.
RL360c had some shorter runs with the detector set to 2/5/8. Escort told me segmentation is supposed to help, FWIW, but they’re saying it doesn’t do anything on ERF. If anything, I figured 2/5/8 would improve things. Maybe the shorter runs were also due to traffic? I dunno.
The Max Ci 360 and RL O also managed some longer distance alerts, with the O outperforming the EX.
The RL EX, Max 360c, and Pro M only had shorter distance alerts.
35.5 Rear Results:
Finally, here’s the rear testing results. Again the V1 Gen2 crushed it.
Max Ci 360 and R7 also had some really nice rear detections. The RL360c mostly alerted behind the Max 360c, but it did manage two better alerts.
The bottom of the barrel again went mostly to the non-arrow detectors, but the RL360c was hanging out down there too.
and here’s the averaged results to simplify things:
We ran out of time to test K band so unfortunately we weren’t able to do that.
Overall the RL360c did great in forward detection range, but its rear detection and arrow functionality, along with its rampup, are awful.
Quick Neighborhood Test
The front sensitivity in this test was a bit surprising to me because a few days earlier, I had set up a radar gun in my driveway and did some quick comparison tests driving towards my house.
The RL360c didn’t do nearly as well in this particular test, especially on 33.8.
This was on an earlier firmware, 1.1, which got pushed to RL360c’s due to an error in Escort’s update server. The detector shipped with 1.2 and it’s what I tested on the red barn course. I thought maybe the earlier firmware didn’t perform as well, but @BagNDrag on RDF also did some RL360c vs V1 Gen2 testing and found that his RL360c running 1.2 lagged behind the V1 as well on 34.7, so I don’t think this is a firmware issue.
Either way, I think we need a lot more testing and data points to really get a feel for how it compares. As always, this is just one test on one course with one set of detectors. We gotta look at lots and lots of tests to get a feel for the big picture.
Final Thoughts
While the Redline 360c holds a lot of promise and looks great on paper, and even though it is capable of producing top notch detections, its inconsistent front detection performance, very poor rear performance, abysmal ramp-up, and laggy or altogether non-functioning arrows are a big disappointment.
Many of these problems are known issues and Escort told me they’re actively working on a firmware update to address these issues. I genuinely hope they fix these issues quickly and effectively because this is priced as a high end detector and it needs to perform like one.
On a final note, a big thank you to @ferius, the developer of Highway Radar, for helping me both with testing as well as with his amazing RD Test app! That app was invaluable for collecting all this data and saved me hours of work. 🙂
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Uniden R9
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Freakin awesome, I guess I’ll be trading in my trusty v1 gen1 for a new gen2….
So looks like I should cancel my Redline 360c order unless the performance especially on the rear horn can be improved by firmware update. Will stick with R7 and wait for Theia. In VA so need stealth and was hoping the new Redline would perform at least as well as the R7 if not better. Luckily the R7 seems to be stealth enough. Will be interesting to see what is found with the Redline 360c BSM filtering. The R7 is chatty still with Hondas (even with the K block),Chrysler and Jeeps. Frustrating as seems Escort has done some false advertising.
Awesome to have a first set of numbers! Well done and THANKS!!! -Paul
Author
It might be a good idea for now. The platform still holds a lot of potential and Escort could certainly address many, if not all, of these issues with an update, but I think a good rule of thumb is to buy a detector for what it is today, not with the promise of future updates. That way you’re not disappointed if the update never comes.
Great job, as usual. RL360C performance is disappointing, especially for that much coin. Hopefully a firmware update or two will fix it. Do you think they just rushed it to market, thus the poor results? I was also disappointed in the Pro M. I thought earlier tests showed it to perform much better. Although you didn’t test an R3 in this shootout, I have to believe that it will be at least in the upper third of the pack.
Looks like that $750.00 plastic sh!t box with an oversized tumor of a mounting System is really CHODE.
Unbelievable that they would roll out such a pricey unit that performed so badly in comparison to the lesser priced units… thanks so much for this 1st set of tests I was seriously considering a switch from the v1. Not now!!!!!!
Great testing as usual. I’m running the R3 which works great in Scottsdale. I’m shocked that Escort sent a product with known issues to market. I work in IT, and we thoroughly test our software upgrades. If we implemented something that didn’t live up to the promise then said there will be future updates to fix the issues-some if us would not be working their anymore. And for $750 I would think this would have like a 3k foot range on detection. I’ll eventually get the R7 because it performs as advertised and the price will be sub $400 in the near future. Again great job with this site-it’s my #1 bookmarked site.
Great review but in regards to Valentine . Horrible customer service: I have been a V! user since the late 90s’ and there a great unit. With that said they do not return their emails, they do not return there voice mails and if you have a problem you had best just contact your cc company and dispute the charge as a real person will not call you back. Why would I spend $500 with a company that has no customer support whatsoever. This business behavior is BS . Seems they think they are above simple customer service. This is a rant but it is something everyone should know.that along with a real good detector you get zero support form the Company.
It appears that escort also has terrible customer service and they are asking for 750 dollars for a newly introduced redline that appears to have a number of issues… unacceptable!!!!
Thanks!
How do you account for the significant detection distance differences for this test relating to the Uniden R7 and V1Gen2 and the test you ran 3 months ago comparing the Uniden R7 and V1Gen2?
Author
You can’t directly compare distance results from one test to another. The biggest reason is that the location and orientation of the radar gun varies. There’s also things like the bushes in front of the radar gun are bigger now, plus there’s always going to be some additional variances and uncontrolled variables at play too.
I wish I had not jumped the gun and ordered so quickly. Will see if I can cancel. 🙁 I know the customers support is terrible and you can not trust them to release an update quickly.
Great job Vortex!!!
Nice review – very thorough! If only Escort was as thorough in their real world testing.
I currently have a Uniden R3 detctor but it does not register Lidar which is what the PD mostly use in my area. Any suggestions for a detector and jammer combined to detect lidar?
Author
Right you need a laser jammer to complement your radar detector. You can see my top picks here: https://www.vortexradar.com/best-laser-jammer-reviews/
I’m buying the Uniden R7!
Escort seems to be telling anyone complaining they have a bad unit, and they set up an exchange. Did you try a replacement unit, or are you considering trying another unit?
Author
If you take a look at the forum, everyone else is reporting all the same issues. Saying people have a “bad unit” and need to set up an exchange is just standard procedure for Escort.
I’d be curious to know how the “last/latest” version of the V1 Gen1 performed compared to these detectors. Thank you for all this super helpful info!
That’s an interesting claim has anyone else tested the new redline and had similar results
Hello Vortex from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.
Great job! I’ve been a follower for years. I’m very disappointed in the new RL360C 🙁 I have a Uniden R3 and love it! Best detector I’ve ever had. I wanted the RL360C to be as good as it was hyped up to be because I wanted to add the M1 camera. Do you think Uniden might come up with something similar? I’m driving through and around the Rockies in Alberta and BC in three weeks time and was hoping to have a new toy for the trip.
Brian Sargent
Author
Hey Brian! Yeah the R3 is great. Hopefully Escort fixes up the RL360c to make it great too! The M1 is convenient. If you run your R3 on a Blendmount, you can attach the M1 to it, but the power cable is on the opposite side of the R3. You’d have to check the M1 manual to see if you can flip the video footage since you’d need to run the dashcam upside down to get it to work.
If you’re looking for a dashcam, the Viofo A119 V3 is a better pick for less money. It’s also standalone so it’ll work with any RD like the R3 or RL360c.
Thanks ? I think I’ll buy a R7, maybe if Escort gets their shit together I’ll buy the RL360c in a year or so.
Brian Sargent
Hey Vortex, buy a can of #3300 Fluid Film for your squeaky chair. I did what I said I was going to do to you and Escort yesterday and I bought a Uniden R7 today! On sale for$740 cdn so that’s like $12 US. I hope Escort learn a lesson From this !
By the way Patreon won’t recognize the province of Saskatchewan so it won’t let me support you financially:(
Brian Sargent
Hey Vortex, can I program my R7 with the USB cord in my house? Or do I need to be in the car ?
Author
You can only do it with the R7 itself powered on. If you’d like to program at home, you can use one of these to power it at home. https://amzn.to/2GIqPqw
Hey Mister V….
I discovered you right after I took the bait and ordered the new Escort Redline 360c. Wow…I wish that I had watched your testing and commentary before I ordered. Now that I have it, I’m shipping it back without even unwrapping it!
Clearly, Escort rushed to market before ‘that bread was baked!’ If any of their fixes are hardware related all of the early adopters will be stuck with a radar detector that is more likely to get them into trouble than not.
I hope that you do a follow up to cover the results of the fixes that Escort is promising.
BTW…I have a K-40 in my 911, and am ready to just turn it off after reading your commentary on that device!
Thank for your thorough, balanced & unbiased testing and assessments…You are doing a great job and it is much appreciated!!!
Thanks ?
Even if they repaired everything for the 750 redline their credibility and customer service have taken a tremendous hit….. customer service is huge for this kind of moolah
Totally agree David! I have lost faith in Escorts credibility too! That’s why i just bought the Uniden R7.
Brian
Well, I got my RL360C, and it is almost totally deaf on K Band. It will not alert on a K Band speed sign until I am literally next to it.
I spent almost an hour in queue with Escort service this morning just to get to speak with customer service.
I wanted to exchange the unit, but was told in no uncertain terms that Escort has stopped all exchanges and returns for refund until the next firmware update for the Redline 360C. Furthermore, there is no date for the firmware release.
Not at all encouraging.
Author
They’ve stopped returns until the update is out? Wow, I heard of them extending the return window for people until a little while after the update comes out (whenever that is), but I haven’t heard of them refusing to do refunds for now.
Terrible customer service for a terrible product… they screwed up and now the reviews are showing how poor the unit performs and how bad their service is no thanks
Great showing by the V1G2 ??! I’d guess it’ll keep impressing people more and more, through time.
Would not recommend an Escort product (obviously) and the R7 isn’t terrible if you adjust settings and lower K sensitivity dramatically. Not a bad RD if you can find one for cheap.
Mr. Vortex, I’d like to say great job on this website. Thank you for the time you put in to review and test all the detectors and jammer, and for taking time to respond to Q’s. One thing I have learned recently from V1 Gen2 and Escort Redline 360c fiasco is to wait a few months before purchasing any new radar detector. Valentine has had manufacturing defects, and Escort Red 360c, a total failure. The other thing I like about this website is it lets me gauge the manufacturer’s Customer Service. We should not tolerate poor customer service considering what we pay for these detectors.
The 1.3 update did not fix my issues, so I decided to demand a return and refund.
I have been trying most of the day to reach Escort Customer Service at 1-800-543-1608. I got through at 10am, and requested a callback as the queue was 30 people waiting. It is almost 5 hours later and no callback. If you call that number now, you get a fast busy and, after a few seconds a disconnection.
If you look at the Escort Radar Contact Us page, you will see they very clearly state that as a result of Covid 19, they cannot offer repairs, returns, or exchanges at the present time. This reflects on my experience when I called them a few days ago and posted my previous comments.
Please, before responding to this comment, go to the Escort Radar contact page and read it for yourself. If I am wrong, please correct me.
Thanks,
John
P.S. Great site!
Author
Thanks for the feedback! Sorry to hear 1.3 didn’t fix your issues. What were/are the issues you’re seeing? We’re all actively learning what 1.3 is like.
The return thing is definitely dumb. Regarding the returns, several people have been able to return their detectors, despite the info on their website. https://www.rdforum.org/threads/101057/#post-1457862 I don’t think they could legally deny people’s returns, COVID or no COVID. Heck, you could always do a credit card chargeback if you needed to too.
Last night there was a Ka band speed trap about a mile down the street. He had no customers evidently as he was there for a couple of hours. This enabled me to do multiple runs with the RL360C as well as the Max 360C and R7 with multiple settings.
The RL would give me a double brap on initial detection roughly 1000 ft, then go to normal scan for a few seconds,, then would alert again and start ramping up with arrows pointing forward. About 500 ft from the officer, the arrows would flip from front to back, and the alert would stop. When I was almost even with the officer, I would get full alert with arrows forward, and this would continue for another 500 feet or so before the arrows flipped to the rear. Instead of ramping down, I would then get several transitions from front to rear with full alert before it finally stopped about half a mile down the road. At no point did I get side arrows. I got the same results with both Auto and Highway, as well as full Ka vs segmented Ka.
I switched to the Max 360C and had no problems whatsoever on the same run. Normal detection as you would expect.. Same for the R7. From what I could see,, it appears that the radar was directed perpendicular to the road to align as he was parked,, also head on perpendicular to the road. I got very sharp arrow transitions from front to side, to rear on both the R7 and Max 360C. The side arrow was perfect. No doubt at all where he was parked.
On K Band, however, I got very good results with the RL360C against some speed signs further down the road. I also tested it against a Chicago speed camera and it did not alert at all while my Uniden R7 did alert.
I think I have a hardware issue as there is a soft rattle when I shake it. Very disappointing for such an expensive detector. The only thing I could think to try would be reloading the firmware, but I am pretty disgusted with it at this point.
Author
Thanks for the report! Would you mind also sharing your experience on RDF, this way everyone (including Escort) can be in the loop? https://www.rdforum.org/forums/15/
So a few thoughts as I read over things:
The double brap sounds cruise alert’s low speed muting kicking in. It shouldn’t lose the signal though unless the officer stops transmitting. 1.3 should have resolved this.
That really does sound bizarre with the arrows, especially if you’ve had a chance to verify that the Max 360c and R7 both behave normally. Thank goodness you could do that!
The speed camera, was it MultaRadar or normal radar?
The rattling issue I think will require you to send your detector in for repair/replacement. A few others have reported that as well.
I forgot to make it clear in my last post that at no time did I try to run the detectors at the same time. Only one detector was powered up during my tests, so no interference possible with the RL360C problems.
Thanks a lot Vortex,awesome reviews and videos.
Been away for about 5 yrs ( having kids etc)
Had a passion for detectors all my life and always testing them and reading about them.
Had radar detectors from late 80s and always brought the best that I could afford.
Have tried them all from old super snooper,rd9, Sti ,Unidens, Bels,Escorts Valentines etc over the yrs.
Current Escort Max int and about to update.
Nz has redflex cameras that are very low power and looking at the R7 next purchase.
Again thanks for the reviews.
Cheers
Phil in NZ
Author
Welcome back to the hobby Phil! 🙂
Vortex excellent job on your website. Has there been any testing done on K or Ka band QT? If so what are the results.
Author
Yep. I generally don’t release QT test results publicly, but it’s pretty good overall, in line with the V1 Gen2.
Question: since both the V1 Gen2 and RL360c do a good job of not being detected by “radar detector detectors“, do you think you will be able to run these two detectors at the same time in one car? If I win the lottery I was thinking it would be fun to have one of each and run both of them at the same time.
Thanks for any info.
Paul
Author
I tried that and the Redline 360c’s startup causes the V1 Gen2 to false to Ka. Even stealth detectors can cause problems for other nearby detectors…
Thanks so much for the info. Most appreciated! -Paul
Hey Vortex, I currently us the R3 as my main detector. I love that thing too. I just sold my trusty original V1 with hopes of getting something newer. I was deciding between the Max 360 and the V1 Gen 2. I know the V1 has significantly better range. My question is does the 360 offer similar performance to that of the original V1 and has Valentine fixed the issues with the Gen 2?
Author
The Max360’s range is similar to the V1 Gen1, yeah. As for the Gen2, it does look like Valentine has finally addressed those issues. 🙂
Hi Vortex, I purchased a V1 Gen2 that shipped around June 4. (Still haven’t had time to open the box). Do you have a rough idea of when Valentine fixed their early problems with the Gen2? If I have an early unit (pre-fixes), I’m wondering if I should consider calling Valentine to see if I can exchange it for a new/current one.
Author
Good question. I’m not sure of the exact date, but either way, Valentine isn’t doing preemptive replacements. Many older versions have had no problems at all. If yours does have a problem, let them know once something happens and they’ll take care of you.
Also I’m wondering what kind of a windshield mount you are using for your cell phone when running it next to the V1 Gen2. I did some research and my best guess is you have an:
“iOttie Easy One Touch 4 Dash & Windshield Smartphone Quick Locking Car Mount.”
Am I right about that?
Many thanks, and thanks for all your wonderful work!
Paul
Author
Nicely done! Yeah I use those and they’ve been pretty great. I’ve got a number of them in my closet now for testing and some for daily use. 🙂 I’ve got a number of the regular ones as well as as several with wireless charging built-in.
Just wanted to say THANK YOU for taking the time and putting in the effort to answer so many questions Vortex! You are incredibly generous with your time and I am SO GRATEFUL! You are a “class act” sir. I wish you all the best with turning all your hard work into a full-time career!
Paul
Author
Thank you so much Paul!
Hi again Vortex. Just FYI I was on the iOttie website last night and there is a notice right on their homepage saying that there is a version 5 Easy One Touch “coming soon“. No release date given unfortunately, but there is a video showing some of the new features.
Author
Ah nice, thank you! I had no idea. 🙂 That looks like it’s got some nice new updates!
I also greatly appreciate the work you are doing. So much so, I signed up as a Patreon on Youtube to financially support your site. I would encourage others to do do. Also, almost a Youtubers ask that people subscribe, like, and consider becoming a Patreon. You do not seem to do that as much.
Author
Thanks so much! Yeah I’m not super big into self-promotion since I’m trying to focus more on the RD’s, not me, but you’re right that it’s something I do need to get better at. 🙂
15 firmware revisions later, and my EX still doesn’t live up to its price tag. Especially after the no alert ticket I got (from a rear, stationary K band). Not in a hurry to pony up another mortgage payment for the latest premadonna.
After finally getting thru to Escort, I was told that the exchange I requested in early July was still pending. They were filling new orders first as a priority. They offered a repair instead of an exchange, but could not give me any kind of timeline.
I have come to the conclusion that customer service takes back seat to selling new units as far as Escort is concerned. I did request a return instead, and to their credit I got a total refund one day after they got the defective unit. I did have to pay the return shipping cost despite my request for a shipping label. Scrooge syndrome, or just being petty?
I got burned by these folks when the original Max 360 came out and I had lockup issues. I feel I should have my head examined for trusting them again on a very expensive POS.
I got the V1 Gen 2 instead, and could not be happier. It would have saved me a lot of heartburn if I had done this in the first place, but the reputation Escort built in the past for premium detectors did influence my initial decision.
Escort has been living off that reputation for years, but they have recently shown themselves to be just a bunch of greedy opportunists. Absolutely inexcusable to sell such an expensive detector when they had to know it did not work properly.
Anyway, keep up the good work and try to do a little more self promotion like asking people to like the videos, subscribe, and consider becoming a Patreon like I did.
John
Wow. Just purchased a RL360. Rethinking that purchase..
I know this is an old thread, but I don’t care how good an Escort detector might ever be … I will never support that compnay due to their unethical business practices way they treat customers. Reading this thread is just a reminder of their bullsiht.
Hey Vortex
Can’t appreciate enough your work
I was wondering if you could test all the best radar detectors on a unique way.
Maybe around the curve or over the hill test that way we might get an idea which detectors will get some advanced worning in very hard circumstances.
I think that in this kind of testing only few detectors will provide some early worning.
Thanks a lot
This unit is the biggest piece of junk that I ever purchased. Everything about it is second rate…