Best Radar Detectors: Reviews, Tests, & Guides

Welcome to Vortex Radar, your trusted guide for the road. I provide comprehensive tests, comparisons, and reviews of the best radar detectors, laser jammers, and dashcams available on the market. My mission is to keep drivers safe, informed, and ready for every trip, enhancing your experience on the road with the latest tech.

Best Radar Detectors of 2025

Uniden R8: Best Performing Detector ($699)

Review, How to Configure, Purchase

Valentine 1 Gen2: Best for Enthusiasts ($599)

Review, How to Configure, Purchase

Uniden R7: Best Bang for the Buck with Arrows ($499)

Review, How to Configure, Purchase, Custom Firmware

Best Non-Arrow Radar Detectors

Uniden R4: Best Non-Arrow Radar Detector ($379)

Review, How to Configure, Purchase

Uniden R3: Best Radar Detector Under $300 ($299)

Review, How to Configure, Purchase

Uniden DFR7: Best Radar Detector Under $200 ($199)

Review, How to Configure, Purchase

Best Custom Installed Radar Detector

Top Performing Custom Installed RD & Laser Jammer: Uniden R9 ($3,999)

Review, How to Configure, Purchase

Best Laser Jammers of 2025

Best Laser Jammer: AntiLaser Priority ($1069 Dual, $1699 Triple TX BT HiFi)

Review, How to Configure, Purchase

Affordable Option: Adaptiv TPX ($949 Triple)

Review, Purchase (Save 10% with coupon “Vortex”)

Recommended Apps:

Best Countermeasure App (optimized for the V1): JBV1 (Free)

Learn More, Download

Real-time police spotted alerts: Waze (Free)

Learn More, iOS, Android

Recommended Radar Detector Accessories:

Rear View Mirror Mount: BlendMount ($99, save 10% with coupon “Vortex10”)

Review, Purchase

Hardwire Cable ($10-$70)

How to Install, Purchase

Best Dash Cameras of 2025:

Best Entry Level Front Only Dashcam: Viofo A119 Mini 2 ($129)

Review, Purchase

Best 2K Front/Rear Dashcam: Viofo A229 Plus ($199)

Review, Purchase (1CH Front, 2CH Front/Rear, 3CH Front/Rear/Interior)

Best 4K Front/Rear Dashcam: Viofo A229 Pro ($299)

Review, Purchase (1CH Front, 2CH Front/Rear, 3CH Front/Rear/Interior)

Best Long Term Parking Dashcam: Thinkware U3000

Review, Purchase (1CH Front, 2CH Front/Rear)

My Recommended Countermeasure Setup:

This website contains affiliate links and I sometimes make commissions on purchases. All opinions are my own. I don’t do paid or sponsored reviews.

Click here to read my affiliate disclosure.

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V1 Gen2 Tech Display & Firmware 4.1036

Finally!! After many years of me hoping for this, Valentine has finally added support for a dedicated frequency display! It’s not on the V1 Gen2 itself (though hopefully that also comes in time), but rather on an updated new concealed display called the Tech Display. Compared to the original CD, the new Tech Display adds …

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Viofo A229 Pro vs. Viofo A329: Head-to-Head Comparison

The Viofo A229 Pro has been my go-to dashcam for its video quality and feature-set, but the upgraded Viofo A329 introduces new features worth considering. Both dashcams are strong contenders for being the best dashcam of 2024. Which one should you choose?  Let’s compare. Here is my full video review of the A329, along with …

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Black Friday 2024 Deals on Radar Detectors & Dash Cameras

Black Friday runs Nov 21 – 29 and then Cyber Monday runs Nov 30 – Dec 2. It looks like we’re getting some of the biggest discounts of the year. Check back daily as more BF/CM discounts go live. Let’s take a quick look at some of the best countermeasures that you can buy on …

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Uniden Releases R/TACH Radar Detector App

Uniden has finally released their own native app for their Bluetooth compatible detectors including the R4/R4w, R8/R8w, and R9/R9w. The free app is called R/TACH and is available for download on iOS and Android. It was just released this week and I’ve just started playing with it. Here’s a look at the app’s features and …

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Vantrue E360: A 360 Degree Dashcam & Action Cam

I’m a fan of 360 degree dashcams to help provide additional coverage compared to traditional dashcams, and Vantrue has released a new model that caught my eye, the Vantrue E360. It’s a dual fisheye lens camera that’s sort of a cross between a vehicle dash cam and a portable action cam. I’ve been keeping an …

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Uniden Announces Wi-Fi Capable Radar Detectors: R4w, R8w, R9w

Uniden has just announced three new Wi-Fi capable detectors, the R4w, R8w, and R9w. They’re effectively the same as the original R4, R8, and R9, with the exception that they now have 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi built-in, letting you connect to a Wi-Fi hotspot and update your detector over the air.

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Uniden R8 Firmware 1.35

Uniden has released firmware 1.35 for the Uniden R8. This has several new features (Mazda CX-5 K block and improved autolockouts!) along with several bug fixes. If you remember firmware 1.34 that was briefly released before being pulled due to GPS errors, this update is essentially a fixed version of 1.34. I’m still waiting on …

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What ‘The Best’ Really Means: A Reviewer’s Perspective

When something is rated as “the best,” does that mean it’s flawless, with no issues or potential problems? And if you run into a problem, does it mean that product—and the whole brand—is bad, and no one should buy from them? It turns out it’s more complicated than that. I sometimes struggle with calling a …

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Prime Big Deals Day 2024 Discounts on Radar Detectors & Dashcams

Amazon Prime Big Deals Day 2024 runs October 8-9. As usual, we’ve got some nice discounts on radar detectors and a bunch on dash cameras. Here are the discounts on my favorite countermeasures. For many of these deals, you’ll need to be an Amazon Prime member. Sign up for a Free Trial of Amazon Prime. …

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Rove R2-4K Dual Dashcam Review

Rove makes several popular fake 4K dashcams including the R2-4K and R2-4K Pro. They have recently released a 2 channel model for both front and rear recording called the R2-4K Dual. This is also a fake 4K dashcam, but the front sensor is upgraded from Starvis 1 to Starvis 2. More notably, they’re also adding …

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