The Valentine One?s monopoly on glowing arrows is over. After more than 20 years as the only radar detector that could indicate the location of the radar source, the magnesium box that time forgot finally faces a competitor equipped with directional pointers. The real surprise is that it?s taken this long given that Valentine?s patent on the arrow indicators expired back in 2011. Now Escort Radar?s new Max 360 offers the same core capabilities as the Valentine One with the inclusion of a rear-facing antenna and four triangles to indicate direction.
After more than a week of driving with the Max 360, we can say that?s everything you?d expect given the technology inside and Escort’s history. Combining Escort?s clever filtering technology with the added protection of a rear-facing antenna makes for a powerful yet user-friendly radar detector. But we?re not picking winners here and now. We haven?t performed the instrumented, objective tests on the Max 360 that we used to pick the Passport Max over the Valentine One in our 2014 head-to-head comparison test. This review is based purely on real-world use and subjective experiences with the Max 360. Whether or not you need arrows on a radar detector is as much a philosophical question as a technical one. Arrows act as a manual filter of sorts. A weak signal from behind that isn?t getting any stronger often can be ignored. A strong signal that moves from ahead, to the sides, to behind means the source has passed (although ma...