Owner Reviews, Ratings, Comments and Criticism
I ordered a Pocket Radar direct from the manufacturer. Here is my experience with the unit and with the company. I felt compelled to make this my first Amazon review, as this product is so new, there are few reviews out there for potential purchasers to read. I read the reviews here of the Pocket Radar, and like others, I was a little suspicious of so many 5 star reviews posted within such a short time frame. I decided to go straight to the source for an answer, so I e-mailed the Pocket Radar group. I was quite surprised when I received a long, personal reply the following day from Chris Stewart, who turned out to be the president of Pocket Radar. In his e-mail Chris even mentioned that he is usually the one answering the phones at Pocket Radar as well. Just as he said, when I called the toll-free number for Pocket Radar, it was Chris who promptly answered. I spent the next 40 minutes or so talking to Chris about the design and development of the unit...and about the reviews here on Amazon. After speaking with Chris, I felt confident that the reviews were probably legitimate here, and the dates coincided with the initial roll-out of the Pocket Radar. In my super sleuthing, I did notice that a review here from Demi Basiliades, who has an association with Pocket Radar according to his LinkedIn page. Chris explained to me that Demi was among a few people who contacted Pocket Radar with interest in testing the device and providing reviews. Regardless, the man running the company seemed quite honest and straight-forward with me, so after our conversation, I provided him my credit card number and purchased my own unit to try. The Pocket Radar is roughly the size of the average smartphone out there, slightly thicker and heavier due to all the electronics that must be crammed inside. The unit felt very durable, no cheap, squeaky plastic here. The display is large and easy to read as long as there's adequate lighting. The display was very simple with huge numbers and a small indicator to let you know when the radar is currently transmitting. Although I certainly didn't try to damage my unit, Chris of Pocket Radar told me they had performed durability tests by tossing the unit from the roof of a building. There's no learning curve to using the Pocket Radar *itself.* The big red button is self-explanatory in my opinion. Press and release the button to get a speed reading within just a second. Hold down the red button if you want to continuously shoot radar and receive updated readings over and over. The smaller button serves as a recall to pull up your last readings. Although the Pocket Radar is very intuitive, you will need a rudimentary understanding of how radar works in order to use any radar device. The FAQ on [...] is very thorough and will answer just about any question you may have. In a perfect situation (like cop speed traps) you'll be facing your target head-on or positioned to shoot the back of the target as it moves away from you. The larger the angle you put between you and your target, the more error you introduce into your measurements. If you shoot at the side of a target, you're going to get a 0 on the display or close to it...same as any radar device. Unlike the other reviewer, I try to avoid cops with their own radar guns, so I can't compare it to LEO radar. However, my car has a digital speedometer. If you aim the Pocket Radar at a stationary object while traveling in a moving vehicle, you get the speed of the vehicle. Using this method multiple times over a period of 2 weeks, the Pocket Radar proved to be very accurate, returning readings exactly matching my speedometer or measuring only 1 MPH different ever. The unit takes 2 AAA batteries, which are in the box. I used rechargeable NIMH batteries instead, and they worked just fine. Even using the unit taking continuous readings, I didn't manage to drain the batteries down below 2 of 4 bars. The batteries are easy to change. The battery door just slides off. The door fits on snugly, and there are no little tabs to break off like the battery doors on television remotes. Being the geek I am, I was excited when I saw videos of the Pocket Radar at CES. I didn't really have a *need* for the Pocket Radar, but I really wanted to see how I could use this technology now that it has been shrunk down to cell phone size. I used the Pocket Radar at youth baseball games, autocross events, and for anything else I could think of that moved. I measured my dogs. I measured my nephews on bikes and on foot (they excitedly volunteered!). I also finally got some closure on just how dangerous I believe the blind curve is in front of my house. Having totaled a car before even leaving my driveway due to a speeding State Farm Insurance Agent in a Ford F150 with no time to react, I always wanted some validation that people drive too fast in my neighborhood. Well, the first few minutes I stood by my mailbox one afternoon, I clocked cars: 34, 31, 33...no big deal. Then I say hello to a couple walking their dogs in front of my house, and BAM a Dodge Ram comes flying around the corner. He has to hit his brakes and swerve to the middle of the road to avoid clipping these people. The Pocket Radar read 54 MPH! The Pocket Radar would be the perfect tool for concerned citizens looking to collect data to show the need for speed bumps or other measures. On a side note, the Pocket Radar operates on K-Band, so a few speed demons with radar detectors slowed down immediately when they came across my speed trap. There were just a couple improvements I'd like to see in future revisions: The red button feels mushy with little button travel, making it difficult to tell if I had really activated the radar. It'd be much nicer with a firmer feel and a tactile click when pressed. At night or in dimly lit stadiums, the device was useless without a backlight. I spent way too much time trying to shine my cell phone screen onto the Pocket Radar display so I could try to make out the numbers. The display looks ripe for an electroluminescent backlight. Overall, I think this is a great product, being a first release from a new company. It has the accuracy to be rated as a police radar, and if the company ever follows through with required certification, I'm sure the units could be sold for quite a few more dollars to law enforcement. The case is durable and feels good in the hand. You can easily slip this in your pocket or bag, so there's no excuse for leaving it at home if you think you could use it. I believe the unit said it was made in Korea, but the Pocket Radar company is based in California, and you speak directly to the president of the company when you call their support line. It really sounded like a great group of smart guys are behind this product, so if you have any issues, I'm sure they'll take care of you.