Two-Way Radios : Ratings of Sources

Our AssessmentThis user forum features lots of two-way radio and accessory reviews by owners. There is also information about other aspects of two-way radios, such as FCC licenses. Many radios are tested and reviewed by the same person, and those reviews are detailed, listing the radio's features, range and how well it works. The Midland MR355R, Cobra CXR900, Motorola DTR 550 and the Midland GTX1000 are the latest to receive detailed reviews. Other contributors also comment on radios, but the quality of those reviews varies. This forum offers more useful information about two-way radios than other user-review sites, such as Amazon.com, but fewer models are discussed and rated.

Our AssessmentThis forum for paintball enthusiasts features a very detailed review of the TriSquare TSX300-2VP complete with lots of photos. Burton notes that many consumers have problems using a group of these radios, which he feels has more to do with learning to use all the features rather than a fault of the radios themselves. Build quality gets a thumbs-up.

Our AssessmentMany two-way radios get reviews here from owners. Three Motorola radios, the MH230R, MR350 and EM1000R are among those that score well, and two Midland radios, the GXT1000VP4 and GXT1050VP4, also are very well regarded. Of the two Garmin Rino units, the 530HCX does a bit better in the ratings than the 110, with nearly twice as many reviews. The TriSquare TSX300 gets only fair-to-middling scores, with owners complaining about sound quality, lack of range and short battery life. Like all user-review sites, the reports at Amazon.com vary greatly in quality, but the site remains a good place to see how happy consumers are after they've used their two-way radios for a while.

Our AssessmentWhile there are quite a few two-way radios listed on Newegg.com, there were very few user reviews at the time of our visit. Most of the reviews are short, but clearly list the pros and cons of the unit and give it a rating.

Our AssessmentThis popular site for outdoor recreational items includes reviews for lots of two-way radios. However, Cabelas.com is difficult to use as you need to drill down to the individual two-way radios to see ratings or if anyone has even reviewed a particular model. Among two-way radios with lots of feedback, the Garmin Rino 530HCx garners a 4.6 out of 5 star rating following almost 30 user reviews. A handful of reviewers wished that the display screen was bigger or had some trouble figuring out some of the features, but even they register overall satisfaction with the device. Ninety-three percent would recommend this radio to a friend.

Our AssessmentREI.com lists a few two-way radios. One advantage is that this retailer site has exceptionally detailed product pages. Most two-way radios get only a review or two, if that, but more than a dozen users provide feedback on the Garmin Rino 530HCx and grant it a high overall rating.