Cobra is a well-known walkie talkie brand which creates great consumer and business walkie talkies with a diverse range of applications. One of its popular business radio lines is the PX Series, which includes the Cobra PX500 and the Cobra PX880. In our review, we dive into the pros and cons of the PX500 and PX880, and which walkie talkie we believe is better suited to meet the needs of businesses today. If you’re trying to decide between the PX500 vs. PX880, we’ve got you covered. And if you want the short answer, we definitely prefer the PX500 for its great combination of power, range, battery life, and lower price tag!
Table of Contents
Cobra PX500
Cobra PX880
Cobra Pro Business Radio PX500 Review
Business owners are always looking for new ways to keep communication going strong throughout the day. Whether you work in a retail store, a restaurant, a mall, a dentist’s office, on a construction site, or on any other type of property, there’s a good chance that you want your employees to be communicating constantly. Because of that, many business owners turn to walkie talkies for quick and clear communication. The Cobra PX500 is a solid business walkie talkie option that comes with great range and power as well as high quality headsets that make hands-free communication easy. At its affordable price, the Cobra PX500 is a great choice for small and large business owners who want a strong feature set and great value. In our eyes, this Cobra PX500 bundle with four GA-SV01 walkie talkie headsets is the best combination of power and price and its our favorite of the two!
Feature Overview
The Cobra PX500 offers 1 watt of power and is license free. This means you don’t have to worry about registration or fees as the walkie talkies just work right out of the box. With 22 channels and 121 privacy codes that have both CTCSS and DCS options, you have thousands of possible combinations for secure and private communication. The Cobra PX500 comes with a variety of features like call alert, confirmation tones, and battery power saving technology. We love that the Cobra PX500 has eVox and Vox capabilities, which when paired with the included GA-SV01 headsets make hands-free communication easy. This swivel holster which is included in this bundle is also quite convenient for hands-free use, as you can easily attach it to your pants, bag, or shirt
Range
The range of the Cobra PX500 is quite solid, as it can reach up to 250,000 square feet in most conditions. That equates to around 20 floors of range, which will fit the needs of most business owners. We were quite impressed by the range of the PX500 given its price, and its one of the highest value business walkie talkie options given most devices with this level of range are much more expensive. That said, if you’re looking for an even more powerful business walkie talkie that can reach upwards of 300,000 square feet or more, you can check out our favorite long range walkie talkies.
Battery Life
The Cobra PX500 promises up to 12 hours of battery life during heavy usage, but if you’re only using them occasionally throughout the day that may last much longer. We also love that these walkie talkies come with a base charging station that is extremely fast. It only takes about 4 to 5 hours to fully charge the PX500, which means there is no concern about running out of juice during even the busiest of days on your business.
Durability
The Cobra PX500 is fairly durable and will withstand most environments. They have a solid build, and even the GA-SV01 headsets are sturdy, as they are built with materials including Kevlar. If you plan on using this walkie talkie anywhere indoors, its a great fit. If you’re looking for a walkie talkie that is fully waterproof and shockproof for your farmor construction site, then we recommend you check out our full DeWalt DXFRS800 Review, as it is the most durable walkie talkie on the market today. That said, the PX500 will be more than resilient enough for most conditions.
Summary
Overall, the Cobra PX500 is a great choice for business owners who both want a good deal and high-quality walkie talkies. It has got great range and solid battery life while also offering good durability and simple set-up and use. Given the overall performance that you get from the Cobra PX500, as well as the included headsets and fast charging base station, this bundle is a steal at this price.
Cobra Pro Business Radio PX880 Review
The Cobra PX880 is a decent business walkie talkie, and is just a bit more expensive than its little brother the PX500. What you get with the higher price tag is up to 300,000 square feet of range, moderately longer battery life of 18 hours, and essentially a slightly more powerful walkie talkie. If we were examining the PX880 on its own, we’d certainly say its as a decent option, because it is. But when you compare it against the PX500 and its solid performance at a lower price tag, it’s hard to justify paying for the upgrade to the Cobra PX880. We are all about finding you the best deal and value here at WalkieTalkieCentral, and thus we recommend that only if you absolutely need the extra 50,000 square feet of range and expect very long days of use which demand 18 hours of battery life as opposed to 12 should you choose the PX880. Otherwise, the PX500 a better overall choice.
Feature Overview
The Cobra PX880 has 2 watts of power and this provides stronger range and reach than the PX500. and it also has a larger battery which can last up to 18 hours. Other than that, the PX880 is quite similar to the PX500, with 22 channels and 121 privacy codes, VOX capability for hands-free use, and a base charger, swivel holster, and easy to set up and use design,
Range
The 300,000 square foot range is the main reason some folks will opt for the PX880, as this is truly near the top of its class for the price tag. You will be able to reach even the deepest parts of your business with the PX880, but as we mentioned, that’s probably already the case with the 250,000 square feet of the PX500.
Battery Life
With up to 18 hours of battery life, the PX880 also stands above the PX500 and many other business walkie talkies on the market. If you want to be sure that your business operates consistently all day with clear communication, and you won’t have opportunities to charge the walkie talkies throughout the day, then this could be a useful feature. The PX880’s base charger quickly juices up the walkie talkie in just 4 to 5 hours.
Durability
The Cobra PX880 is solid and durable just like the PX500. Not much difference here in terms of water resistance or drop proofing, basically expect solid ruggedness but not anything as tough as a DeWalt walkie talkie.
Summary
The PX880 is a solid business walkie talkie, make no doubt about it. And it truly is a great option for those who need absolute top of class range and battery life at a solid price. That said, we still are bigger fans of the PX500 given that the 50,000 square feet and 5-6 hours of battery life gap for the extra money just isn’t enough to convince us the PX880 is worth the bump up. That said, be sure to consider your use case and budget, and if you do want that extra level, the PX880 is a much more affordable option than most Motorola walkie talkies!
Other Resources for Business Owners
We hope you enjoyed our Cobra PX500 and Cobra PX880 reviews, and that you’ve chosen the perfect model for your business. If you’re interested in more specific recommendations, we’ve got a great buyer’s guide for Walkie Talkies for Restaurants which can be applied to other businesses as well. Be sure to check it out!
