Sena 10C Pro Step Aside
Maxto M3
I have been using the Sena 10C Pro for about three years now and I have been impressed with the product. The main problem I have with it is the wiring. As I ride all year round, when it starts to get cold the wiring fails me. I have already sent it back to Sena to be fixed only for just over a year later to stop working again. I even forked out a new set of HD wiring and to no avail.
So I decided it was time to try something new and after some searching I found the Maxto M3. It’s, I believe, a Chinese company. And for what I got, at a third of the price, I am impressed.
It does everything I need it to do. It did take me a little while to work out how the controls worked. This was a problem I had with the Sena. I never did learn how it worked properly. Maybe I am a bit slow on the up take. But the controls just didn’t work for me. With the Maxto M3 I was able to get everything I needed to work straight away apart from working out how to turn off the camera. Now it’s just a case of holding a button down for about five seconds.
I bought mine from Aliexpress. I know I spent a few quid more than I would have from eBay. But I have had problems in the past with customs and at the moment no problems yet with Aliexpress. I am not sure what the difference is but I’ll take it. Also it came with my favourite brand of SD card, Kingston 64gb.
So what the difference? From comparing the two. The Maxto comes out on top with a hell of alot more easier to understand controls. The camera and comms unit in the Sena seems to be one complete unit where as the Maxto seems to be two units encased in one. Because of this the camera has a separate microphone. Where as the Sena can record everything in one place, through the mouth piece. So if you wanted to vlog with this. It’s not going to work. It may pick it up a little bit but not alot.
Sound quality between two is about the same, which is amazing as Sena produce some of the best audio quality around for helmets. I’m not an expert Audiophile or anything but I know what I like. If you are on fast road you will lose sound due to the outside environment. Unless you have an enclosed helmet, this is pretty normal. You can connect up to six people and it doesn’t matter which brand you have.
I haven’t taken a phone call yet but the function seem alot easier on the Maxto. Skipping and changing the volume on the Maxto is easier than the Sena. It’s probably just me. But the controls are smoother on the Maxto. The wiring on the Maxto is alot better and will truly find out when winter comes round. But the wiring is more insolated with thicker covering on the wiring.
One of the biggest things I have noticed is the battery. The Maxto is the supreme winner when it comes to the battery. I have had the unit on my helmet for over two weeks now. Fair enough I don’t go very far but I had to recharge my Sena after every trip just incase I ran out. With the Maxto I have no such worries. I took it off the Helmet to write this blog and it would have probably still continued otherwise.
Connecting to the comms unit on my desktop. With the Sena you have to download some software so you can update the firmware and to view your videos you have to remove the SD card and use an adapter. With the Maxto I am not sure there are firmware updates with what I have been trying to find online. Just the mobile app. To view the videos and stuff I just plug in the unit and it both charges and I can view everything at once.
The camera itself is 1080p at 30 frames per second. I don’t really need more than that. As long I can see license plates I’m good. Night vision from the camera isn’t bad either. It’s not perfect but I can see what needs to be seen.
I would have purchased the M3S. Which is a newer version of the comms system. But they have prioritized this for the Chinese market. The interface with the M3 is in English. The M3S is in Chinese only. So if you don’t mind learning some basic Chinese give it a go. It is also has an upgraded 2k camera.
