The ZASTONE M8 is basically a close copy of the Radtel RT-900. The screen quality is also quite similar to what we see in other radios within the same price range coming from China, such as the BinTolk BT7700, BAJETON BJ-7800 and the BAJETON BJ-8300. So this is a good thing, as the screens in all the mentioned radios are quite nice. Decent colours, brightness, clarity etc. And due to this, while its not considered excellent screen visibility, the radios can be operated outdoors in most daylight conditions. So that’s great. And even though there are many more comparisons that can be made between the radios, when it comes to the M8, that’s where the good similarities end for me.

There are quite a lot of user reviews for the ZASTONE M8. Many of them are five star reviews. Some people praise it because it can be changed to be used in the Russian language, and that it has a “Super Mode” like some of the radios mentioned above. But there are some bad reviews. This isn’t uncommon amongst walkie talkie radios and scanner receivers etc. Even the best radios from the best brands have some bad reviews.

But with the ZASTONE M8, the reason for a good majority of the bad reviews is a very important one. And it can’t be ignored. The one negative point that stands out more than anything else, which is one of the most crucial features a radio can have in my opinion, is its receive strength. And what you will find from reading through the reviews for this radio, is that the ZASTONE M8’s receive strength is generally considered pretty poor. Transmit power is also not 10 Watts as stated. But not many radios in this price range are capable of transmitting the exact wattage that is stated, so they get a pass for that.

But with the poor receive strength in mind, this is an absolute deal breaker for me. There are cheaper radios, such as the Quansheng UV K5 / K6, the BAJETON BJ-7800, BAJETON BJ-8300, and even Baofeng UV-K61 that have good to very good receive strength. Why choose the ZASTONE M8, with its poor receive strength score amongst end-users when so many other radios, with most of them being a little bit cheaper to purchase than the M8 are available to buy that are quite well-known for their good receive ability to pull in weak, fairly long distance signals.

Don’t get me wrong, the ZASTONE M8 is not a terrible radio overall. It’s just not as good as all the others mentioned in this post. And if you want the M8 for short range communications it may well be a good fit for your needs. But I would rather buy one of the radios that is proven to have good receive strength rather than this one. Perhaps updated firmware may help. But not worth the risk unless 100% confirmed when there are so many other excellent radios to choose from that sit within a similar price range.