Police Radar Detectors

[Drkatzjr45]

Anyone have any advice on a good detector? I have been looking at the Beltronics Vector 995,
it sells for around $290, and seems very promising in all available reviews.

Anyone have any experience with this unit, or know of a better one (in this price range)



Thanks!

 

[kb2vxa]

With radar and laser positioning worked down to a science these days there is no such thing as a "good" detector. All they're good for is telling you you're in the beam and about to become tonight's feature on Speeders. Go light on the gas pedal and save yourself an expensive ticket, the money will go well to a scanner so you can listen to the OTHER guy getting pulled over.

 

[XTS3000]

Had many Bell's (3) in the past, and they all initally worked fine. A few years, all had alignement issues.

I'd recommend the Escourt 8500-X50 well before ANY Bell. Bell's are kinda laughed at in the radar detector enthusiests circles.

Escourt detectors excel at Ka detection, and many departments are going from X straight to Ka.

All radar detectors loose their alignement over the years, some sooner than others.

 

[fireant]

I own a V995 its a great detector however, for the money you cannot beat the Whistler Pro SE series. I have since put my V995 aside and use one of them. I found the detection range about 1/10th of a mile shorter however, I don't have to listen to the thing go off all the time unless there really is something around. Plus the false alarms are very rare. With the Bel it was always going off which starts to get annoying after awhile. Plus the Whistler comes with a 3 year warranty I believe.

Hope this helps

fireant

 

[RayAir]

I used to have a Bel Vector. Not sure on the exact model, but it had the "tech" mode where it displayed the radar frequency, etc. It had good Ka detection.

I haven't used a detector in a couple of years. They are handy sometimes, but now I make it a point to never do more than 5 over (in most cases). I haven't had a ticket in 7 years.

 

[THETINMAN]

I've had a Valentine 1 for a few years now, and I think its fantastic. exceptional reception, and shows where the frequencies are coming from, and how many. I'd recommend checking out radardetector.net for some advice too, lots of write-ups and great advice on placement.
K and Ka band are where your saves are coming from. you'll be able to detect Laser just fine BUT its generally too late, so keep your eyes open and consider Laser jammers if your local laws allow

 

[ind224]

V1 cannot be beat. Used 1.7s can be found on C list for <$250. I scored a 1.8 for $300
Magnesium case,directional alerts, phenomenal sensitvity.
Worth the price new but even better used.
Be sure you get the serial number if buying used. The SN placard MUST be intact for service or upgrades and you can run the SN on the V1 website.
I'll use nothing else.

 

[BaLa]

I've got an old POS Radar Detector and it works, even for Laser...
But just like Tinman posted, it's too late..

These days, with the Laser being so common, It's not gonna make that big of a difference.

 

[XTS3000]

The difference between a cheap (sub $200) radar detector and a decent one (above $300) is the Ka detection range. The cheap ones I've tested did terrible at Ka detection range - maybe a block or 2 if your lucky.

Noticed the Ka range when I went from cheap junk to an Escort 8500-X50. The Bell I had before could pick up the motocycle officer 1 block away as she was driving straight towards my car. Put in the X50, and the same motocycle officer with Ka, I could pick up her 4.5 miles away on the straight-away. Yes, a woman on a motorcycle.....

Ka detection range is what seperates the real detectors vs. the rest. Most departments are going to Ka these days. 1 block range doesn't give ya much time to react, but 4.5 miles sure does!

 

[Clint106user]

TO add to the fire here : Ive been an Escort user for a number of years and just picked up the current corded model called the Escort 9500 ix. This unit has been graded by the RadarRoy website in the top 5 models. I have road tested this unit well and saved many times in "cone zones". Even a mile or two over the limit will get your card pulled. Unit is packed with features. Like other users above, if you get a laser alert, its gonna be hard to dodge that. Also, no false alarms is nice. Clint

 

[questnz]

Over the years I have 2 x V1, Bell 65, 995, Escort 8500 and currently Bel STI. They all perform very well in ideal weather conditions. There is not much difference REAL life performance. The trend is towards GPS enabled Radar Detectors eg Escort 9500ix or latest Beltronic's GX line as you can pre program all speed camera location zones and mark manually any other danger area. Range maybe 3.5 km but this is useless when cops have the radar on Instant, if cop "ping" car in front of you you get the signal, if you first car in the line you are goner! Also because traffic fine disputes cops here must see you visually as well as have you locked, this mean Radar unit sensitivity is usually set for about 700-800m. Radar units used here can track 5 vehicles simultaneously and tell the fastest from 5 of them. It may vary from country to country of course. ps My next unit will be Escort 9500ix.
There is always dispute amongst users Valentine guys will brag about V1, Escort and Bel guys about their toys etc. Can't go wrong with any of them, it save you butt and will pay for itself in short period of time. Don't believe in advertising hype eg 10 x better performance vs xxx crap. Best advice DON'T SPEED !!! Radar Detector Jammer Forum

Chris

 

[SCNRHEAD]

Been running high end bell's for 20 yr's, my 995 has caught k band as far away as 2 mile's and caught ka as far as 1 mile. You get what you pay for. The more you can afford the more sensitive any of them will be !!

 

[questnz]

yep agree, get best Radar Detector you can afford, cheapie's are false security and economy,
RadarTest.com - Best radar detector reviews from the world's most respected authority.
Radar Detector Buyer's Guide 2010: Making sense of the features and claims.
Radar Detectors by Escort Passport and Beltronics are compared to Valentine One
http://www.1stradardetectors.com/best-radar-detector/index.php
http://www.radarbusters.com/

Chris

 

[iMONITOR]

Radar Detectors... 'A fool and his money are soon parted!'

 

[Ensnared]

If you can catch this unit on sale, get it. I've been running one of these phenomenal radar detectors for several years now. I can catch Ka band for great distances. Laser might be better in newer and more advanced units like the Escort Redline; however, you're going to need an additional $200 to buy that puppy. Beltronics makes superior products when compared with pieces of trash such as Whistler, Cobra, and others. By the way, Beltronics and Escort are the same company with different product lines. It is pretty quiet in comparison to the cheaper models. I would recommend turning X band completely off.

 

[Ensnared]

I don't know if you know this, but Beltronics and Escort are owned by the same company.

 

[poltergeisty]

IMO, the only good I see in a "radar detector" is the hazard alert feature. If being used by railroad crossings, construction, etc...

Drive slow, save money, save fuel, SAVE YOUR LIFE!

 

[Ensnared]

To each his own. However, for me, listening the the radar detector keeps me hyper-vigilant for cops. During these economic times, the likelihood of getting a ticket for going four miles over the speed limit is much greater than it used to be. So, although I may speed from time to time, it is rarely above 5 miles over the posted speed limit. On occasion, I will attempt to pass some troglodyte who does not understand driving courtesy. Hence, they will sometimes speed up and not let me pass. Furthermore, I've found myself in the passing lane with the spot I moved from filled up. What does one do in a situation like that? We have very aggressive drivers in Texas. Besides, breaking minor laws is my hobby.

 

[Ensnared]

I am still using my Vector 995. Great radar detector. It is over three years old.

 

[RayAir]

To each his own. However, for me, listening the the radar detector keeps me hyper-vigilant for cops. During these economic times, the likelihood of getting a ticket for going four miles over the speed limit is much greater than it used to be. So, although I may speed from time to time, it is rarely above 5 miles over the posted speed limit. On occasion, I will attempt to pass some troglodyte who does not understand driving courtesy. Hence, they will sometimes speed up and not let me pass. Furthermore, I've found myself in the passing lane with the spot I moved from filled up. What does one do in a situation like that? We have very aggressive drivers in Texas. Besides, breaking minor laws is my hobby.

Good point. Every city and county in my state is dead broke. They are of course having the cops write more tickets to try and make up for revenue losses. One city wrote tickets for as little as 2 over. This department was recently disbanded and the county took over police protection.

They just laid off 23 cops in my city along with 10-12 demotions. All the tickets they were writing for 5 over obviously still weren't enough to save their butts.