|
Have used the 9500i for about a month now, and appears to be a lot more sensitive than my "top of the line" Bell detector I bought 3 years ago. I still like Bell, but the GPS features of this unit made it a must have.
Pros:
* Wow!, I have detected constant scans, instant, and pop radars, sometimes a mile before I see the patrol car. I almost think I have a false scan, but when I see the patrol car I know the 9500i was not lying to me. (One time I got hit, so I shut it down, the guy behind me really didn't like that, so I let him by and he passed me like I was standing still, he got nailed, see, radar detectors can be fun).
* Allows you to see your speed on the detector, so you can use it as a "heads up" display.
* Allows you to lock out false signals from a certain area. (Nice, but see Cons).
Cons:
* A Lot more false scans than my Bell unit. On the upside, you can lock these out, so basically it's "trial and error" until you determine you have a false signal and decide to lock it out.
* At it's lowest brightness level, it's still to bright (compared to my Bell). I don't like advertising to everyone around that I have a radar detector, cops really don't like them, and will pull you over for something else if they can't get you speeding.
Note: If your alone on the road, speeding, and get scanned, there is no radar detector in the world that will save you. The cop units are good, some are very good. Your only hope is that when you detect a scan, the cop is scanning another vehicle, not you, if it is you, forget it, your getting a ticket. Just thought I would throw this in here if anyone thought radar detectors are a perfect solution.
Mythbusters did a whole show on these products. They do not work. Save your money.
I bought PhotoBlocker to avoid photo-radar tickets. And so far no tickets. What a product. It has paid for itself. Thanks guys
I am disappointed Amazon would even carry this product. Its sole purpose is to keep people running red lights from being caught. I consider it far worse than radar detectors in both principle and practice. At least a radar detector will get people to slow down for a bit, and running red lights is far more dangerous in my opinion than speeding. The only people who would buy this are people who run red lights regularly, and those people are idiots who really need to be stopped. Of course, as someone who was very nearly hit once by someone who just couldn't wait for the next green light maybe I'm a little biased on the side of using common sense.
So far this detector only picks up false signals. Like they say, you get what you pay for.
The little box with a few lights arrived in good condition and on time which was the good bit. I fitted it in my car even though the lead is highly sprung and a bit short so it kept pulling out of the cigarette lighter hole especially when I went over bumps in the road. After pulling the lead tight and wrping it around the glove box door I managed to get enough slack on the wire to stop it pulling out and all was well. This weekend I went on a long journey and passed many stationary radars. At the first one the little box didnt give a peep but I still had hope as the radar might have been turned off. Passed another and another and still nothing. I got my wife to drive and tried removing the box from the mount and pointing it directly at the next radar incase my mounting was not right, still nothing. I tried using it in city mode because the piece of paper they laughingly refer to as instructions does not explain the difference between city and highway mode and still got nothing whatsoever. I reread the box and the 'instructions' to see if I was missing something but only found out how to stick the mount to the dash board and turn the thing on. I did notice that it said the box detects all types of radar gun, which could mean it only detects gun type radars and not the static boxes so I am waiting to see one of the mobile radars to test this but I'm not too hopefull. I will continue this review when I have tested this out but for static radars it is completely worthless which is why I refer to it as a box with little lights on it rather than a radar detector. TBC
I have had the box of lights for about 6 months now and have passed all manner of radars with it set up and plugged in pointing up the road. Not once has it done anything at all. I have tried it on city and highway mode as it does not explain what these actually are without any joy at all.
To sum up, this item is a rip off as far as I am concerned. I would like to have someone take it apart and see if there is anything inside it other than some LEDs and a buzzer.
If you are thinking of buying this piece of total garbage them take the $50 and give it to a poor person instead is my advice.
You can't go wrong with this radar detector for the price. I used to see patrol vehicles ahead of time, but never knew if they were running radar. Now I can often "see" them before I actually spot them. It has saved me in a school zone when I didn't even realize I had entered the school zone(I was doing 30 in a 20), so I can honestly say it has paid for itself.
Purchased this detector because the price was great. It appears to be a good starter detector. If you have the money would purchase detector that costs a little more. Haven't been by many police, but has alerted me to some and not to others... Overall, appears to be a decent detector, except the range could be better. Not sure if the range is even a mile.
I got a speeding ticket before I bought the laser. In Illinois if you pay a ticket and don't get another in ninety days the ticket stays off your record. This keeps your rates insurance down.
I have found that the device has a excellent range for the old fashion radar. It gives me plenty of time to slow down. Cop use the lasers in short burst, the device will warn me, but you have to pay attention. I think I was scan on by a laser on a highway and it was blocked. The cop never left his position.
If you happen to find yourself driving fast I think you need to stay away from other cars who may not be protected. Overall I think I drive slower now because I am more aware of my speed. I drive a 2005 GTO and it can fool you as to how fast your are going.
I got this product thinking that it would be a great radar detector for $85, and it is. However, having occassionally used a Passport 8500, this radar detector is a major letdown. You can't choose an automatic mode--you must choose between City modes or a Highway mode. Additionally, the detection gives you very little warning...maybe 1000 feet at best for a cop using Ka on the highway (that will get you a ticket).
So, if you don't fly, but like to go 5-10 MPH over the speed limit and feel the need for a detector, then this is the detector for you. But if you like to go faster than that, then this detector will not be of any use to you.
I've owned this item for approximately 6 months, and it's the best investment that I've made in a while! I've found it very reliable, and cost effective...especially since I now know when radar is directed my way...in time for me to do something about it, and not get stopped/ticketed!
I highly reccommend this item. It is well-worth the purchase price.
The XTR-325 was very easy to set up. The included instruction manual completely explained not only how the device worked, but also how the technology worked and interacted with police radars.
The voice warnings are great, because you will get used to hearing different warnings when going by stores with automatic doors. When you hear the voice say that same type of radar everytime instead of just beeping, you'll get used to it. When you drive by that same type of store and hear a different type of radar, you know to slow down.
Overall, I feel more safe from police radar while using this device and it is convenient to use.
This product does not pick up radar detectors until the patrol car is within 50 feet of it. Not sensitive enough. The only reason this I gave this products 2 stars instead of 1 is that it does go off but not with enough time to slow your speed.
well the radius is not far so you wont be able to go
to fast and you have to react directly after it goes off.
But most of the time it is a false alarm ( it always goes off
when i pass walmart or cvs, i guess it is their doors that
give out the false alarm)
well but i guess it is alright for the buck.
i mostly use it on the highway, in the city ( even though
it has the city or highway option) i usually have it
turned off cause the signal gets annoying after a while
THE XRS9830 12 RADAR-LAZAR DETECTOR DOES EVERYTHING YOU WOULD WANT TO HAVE IN THE BUSY CITY OR ON THE HIWAY. THE FIRST TIME I USED THE DETECTOR IT PICKED UP EMERGENCY VEHICLES EVEN BEFORE I HEARD THE SIRENS. I HAVN'T USED IT ON THE HIWAYS YET BUT AFTER READING ALL THE INSTRUCTIONS I AM SURE IT WILL BE FINE. THE ONLY DOWN SIDE I CAN SEE IS THE COMPASS. IT IS NOT 100% ACCURATE ACCORDING TO THE COMPASS IN MY INFINITY.
I have used this radar detector for over a year now. It is the best detector in this price range. Be sure to read the manual completely as it is necessary to turn on some of the bands in city mode. When I started using it every day I quickly learned where the false alarms are. Rouge warnings are the ones to look out for. The Laser warning has gone off several times (in fact the alarm will really get your attention) but with laser once you pick up the signal, you're probably nailed. The emergency vehicle warning works, but not very many emergency vehicles have the transponder necessary to activate the warning. My detector has been very durable, it seems to get really hot sometimes with the sun beating on it, but it has never failed to work. Sometimes it's hard to see the screen in bright light, but the audio warnings make up for that. I like the voice warnings because it tells you the type of radar it's picking up, so you don't have to look at the unit to find out. At one time or another it has picked up each type of radar advertised and each has a different audio alert. Intellimute is nice feature. I don't use the compass.
I look forward to the day when I can buy an expensive detector and do a side by side comparison, but overall I would say if you pay close attention to the settings and keep in mind what a radar detector can and can not do for you, this is a good choice for the money.
It was good while it lasted. I had this item for 30 days and it stopped working. I am going to return it for a new one.
Good product. The ship was really fast. Everything as described in the sale. Brand new sealed detector.
I WOULD PREFER "IDIOT LIGHTS" TO ALERT WHEN THREATS ARE FAR OR NEAR vs. FLASHING LETTERS OF RADAR BANDS. OTHERWISE, THIS PIECE IS TOP OF THE LINE TECHNOLOGY. ALSO, I SAVED APPROX $50 SO I CAN'T REALLY COMPLAIN. A MUST BUY FOR "LEAD-FOOT" DRIVERS LIKE MYSELF!!!
Not the greatest RD out there (many recommend the Escort 8500, 9500, or Valentine V1 as the top picks), but for the price, what can you expect. You can expect some false alarms, mediocre sensitivity, and some basic features and adjustments. I bought this for the ability to do away with a cord (making the RD a bit larger and heaver), and an included charger that you can take with you on trips in addition to the car cord is a very nice touch. In spite of its sensitivity (or, lack of filtering out false alarms from various sources), it does alert me to real law enforcement measurement devices. Since I use this simply for informational purposes (I rarely travel > 5 MPH over the legal limit), this is fine. For those who wish to daringly exceed posted, lawful limits on a regular basis, I suggest a higher-rated device -- for hundreds $ more, naturally.
For the price, this radar detector is awesome. No wires, comes with battery/car charger, numerous settings. Costs less than a ticket and will quickly pay for itself.
It is a bit large and defintely on the heavy side as far as radar detectors go, but I really hate having a cord hanging in front of me. Works like a charm and if the batterys go out you can plug it in and charge them as you drive.
Came with 4aa batteries and a charger, and a power cord. What a deal!
This thing has sniffed out everything around me......I don't speed on purpose......but when I'm doing 38 in a 25 this thing warns me of the township's money maker trap.....unsafe driving in NJ is $439!!! It's a good safety net. The window suction cups really do suck.....but I found that if I put it above my rear view mirror and let most of the weight rest on the mirror, everything is fine. Velco to the dash is another option to consider.
I like this puppy....if your a race car driver, look at the $400 to $500 detectors
This is my first radar detector. It does what I want it to do when I want it to do it. It picks up police radar and static radar trailers easily from a distance. The detector did not sound off when I passed through the new laser radar, but I may not have been hit by the beam.
It is one quick move to take the unit off the mount and to put it back on. The latch inside the detector that holds it to the mount will wear out fast. Velcro a piece of thick foam rubber under the front of the detector to support it on the dash. It is easy to recharge the batteries in the unit while you drive. The Highway and City modes allow me to filter out false alarms. I like the snooze detector for long trips. The display is easy to see unless you have a light colored dash that reflects light during the day. Put a black piece of felt on the dash in front of the detector.
I do not have any other detectors to compare side by side for an accuracy competition, but this one does the job that I need it to do. The control buttons are fast and easy to use while driving. It does not pick up radar from the sides, but this should lower false alarms and I usually do not speed in a sideways direction.
You may only have a second or two to react when going head on with a patrol car using mobile radar because your combined speeds are about 140 mph.
I got this radar detector about a month ago and have since driven over 3000 miles with it averaging 15 mph over. I have had enough of a warning every time there has been a cop using radar. I one time I was with a few other cars going 120-125 mph and the ka warning came on, i only had enough time to get down to 80 but since every one ells was going faster i was not the one to get the ticket. This is not going to perform like the Vi, and i would not suggest major speeding 35+ over the limit with this unit. But if you are like many Americans who instead of talking on the cell phone and eating like to drive a little above the suggested limit, this is a great tool to have. I should add that it is by no means fool proof. Even the V1 is not fool proof, they will not help with laser. I would suggest the use of a CB radio, a police scanner (BCT-8) and laser jammers for more well rounded perfection. I would also like to state that by no means am condoning high speed driving, as a mechanical engineer i would as well suggest not go to slow either, it is the difference in speed that kills, so do not pass at a grater difference then 15mph when possible and try to stay as close to the average as possible. Also don't drive some junker at 100mph, if you do feel the need for speed please, for all of our safety drive a BMW, Audi or Porsche... these vehicles where designed for it and you neon or crown vic. was not. Back to the item at hand, it will more then pay for it self after your first cop encounter.
Well I bought this product a few weeks ago and so far no tickets. I live in Louisville, Kentucky and I think we are the 14th largest city in the country (something like that). Even when in city mode there are a lot of false alerts especially around Walgreen's, Rite Aids, and banks. Also I couldn't find what city mode to put it in from a choice of C, C1, and C2. I looked online at Whistler's FAQ and it says C1 is for larger cities and C2 is for smaller cities and completely eliminates detecting X band radar, and I have no idea what just regular C does. Besides that, being sort of large, and when I mounted it, it sort of tilted upward and still does this is a pretty good radar detector. Again I still haven't been pulled over, and I would recommend this product and it is priced well though I think it is a little out dated and I think law enforcement will be coming out with something new that this detector doesn't provide protection against.
I have had this Radar Detector for about 6000 miles now and it works great! I have used Radar Detectors for the last 20 years and this one is definately among the best. Amazon has one of the best prices that I have found.
I was looking for something to replace my out-dated entry level Radio Shack radar detector and after doing some research, I read good reviews on a couple different sites about this unit. Once I received it and tested it out, I was not disappointed at all. I have never owned an ultra high-end unit, so I can't compare to those, but this serves my purpose very well.
I recently drove from San Antonio, TX to Columbia, SC. to visit my son in Army Basic Training. The trip was rather long and I knew I would need some serious protection to travel to the east coast. I reviewed and researched radar detectors for a few weeks off and on. I finally settled for the Whistler Pro-58. I wanted something that was as modern and up to date as possible, and at the same time, be affordable. Being as we had not been to that part of the country before, I didn't know what to expect as far as Highway Patrols and local Law Enforcement. I can say that this system worked out great! It worked in all bands and I was happy to actually see a Laser (Even though that was in Memphis, Visited Elvis,on the way back). Oh, beware, Tennesee is loaded with DPS!
Anyway, we saw some X and K band radars in some smaller towns and Ka in the larger cities. The false alerts were there, but not too bad. The keep you awake mode was good to have, as every time it beeped, my ears perked up and I looked around a bit. I enjoyed using this product as it was quite simple and easy to understand. The only problem I saw was range, but we all want a 10 mile warning right? The range was decent, provided you don't do more than 10 over. It was well worth the price and even if I had gotten one ticket, this was still cheaper! I have had Whistlers in the past, this one is worth the money! Cudos Whistler!
Nice looking unit purchased in time for a 3,500 mile trip. Spent time traveling to Iowa from New Hampshire with the compass reading E instead of W...very frustrating..I had a magnetic compass in the car and the readings varied widely. Re-calibrated the unit probably 20 times, all to no avail. Just before item returned, it read N while parked in front of my apt. while car was actually facing S.
Further, it gave me virtually no warning time on approaching police vehicles. It would finally pick up the radar, but only after the police unit was in full view. I know radar was more prevalent due to traffic stops I saw on the trip, including one car in front of me picked up by radar, cop turned around, and my unit didn't pick it up until he was in back of me and passing to get the speeder in front of me
Totally unacceptable, worst radar unit I've ever owned.
I bought this product since I do a lot of highway driving on my commute to work each day. I wanted the added protection to avoid speeding tickets. The features of this product are good and I do like having it but I would not reccomend it to anybody. What I found out after buying it was that state troopers don't turn on there radar guns when sitting on the side of the highway. They wait till you fly by them and then clock you. This detecter does alert you but for the most part I've already seen the cop and slowed down and the police don't even bother clocking you at that point. I did take a long trip for Thabnkgiving and this was true thru many states. I havn't gotten a ticket and do slow slow down when it does go off but in my opinion there is no reason to buy any type of radar detector. Cops have become smart to them and there will never be a detector that can detect a turned of police radar.
EASY INSTALLATION. GREAT PRODUCT FOR THE PRICE. INSTALLED UNIT LAST NIGHT...SAVED ME TWICE TODAY! UNIT IS A BIT SENSITIVE, HOWEVER, EASY TO DIFFER FALSE ALARMS.
THIS UNIT COVERS IT ALL. I AM PLEASED TO HAVE IT IN MY VEHICLE. I USE IT PRIMARILY AS AN ALERT UNIT. DURING ROAD CONSTRUCTION IT IS NOT ALWAYS CLEAR AS TO WHAT THE SPEED LIMIT IS AND THIS BECOMES A SAFETY PROBLEM. NORMALLY THE HIGHWAY DEPT WILL POST PORTABLE RADAR UNITS TO TELL YOU YOUR SPEED AT THE TIME. THIS UNIT PROVIDES AN ALERT WARNING TO START SLOWING DOWN BECAUSE OF THE CONSTRUCTION AHEAD. THIS UNIT SHOULD NEVER BE USED FOR THE PURPOSE OF SPEEDING. IT IS NOT HEALTHY FOR YOU AS WELL AS OTHER TRAVELERS ON THE HIGHWAY. THIS UNIT ALSO SERVES TO HELP KEEP YOU ALERT WHILE AT THE WHEEL AS IT PROVIDES ALERTS FOR THIS PURPOSE.
I travel on the Atlanta area freeways frequently and it has already saved me a couple of times.
This was a gift and I do know how accurate this unit is on picking up the signals
This product works ok. Seems to pick everything up and what I mean is it goes off every other minute. I feel it's bulky in size and looks like it would be an older model.
For the price of the radar detector, I'm extremely impressed. From it's features to its accuracy it has been a great product. I have been successfully warned multiple times now, well ahead of police vehicles coming towards me on the opposite side of the road with their speed radars turned on. I use the "City 1" mode which nearly eliminates false alarms that normally occur X-band while driving around in a normal city environment. When the detector alarms, I know that it can be trusted. I highly recommend this radar detector.
While this does not have the radar range of the top-3 detectors, (unlike Cobras) it has been adequate. Laser detection is top notch though.
I didn't expect voice being a nice feature, but it enables you to know the radar band quickly and without looking at the detector. I would definitely recommend this feature to everyone.
False alerts are normal for it's price range (read close to no filtering). Radar detectors are not very useful (read quiet) in cities ;)
Interestingly enough, the microwave front end of the XTR-560, XTR-425, XTR-325, Pro-73, and Pro-58 are the same, and their algorithms similar. Thus, they have the same performance, but different features / display / warranty.
Finally, as far as I've heard, their customer support is excellent.
I bought this as a gift my better half. I decided on this model because it has all the features you could ask for. The POP detection is a definate plus. And it also has a detection for what they use in Europe right now and soon to be in the States. I figured this way I wouldn't have to buy a new one when it does. You can't go wrong with the price for what this model has to offer.
I got a speeding ticket a couple weeks ago while at lunch. When I got home from work that evening, my radar detector was on my doorstep. Talk about shipping too late. Here's my real rant though...
It Has No Range!
Typically, I see the cops before it even goes off. The manual said it had a range of a mile. There's NO way! I have past cops sitting on the side of the road and it would not go off until I was within 30 feet of the police car.
Also, The manual said it had technology to prevent it from mistaking a automatic motion detector door for a police radar, but that seems to be false as well. I know where every automatic door is in town. As a matter of fact, if it would pick up police radar with the effectiveness that it picks up automatic doors, I would be very pleased.
This laser/radar detector is one of my best investments in a long time. I tend to drive a little on the fast side and in the three weeks that I owned the unit it has already paid for itself many times over. That is, of course, if you ignore the fact that owning the device has given msome serious confidence in the speed at which I drive. I guess I'm just thankful that it works so well! Speaks in 2 languages, to configure, and has a very accurate level of reading signals and determining how far away they are.
| 
