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This unit gives far too many false alarms, and sometimes no alarm when it should. I stashed this away as a backup and paid for a very good detector which only works when it is supposed to. The first Cobra detector I had lasted about 6 years and worked fine. I don't know what happened to the quality.
It really has gone off ahead of time when a Cop has his Rader out! I have driven by Cops and it hasn't gone off but I noticed that it is because they do no have their Radar out! It has saved me from a few tickets so far, I love it! It works great! Although It does go off anytime I am near an automatic opening door a lot but thats just a minor distraction compared to all the money this detector has saved me! I recommend it!
This was a great deal. No hazzle and the product was shipped in no time.
I stopped keeping track after this radar detector paid for itself four times over by alerting me of traffic cops hidden late at night. I would absolutely have stopped for speeding every single time. I've gotten one ticket since then by a cop who SAID he tagged me with a laser, but I think he was lying since the detector didn't go off, and it alerted me of a laser radar in the past. It does go off a lot when there isn't a police radar around, but not for very long. To me that is a minor inconvenience. I just don't turn it up so lound that it drives me crazy. I can't say how it stacks up against more expensive products, but since it's saved me more than $600 in tickets, I'd say it is a very worthwhile investment.
I received a Cobra XRS 9300 rader detector for Christmas and was disapointed to learn that something in my car generates a constant Ka band signal of varying strength.
It beeps constantly so long as the car is running. If you have a 2002 Nissan Maxima, do not buy this radar detector. It won't function in this car. I would not buy any radar detector in the future except from a dealer that would accept an open item return in the event that the product is so poorly engineered.
Steve
I have owned the 7500 for 7 years. The quality is high. I have had no problems with it. It is prone to false alarms in the city, but for the routes that I drive regularly I am able to learn the difference between false alarms and real ones. The highway sensitivity is very good. The "safety" message feature has proven to be useless. Occasionally a strong radar source will cause an errant message to be displayed, though it does not happen often. I would buy another escort product if I needed a new radar detector.
This radar detector is the best radar detector I have ever owned. I purchased it in early 2000 and it has never failed me. It consistently gives me adequate warning and only false alarms under the x band. I would highly recommend it for the price. As a matter of a fact, it pays for itself the first time you speed and are warned by an approaching or hiding police radar.
Some bad experiences with the Escort 7500: First off, the 7500 does NOT have VG shielding. This is not a problem for most states and the odd Canadian province, but if you venture up to Canada, the OPP doesn't look too fondly upon radar/laser detectors...and your yankee plates!!! Secondly, the range was very poor. While staying in Missouri for a month, I brought my Bel and 7500 with me for the drive. Both were on my windshield. : ) The Bel picked out the cop just as I could percieve his headlights -- wide-set square lights, dark car, noisy detector...plenty of time to slow down. The 7500 didn't scream until I could see that it clearly was a Crown Vic...by then, it would be too late. Ok, so the road was windy and the sky was foggy. A few days later, while driving on a straight road with unlimited visibility, similar story...but this time there were some dips in the road. Bel started screaming about 2 miles before the cop was visible. Escort? Let's just say that it told me to look for trouble just as the cop was coming up the opposite side of same hill. Not good! The 7500 does have some good points. Laser detection far greater than the Bel 980's, and I found it easier to configure. The 8 tracking bars are good to watch as you have an idea of what's around. But, when compared to the K40($250 range + no ticket warranty) for laser detection, there is nothing to compare. The K40's radar detection ranged from slightly between that of the 980 and 7500 to slightly better than the 980. As for the Valentine 1 ($399), you get what you pay for. This is my all-time favorite. Sure, it lacks the neat gizmos such as SWS, but the main purpose is to avoid a speeding ticket. Ranked from best to worse: #1. Valentine 1 #2. K40 #3. Bel 980 #4. Escort 7500 Happy motoring!
If you have never owned an Escort product, your missing the boat. This product is not like the "average" detectors sold here. It has several features which are very usful, unlike gimmicks found on lesser products. Its unique ExpertMeter, displays up to 8 signals simultaniously, showing band and individual signal strength. Its unique AutoMode makes this detector quiet to operate, even in congested areas. No matter how good you think your current detector is, there's nothing like an Escort designed radar/laser detector.
the item is good i used in the highway it worked, but it more likely to work well with the automatic door signals. liked it but not so much
I have bought this detector one week ago. Upon installlation I was unable to get the antenna and the unit to see each other with the motor running. Still there are certain moments when i can get them to see each other, that is when the engine is off. But you can't get much speed with the engine off unfortunately so I went asking the local Whistler dealer to see if i got a faulty antenna unit. They advised me to return the unit as they had numerous problems with this type of unit and get a 3450.
I have used Whistler radar detectors for many years and have them on all of my vehicles. This model, which is wireless, was very attractive because of the ease of installation. Unfortunately, the unit mounted under the hood and the display on the interior of the car do not talk to each other well and you are plaqued with messages and beeps saying they are not communication. After having spoken to Manfacturer technical people and doing what they suggested, I have returned the unit for a new one hoping I just got a bad one.
Great concept, great features,easy to install as there is no wire to run through the wirewall yo connect the two components. Hope I just happen to get a bad one. I will review the new unit after it is installed and, hopefully, working properly.
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.
It should come with the detector as without it, you will get busted!
Use super Velcro and not the double sticky tape if you have more than one helmet.
This is the only radar detector I have ever owned, so I cannot compare it to any others, but I am very happy with it. Because of this lack of experience, I am hesitant to give more than 4 stars. The only negative thing I can see about this is that I get many more false readings than real warnings, but since I drive through the city a lot, that is to be expected. On the positive side, I find that I get warnings as far as 1.5 miles away on a strong signal (I was driving toward one of those speed trailers that says "Speed limit 65, your speed: xx" on the freeway with the detector set on "Highway"). Under more normal conditions, I usually have somewhere around 3/4 mile which gives plenty of time to check and reduce speed if necessary.
This paid for itself a few months ago after detecting a cop around a corner of a large rock face. I slowed down and the car just behind mine passed me and then got pulled over.
The device performs exactly as indicated in the literature. All of the features function correctly and with excellent sensivity. In addition, the amazon.com performaance was excellent. I chose the free shipping option. I ordered Tuesday evening. The unit was shipped within 24 hours from a Kentucky warehouse. It was in the UPS Minneapolis office Saturday and was delivered Monday...six days after my order! Bravo Beltronics and bravo amazon.com!
Having done a lot of research before making my purchase, I have come to understand much about radar detectors in general. First of all, no matter how many radar "bands" a radar detector claims to detect, there are only 3: X/K/KA. This detector detects all of these, plus laser. A word on laser: radar/ laser detector combos that you mount on your windshield do not detect laser very well at all- officers direct their laser beam at the license plate, which is quite far away from these detectors. Thus, do not have much hope for any laser detector. I found the Bel Vector 940's performance with laser to be quite good, considering the enormous advantage the police have over laser detectors. However, the 940's performance with all bands of radar is almost unbeatable in this price range. The more money you shell out, often, the better detector you will get. Thus this is not as sensitive as other, more expensive models I have tried, but it works to such a degree that I question whether or not spending more money actually means getting a better detector. The bottom line: This detector is, all things considered, one of the best out there.
This is worthless. It doesn't make a sound until you are right next to a cop. Thanks Beltronics, but I don't need a radar detector to tell me when a cop is 20 yards away, I can see him just fine.
I purchased this radar detector last December of 2001 and I was very impressed on how the radar detector sniffed up the low-powered and lethal KA band. I went on a rode trip from West Palm Beach to Bradenton. During the trip the radar detector alerted me up the lethal KA band radar 2 miles away. If one averages that the fine for going at least 15 miles an hour over the speed limit is $173 dollars. Now that one has that figure in their head, if one is on a road trip and your radar detector goes off 3 times the whole way there then you just saved yourself $519 dollars. So radar detectors do work and I could go on all day about stories where that I have been saved from recieving a ticket. Also, the town where I am in spent 1 MILLION dollars on a police car that uses KA radar that can transmit a signal in all directions, and the Bel 940 gave a warning of over 2 miles away from the source (which in this case was the 1 MILLION dollar police car). The features of the Bel 940 are great, the dim feature helps while driving at night. The range is superb in the front and in the rear. The Bel 940 radar/laser detector's front range is excellent due to the fact that it can detect X, K, KA bands at over 2 miles away. The rear range is also great detecting: X band: 2 miles away, K band: 2 miles away, and KA band: between 1/2 a mile to over 1 mile away. I have done alot of research on the Vector 940 radar/laser detector along with other detectors and I have found that for the price...along with the ability to UPGRADE THE SOFTWARE for future radar/laser monitoring technolgy that the BEl Vector 940 radar/laser detector will be the only radar detector that one will need/own. Also, as far as laser detection goes this radar detector is unbeatable, I am speaking from personal experience. I picked up laser at 1000 feet and it gave me time to slow down, and also this detector can pick up shattered laser signals (meaning if a police officer hits the car next to you with laser then the Bel 940 detector will pick up the signal. Also, this detecor has immediate response to INSTANT ON/PULSED radar. Overall, I am extremly happy and satisfied with the Bel Vector 940 radar/laser detector. Keep this in mind before one buys a radar/laser detector ALWAYS do research on the product and remember that just because a radar detector is $400 does not mean that it is the best. The Valentine radar detector company hypes the public over that if you do not have a rear radar antenae on your radar detector then you cannot pick radar up from the rear and Valentine further says that front antenae radar detectors can only recieve a rear signals from billboards and road signs, well that is completly NOT TRUE. Apparently the people over at the Valentine radar detector company did not take the time to do their homework. The fact is that radar signals pass through your vehicle MEANING if a police officer is behind you or a few cars behind you then you can still pick up a signal for 2 reasons. The first reason is that radar signal are actually radio waves that in turn can pass through your car, so the radar signals reflect off metallic along with other surfaces in your car that hit the radar detector and trigger an alert, also road signs and billboards help but the point is that you will recieve a signal from the rear (KA band: 1/2- 1 mile away from the rear) regardless if you are driving in a city (where signs in billboards are) or if you were driving in the desert (where NO signs or billboards are available) the second reason is that radar signals (X, K, KA band) spread over about 4 lanes of highway or about 250 ft. Meaning that is a big area in which some signal can pass through your vehicle and trigger your radar detector. I am not bashing Valentine I am just disgusted at what they say about other radar detector companies and I am just setting the record straight on the ability of front radar antenae radar detectors to pick up radar signals from the rear. If anyone that reads this article does not believe me then go to [a website] and then you will now that I have been telling the truth. And if you dont believe me about how front radar antenae radar detectors can pick up signals from the rear through the 2 reasons that I have described to you then feel free to search the web and you will find the same info that I have listed above. I hope that this article has helped you in finding a excellent and reliable radar/laser detector, and if anyone of the readers' or observers is lost then give the BEL VECTOR 940 RADAR/LASER DETECTOR a try and I GUARENTEE that YOU will not be disappointed. You will be glad that you took time to read this insightful article about the BEL VECTOR 940 radar/laser detector.
This is the only radar detector I have ever owned, so I cannot compare it to any others, but I am very happy with it. Because of this lack of experience, I am hesitant to give more than 4 stars. The only negative thing I can see about this is that I get many more false readings than real warnings, but since I drive through the city a lot, that is to be expected. On the positive side, I find that I get warnings as far as 1.5 miles away on a strong signal (I was driving toward one of those speed trailers that says "Speed limit 65, your speed: xx" on the freeway with the detector set on "Highway"). Under more normal conditions, I usually have somewhere around 3/4 mile which gives plenty of time to check and reduce speed if necessary.
This paid for itself a few months ago after detecting a cop around a corner of a large rock face. I slowed down and the car just behind mine passed me and then got pulled over.
The device performs exactly as indicated in the literature. All of the features function correctly and with excellent sensivity. In addition, the amazon.com performaance was excellent. I chose the free shipping option. I ordered Tuesday evening. The unit was shipped within 24 hours from a Kentucky warehouse. It was in the UPS Minneapolis office Saturday and was delivered Monday...six days after my order! Bravo Beltronics and bravo amazon.com!
Having done a lot of research before making my purchase, I have come to understand much about radar detectors in general. First of all, no matter how many radar "bands" a radar detector claims to detect, there are only 3: X/K/KA. This detector detects all of these, plus laser. A word on laser: radar/ laser detector combos that you mount on your windshield do not detect laser very well at all- officers direct their laser beam at the license plate, which is quite far away from these detectors. Thus, do not have much hope for any laser detector. I found the Bel Vector 940's performance with laser to be quite good, considering the enormous advantage the police have over laser detectors. However, the 940's performance with all bands of radar is almost unbeatable in this price range. The more money you shell out, often, the better detector you will get. Thus this is not as sensitive as other, more expensive models I have tried, but it works to such a degree that I question whether or not spending more money actually means getting a better detector. The bottom line: This detector is, all things considered, one of the best out there.
This is worthless. It doesn't make a sound until you are right next to a cop. Thanks Beltronics, but I don't need a radar detector to tell me when a cop is 20 yards away, I can see him just fine.
I purchased this radar detector last December of 2001 and I was very impressed on how the radar detector sniffed up the low-powered and lethal KA band. I went on a rode trip from West Palm Beach to Bradenton. During the trip the radar detector alerted me up the lethal KA band radar 2 miles away. If one averages that the fine for going at least 15 miles an hour over the speed limit is $173 dollars. Now that one has that figure in their head, if one is on a road trip and your radar detector goes off 3 times the whole way there then you just saved yourself $519 dollars. So radar detectors do work and I could go on all day about stories where that I have been saved from recieving a ticket. Also, the town where I am in spent 1 MILLION dollars on a police car that uses KA radar that can transmit a signal in all directions, and the Bel 940 gave a warning of over 2 miles away from the source (which in this case was the 1 MILLION dollar police car). The features of the Bel 940 are great, the dim feature helps while driving at night. The range is superb in the front and in the rear. The Bel 940 radar/laser detector's front range is excellent due to the fact that it can detect X, K, KA bands at over 2 miles away. The rear range is also great detecting: X band: 2 miles away, K band: 2 miles away, and KA band: between 1/2 a mile to over 1 mile away. I have done alot of research on the Vector 940 radar/laser detector along with other detectors and I have found that for the price...along with the ability to UPGRADE THE SOFTWARE for future radar/laser monitoring technolgy that the BEl Vector 940 radar/laser detector will be the only radar detector that one will need/own. Also, as far as laser detection goes this radar detector is unbeatable, I am speaking from personal experience. I picked up laser at 1000 feet and it gave me time to slow down, and also this detector can pick up shattered laser signals (meaning if a police officer hits the car next to you with laser then the Bel 940 detector will pick up the signal. Also, this detecor has immediate response to INSTANT ON/PULSED radar. Overall, I am extremly happy and satisfied with the Bel Vector 940 radar/laser detector. Keep this in mind before one buys a radar/laser detector ALWAYS do research on the product and remember that just because a radar detector is $400 does not mean that it is the best. The Valentine radar detector company hypes the public over that if you do not have a rear radar antenae on your radar detector then you cannot pick radar up from the rear and Valentine further says that front antenae radar detectors can only recieve a rear signals from billboards and road signs, well that is completly NOT TRUE. Apparently the people over at the Valentine radar detector company did not take the time to do their homework. The fact is that radar signals pass through your vehicle MEANING if a police officer is behind you or a few cars behind you then you can still pick up a signal for 2 reasons. The first reason is that radar signal are actually radio waves that in turn can pass through your car, so the radar signals reflect off metallic along with other surfaces in your car that hit the radar detector and trigger an alert, also road signs and billboards help but the point is that you will recieve a signal from the rear (KA band: 1/2- 1 mile away from the rear) regardless if you are driving in a city (where signs in billboards are) or if you were driving in the desert (where NO signs or billboards are available) the second reason is that radar signals (X, K, KA band) spread over about 4 lanes of highway or about 250 ft. Meaning that is a big area in which some signal can pass through your vehicle and trigger your radar detector. I am not bashing Valentine I am just disgusted at what they say about other radar detector companies and I am just setting the record straight on the ability of front radar antenae radar detectors to pick up radar signals from the rear. If anyone that reads this article does not believe me then go to [a website] and then you will now that I have been telling the truth. And if you dont believe me about how front radar antenae radar detectors can pick up signals from the rear through the 2 reasons that I have described to you then feel free to search the web and you will find the same info that I have listed above. I hope that this article has helped you in finding a excellent and reliable radar/laser detector, and if anyone of the readers' or observers is lost then give the BEL VECTOR 940 RADAR/LASER DETECTOR a try and I GUARENTEE that YOU will not be disappointed. You will be glad that you took time to read this insightful article about the BEL VECTOR 940 radar/laser detector.
I've had this radar detector for a few weeks now and use it on a daily basis. It has saved me quite a few times from a ticket when it went off to forewarn me of upcoming radar activity. It seems to go off when there is activity. Yes, there are many "false positives", but I'd prefer to err on the side of caution when it comes to it. Overall, very satisfied with the purchase.
Antonline is a good company to deal with too. Fast delivery.
Great and easy to use. I would recommend this product if you dont need all the gadgets and gizmos!
You can't buy a better radar detector for this price, this is my 2nd Cobra detector in 15 years, love em.
This unit is cheap junk as is any detector you pay $40 for. It's just basic economics. No company is going to be benevolent and give you expensive technology for dollar store prices. I've had this unit for more than a week just for fun and it's hilarious how little it picks up. I've passed at least one speed trap, at least a dozen state troopers, and an equal number of city police. Amazingly, the whole time I've had only two hits. One was an X band constant on radar that any detector built in the last 30 years would have got and the other was a K band constant on hit that I didn't pick up until the cop was practically parked on my windshield. Good thing he was outside his jurisdiction and that I don't speed.
Notice a lot of folks have stopped using detectors because they "just don't help anymore." Well, it's because Cobra units like this have saturated the low end of the marketplace and they are JUNK. Really folks, there is a big three of radar detectors, Bel, Escort, and Valentine. Whistler also makes a couple of new units that are right in the low $100 range and are your only hope for good detection if you aren't willing to spend around $300. Go to any site that does testing of Cobras and even their priciest units just aren't worth the money. I have no axe to grind with Cobra. I wish they made better products. I had to see for myself if the low end units were as weak as I've read. Well, they are. All this unit will do, if you're lucky, is let you know you're about to get a ticket unless you're on a straight away in heavy traffic and encountering a policeman using a radar gun using very old technology. But you may not even be lucky enough for that to happen and just see flashing lights behind you.
I recently purchased a Cobra ESD 7000 Radar Detector, for myself. I have had a prior traffic offense, adn wanted to avoid any increase in my insurance rates. Also I find dificulity in hearing safety and emergency vehicles on the roadway so I wanted a way to be alerted when I should need to pull over. well, I plugged it in and it did its whole beep and whistle business to alert that it worked. It didn't beep for at least 5 days. the 5th day an ambulance nearly ran me over with it's lights on because I didn't hear it soon enough to get out of the way, By the grace of god I avoided an accident, but my new Cobra ESD 7000 Radar Detector, never beeped even once during the whole incident. It was at this point I got a ltitle hestitant of it's ablities. Nonetheless I did not give up hope. I was driving home from a few hours away on a state route, and I was coming down a large hill. I was accelrating as you often would going down a hill naturally, and didn't realize I was actually speeding. Lord and behold, a police office turns around and pulls me over. al the while my new, Cobra ESD 7000 Radar Detector, never beeped. not once. I now I have to pay a ticket which is much more than the price of this p.o.c and I am going to end up with a total of 4 points on my license. I WOULD NEVER SUGGEST THIS PRODUCT TO ANYONE!! IT DOES NOT WORK!!
I bought my unit in Feb. 04 and it has performed perfectly since. It recognizes all bands (including Spectre 1) and has saved me mucho dinero. My car is parked outside in the blazing Florida sun and the unit has no apparent ill-effects from the heat. If a police vehicle has its detection equipment activated the Cobra 9700 WILL detect it, at least mine always does. I highly recommend this unit.
Purchased this item for my husband and I must tell you, very good investment for the money. Product easy to install, easy to program as it has direction on it (N, S, W, E). Very easy to understand, clear voice alerts and special alerts for different kinds of bands.
IT'S BEEN OK SO FAR THERE'S BEEN A COUPLE OF TIME THAT I THINK THAT COPS HAVE RADARS THAT THIS DETECTOR CAN'T PICK UP BUT THATS JUST ME....
I think I got what I paid for. It managed to detect the speed-guns and warn me to give couple of seconds to slow down (in Sri Lankan roads). However, this unit developed a serious problem. The dot matrix display panel suddenly went dark. It turned out to be a problem with a connection point of the power supply. When I twist and wriggle the connecter a bit (at the point where the external cord connects with the unit) the display panel comes back momentarily. Now I cannot see the display at day time since it is so faint. I am living with that problem. Not sure if anyone else has got the same problem.
Apart from the problem with the display, all other functions are quite OK.
THIS RADAR IS A VERY CAPABLE UNIT. AS WITH ALL RADARS, YOU HAVE TO KNOW YOUR PRODUCT. FIRST, THE UNIT HAS A SERIES OF DIFFERENT BEEPS FOR ALL RADAR DETECTION. THIS COMES WITH A SERIES OF LIGHTS. LEARN TO RECOGINZE THE RADAR UNIT. AS YOU DRIVE ALONG THE ROAD, MAKE IT A POINT TO PAY ATTENTION.
A RADAR UNIT IS NOT A LICENCE TO BREAK THE LAW BY SPEEDING!!
Since getting this radar detector over 2 years ago i have not had one ticket. I've also slowed down just a bit, but still have a lead foot. This detector has picked up police over 2 miles away and even over slight rises in the road. it's a load of money for a detector, but it's been invaluable to me on my 160 mi/day trip. Escort is definitely the PRIMO manufacturer of detectors! Other people have talked about false alarms... yes there are a few, but i'd rather be alerted to a false alarm than receive a TICKET... and the false alarms are not bad... TURN IT ON CITY.
Escort X50 is plagued by false alarms on the Laser and Pop channels. Please borrow a friends and test in your car first. I have tested in 4 different cars and everything from the horn to the turbo charging spooling up will cause this thing to go wild. I tried working with Escort to resolve problem but they wanted 65 dollars to place foil over the sensor to (Dumb down my detector). I've already given to much money to escort.
I own the 8500 and bought the x50 for my fiancee and we just returned from a 1000 mile trip through some of the most tenacios states for radar traps and I have to say that the x50 was a great DISAPPOINTMENT especially for the hefty price tag. Operating both units side by side for the entire trip my 8500 performed as well as the x50. That is to say that the x50 despite its claims did NO BETTER or no worse than my 3 year old 8500 unit. Both units have the same features with the exception of POP which is not in wide spread use as of this posting. Unless you are color blind or must have a blue display then go with the x50 otherwise save a few bucks and get the 8500 or keep the dough in your pocket and stick with your current 8500 until Passport comes out with a unit that is worthy of its price tag. I gave it one star because I feel cheated by the hype passed down by Passport and the radar detector review boys who I think are compensated by the manufacturers for their supposed unbiast reviews. "I love my 8500"
In A word the Passport 8500 is awesome. I picked it up for a road trip across the southern USA. I tested it out around Los Angeles and got a few false alarms but I also found a few motor cops hiding. We hit the road for 5 weeks and did not get a single ticket. The unit was easy to use and we quickly learned the signal types. We spotted police units approaching from behind; we were alerted to POP before it was too late. It even caught a frontal blast of Laser, I jammed on the brakes and saw the police car in the center divider, no ticket. The X band went off for every construction zone but that was to be expected. Overall it spotted all radar traps and saved us a lot of money. I would never drive across the country without this unit. Worth the price.
After driving for ~2 weeks with both x50 and Valentine One I am
keeping x50 and Val1 will go back to the vendor.
Besides the price differential, x50 offers better pop protection,
is less sensitive in the city driving and offers more up-to-date
interface.
On the other hand it lacks arrows and back window radar (it does
have a back window laser detector, which is not the same as a
full fledged radar that Valentine 1 has patented).
Arrows could come very handy, but this alone does not
justify the ~$120 difference between otherwise very similar
products.
Other than that, both units are very accurate compared to some
other detectors that I've tried. The noise level in the city
driving could get excessive, thankfully x50 comes with a very convinient mute button right on their "smart cord" power supply.
I am deducting a star for the lack of a carrying case,
as less expensive units come with carrying cases out of the box
I was expecting x50 to provide this accessory as part of the
product, not a separate purchase.
The features sound cool but would be really impressive if they worked. This detector WAS going to replace my old passport, however, I'm thinking not. The range on it is terrible, I read a review elsewhere stating that the only thing this detector will do is let you know you have a ticket... I should have listened to that review. I've actually tested out over 1,000 miles with my Passport next to this XRS 9500 and my passport does pick up more erroneous readings, however it also picks radar up to a 1 mile before the 9500. The 9500 also goes from 1 bar to 2 bars to full strength right away, unlike the competition. Let's face it, usually at 1 or 2 bars your still deciding if you should brake or not. I would stay away from this detector. The safety alerts showed a train in Wal-Mart (By the way there are no railroad tracks around for 2 miles), a VG1 alert at my house (totally residential area and highly impossible) and other inaccuracies that just don't add up. Good luck in your detector decisions, buckle up and drive safe! (That was safe.. not necessarily slow)
I recently travelled to Toronto from Ft Laufderdale by car and, as is normal in Florida, I counted no less than 18 radar/Highway Patrol hits before we hit the Georgia border. After that, all the way to Toronto I only say 3 troopers and 2 of them were at accident scenes. So, it's not that Highway Patrol in the other states hide better, we down here just get a lot more special attention on the highways ... LOLOLOL ..
Anyway, I bought this Cobra unit and it is the max ... very easy to understand, clear and bright read out and voice warnings are given... both rear and front detection capablities .. 11 bands ... and MOST IMPORTANT I didn't get false hits continuously forcing me to turn the unit off, as has happened with outher radar detection units that I have owned! This unit has highway and city driving modes which are marvellous ...
The four main control buttons are on top of the unit and easy to manage so you can go 125 mph and reeset or change settings easily ... OK .. I meant 75 mph we don't really speed do we? Appart from mute this unit also has an intellimute function that turns the mute ON when your engine is revving at a low speed level that you can set ... then as you speed up the mute is turned off ... HMM works great ....
There are $400 to $500 units out there .. forget it ... Im sure this baby at less than $100 bucks will certainly give you bang for your buck ... and .... if you are one of my Florida neighbours, that travel to Disney regularily ... it will pay for itself on your first trip ...
I feel like I have already paid for this product from all the speeding tickets I could have received. This radar detector gives you enough time to slow down. If the cop car does not have on its radar, your radar will not go off. I have met a cop going 10 mph over limit, but he did not stop me. The only downfall to these lasers are they are very sensitive, so make sure you know what is a warning and what is not. You will be able to tell after using radar a couple of weeks. Also, if you are around department stores w/ motion sensor doors, I would recommend to turn radar off because it will absolutely drive you insane with its loud beats. Overall, I would definitely recommend this product to anyone, and I actually bought this for my best friend because I had one and loved it.
Cheap and reliable, and easy to install. Frankly, I did not try more expensive models, but so far this model works just fine.
Will detect radar long before squad car can be seen. I really like the voice alerts along with the usual beep alert.
This little device works well when you know how to read the frequencie. i love the voice alert, but i wish it was a little louder, its a little hard to hear when you are listening to music. once again this thing does not detect cop cars! overall it works well for my personal needs.
The radar detector displayed a service required message after about 3 months of service. It was working great otherwise. Called Beltronics and they asked for the detector to be returned for service. Called Beltronics again when they did not respond after the detector had been delivered (based on the tracking information) and they said the vendor (Electronicis Expo) is not an authorized dealer and that they have to charge $59.95 for the service. Called Electronics Expo and they claimed they are an authorized Beltronics dealer, but Beltronics insisted on charging for the service. After a month and still no repaired detector. Called Beltronics and they still did not know what the problem was. The detector came back in a week and works as before. I assume I paid $59.95 to have the service required message removed and all the trouble to have it done!! I have no idea what Beltronics actually fixed -- nor did Beltronics's customer service for that matter.
It's a great detector. Just make sure you bought it from Beltronics at their high price if you think the warranty is important. For me, even with the $59.95 extra I paid, I still pay less than Beltronics' price for the detector.
This is clearly the best radar detector I've owned, in terms of detecting radars. However, it is also one of the worst radar detectors available for purchasing. I got one in May 2006, and it worked very well...for a week. After a week, it died. Luckily, I was able to get a replacement, which worked very well until May of 2007. Of course, Amazon is not an authorized reseller, nor are any of the sellers who use amazon to sell this product, which means that right now I have no detector, and if I want to repair it, BEL will do it, but it will be expensive.
Like most of my electronics, I baby them. This radar detector sat on my dashboard or was placed in the comfort of its fancy foam-lined steel case when not in use. After six months, the detector croaked. I mailed it back to Beltronics with the Amazon receipt and received a letter stating that it would cost $60 to repair. Baffled, I called Beltronics only to be told that Amazon is not an authorized reseller. The customer service woman was very rude and condescending. I hung up and bought the latest and greatest Escort directly from their website.
Helped me so many times! I am using it in Europe and it works excellent!
This is the best radar detector I have owned. I have owned about 5 Bel's and 4 other brands in the last 30 years.
I tried this RX-55 and found a lot of false alerts -- it seemed to just go off for no reason and I passed like 4 police cars and nothing. I researched online and asked radar experts and they agree -- the better one is the vector 955. Either upgrade to the rx65 or get the cheaper vector 955. I only write this to save many of you the hassle and unhappiness that I went through.
I haven't had that much experience with detectors, but I did use one detector before I switched to this one. Compared to the previous one, this Beltronics unit is far superior and I do now get peace of mind when I need to go a little faster than what the police can tolerate. It has far better range with signal strength indicator so that you get a rough idea how far the signal source is. I also like the way it's designed. It's not a perfect device, but overall, I think it is a good product and does the job well.
This was my first radar detector and I have really enjoyed it. Usually the cops have their radars on while driving so it's easy to know they are near you... I don't speed, I just hate people who go slow.
This unit is signficantly cheaper than the ticket I got right before I bought it. I did not use my old radar detector except on the highway, because there were so many false alarms in the city, it was just an annoyance, besides which, without voice alerts, you never knew what the odd boops and beeps meant. This unit solves all of those problems. Even on City 2 mode, you get false alarms in K band, but they are always in the same places around time, and they are brief and not annoying. You come to know where they are and filter them out with your brain. When the unit goes off in one of those speed traps you always drive through in major metropolitan areas, it reminds you instantly to slow down, and this is invaluabe. It will easily pay for itself in two years of use (that's about how often I get a ticket with my driving habits). If you get as many tickets as I do (or more), you need one of these.
Great product for the price. I live in flat open country so it is easy to drive way too fast. This thing sniffs out radar with plenty of time to slow down. No need to spend big money for Escort or Passport.
This instrument picks up all kinds radar/laser. Takes a while getting used to it but it works.
Saved me once already with seconds to spare.
This products works great. I used it for a long trip and it saved me when I needed it to. My wife thinks the talking is very annoying but it has a selection that it doesn't do it everytime you start up. The VG-2 setting is nice in some states but it doesn't come set on straight out of the box. Once you turn it on once it does work. I had the emergency vehicle signal work in Florida. Overall it works great.
I have been using my BEL 936 Express for 3 years now (paid $95 new in 2002). I drive like a maniac. The only ticket I have gotten since I started using this was at 5am and the cop driving down the other side of the road didn't have his radar on until he saw me come along. The BEL 936 picked it up right away after he turned it on, but by then it was too late. No radar detector will be able to detect radar that isn't on. I have to say that the guy who left the review in November of 2004 (below this one) gave it bad reviews, but he isn't even reviewing the same product. He says right there in his review that he was using a different model. Likewise, there was another negative review in relation to another BEL model, not the 936 Express. The reason some of these detectors stopped working is likely do to the users leaving it out in the sun while they are not in their cars. The heat will destroy the electronics eventually. To avoid this, take it down when you go inside. Put it under the seat or in the console. I get a few false positives on X-band, but Ka and K are always reliable. I use "CITY X" mode almost always unless I'm on the highway. I have detected laser with this unit. I have picked up K and Ka as far as 3 miles away on the open road while driving across Louisiana in the middle of nowhere. The only problem I have had in the past 3 years is the speaker died. I ordered a new speaker from BEL for $7 including shipping. I installed it myself and now the unit works like a charm again. I highly recommend this. They are really cheap on eBay now. You can get them for under $40 brand new.
My ESCORT Solo was destroyed in a fire after almost eight years of wonderful use. Hence, I went shopping for a replacement, and like a complete fool, I tried to save $100 and bought this one (Beltronics Express 946 Cordless) about a year ago. To make a long story short, I finally tossed it in the trash today (won't even subject it on someone else at an auction). If I got award "minus stars" I would on this miserable product.
I will not even comment about the multiple false positives, or the absurd diplay which can not be read in the daytime, but what made me absolutely HATE this product -- and by imputation everything by Beltronics -- is the totally ridiculous mounting system. Every trip I spend just too much time and attention "adjusting" it as there is no real "locking" mechanism with regard to the "setting" once set. It tends to get loose and "pivot" around rendering it worthless as a detector. Once you finally get it set the way you need it, the suction cups do not "suck" very well, and it tends to fall off quite often at minor bumps and turns. This is quite dangerous as one tends to end up "adjusting" it while driving. Many times I have had to pull off the road to get it to work properly.
It is obvious the designers put NO thought into the user experience, as it fails at nearly every level. A horrible product. It's in my trashcan now and I've just ordered the Passport 8500 X50.
I bought one for my husband's birthday and now I take his car as often as possible. I don't have a lot of experience with radar detectors but this one has performed as expected. As far as I can tell, it has been extremely accurate from all directions.
it has alot of false warnings and doesnt pick up alot of real ones.
I've used my 936 express for just under 2 yrs in my Subaru WRX and I can say it has saved my bacon on a few occasions. Now while I would say that I don't drive like a maniac, I'm no saint either when it comes to obeying speed limits on the highway, but I have, so-far, NEVER had a speeding ticket -touch wood. The unit did fail (stopped detecting radar altogether) after a couple of months. Bel repaired the unit quickly (I was without it for about 10 days) and it has been problem free since. This detector is fairly basic, it has no 'bogey counters' or 'direction indicators'. I personally believe that a direction indicator is of dubious value anyway -owing to the radar energy's potential for being reflected off other vehicles / roadsigns / buildings etc. A 'bogey counter' feature on the other hand might be useful, but as I mentioned, the 936 doesn't have one. What the unit does offer though is excellent detection ability of X, K and Ka band radar. I've taken it on trips to California and in the flat expanses of Death Valley, the detector would pick up approaching police vehicles sometimes 2-3 minutes before we passed each other, that means they were over 4 or 5 MILES away when 1st detected. Naturally this range decreases in urban environments. Because of the highly directional nature of Laser (it's a pencil thin beam) I'm personally of the opinion that if a genuine Laser alert is received, it's probably too late, if you were speeding, the ticket is as good as in the mail. The unit does sometimes give false Laser alerts (a particular overhead dot-matrix sign in my area sets it off about 75% of the time I pass under it). From what I understand, many laser detectors are susceptible to this type of thing. False alerts on X band are common too (automatic door openers, fast food microwave ovens etc. are touted as the reason for this). It sometimes also chirps when passing other vehicles, I guess they are equipped with radar detectors - some of them leak a bit. By running it in CityX mode it is possible to reduce false alarms significantly by turning down the sensitivity to X band radar. I always run mine this way. I give the 936 Express 4 stars since it offers solid performance at a budget price. I'd give it 5 if the volume was easier to adjust and the signal strength meter didn't go away in the nighttime use DARK mode (I see no reason why it can't be made dimmer) What this thing isn't though is a licence to speed recklessly. It may alert you to the presence of police radar in a timely manner, but it does nothing to reduce the odds of an accident. In busy urban environments, the reduced range plus the false alarms from shop door openers etc., limit the effectiveness of any radar detector, not to mention the danger of inappropriate speed in these environments. If you drive like a maniac you will eventually get caught -or worse. It is perhaps best viewed as a useful indicator when to ease off if you're prone to doing a few miles over on the highway. Speed Safely.
This detector is awesome. It has saved me hundreds of dollars in tickets, hardly ever false alarms, and always gives me more than enough warning, of upcoming radar. And the portability is pricelesss.
My first detector was a Bel 890, i enjoyed its ditgal voice message, free the drive from have to look at the detector. I only bought this one because it was a cordless and thinking it would make driving in VA or DC easier. Little did i know that a cordless has far less detection range. The difference in the range with or without the optional cord is like night and day. So i had to purchase the optional coiled power cord. I would recommend anyone who wants a detector with the cord out of sight to by a normal detector with straight power cord or direct connection cord and not this cordless detector. To say nothing of many the false alarms this one has. I have since bought a Bel 985 and highly recommend you do the same.
I am very dissapointed with this product. I have owned and used it daily for about 10 months. It will detect K band radar only when you are within 400 feet of the gun. It is virtually useless in detecting Ka band unless you're within 50 feet of the gun. It also falsely detects Ka band very frequently especially on sunny days when it has been sitting on the dashboard for 15 minutes. The laser detector also goes off quite often. The X band detector went off so often in business areas (even with the x band sensitivity set to poor in city mode) that I disabled it. Escort advertises the following on their website: "Long-range warning for all radar signals: including "instant-on" X-band, K-band, and SuperWide Ka-band. Patented Digital Signal
Processing provides long-range warning distances, without increased false alarms." I guess their definition of "long range" is a few hundred feet. So save your money and don't waste it on this product.
The Solo 5110 cordless radar detector has been in both my cars for about 6 months now. You can program this thing to suit your tastes in the areas of volume, automute, 4 brightness settings, 5 radar sensitivity settings, start-up mode. It's easy to take down and hide from prying eyes. It has a front mounted on-off volume control which is rare to find these days and very easy to use. Great windshield mount, easy to use. If you so choose you can run it using an optional power cord. This unit all but never falses, that's very nice. Well written owners manual. I had to send the unit in once for a problem and not only did they fix the problem but they included an extra set of batteries, an extra windshield mount and they replaced a cosmetic item all at no charge. One week turnaround also. The only downside to this detector is it's Ka band detection which for me is acceptable in an urban environment. When driving on the highway where Ka can sneak up on you I would use the cord option because the unit's sensitivity is increased slightly with it. If your driving is primarily urban or suburban I would strongly recommend this detector. It's user friendly, easy to hide and almost never falses. If you mainly drive the highways I'd get an Escort 8500 or at least use the Solo with the cord for the added range.
I've been a loyal customer of Escort back when it was Cincinnati Microwave and they know their radar detectors. It's hard to compare it to other brands because I simply haven't owned one...but seeing friends' radar detectors and the dangling cords and constant chirping that sounded the same, I feel like my detector was of better quality. The Solo has changed a little, but it still offers accurate detection of photo-radar units (well in advance, too) and the Ka bands are dead-on. Frankly, I haven't ever picked up a laser detection signal and I don't know how much they're in use anymore...photo-radar is all the rage in my locality. The X bands will pick up false alerts from security alarms (usually from automatic doors at stores), but I'd rather have a few false alarms that quiet down automatically than to miss the one time Smokey has his gun trained on my car. I like the ability to easily mute the sound and dim the signal lights, so as to be extra stealth in the dark. But let's face it...most cops know if you have a radar detector if you get pulled over. However, with this little Solo cordless, I've positioned it at the top of my window and someone standing outside the driver's side window cannot see it (SUV's might be different, but it depends on the thickness of your car's siding around the window.) And dangling cords are a dead giveaway and can easily be seen from behind--I'll take AA batteries any day. The unit is easy to mount and detach, too. Personally, I have not experienced any problems with the suction-cup bracket that attaches the unit to the window--hasn't slipped or moved once and the angle is easily adjustable. But all things the same, I'd prefer a bracket that clips on the visor (like the one Solo used to have.) However it's attached, I know for a fact that this thing has saved me from some well-disguised speed traps and every photo-radar operation I've passed. If anyone has a laser experience with this unit, I'm interested in reading about it. Overall, a great investment if you have a heavy right foot, so long as you understand that no radar detector is 100% perfect. And, of course, you don't speed...which I never do.
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