Radar Detectors

[djkymar]

Hi gang!
I always wanted to get radar detector for my VX and never got around to buy one but now i finally save up some money and i wanna get one for xmas. Any advice on which ones right now are the best? I know some of you have some nice ones so if you dont mind please tell the model and stuff like that.
Thanks a lot!

[mbeach]

There will be some very strong opinions here, but I'll limit the reasonable responses to the 3 major brands/models.
First expect to pay between 3 and 4 hundred dollars. Any less, and you may as well tack on the price of a speeding ticket.
The top sellers/performers are Escort, Bel and Valentine One.
Bel and Escort are the same product in different looks. The top model of each brand is the one to look for. I've had a pre-11/02 (this is significant) Passport 8500 for 6 years and counting. I've hardwired it into 6 vehicles and have always managed to keep it with me. Bel has been using Escort's technology for a few years now, and their top of the line RX model has beat out the PassPort on a few occasions.
The other top performer is the Valentine One, which only comes in one flavor. It's a very good unit and has a rabid following. I had one and it just never gained my loyalty. Mr. Valentine worked with the Escort folks way back when the company was known as Cincinatti Microwave. They had a falling out and Mr. Valentine's marketing materials reflect this rivalry to this day.
I say find a local owner of each unit and do a ride along, but stick to the top of the line units. They will pay for themselves many times over in the course of their long lives.

Good luck and speed safely!

[mbeach]

Addition,
I just got an email from Escort introducing their new PassPort 9500. It's basically a souped up 8500 with GPS (not for navigation, but to eliminate repeated false alarms -i.e., if you drive by the same bank everyday, it'll recognize the frequency and location and stop alarming on it).
Sounds very cool, but at a studly $449, it might have to wait...

[Chopper]

There's a BEL in each of my vehicles...It's gonna cost you 400 or so...go top end, it's your license

[djkymar]

I heared people were talking good about cobra detectors any opinion on that?

[mbeach]

Fifteen years ago, Cobra was alright.
Now they generally sell a lower quality product at bargain stores. Hold out for the best -speed enforcement technology is getting more and more sophisticated, you had better get some protection that can at least keep up with it.

[djkymar]

Thanks everybody for your input went last week and got escort passport 9500. So far it works fine. Only thing that bothering me everytime that it beeps on auto doors in big stores like walmart etc Been driving on hightway nothing yet probly cuz there were no cops. Still affraid going more then 80 cuz i dont know how far that radar works and if it works at all =) so for now just cruising around 70-75 and looing for cops =)

[KaNGiX]

Can the new tech in radar dectors doing anything against the instant on feature in the speed guns

[creeg]

I've had a pre-11/02 (this is significant) Passport 8500 for 6 years and counting.

Mbeach, why is 11/02 important?

[mbeach]

VG-2.
Prior to 11/02, a "stealthy" radar detector would be completely invisible to the "radar detector detector". Generally this was done with good shielding of components, or some manufacturers even programmed their units to shut off when in close proximity to a radar source to avoid detection.

Since 11/02 (iirc), manufacturers have been forced to allow some measure of "leakage" detectable by VG-2, to catch drivers using radar detectors in states/districts where they are illegal.

I'll look up the link to the complete story -I don't speed much anymore, so I'm not on top of things like I used to be.

[Jolly Roger VX'er]

There's a BEL in each of my vehicles...It's gonna cost you 400 or so...go top end, it's your license

I went with the BEL 985 in my VX. There was a BEL 990 out at the time but the only difference was it had Canadian (and I believe also European frequencies) programmed into it, which were all useless to me.