i need a new radar detector for my bird, and am debating on what to buy. the guy at circuit city has only used Bel, and loves them. Me on the other hand have only used Cobra, and have had no problems with it. What does everyone esle recomend? i didnt want to spend over 115 bucks. I was looking at the Bel Express 916 at circuit city for 109. Today i was looking through a mag that my mom gets (one of them weird mags were everything is dirt *** cheap), and its got the Cobra 9150 in it for 80 bucks. it says its suggested retail value is 150bucks. anyone have experience with either of these radar detectors? waht are the pros and cons of them?? i really need a good one, cause my bird likes to fly, and im not one to keep a wild animal in a cage!

 

i think i have the one ur talkin about...it works good... i just dont pay attention to it... but it has saved me twice.......good luck with that

 

which one you got, the cobra or the bel?

 

You get what you pay for, and with $115 that's what you'll find out. The BEL is alright, it's just damn annoying and won't last more than a few years. The best out there is either the Valentine One or the Escort. I bought the Escort b/c it doesn't have as many false alarms as the Val One.

 

The new Escort 8500. If you are serious about Radar detectors.

 

I agree, last bel I owned lasted 2 years, the lights on it began to fade to the point where you couldn't see them

 

well im not gonna go out and spend a fe hundred bucks.......unless i just deside to wait another month or so. right now i have got a cheap 30 buck cobra. it works good, it saves me alot, but its just not loud enough when my music is on.how much is that escort one?

 

I paid $300 for my Escort 8500. It's a good detector. I just wish that it had the directional arrows that the V1 has. I've been tossing around the idea of picking up one of those V1's...I just haven't been able to justify the $400 expense.

 

The directional arrows are the only thing you gain with the Val One. I bought an Escort 8500 and a Val One and put both side-by-side on my daily commute (60 miles of Texas highways). Both went off at the same time for radar in X, K, and Ka - actually the Escort went off a tad sooner on the Ka.

But in the city and with false alarms, the Val One would not shut up, and yes, I had the settings set to be filtered out. I returned the Val One after a week's testing and have been using the Escort ever since. I miss the directional arrows, but not at an extra $100.

 

You know, I tryed to do that with my Bel & Cobra, but the bel would not shut up, cause the damn cobra was so leaky.
Stay away from the cheap cobras, I can detect those guy coming from the next county.

I like the Bel 990/985 or the Passport 8500...

BTW: I've been using a high end Bel that I bought 4 or so years ago, and it works like the day I bought it.


Hey does the 8500 display multiple targets ?

What are the best features you like with the 8500 ?


Ron

 

The 8500 has three "modes". Standard mode, where it displays one signal and prioritizes to decide which to show. Expert mode, where it shows multiple signals. I'm not sure what the third mode is called (or what it's really useful for), but it displays the frequency of the signal, I'm guessing that it prioritizes here, too. I got mine because it's as good of a detector as the V1 but cheaper.

 

that Val one is UGLY!!! but im sure it is good. i was thinking bout it,,, i dont need the arrows. i mean, if its going of, my *** is slowing down anyways! does the escort have voice alerts? and the saftey stuff? iv desided to get that one when i get the money, but i cant use the circuit city gift card on it now casue they dot sell it ...ohh well thanks guys!

 

I've got one of those $85 Fuzzbuster 4000s. It saves me a lot when I'm flying down the road with the sheriff around here who uses old K band.
They claim it works 360*, but that is a load of bs. As soon as the cop is behind me it stops beeping, useless on the highway when the patrol is going about 100 mph. Also it is very weak in Ka band, my only ticket was when it never picked up a speed trap using Ka. By the time it started to beep (on a 1 to 10 scale, it beeped 1 I might add) the cop was already writing the ticket. The cop said they have new technology and that my radar is now a pos. Don’t buy one

edit:

I forgot to add that the cops around Houston now use VG2 for illegal trucks. It is nice because VG2 has a huge range and I can pick up speed traps easy. Only thing Fuzzbuster is good at.

 

I haven't had any experience with the Escort 8500, but I haven't heard anything but good about it. In every test I've seen of it compared to Valentine One it was equal to or so close as to be equal to not make a difference. I can vouch for the Valentine One from experience. My dad has been using it for years, and it has paid for itself many times over. It has VERY good range, sometimes too good. Personally, I love the directional arrows. It helps me locate cops easier, and it lets me know when I'm past them so I cna start speeding again. Very valuable when there is a cop in front of and behind you. Either of these two detectors is well worth their price, and I wouldn't settle for anything less.

 

oh i have the cobra

 

I don't have the Escort 8500 yet, but I do have the 7500. I've had the 7500 for about four years, and it is the best radar detector I've ever had experience with. I haven't had any problems with it. The safety radar will tell you when a train or safety vehicles are around. It will also tell you when you are in a construction zone. I have even seen it say that there is a wreck ahead. Some of these features don't work in all areas though. The best thing that I like about it is, you can program it to your prefferances. Expert meeter will display up to four radar sources and their strength at one time. It is also very loud. I can hear it going 70, with windows down, and stereo cranked. It is awesome. I plan on upgrading to the 8500 very soon.

 

You guys sold me !!!

I'll have to get one this summer.

Ron

 

I have to agree with the comments on the 8500. We just bought one off of Ebay and I'm installing it this weekend. I've heard nothing but good things about this detector and those comments made me go out and get one.

One feature that the Escort Passport 8500 has that no other detectors offers is a upgradeable chip inside. When the cops change their technology you send your detector in to Escort and they will upgrade it for you. I'm sure there's a fee involved, but it's bound to be less than buying a new one and hopefully less than that speeding ticket.

Another thought for those of you one a budget. Your willing to pay $80 to get you out of a $120 speeding ticket. At $80 you don't get much and you'll get busted sooner or later anyway if the cheaper detector you buy does not pick up a signal. Spend $80 or $300 one day you will still get a ticket no matter what type of detector you have. But spending more now may save you a few tickets that you might get if you went with the cheaper detectors.

 

Ok so I've got a question. I thought I read a year or so ago about a detector that has a radar jammer in it that prevents the cops from getting an accurate reading on your vehicles speed. Anyone know anything about this?

 

iv heard that they dont work and are POS....but thats what iv heard.

 

Radar jammers that you can buy don't do anything. There are kits out there for jammers you build that will work. Laser jammers are legal and Escort makes one.

 

Any idea where to get one of those kits? And maybe an estimate on cost??

 

my friend who has a twin turbo supra just bough the Escort laser "shifter" (ie. jammer) and built-in radar.
it had to be custom installed by a local shop but I tell you it looks SWEEEET! has some sensors on the license plates etc. it is a classy looking thing...

he hasn't been hit with laser yet but i'll post in a few weeks what the response is... so far he says it's detecting radar from a mile away it's crazy.

Mind you, i think he paid around $1 500 or so for it plus the install?

 

They've got just the shifter for ~$400-$500. It doesn't detect radar by itself, but you can plug it into your 8500 detector ($300) and they work as one unit.

$1500 sounds about right for Escort's built-in detector.