hey everyone, I need advice on radar detectors. I bought a Cobra today at circuit city for $50 but now I see at walmart's website, they have a whistler brand one for $40, and it detects more bands or something. it says it uses all bands, and the one I bought only uses 6. whats the best kind?? :confused: i havent opened the new one yet so I can still return it if I find a better one. thx! :)

Cobra is a good brand. The one I have is very sensitive, the sensitive the better. Again, that probably ties in with the bands" or "frequencies" that the laser can detect... some guns operate on different frequencies..I am not sure what to recommend. But i have had two Cobras and they have both served me well... have you looked them up on any kind of consumer report web sites?

I swear by my Valentine One. I used Bel, Cobra, Whistler, &c. in the past, none of them do what the V1 can/will. It's not enough to be sensitive; I need to know how many sources, and from where...

Here's what I would do: Go into your local Radio Shack, find one with a good, knowledgeable salesman, and let him give you all the info on them. Thank him very much, then you walk out and keep shopping with your new-found knowledge!

(Kind of mean to the salesman, but hey, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do!)

I'm not sure which brand is the best, but I've had a Whistler for about 4 years now and I love it. I bought 3 more for Christmas presents a couple years ago and everyone is happy with theirs too. :thumbsup:

thanks everyone! i bought one online, its a whistler pro 58. it was $85 and its the best budget one that offers detection for laser in POP mode, which is what cops use when they park on the side of the road and hide until you drive by. :blah:

I love it, it has def. done its job and already been worth the money!! thanks for all your replies. :thumbsup: I can always count on my PTO fam!! :)

Radar/laser detectors are neat devices, but take it from an ex-cop, they don't always work. What you need to do is be very aware of your surroundings. On my daily commute, I know where all the turn-arounds are (the cut throughs in the medians where staties park). Also, laser detection is fairly useless because laser doesn't bounce as much and it has a very narrow beam. It's fast enough that the minute it hits you, your speed is measured. Speed traps are almost always after long straightaways, and on hills (so when you crest they nail you) The Valentine one, though expensive is great because of the direction indicator. Laser and radar from the side doesn't give an accurate reading on speed. Also, watch semitrucks. If they're speeding, that means staties aren't around (in Ohio their fines are worse for speeding). Also don't stick out in traffic: no weaving, no staying in the passing lane, tailgating, etc. Cops love cars that stick out so no boy racer graphics either and make sure none of your lights are burned out. If you have any more questions you can pm me. (about half of the people I pulled over for speeding had detectors, and I only used a radar gun)

thx for that advice. I know laser is so quick that it doesnt always give you time to detect it before they have already caught you. Thats why I wouldnt pay hundreds of dollars for one, I figured I could get a few speeding tickets before making up for the cost, lol. The one I got is basic and didnt cost much, but does give me a heads up at least.

Plus, I read that they will be releasing a new radar band called KU this December. If/when cops start using that, all radar detectors made until then will be useless.....:rolleyes:

Yeah, it's technology warfare. But like I said, using the advice I gave and the radar detector will increase your chances of avoiding one. I don't have a detector and so far I haven't gotten pulled over (knock on wood!:p)

You know I just have to get into this thread.. ;)

The absolute best (tested) radar that is out right now is the Escort 8500 X50. It put a hurting on the Valentine in most categories, and that is impressive.

Also, for those of you who are concerned about laser detectors.. (You Should Be) You can get fully reactive laser jammers (legal in most states - does not fall under the FCC) which activate the split-second the cops laser tries to lock onto your headlights or front license plate.. (Most popular targeting areas)

Moving back to Radar/Laser Detector usage.. They aren't worth anything unless you use them as "tools" in your arsenal.. They will never save you if you are just blind-speeding all alone on a road. Just as Trnd_around mentioned, if your detector goes off and the officer is gunning for you.. It is absolutely too late. Before your brain finishes processing what is making the noise (the detector), the officer has your speed. Laser is much faster but it doesn't matter when it comes to reaction. You just get to make yourself look that much more guilty by stomping the breaks and going from 85 in a 65 to 45 in a 65...

So, how do they help? Well, the way the radar detectors help you is by picking up radar emissions from the officer clocking other drivers in front or even behind you. This can be very effective BUT you have to pay attention. If you just want to speed and not care then toss the radar out the window.. It just lets you know your going to get pulled over..

Laser radar detectors don't give you that much of a chance even when you have other speeding cars (etc) in front of you. The laser beam is quite tight unless you are far off, and the officers are trained to target the front license plate or the headlights of vehicles, which does end up transferring much of the beam on down the road.

So, on the topic of radar and not laser detectors, what is the difference in that Cobra, Bel, K40, Passport/Escort, Radio Shack (etc) brand of Radar? Often times, a whole lot...

The last thing you want is a radar detector that falses or goes off all the time for non-police emissions.. Most of the cheaper radars are just chirp boxes.. They don't filter out all the excess noise out there coming from motion sensing doors to who-knows-what... They also are not nearly as sensitive and cannot see over hills and around turns like the higher-end detectors can.. (Yes, even over hills)
There is nothing worse than feeling safe because you have a radar on your dash and next thing you know you have Smokey pulling you over.. And the little box never even went off!!??? Well, the police radar systems are getting so good that they can burst (instant on & off) and not even set off the older detectors and the cheaper new ones.. No joke..

So, if you are really serious about speeding (don't want to get tickets but can't give up the speed - just like me!) you need to educate yourself about not only the radar detectors that are out there but the radar & laser guns that law/traffic enforcement is using now days and learn to be an offensive or pro-active driver, as I call it. By that I mean you drive with a complete situational awareness (always paying 110% attention to what is around you), always looking for someone else to make a mistake, know how the cops radar and where they may sit.. Speed with a "pawn" in front of you, etc..

Ok, time to crash (sleep :p) so I will wrap this up.. Just my thoughts on the matter..

If you want to know more, here is one of my favorite sites. This guy used to be a cop that trained officers how to use radars. Now he tests everything from radar guns to radar & laser detectors and tells you how to beat those tickets.

www.radarbusters.com (http://www.radarbusters.com)

Check out the active Laser Jammer here... It is really cool! I know what I wish Santa would be stuffing my stocking with! Nice thing is the Trans Am's lights fold down so that limits it even better.

Be sure and check out the demo video of the Blinder (laser jammer) in action:
http://www.radarbusters.com/products/blinder/default.asp

Regular Radar Test Reviews
Extensive:
http://www.radarbusters.com/support/product-tests/default.asp
Results:
http://www.radarbusters.com/support/product-tests/radar-detector-recommendations.asp

Bel vs. Escort vs. Valentine Shootout (Different site than above)
http://www.radartest.com/article.asp?articleid=9090

The Bel RX65 looks like a pretty nice unit but I am now partial to the Escort line.. I've had too many Bel radars either go bad or just not work when the guy in the other car had his going off like nuts.. I used to own a Valentine and I think ole-V needs to get with the program. He was really awesome when he worked for Cincinnati Microwave and then went on to create the Valentine radar detector but he needs to jump into the 21'st century, IMO, with design, feature and more..

Ok, who's tired of my rant about radars? Gotta have them when you love speed like me... Or you end up like this (picture of me and a friend I raced Jetskis with).. There is a funny story behind these pictures... I set him up big time.. :)

I heard a radio infomercial where this one company guarantees their product so much that if you recieve a ticket they'll pay for it. Does anyone know of this brand and it's quality?

http://www.radarbusters.com/support/choosing-detector-1/4.asp

this info is from a website that reviews radar detectors and jammers:


The Hype:

The first is not necessary a feature of the radar detector, but the hype some manufacturers and dealers use to get you to buy their cheap product. The #1 hype you should avoid is the “We pay your ticket guarantee”. This hype is often used by the companies that sell those radar jammers you hear advertised on the radio, or on other website's, that just don’t work.

First off, if you read the fine print on their guarantee, you will see all the loop holes they put into it to protect them. They include: Your speed limit must not exceed over 10 miles an hour over the posted speed limit; The speeding violation cannot be in a school zone and/or residential area; This guarantee only applied to the actual purchaser of the product from six months of purchase date. Radar Roy offers you this advice when you see this guarantee, check into it further!

Yup... lots of loop holes for them to jump through... I've never actually heard of anyone having their tickets covered by these companies.. I wouldn't waste my time sending one in.