i have it narrowed down to the escort 8500 x50 ($300), Bel RX65 ($300), and Bel 995 ($230). Im honeslty not much of a speeder and would never rely on a radar detector no matter how good it was. I basically want one so I know where the cops are at in case I dont see them. And for those times when im just not paying attention to the speed limit. I know you get what you pay for but I dont think I need top of the line. The 995 which is the cheaper of the 2 has vary good ratings and is a respectable detector. What do you guys think?

 

What do they use in your area? X, K, Ka, laser etc.? Refer to this list as a guide if you aren't sure,

http://www.patzcatz.com/radarbands.html

I personally wouldn't buy another Beltronics. I had a Vector 940 which needed service twice in only 2-3 years. The second time I gave up on it because it was the same problem as the first time after only a year. Having said that I believe Escort and Beltronics are in some type of agreement now in regards to production, perhaps someone else knows more. I'm using the 8500 X50 now and am very pleased. I drive mostly in area's where Ka is used and it does a fantastic job around curves, hills and long straits. Remember to take it out of the car on hot days, and I recommend the extended warranty just in case.

 

Escort is a sister company of bel. I had my last bel for about 5 years and never had a problem. I decided to go with the bel 995. Its pretty close to the RX65 but with a little less features. And from what I've read the escort 8500 x50 and RX65 are pretty much the same.

 

I had the wireless escort. It never seemed to work. I live in nj and am extremely happy with the valentine 1. I don't think I'd ever use another radar.

 

thanks for that link

 

I used a friend's Valentine 1 once for 2 weeks while he was on vacation, loved it and will buy one soon. I can't speak on any other radar detector. Go with works for you. I like the link for the different police bands that are available,it'll really come in handy.

 

I've got a X50 in blue hard wired in my IS250, it works great. It's paid for itself times 10 in saving me tickets. It's a good level radar. Not at the top of the line, and not at the bottom.

You should check out radar Roy. He's got a blog and has reviews on a bunch of stuff.

http://www.radarroy.com/

 

X50 or 9500ix. Id also advise you to just get one on craigslist and save $150 or so.

 

I used to have an Escort Passport 8500 X50 that I bought 4+ years ago, back when that was the top of the line model. I still do have it but it stays in my glove-box or my center storage console now. Back when I was still at University I frequently drove between NY (where I grew up and was living at the time) and MI (where I went to school) so it paid for itself many times over. I also made frequent trips to Philadelphia, Indiana, and Cambridge to visit friends at schools there. However I live in FL now and, at least where I live, all the cops use laser. Unfortunately with laser you won't detect it until it is too late and all it will do is serve to make it harder to talk your way out of a ticket. There are a few, isolated areas where they use radar around here but I know exactly where they all are. The only reason I know they have to be using radar is because they're in the car (which wouldn't be proof positive if it was at night and they were sitting out in the open with a clear shot through the windshield) and they're perpendicular to the road with no view out of the sides of their car. 95% of the time though they use laser, and 100% of the time they use laser on the highways here, so it does me no good except annoy me with beeps. If I go on a road trip I'll plug it in, otherwise I don't bother.

If I ever invested 150k+ into a car (wouldn't exactly call it an investment though, except in my happiness) I would consider a laser shifter though so I could really drive cars like that with some acceleration when the road was clear. After all if you buy a supercar or an expensive sports car and never drive it over the speed limit you've completely missed the point. However on anything below 100k personally I don't think a laser shifter would pay for itself.

EDIT: Provided I'm looking at the right laser shifter on escort's site, they've come down in price considerably over the past 5 years. I remember them offering one that cost over $1000, maybe even several thousand for full protection. For that price a laser shifter might be a good investment for me, however I got a ticket about a year ago and considering I commute a total of 70 miles everyday I don't chance it anymore. I go 12-14mph over the limit, tops. I got a ticket for going 15 over on the highway so I usually stick with 10 over unless I'm in a huge line of cars. Plus even if I did do 80 or 85 it would only shave 5 minutes off of my commute at most (I did the math but I don't remember the numbers since it was a while ago). The only time I ever feel like speeding is just every once in a while when you feel like giving your car some extra gas on a joyride. Unfortunately I don't do much of that anymore, not since graduating and getting a full-time job. Also, it seems like the laser shifter I was looking at was their cheapest one. It's probably good, but if I was investing in a tool to prevent me from being caught speeding, because I was speeding so much that it was necessary, I would go all out on the best I could get.