Ooops! Just bought an 8500 by mistake!

[bkrell]

Dang. I was playing around on eBay, bidding on detectors willy nilly like I always do, hoping against hope to find a good detector cheap. I saw an 8500 for $90. I bid and won it for $91. I thought it was an X50 and figured there was no way my high bid of $103 would be in the ballpark. I was just dream weaving. But I didn't realize until AFTER I bid that it was a plain 8500. Evidentally no one else was willing to bid and I won. Anyone on here sell it? It was someone in GA.

Anyway, should I keep it or sell it? Would it even be worth sending to get a tune up? Right now, I have a v955 (S7) in my car and a dorky Cobra 9930 in the wife's, which is all she needs.

Sell it? Put it in the wife's car? Put it in mine and put the v955 in the wife's?

[Straßenkrieger]

I'd say send it in, fix it for around 80 bucks and keep it.

[bkrell]

Will it be worth it to fix it? That'll put me and over $170 invested in it. Besides POP (which I don't need anyway), what does the non-X50 lack?

[bkrell]

More importantly, in proper tune will it be as good as my S7 v955?

[RotaryP7]

Will it be worth it to fix it? That'll put me and over $170 invested in it. Besides POP (which I don't need anyway), what does the non-X50 lack?

I think the only real difference is the 50% more range the x50 has. Or whatnot. If it's even 50% more..

[bkrell]

See, that's what I was wondering. Did the newer Vectors also get that 50% increase?

[djrams80]

I think the only real difference is the 50% more range the x50 has. Or whatnot. If it's even 50% more..

This is not true. This is Escort marketing, but has not been shown true during testing:

Guys of LIDAR - Radar Detector Test

[bkrell]

Of couse, it'll be even worse if I win the Whistler XTR-255 I bid $16 on.

[ActiveKAjam]

This is not true. This is Escort marketing, but has not been shown true during testing:

Guys of LIDAR - Radar Detector Test

X2
I currently use a S7 X50 and my previous detector was an 8500 nonX50. The V955 and the X50 are supposed to be around the same when it comes to detection, and the X50 is slightly better than the nonX50 by atleast a few seconds.

I'd say give your wife the original 8500, and sell the cobra on ebay.

What do they use in your area? If you any of the LEOS there use 35.5 your wife is screwed.

[bkrell]

Nah, all the LEOs use C/O 34.7 Ka for her in town driving with two sheriff's depts using C/O K combined with the previously mentioned 34.7 on my route.

Thing is, she thinks my v955 is too noisey. Can I crank down the 8500 so it doesn't annoy her?

BTW, the Cobra is in the shop getting a free tuneup (hah!) b/c it was beginning to frequently false on Ka. The cust service person I spoke with told me to just send a note saying it was a gift and I didn't have a receipt since there was no way a 9930 should be "out of tune" yet. Nice of them to do that. Too bad they couldn't retrofit a real detector inside.

My big issue on my commute, is, even though I don't really speed on the hilly part of my route, my v955 still gets caught of guard by Over-the-hill C/O K once in a while. Around the corner is fine. I would guess b/c the signals reflected down the roadway bounce around strongly enough to reach the detector. But when the LEO and I are both coming up opposite sides of a hill, I can sometimes-well, often-get no warning until he's right there in sight and then it's full strength. I guess I need a V1 for that, eh?