Why don't they make "Fuzzbusters" anymore?

[TurboNerd]

I had someone tell me about a Fuzzbuster they had from 1979 and they were still using.

What sort of performance would this be compared to a modern day.....say, Corba?

Anyone ever used a "Fuzzbuster"?

[The Chariot]

When Escort, a private company, went public they had to open their books to the world. When the Japanese saw the profit margins of RDs were so high they flooded the market with cheap detectors, killing off several US makers.

[Stealth Stalker]

When Escort, a private company, went public they had to open their books to the world. When the Japanese saw the profit margins of RDs were so high they flooded the market with cheap detectors, killing off several US makers.
LOL! Good theory! Makes sense!

I dunno what killed Fuzzbuster, but I used a Fuzzbuster I for awhile in the late 70s, and a Fuzzbuster III in the mid 80s. They were great for finding ATMs, because the sonic alarm at every bank set them off. I got a couple of saves from them, so they did work. That's definitely the best RD name ever though!

[The Chariot]

I'll try to find the page detailing the history of the market, discusses all that.

[The Chariot]

Here's the article I found. They said the market was flooded soon after 1983, 20 competitors. If you look at the history of RDs, many of the brands that had been around died shortly afterwards. It doesn't say that's why Fuzzbuster died, but I put 2 and 2 together and got 4. :)

Cincinnati Microwave blazed on, off radar screen - Business Courier of Cincinnati (http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2005/01/03/story3.html)

[spartcus]

My next door neightor let me use his for my cross country trip.

[jimbonzzz]

Electrolert was the original company that made the Fuzzbusters. They probably met the demise that others in this thread assume they did.

As far as why Fuzzbusters aren't currently made: Escort Inc. owns the rights to the Fuzzbuster name, they revived the name briefly about 10 years ago in partnership with another company and sold some "Fuzzbuster" radar detectors. I'm guessing the name isn't used for any current products because their marketing department determined that there was more value in the Beltronics/Escort product names? I guess the real answer would be "ask Escort".

[zerbey]

ET used one to phone home, Cobra continue the fine tradition of helping Extra-Terrestrials find us.

[Green Voodoo]

I had one of the origianls Fuzzbusters and it worked great in it's day. Kind of a pain to use since you had to set the squelch or it woul alarm all the time of never alarm. Is was onl;y passive but in it's day it would sniff out radar like no other. It looked like this one here: http://www.guysoflidar.com/museum/fuzzbusterii_b_2.jpg

[OldGoat]

^ I had one of them ^

a sheet-metal box held together with pop-rivets
no band ID
no Geiger strength indication
no pilot-light to tell you it had power

These things pre-dated the wide used of radar door-openers
The only false in my area was a quickie-mart that couldn't/wouldn't afford the floor-sensor style openers

[OpenRoad]

I thought the Fuzz-Buster was an X-band only device. (?)

[switch626]

I thought the Fuzz-Buster was an X-band only device. (?)

In those days door automatic doors were probably x band. I know that when I got my first radar detector, all of the door alerts seemed to be x band.

[Bridge Cables]

I thought the Fuzz-Buster was an X-band only device. (?)

The first Fuzzbusters by Electrolert were just X band. The later models that came out had X and K, although their detectors were a “passive” type technology, not super heterodyne. They normally led the pack of passive detectors in C&D radar detector tests back then.


BC ;)

[Bridge Cables]

Electrolert, Inc. shot themselves in the foot in a C&D Radar Detector Test, Feb 1979. The Fuzzbuster came out top in the passive detectors, but was light years behind the CM super heterodyne Escort in prior C&D tests. I had one of those CM Escort bad boys myself, truly a great detector back then!

When C&D received a hand delivered Fuzzbuster from Electrolert for the test, calling it a prototype “remote kit”, they knew something was up. After the supposedly passive Fuzzbuster matched the Escort’s super heterodyne performance C&D became suspicious. C&D went to a local electronics shop, put down $85.00, yeah, that’s what they ran back then, and purchased a current Fuzzbuster off the shelf. Guess what, it was at the top of the passive detectors in performance, but lights years behind the Escort. C&D opened up the special “remote kit” Fuzzbuster box to see what was causing the performance improvement. Inside the Fuzzbuster case was a CM Escort radar detector electronics. Fuzzbuster got caught and pretty well self destructed after that.

BC ;)