Can someone explain why & how this board has changed?

[jws3]

I'm on occasional poster and intermittent lurker and have always found the board and members extremely helpful. I am increasing having trouble following matters and figured I'd just be blunt and say "huh?".

I see the format has changed and things seem, IMO, much more scattered than before. I see many posts & threads about "goons", but have no idea what people are talking about. Also, posts and opinions seem "scattered" and less cohesive. I used to have a handle on what was good, but am having a far harder time figuring out what is what and who is who. Maybe of the threads seem to routinely devolve into personal issues and often "inside jokes" between a few, which makes reading them awkward and time consuming.

I'd like to update my older LE30 units installed in my 2 vehicles, but have no clue what is or is not good. I've read the threads here, but there is no real consensus, leaving me to wait for the next GOL round of testing. Many posts say "X" unit is great and with great customer service, just to be follows by how much (insert name of rep/company) they stink.

In short, is there a Rosetta Stone to all this? I don't want to offend anyone, but cannot help but notice that this board is much more scattered and harder to follow than before.

[computerpro3]

I felt much the same waywhen I first joined. It can be hard to tell who is a shill or paid poster sometimes (although it was much worse a while ago), and solid information that you know is reliable is a bit hard to find.

I personally took a chance on the laser interceptor based on it's excellent reputation (it was down to either the LI or the Laser Pro Park, which was rumored to have slightly less performance but better customer service).

I bought my first unit from Elvis, who kept his word but seemed very sketchy. Elvis was Laser Interceptor's US distributor. No real website, no credit cards, had to pay via money order or wire transfer. Really sketchy stuff.

Recently, my laser interceptor unit failed on me (was part of a small run with bad weather sealant). I panicked thinking I would have to deal with Elvis, but when I returned to the forum, I was thankful to find out that Cliff had taken over. Cliff sent brand new heads to me via USPS priority and had them at my house within three business days of me first emailing him.

Further, thanks to the generous offer of the user PMoth, I had a chance to test my laser jammer for the first time with an actual police laser gun, the dreaded laser atlanta gun. My LI jammed all the way to point blank range on every single shot, despite the fact I have an SUV with huge headlights, foglights, and a liscence plate. This is the same laser gun that has shredded other jammers mounted on much easier to defend cars than my big suv.

There really is no question that the Laser Interceptor is the top performer. The only question is on customer service, and based on my experience and many other people's here, Cliff is the real deal. He's got a new website up, accepts credit cards (which have fraud protection if you're worried), and takes care of the customer. When it comes time for me to get a rear jammer and to outfit my other cars with jammers, there is no question that the laser interceptor will be my jammer of choice.

That said, if you're in an area where it is illegal to have a jammer installed, get the laser pro park (a legit parking sensor). That way if you get pulled over you won't get in trouble, it has decent performance, and good customer service.

Hope that helped.

[PMoth]

^^^^^ +1
Computerpro speaks the truth.

[MEM-TEK]

Happya$$ needs to jump in here and fill you guys in about the "goons" and whatnot. There is nothing wrong with LI or Elvis. Its just the "goons" which promote other products which do not stand up to other independent testing compared to their own testing.

[Stealth Stalker]

Edit for emphasis:

I see many posts & threads about "goons", but have no idea what people are talking about. Also, posts and opinions seem "scattered" and less cohesive. I used to have a handle on what was good, but am having a far harder time figuring out what is what and who is who. Maybe (sic) of the threads seem to routinely devolve into personal issues and often "inside jokes" between a few, which makes reading them awkward and time consuming.

Word. A lot of valuable focus is lost here with this constant pettiness. The issues don't even exist on the board anymore, yet some can't resist dragging them back up every chance they get. I didn't even know what a "goon" was before I was accused by the in-crowd of being one. And I'm not the only person who has been attacked (supposedly against the forum rules) like that. It really detracts from the value and credibility of an otherwise awesome forum.

[thestaton]

In my opinion you can't go wrong with a LPP or a LI.

The forum now has a wiki, which users are working hard to provide unbiased facts. So hopefully over time, it will provide a central place of knowledge without opinions.

[Stealth Stalker]

Its just the "goons" which promote other products which do not stand up to other independent testing compared to their own testing.

I really don't see the problem. Those guys promote products that GOL has never even tested. GOL promotes stuff that the so-called "goons" have never even tested. And Peterson says they're both full of crap. So I don't really see how any of them hold any superior credibility. Who has independently tested the testers to say they are or are not credible? See how that works?

Interestingly enough, the "goons" are the only ones I have ever seen come back and be man enough to admit a change in opinion on a product.

I wish we had some credible evidence that any of them were the Holy Grail of ECM testing, but the truth is we do not. Each has their painfully obvious faults in methods and credibility. The best we can do is to consider all available input in order to make the most informed decisions. But all concerned would elevate themselves considerably by stopping with the schoolyard name-calling nonsense and concentrating on the mission at hand.

[thestaton]

StealthStalker:

GoL does not promote anything. We just simply lay out the facts, and let the viewers make up their own mind.

I've told you before I don't care if you believe in us, or our tests. We do it for ourselves, out of the love for this hobby. If you would rather trust biased shills who make a living off of their lies that's your perogative.

At the end of the day all I care about is who has the best CS & the best product.

[Hessen]

The issue of “The Goons” goes way back to the beginnings of this forum, and most original members will remember the events that took place. Leading to the downright hatred some feel towards the “Four Horsemen”

To answer your question this all goes back to a former member JTW aka Chris aka The Midget, who at one time was a very respected and honored member of this forum. He posted many vids under Jammer Tests, and some very excellent ones.

Personally I never liked him, not because of anything he did, but he was (as still is a total egomaniac). That being said he knew his stuff.

Unfortunately JTW’s only motivation is money and this became painfully evident as his allegiance with Neil Brown from Drivesmart in the UK was more than just a friendship.

In short JTW became a sellout to DS and Neil. He eventually was a main principal in the short lived forum Laser Jammer. He along with Neil Browns other shills Stalker aka Jaskel aka Special Chicken aka Tactical 22 aka Homer, and Ford Focus aka Subie began flogging Drivesmart.

JTW and Subie here banned from RD.NET, for whatever reason Stalker was able to escape the Ban Button, he’s a slippery like sucker, and to his credit seems to have abandoned JTW and his crew. Probably due to the fact he’s running his own scam Down Under.

Audi Quattro then hooked up with JTW’s crew and he also got promptly banned from RD.NET.

Drive smart turned out to be a POS and Neil Brown was exposed as nothing but a two faced lying con artist, who has now re-appeared as Laser `Star, and guess who are his #1 spammers ands shills. JTW, Audi, and Subie. These guys get banned from almost every forum for their relentless spamming.

FYI, JTW and go.mouse LPP Canada were good friends, Mouse was an original member of Team JTG, and JTW has stabbed him in the back and his crew are now bashing him and LPP, all because they only want to promote Laser Star,

JTW and his crew have publicly accused Roy of being a Felon, an Alcoholic, accused HappyA$$ of being a crook and on the take, bashed this forum and the GOL relentlessly.

These are just despicable disgusting people. End of Story.

Any negative comments towards them are totally deserved; they worked long and hard to earn the disrespect some members here give them.

[jws3]

I've read many threads trying to sort out what is what and note that many threads tend to wander all over the place and lack any semblance of focus. Also, many threads start out good and then get sidetracked on personal discussions and totally irrelevant matters. Such can be rather distracting and annoying. To be totally blunt it often reminds me of a high school lunch table. It is often painfully evident that a good number of the posters are, well, kids -- and with attention spans to match.

I may be out of line here, but I'll lay it on the table and state my opinion: If the board wants to attract more and better people then act accordingly. A moderator might be a good idea. Reading a thread that quickly devolves into a "Dude-didja see what I did to some goon/guy/kid or whatever" that goes on for 3 more pages distracts from the meat and what people come here to see and do.

The above notwithstanding, allow me to personally thank those who put in their obvious efforts and time to help guys like me determine what to get and why.