Beltronics Vector 955 Vs. Whistler Pro 78/Whistler XTR-690 Vs. Cobra 9930

Beltronics Vector 955 Vs. Whistler Pro 78/Whistler XTR-690 Vs. Cobra 9930

So what do you think, I have only heard bad things about cobra as a brand, but I have heard good about this particular cobra (the 9930), I like the look of the features but don't like the sound of the brand in general. As for the Beltronics and Whisters both seem to have good reviews and a good overall set of basic features.

Out of the 4 which would you choose, or if none of them, what in the same price range would you go for?

Why do you even bring the Cobra in this fight? You may have heard some good things about the 9930 but it has the same craptastic abilities of the other cobras. It might be pretty, but thats about it.

From what I heard the Pro 78 is a tiny bit better in Ka than the 955. If your main threat is Ka, Pro 78 all the way. The cobra wont perform at all near the Pro 78 or 955. If you want a cobra, get a cheap one because they're all the same. Higher prices on cobras means more colors on your screen.

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Originally Posted by Bkag

Beltronics Vector 955 Vs. Whistler Pro 78/Whistler XTR-690 Vs. Cobra 9930

So what do you think, I have only heard bad things about cobra as a brand, but I have heard good about this particular cobra (the 9930), I like the look of the features but don't like the sound of the brand in general. As for the Beltronics and Whisters both seem to have good reviews and a good overall set of basic features.

Out of the 4 which would you choose, or if none of them, what in the same price range would you go for?

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The Cobra 9930 is a nicely designed and feature packed radar detector, but it like other Cobra models has poor sensitivity to 35.5 Ka radar. Unfortunately 35.5 Ka radar is the second most common Ka radar gun frequency employed today, the most common radar gun frequency being 34.7 Ka.

With regards to Whistler's Pro78/XTR690, don't buy a used on since by purchasing a new one from an authorized dealer then you will be assured of getting the more recent revision C which has boosted performance. Also note that the Pro78 and XTR690 have identical performance since both are built upon the exact same antenna platform. Note that the Whistlers come with a 3 year standard warranty.

All of the Bel Vectors feature virtually identical performance when detecting radar. Thus it is simply a matter of picking the Bel Vector model with the features which you really like. The V940 is the "budget" radar detector and has a very limited feature set. Unless you are on a really tight budget then I would recommend that you only look at the V955 or higher models. Note that the Bels come with a 1 year standard warranty, but a 2 year extended warranty is optionally available and may be purchased on-line on Bel's web site at any time before the 1 year warranty expires.

So, now it comes down to your driving conditions, what radar threats you will normally encounter, and personal preferences regarding radar detector features.

-- If you are not sure what radar threats (X, K or Ka band) are used in your locale or if you live or occasionally drive through New Jersey where X band is still heavily used, then I would recommend choosing one of the Bel Vectors since the Vectors have excellent performance against all three radar bands.

-- If your primary radar threat is Ka band radar and your driving conditions consist of obstructed terrain (woods, buildings, heavy traffic), then it simply boils down to your preferences between the Pro78/XTR690 and the Vectors since these models in these real world conditions will perform very similarly against Ka band. Even though the Whistlers are a bit less sensitive on Ka band compared to the Vectors, the Whisters amazingly will many times alert a few seconds sooner. This has to do with a unique Whistler patent for sniffing out very short duration (well under 1 second) blips of radar.

-- If your driving conditions consist of unobstructed terrain, then the Bel Vectors with their slightly higher Ka band sensitivity will give you a bit more raw Ka band range compared to the Whistlers.

-- If half or most of your driving is suburban and city driving, then I highly recommend the Whistler Pro78/XTR690 since even in Highway mode these RDs are fairly quiet when driving around town, especially when you use these RDs in conjunction with their Quite Modes or Auto Quiet Modes. The reason for these RDs being fairly quiet around town is that their K band radar sensitivity is Good to Very Good versus the Excellent to Superb K band sensitivity of the Vectors. Thus the somewhat lower K band sensitivity greatly reduces false alerts from fairly distant K band microwave door openers without having to put the Pro78/XTR690 into City mode. I look at these Whistler models as an affordable alternative for city driving if you can't afford either of Escort's top-of-the-line 9500i and 9500ix models.

To summarize...

If you don't know what radar bands are used in your area or if you need really good X band protection, get a Bel Vector. If your primary radar threat is Ka band then pick whichever Bel or Whistler model which has the features that you like. If a lot of your driving is suburban/city driving and Ka band is your main threat, then you might strongly consider the Whistler.

Thats the way I see it for what its worth!

:)

Wow, Thanks Mem-Tek.
Ok, well I'm not too sure on what they most regularly use here, I live in Englewood Colorado, I know they don't have x or POP (not that POP is a problem) but they do use K and KA and sometimes laser :( , however I'm not sure on the frequency of them using K instead of KA. So would you say based on this to go for the Bel?
Another factor is their strategy though, you said that the Whistler is better over hills and around corners, police here always hide over the brims of hills or around corners so that also makes me lean towards the whistlers!?!? THIS IS SO HARD :p

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Originally Posted by Bkag

Wow, Thanks Mem-Tek.
Ok, well I'm not too sure on what they most regularly use here, I live in Englewood Colorado, I know they don't have x or POP (not that POP is a problem) but they do use K and KA and sometimes laser :( , however I'm not sure on the frequency of them using K instead of KA. So would you say based on this to go for the Bel?
Another factor is their strategy though, you said that the Whistler is better over hills and around corners, police here always hide over the brims of hills or around corners so that also makes me lean towards the whistlers!?!? THIS IS SO HARD :p

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Both the Veil Guy and I were hit with Stalker 34.7Ka last week by Colorado Staties.

Ok, I think I have decided on the Pro 78, now I just have one more question.
Are there any stores in the denver / englewood area anybody knows of who sell this RD? I would rather buy in person than online

Never mind, just bought it online from radarbusters :)

Ugh. I can't say I am convinced in the slightest...but I'm gonna get in line for an XTR-695 just to see how great Rev C is. Unless I can find a good deal on a Rev C Pro78/XTR-690 before then. I can't see how it could be better than "my precious" v955....but we'll see.

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Originally Posted by bkrell

Ugh. I can't say I am convinced in the slightest...but I'm gonna get in line for an XTR-695 just to see how great Rev C is. Unless I can find a good deal on a Rev C Pro78/XTR-690 before then. I can't see how it could be better than "my precious" v955....but we'll see.

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Your 955 will be much better on K and X band

So are the Whistlers one trick Ka ponies?

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Originally Posted by bkrell

So are the Whistlers one trick Ka ponies?

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You could say that Ka band is the Pro78/XTR690 rev C's specialty. On several occasions my Pro78 alerted on Ka band before my STi, the longest time I recorded being four seconds before my STi. The Pro78/XTR690, due to Mike B's unique patent, has the unique ability to sniff out weak and extremely short duration Ka band radar signals whereas other radar detectors generally require the detected signal to be continuously present for nearly one second. Mike B told me that the Pro78 with POP mode turned off still manages to detect Ka POP roughly 50% of the time. I couldn't test this since POP isn't used in my area. In my Pro78 review I rated the Whistler's K band performance as "Good", not "Very Good" or "Excellent." I also rated the Whistler's X band performance as "Fair." In my opinion the Whistler's K band performance is good but not stellar, and the X band performance is acceptable.