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Considering mostly the 940 as its 89$ price seems like a great intro rd deal. The 8500 i was told is better than the x50 version, but is it worth almost double the 940? Or the 955 over the 940. I know you cant turn off the x band on the 940, but you can on the 955, and 8500, but you can turn it to low x. Is that suitable enough? Also the vectors have the voice alerts and the 8500 doesn't. Just looking for some input :D
Get the refurb Escort 8500. It is worth the extra money. You don't want to go cheap when buying a radar detector. Buy the best you can afford.
All have their strong points. On the 940 it takes strong (5/6 bars) to make it alert to X in City LoX whereas on the 955 you can mute it completely. The escort 8500 has louder tones, frequency display, much more linear ramp up, faster response time. I'd take the 8500 refurb.
I was looking at the GOL 2009 review, and the 2007, and the 995 did as well, if not better than the 8500. Isn't the 940 the same as the other vector series like the 995 minus some features? What is linear ramp up, and what exactly is response time? I don't really care about frequency display, and don't really care if its super loud. Ive used an 8500x50 and it can be pretty annoyingly loud. How do the voice alerts on the 940 work? If i don't have to look at the detector to see what band it is, that would probably be safer. Also from what i read, many people had to send back their refurbed 8500 after getting it, which would bother me. Hence i would rather buy new.Quote:
Originally Posted by dpatel01
You might look at the GOL 2007 Radar Detector Reviews. You get a more direct comparison of the different Bel models. The 8500x50 does a bit better around curves (off axis) and with instant on shots compared to the 940.
Linear ramp means visual and audio alerts change directly proportional to the distance you are from the radar source. A linear ramp is better since it gives you some indication of how close you are to the radar source.
Frequency display is nice too, as you can see what you are being hit with. You will learn the frequency of the "false" alerts in your area and if you see a different frequency near a false, it may be a LEO shooting.
If you want voice alerts on the Bels, them just enable them. The detector, in a semi robotic voice will mumble "K band", "Ka Band", etc in addition to beeping the appropriate alert tones
Here are some videos....
Bel Line
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmymwMkk2Ig&feature=related]YouTube - Veil Guy Discusses the Beltronics Vector 940, 955, 965, 995 Series (V940, V955,V965,V995) Video Review[/ame]
Escort 8500X50
YouTube - Veil Guy Discusses the Escort Passport 8500 X50 Video Review
I would buy brand new Escort C65 for >$199
why is that? I was reading about this detector, how it is a re badged r65, but have not seen it tested. The rx65 did well in the tests i saw, but not that much better than the 8500. I was about to pull the trigger on the 8500, but would consider the c65 if it were significantly better. I cant find it for 199, but amazon has it for ~218. Is it really 50$ better than the 8500?Quote:
Originally Posted by sniper4usmc
i was in your similar situation and after doing quite a bit of research i ended up buying the 8500 for my girlfriend. ive also been told that the bel are a bit more reliable than the 8500 but lack in features. But i ended up going for the 8500 cause its overall a very good RD for the price. In the last month, ive had some pretty good saves with the 8500.
Was c65 re-badged cause of a raw deal or something? i remember reading something about it.
i read that the c65 was intended to be sold at costco, but they dropped it. So Its not being made anymore, but is a rebadged rx65. I might just buy the c65, because the rx65 does very well, only i read the ramp up is poor on the c65 compared to the 8500, and the added hassel of probbaly having to send the 8500 back would make it worth it.
im still debating
Escort 8500 (non x50 refurb)-$150
Pros:Good at detecting instant on, ramp up, response time
cons: reliability (dont want to send it back as soon as i get it)
Escort c65 (still not sure what this is about) -$195(not sure if authorized retailer, 220 at amazon)
Pros: Apparently the same as the rx65 electronics, if so, slightly better range than 8500, new
Cons: More $, worse ramp up,
Bel rx65- $235 on ebay new
Pros: don't know, most i would spend, considering because 20$ more than c65,
cons: not authorized re-seller, not sure what else, not as good at I/O as 8500
Bel v940-$89
Pros: Price, good performer, better instant on than rx65
cons: Maybe slightly less range, LoX mode only (dont really care as people say it takes a strong signal to sound)
Basing some off my reading the GOL tests, not all of these are in every test which makes it a little harder. But as of now its the 940 vs the 8500 refurb. The 8500 can disable x, while the 940 is new, and 60$ cheaper. The 8500 also has the smart cord included, which might not matter anyways if i hardwire it. Not convinced after seeing the 2007 GOL test that the rx65 or c65 is any better than either the 8500 or the 940, and sometimes worse (at I/O)
Well in my Experience i think the Escort 8500 X50 is a Great Detector i love it. it does very well on Ka ban 34.7 i don't know how it does on any thing else because that's really all we have in new zealand in ka (34.7). it does really well on off axis detection.
im not sure about the Escort 8500 Non X50 i think it does reasonably well i have seen a few videos on you tube and it looks to be a good detector.
I Advise you to Get the Refurbished Escort 8500 and don't cut any corners when it comes to radar detectors Always and i mean ALWAYS Buy Quality.
And NEVER EVER Buy a Cobra They Suck BIG TIME
Best Brands. Escort/Beltronics,Valentine one,Whistler
All the rest are crap in my opinion
Good luck:)
dont know why ive even thought this much about it. Hardly anyone uses radar in my areas anyway. They mostly all use laser now, and just saw a LEO shooting laser today driving in the city. But got the 8500 to make sure. It would be pretty stupid to have an expensive lj setup and get caught by radar haha. Hopefully the 8500 doesnt fail as soon as i get it.
I think you will be very happy with the 8500 and let us know your results.Quote:
Originally Posted by sweetlou122
once i make sure its working, I want to hardwire it, but need to figure out how to do that haha. Hopefully i didnt make a mistake not buying the refurbed x50 instead. Maybe its more reliable? O well, i can always exchange it through them if its DOA.
Don't second guess your self. I have a 8500 x50 and it has been a very good RD but i believe the 8500 has more range. Just look at some of GOL tests. Happa$$ prefers the 8500.Quote:
Originally Posted by sweetlou122
Im looking into getting the referb 8500 as well let me know how it goes.
Well, so far ive driven around 200 miles with the refurb 8500 and it seems to be working quite well. Have gotten x band, k, and ka, so i believe its functioning properly. Not sure if ive had an actual LEO encounter, except maybe being in the same lane as a constant K band within the 5 first miles.
Ka band is almost always a LEO.
thanks after seeing a lot of negatives about the 8500 i think its just that people are more vocal about a broken RD and problems then when everything is running well.
I've got an 8500 non x50 and a v955 and I'd give the nod to the 8500. Seems to have a tad longer range and is less chatty in the city than the Bels.
right, but i heard that cheap cobra units are responsible for some ka falses, correct?Quote:
Originally Posted by djrams80
I am pleased with the unit so far, the only thing i might recommend would be turning off auto mute. I was driving yesterday and got a weak ka reading in traffic. After 1 or 2 blips, it quiets down, until i see a police car drive by, and look to my 8500 showing full strength ka. Just a thought...
I don't know how often my 8500 picks up falses from other detectors but my v955 does very frequently. BTW, if you leave automute off you can still mute very easily and conveniently when you need to if you are using a smart cord.