Whistler XTR-695 SE v.s. Whistler Pro 78 SE

**yellowtibby** · 08-14-2010, 08:17 AM

Is there a difference between the two RD in terms of radar and laser detection performance? I'm sure this has been asked before, but the new website's search function is no good at finding it. I have an older beltronics vector 985 and I'm trying wondering if buying either of the aforementioned whistlers would be beneficial.

**Sector_15504** · 08-14-2010, 09:21 AM

The 78SE has a blue display. The 695SE has a color configurable display. You can assign certain colors during alerts (Like Red for KA, Green for X, Blue for K) and such. Otherwise, they offer the same sensitivity.

**djrams80** · 08-14-2010, 09:50 AM

Originally Posted by yellowtibby

I have an older beltronics vector 985 and I'm trying wondering if buying either of the aforementioned whistlers would be beneficial.

Assuming that your Bel 985 is working properly, it is an S7, which is better performer than the Whistler SEs. In order to get a significantly better performer than your 985, you'd need to step up to a V1 or a RedLine.

**MOPARado** · 08-14-2010, 01:02 PM

Originally Posted by yellowtibby

Is there a difference between the two RD in terms of radar and laser detection performance? I'm sure this has been asked before, but the new website's search function is no good at finding it. I have an older beltronics vector 985 and I'm trying wondering if buying either of the aforementioned whistlers would be beneficial.

IMO, the 695 has a useless display in sunlight. The 78 blue digital display is as good as it can get. The 695 has a compass and car battery voltmeter features in addition to an external speaker jack all of which the 78 does not have.
Never used a Bel 985 so i can't speak to a performance comparison. However the 78SE can be had for around $150 street price, has a 3 year warranty with excellent Whistler customer service.
I've been using a 78SE for about a year now and it does what a RDer is supposed to do.
If i needed another RDer in the sub $200 cost range, i would not hesitate purchasing another Whistler 78SE.
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**AirMoore** · 08-14-2010, 02:58 PM

If your 985 is working correctly, there is not much of a reason to go for any unit other than a GPS based unit, the V1 or Redline IMHO... it (your 985) is by no point a top performer by any stretch of the means though.

Well the Whistlers aren't bad by any means... that is $200 you could put towards a Blinder M27 or something of that nature... if the 985 hasn't lost its touch.

**yellowtibby** · 08-15-2010, 01:03 AM

Well, I was reading about KA max on the SE and thought I could get better KA performance out of it or perhaps more laser sensitivity. I love my Vector 985 and it works very well, but I got it about 5 years ago and thought it might not be as sensitive as the whistlers. I have always been a fan of Whistler, I have a Whistler 1730 and 1734 in the two other cars in the driveway, they were cheap to buy and seem to give enough warning to slow down. Maybe I'll buy the pro 78 se to upgrade from the 1734 in my spare car.

**MOPARado** · 08-15-2010, 08:42 AM

Ka performance is the strong point of these detectors.
MY $160 78SE has exceeded my expectations for Ka alert distances. Under the right conditions, expect to get mile+ Ka alerts.

Be aware though, all this Ka sensitivity might come with a price depending on your driving area as some here complain about Ka falses.
In my rural area, Ka falses are negligable to non-existent.
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**yellowtibby** · 08-15-2010, 12:05 PM

I have also heard of the X to K band confusion where x band sometimes alerts as K band on the Pro78 se/XTR 695 se, I don't really care about that, but does the opposite ever happen where K or KA band radar alerts as X band? This would be a much bigger problem because I ignore all X band alerts here in CT (where they mostly use KA and Laser, but still some K band). Anyone know the answer.

**Michael B** · 08-15-2010, 12:45 PM

Ka will never respond as K band.
K band should not be reported as X band
X band only reports as K band if there is confusion or multiple X band door openers in the event that is a K band LEO in proximity to an X band door opener we choose to alert K band just to make sure you are notified.

As for your 985, it is a decent unit.

**MOPARado** · 08-15-2010, 01:40 PM

..This would be a much bigger problem because I ignore all X band alerts here in CT (where they mostly use KA and Laser, but still some K band)...

If you want the 'SE to accurately alert to X and K bands, do NOT disable X-band in the menu and do NOT use any of the City modes which also squelches X-band, use Highway mode.
This should drastically reduce or in my experience eliminate X-K band ID confusion.
Yes, you'll get the occassional X-band alert when real X-band energy is detected (which i ignore also) and it'll alert K-band when real K-band energy is detected.
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