Some of you may have already have owned a Radar Detector in the past. Then, as many/most, you turned it on,.. drove around and it constantly went nuts,.. making noise constantly - mostly when no Cop was in sight. It probably drove you crazy and after a few days, weeks, or even months it ended up turned off, eventually pulled out of car, and either in the trash can or stuck in a box in the closet.
99% of people go through this, and I don't blame them. I've done it before I knew any better.
So what's the deal?
Well, all Radar Detectors are NOT created equal. In fact, the vast majority of them are utter trash, nothing but noise boxes, that will alert you at some point to a Cop's Radar Gun but also to the Door at the grocery store you are passing, even other cars with their new fangled radar cruise control, proximity sensors, and so on.
Honestly, there are less than half a dozen Radar Detectors you should even consider purchasing. All the rest, forget about them. The ones you see in a Walmart , a "Cobra" for $99 - Is money that might as well be burned.
To cut to the chase - There are essentially Three Detectors I am going to name/recommend and I'll describe how each would fit your 'personality'/'needs'.
1) Escort Passport Max -
This detector is a top of the line (as all of these listed are) in performance, while also having everything *built in* to the detector itself without HAVING to pair it to your phone for example for extra functionality. I won't go into too much technical detail but detectors can now memorize all those false signals that make all that noise on the cheap detectors. They use GPS to remember that the Grocery store door(s) are located at (X,Y,Z Coordinates) and to NOT alert in the future for the "false" (Non Cop/Police) Radar signal. [Automatic Doors operate on similar radar signals as police radar guns if you are wondering].
You can pull this detector out of the box, plug it in, and honestly, be done with setting it up. It will constantly be learning to lock out false signals while alerting you to the REAL threats/cops/speed traps.
Also the Passport Max (1 and 2) [Same detectors, the 2 is newer and merely has the Bluetooth built into the detector,] - Are 1-3+ years old. This is good,.. as you can find them used on Ebay (and anywhere electronics are sold, amazon, etc..) - For half price or less!
The price of a Brand New Escort Passport Max [1] is $599 - While looking at Ebay right now, the same detector slightly used is listed at $299 (So quite a discount).
2) Valentine One -
This detector has been around forever! However it's a classic, somewhat old-school in the way it looks but still one of the best performing detectors on the planet.
This was the original Radar Detector that had ARROWS on it. Ok, why are arrows even on a radar detector? Well, with the arrows it literally tells you where the cop is -- In front of you? Behind you? (Even beside). Why is this important? (Short Answer) - But one example is - You are driving on the interstate - Going say , oh,.. 85 MPH in a 70 MPH Zone. Detector starts going off -- With arrows you can glance and see , oh he's behind me somewhere. You can adjust your speed and watch in rear view for him (Without the arrows you'd think automatically he was probably ahead somewhere.. while he may be catching up to you, and bam speeding ticket).
That said,.. I only recommend this detector to someone who is either 100% Ok with a lot of noise on false signals -- OR, better yet - Is willing to learn, read, do research -- and has (or will buy) an android phone / device to run either it's own free application called V1Connection or an even better (Enthusiast Developed) Application called "YaV1".
These apps for your phone (or tablet) (only one is used ) - give the Valentine One Detector the ability to learn and lock out these false signals that cause all the annoying noise for false signals. (YaV1 does A LOT more than that,.. but the most 'handy' function is it's ability to add that HUGELY beneficial function to the Valentine One detector.) The Valentine One is also a little Cheaper than the Escort "Max" series of detectors. The Valentine One is $449 (With 30 Day Trial period).
Like the Passport Max 1&2, you can find this detector on Ebay for a discount -- However I do NOT recommend buying one used, period. They all look the same,.. however one from 4 years ago and one from this year are very different in terms of the technology/abilities. So it's quite common for people to buy a used one (that looks the same as new) but it's X years old and while it works, it doesn't have many of the latest functions, filters of false signals, and so on.
3) Escort Max 360 -
This is all digital. Digital trumps Analog. It just does,.. why ? Well in Radar Detection - how FAST your detector sends you that alert the more time you have to slow down/adjust speed. With an all digital modern platform the Max 360 , quite simply, reacts faster to passing/incoming radar signals.
This thing is feature packed, has an OLED screen, ability to change the colors , and about a million other adjustable things -- (But you don't have to adjust/touch a thing!)
As with the Passport Max [Series] Detector(s) - This is designed for people who know absolutely NOTHING about Radar Detectors. So they can merely take it out of box,.. plug it in, put on windshield and let it do it's thing. It has built in GPS (For locking out false signals/learning/AI), It has Front and Rear detection "Antenna's/Horns" (which allow the arrows to function).
Price: $649 (New)
This is a relatively new detector,.. but you can still find one used -- Ebay has them for $450-$600 used. So you can save some money (Couple hundred if you wish).
Don't be spooked off by price on these things. Just ONE detection that saves you from a speeding ticket pays for any of these Radar Detectors.
How? Obviously the price of the ticket ($100-$250+) - No Points on License. Insurance Premium does NOT go up (Even $10 a month increase adds up! $120 a year time X years is expensive). Not to mention you don't have the hassle of being pulled over, .. all that can go "wrong" these days with police encounters - You aren't late for whatever you are doing, and on goes the beneficial list. -- It's also just nice to know where the police are around you,.. many of you will become mini-enthusiasts who start seeing patterns of where police are in your area (that you haven't been seeing already).
If you are still on the fence -- Here's (Link(s) Below) one of these three detectors *in action* (they would have ALL saved me in this video) not only warning me of a Cop coming up behind me at night - but also showing someone else who did NOT have a radar detector and the result.
Why it pays to have a Radar Detector - [Video]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqAsLCiu4bY
If you guys have any questions about this topic - please don't hesitate to comment, I will be more than happy to answer your questions! -Take Care
What Radar Detectors do you guys/ladies use?
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