Does anyone out there know which of the so called Radar Detection devices is supposed to be the best, and about how much does one cost?

Ross

 

The three best are:
Valentine
Escort
BELtronics

Of the three, the equivalent BEL model is probably the least expensive and each of the three manufacturer's models offer advantages. Buy any one and you really can't go wrong.

 

I use Beltronics. NO speeding tickets yet and plenty of warning.

 

From research I've done, Valentine has been knocked off its throne after many years of sitting on it by both Bell and Escort. #1 Bell
#2 Escort
#3 Valentine
I wish I could remeber what their respective model numbers were but I'm sure they're gonna be the most expensive models available. One more thing, if you opt for wireless, know that you are going to be sacraficing detection range. Ebay is probably one of the best places to look if you want a good deal, both new and used. Hope this helps...

 

I've got a K40 under dash mount with receivers mounted under front and rear bumpers. Works very well and is out of site. Has two led lights and audible warning to indicate if the radar signal is from the front or the rear. Audible warning could be louder, but overall very happy. You can read about them by typing in K40 into your search engine. There is also a model available that detects L.A.S.E.R.

 

There is no best radar detector.

Choosing a radar detector for you depends on many factors:
1. Do you want a more sensitive detector that will give you earlier warning, but more false alerts, or a less sensitive detector that will give you less false alerts.
2. Do you want a radar detector that can supress false alerts by the use of GPS filtering. Just note this same GPS filtering can supress true police radar signal detection.
3. Is the location of the threat (forward, behind, side) information important to you.
4. What kind of enviroment do you drive in: hilly, flat, curvy roads, straight roads, urban, suburban, rural, highway, side streets, secondary roads? Different radar detectors do better in some of these enviroments and others do better in others.
5. What kind of tactics does the police use in areas you drive in. ie. in Texas (I have a friend that lives there) the Valentine 1 and the Beltronics STiR+ (programmed correctly) are the only radar detectors that will detect radar the way it is used there.
6. Do you want a windshield mount radar detector or an installed remote radar detector.
7. If you live or drive in Virginia where radar detectors are illegal, and the police use radar detector detectors, you need a "Stealth" radar detector that the radar detector detectors can not detect.

Yeah, I am kind of a radar detector enthusiast too.

 

I think you meant to say that there is no best radar detector for everyone. There IS a best radar detector for you and your driving habits, location, and police equipment.You just have to research which one that is.

Keep in mind that while many radar detectors have built-in laser detection, the only (somewhat) reliable way to foil laser is to use a laser jammer. Some are highly effective. My old Lidatek was one of them, during its heyday (12 years ago).
The radar detector laser detectors will warn you when it is too late, whereas the jammers give you time to slow down (before the officer triggers his laser again).

 

I agree that there is no "best" radar detector. All 3 of the high end units basically function at the same level of quality. For me the question has always been one of overcoming the annoyance of constantly receiving false alerts in many areas. The GPS functioning of some of the Escort units have finally substantially eliminated the annoyance of false alerts. It automatically logs and rejects signals from known false alert transmitters.

Sooner or later most people cease consistently using their radar detectors because of these highly annoying false alerts.

With respect to GPS enabled units, when you throw in the positives of getting alerts on known radar trap hiding places throughout the country and traffic camera locations, its pretty hard technology to beat.

I'm not especially loyal to Escort or any other company. I'll consider buying any GPS enabled unit. Now that my current unit remains virtually silent on drives throughout our suburban area, I'll never go back to the constant false alert environment of older less sophisticated technology. It has saved me from at least three radar tickets in the last four months alone.