Up until this point this is the only radar detector I’ve owned, and it is a good product in most respects. I’d gotten speeding tickets frequently (at least one a year) prior to owning one, and in almost two years of driving with it, I’ve only gotten one ticket (which was not for speeding). However, recently I placed (not dropped) it into a bag with some other items while cleaning my car, and when I took it out, it had cracked along the side, after which it did not work at all. So while this is a good detector and it did save me some tickets, I would expect any product that costs over $300 to remain more durable for multiple years.

Pros:
Good Range – Finds cops frequently, especially in the Chicago suburbs where they are always trolling for tickets. Even on the less sensitive settings, I’ve always had plenty of time to slow down (although it should be noted I rarely drive more than 20 mph over the limit). This device has not only reduced my # of tickets, but has also made me a safer driver (as I am more aware of my speed and generally more alert).

User-friendly – The main setup and settings are very easy to use; I scanned the manual briefly but probably wouldn’t have had to. There are some pretty high levels of customization available as well – for example, you can adjust the sensitivity to different types of radar individually – however, I personally didn’t mess with these, so I can’t speak to them. While the beeping is a little annoying until you get used to it, you can adjust the volume and mute it fairly easily.

Cons:
Price – This unit will be a budget-buster for a lot of people, after mine broke I couldn’t even consider dropping $300 on a replacement unit. While I haven’t owned other radar detectors, I doubt that the features on this one make it worth paying six times as much as a lower-end detector.

False Positives – Seemed to be a fairly regular occurrence with this one even in City mode. For that matter, there didn’t seem to be much difference in sensitivity between city, normal, and highway mode, although as mentioned these can be adjusted manually. There’s an extent to which the range may be a little too good; I think it would sometimes find radar on nearby streets that I didn’t really need to know about.

Durability/Reliability – This is the biggest, and probably only serious, issue I have with this one. Part of this is a personal preference thing, but this isn’t priced like a $35 piece of junk; and I’d expect it to be able to handle a little abuse. Instead it broke after a couple years of what I’d consider fairly normal use and storage.

My overall recommendation would be that this is a good unit if you are looking at a high-end radar detector, however, be prepared to either be really careful with it or replace it in a few years. Buying the warranty and/or repair plan (which I did not do) is strongly advised.

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Washington Times, The - Devices challenge red-light cameras.(A)
August 9, 2001 -- Byline: Daniel F. Drummond As police departments around the country deploy increasingly sophisticated traffic-enforcement tools - like the...