Cobra ESD 9110, is it good?
If you got one, list the brand name and how good is it.
Bradruth, please don't get me pulled over.
If you got one, list the brand name and how good is it.
Bradruth, please don't get me pulled over.
Radar detectors, anyone?
- Thread starter Juno
- Start date
I have a Bel and my dad has that Valentine one. Both work great, but I like the Valentine a bit better.
Vic
Elite Member
- Jun 12, 2001
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No, if you buy a high-end one you just get a more expensive paperweight.
Police radar technology has been far in advance of radar detector technology for several years. The almighty V1 itself has not been changed or updated in years. The reality is that by the time your radar detector goes off, the cop is already turning his lights on to pull you over and right you a ticket.
StageLeft
No Lifer
- Sep 29, 2000
- 70,150
- 5
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Well I've no doubt that as a person buys a detector their tickets increase. They become overly confident, so even with a v1 they'll get nailed more than if they just watched their ass more, but still the V1 or any good detector kills the low end cheapies.
Not with my Radar Detector. I can pick them up 2-3 miles away on the interstate when they are using the K and Ka band.
Sysadmin
Pliablemoose
Lifer
- Oct 11, 1999
- 25,195
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Originally posted by: jewno
Cobra ESD 9110, is it good?
If you got one, list the brand name and how good is it.
Bradruth, please don't get me pulled over.
Heh, I just used one of those on my vacation/road trip, same model too...
I liked it, it saved me a couple of tickets, the sensitivity was pretty good, only false alarms were in X band.
The voice feature is irritating as hell.
The argument about wethere they're useful or not is moot, if there's any traffic, the officer is blasting cars in front of you car by car & if they're lazy, they just leave it on al the time, plenty of warning.
If you're the only car on the road, and the officer is judicious in his use, you're screwed, with no warning.
Radar also picks up the largest profile vehicle between you & the radar, so your vehicle's frontal profile factors heavily into a radar unit's effectiveness, small/low car=less frontal area, more difficult to get a lock if there's traffic.
Laser is a whole nother ball game, but I see very few laser users.
i just bought an Escort 8500 x50. This is my first radar detector, but i'd like to think i'm fairly knowledgeable since i did a lot of research before my purchase. I do mostly city driving, and the escort does a great job at picking up cop cars that are monitoring traffic speed, but the range is very short. I don't speed in either my bike or truck, so it's not like i'm outdriving the detector. Instead, i find that i only have a few quick seconds to make a split decision, which could also be a false alarm. I have yet to receive a "signal" more than a few hundred yards before i'm passing the unit.
I got a great deal on the detector from a member here on AT, but it's probably the worst sense of false security. Oh well..i don't regret having it...it just makes me that more cautious when i'm driving in the wee hours of the morning.
-=bmacd=-
I got a great deal on the detector from a member here on AT, but it's probably the worst sense of false security. Oh well..i don't regret having it...it just makes me that more cautious when i'm driving in the wee hours of the morning.
-=bmacd=-
mugs
Lifer
- Apr 29, 2003
- 48,920
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I'm not sure where you'd find an article to back it up, he just knows how police radar/laser and radar detectors work. The radar detector only detects if the radar is actually on, and cops don't usually just leave their radar on to alert people to their presence... They see someone speeding, then they nail you. Your radar detector goes off, but he already got you.
Originally posted by: Pliablemoose
Originally posted by: jewno
Cobra ESD 9110, is it good?
If you got one, list the brand name and how good is it.
Bradruth, please don't get me pulled over.
Heh, I just used one of those on my vacation/road trip, same model too...
I liked it, it saved me a couple of tickets, the sensitivity was pretty good, only false alarms were in X band.
The voice feature is irritating as hell.
I got them last Saturday and tested it yesterday.. Yes, the voice feature is irritating as hell but I like it when the voice beeps then stops leaving the numbers on.
Maximus96
Diamond Member
- Nov 9, 2000
- 5,388
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correction: ... by the time your radar detector goes off, the cop is already turning his lights on to pull SOMEBODY over and write THEM a ticket. the detector goes off when it pick up reflections from the cop shooing his radar at other people as well. if you are stupid enough to speed with a cop behind you, then nothing can help you. i laugh everytime a stupid driver keeps driving when a cop is following them with the lights on, but they don't know until the cop is pissed and sounds the siren because they don't look at the mirrors.
i swear the V1 is the best thing since sliced bread, and so is the passport 8500. it saved my arse many times over, doing 10-20mph over the limit.
if you're driving like a noob, you'll get ticketed even you have stealth...drive smart and let someone else take your ticket.
if you're driving like a noob, you'll get ticketed even you have stealth...drive smart and let someone else take your ticket.
Vic
Elite Member
- Jun 12, 2001
- 50,422
- 14,337
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You have a false sense of security.
Most people feel naturally inclined to defend their $300+ purchase to the death, so I don't usually like these arguments.
Beyond the fact that most detectors are ineffective against Instant-On and Laser (because they aim at the plate, and not at the windshield, so even the V1 can't detect it), the reality is that if you attract a cop's attention, and he thinks you were speeding, he can issue you a ticket regardless of what his gun said, and you can have a fun time in court for all he cares.
Those constant-on sweeps you're getting from 2-3 miles away are just ways to get a couple of tickets from those without detectors, and to make those with detectors slow down. They're similar to when they park a marked cruiser at a high-visibility spot on the side of the road. Drivers slow down even if there's no one in the cruiser. As even the cheapest detector can pick up a constant-on, it's good to have a detector but there's no point in buying expensive.
If those are instant-on's you're getting from 2-3 miles away, that's a somewhat impressive feat for your detector but worthess as they are targeting other cars, and not yours (not from that distance). When the instant-on hits you while you're doing 80 in that 55, there is no way you can slow down in time.
My experience has taught me that people should buy a cheap detector. It is not a paperweight. As long as you get one that doesn't get a lot of false alarms (V1's and Bel's are infamous for constant false alarms btw), it helps a good driver by alerting to obvious threats like constant-on sweeps while not fostering a false sense of security. Because the best way to avoid speeding tickets (short of driving slower than the limit) is to adopt a good driving style that does not attract unwanted police attention while allowing other drivers around you to attract that attention to themselves (and there are always volunteers
), in addition to keeping a constant eye out for traps.
Pliablemoose
Lifer
- Oct 11, 1999
- 25,195
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The Stigenator
Lifer
- Oct 9, 1999
- 15,216
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I have a Cobra braned 9xxx series... and it works.. saved my butt several times..
dont dis cobra.. it works..
dont dis cobra.. it works..
OS
Lifer
- Oct 11, 1999
- 15,581
- 1
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Radar detectors in general (even cheap ones) do work in that they do detect a radar signal when there is one. Of course they don't protect you from your own dumb self. The main difference between cheap and expensive ones are range/sensitivity and features.
I have a cheap radar detector and it's has been useful many times. However recently I still got a ticket because a cop just eyeballed me hauling away from a pack of cars. I had spotted him but he saw me a second before. By then it was too late. Not a blip from the detector because he wasn't using a radar gun.
radartest.com has a review of the OP's model.
I have a cheap radar detector and it's has been useful many times. However recently I still got a ticket because a cop just eyeballed me hauling away from a pack of cars. I had spotted him but he saw me a second before. By then it was too late. Not a blip from the detector because he wasn't using a radar gun.
radartest.com has a review of the OP's model.
I'm with Vic. Expensive radar detectors just give you a false sense of security. Sure my mid-range priced Bell has saved my butt 2-3 times, but smart speeding has saved me 100 times. And that didn't cost anything. Know when to speed. Speed only when you have a clearing in front of you where you have good protection. A retaining wall on the left is good. A stream of cars and trucks is also good. Visualize where a cop might be hiding. Learn where they hide. Imagine the speed detector is a bright light and always stay in someone's shadow. Speed uphill but then slow down as you get to the top. Avoid speeding downhill. That's too easy. Never lead a pack. Never speed in the city. If you can't see half a mile in front of you, don't speed. Listen to the truckers on the CB and learn their lingo. They tell each other where cop sightings are. Etc., etc., etc.
Go with a mid-range priced detector and don't bet all your eggs on it. It's only good for confirming your guesses where a cop would run a speed trap.
Go with a mid-range priced detector and don't bet all your eggs on it. It's only good for confirming your guesses where a cop would run a speed trap.
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