No independent studies or proof that any of them really work in really world driving and police set up conditions.

Most websites that promote these units or say they test them are actually selling them to , so they are not unbiased tests.

Over 25yrs ago when cops only used X band you stood a chance of slowing down with out getting nailed.

But with K band KA , laser and instant on units, you are usually already in the sights of the police speed unit and all your fancy $500 -$1000 units will not protect you from a unit with an instant on or laser unit.

Some ppl think that by putting a little electronic box with LEDS and weird sounds that they have turned their cars into stealth fighters and are now invisible to police speed detection, but in reality they are in their little fantasy world.

Also with the tricky police setting up around a blind down hill curve or hiding in the bushes or using the stalking mood where they come up from behind you and either turn the speed unit on or pace you, you don't really stand a chance.

Your better off in the long run of just keeping with the speed limit and saving your money.

Here is a link to a few customer reviews of a $500 escort units from crutchfield, look at the ratings that gave the units 1-2 stars. These are the real world reviews, not the BS 5 star ones.

Escort Passport 9500ix (Red display) Radar detector with GPS and preloaded camera database at Crutchfield.com

Bottom line do the speed limit and save yourself a lot of money.

:facepalm:

Do you know how radar signals even work? By the sounds of it you are just blinding following what a cop told you. X, K, Ka all fall victim of rebound, redirects and even leaked signal. Meaning even with instant on the signal is not always pinging a target and returning back without notifying anyone else.

I can tell you for a fact on a hill in Houston there was a cop on the other side just sitting with Ka on one day and I picked it up on the other side, slowed down. He saw my radar, waved and gave me a thumbs up.

State Trooper was using instant on, I was getting random Ka AND K band signals for 1 to 2 seconds, he was going the opposite way of me but pinging cars randomly. He did a quick U-turn and pulled a guy over that passed me at one point.

The fight between radar detection and offense is a never ending battle, but no matter what unit you use it comes down to how you, as the driver, react to it. I can pick up a solid Ka from a mile away but if I keep wanting to speed that is my own fault. The upper end units, V1 & Escort, do work and work very well. Cops will always have new techniques to try to beat a radar detector but at the end of the day that is a small percent who use it. Most will just drive around town with K or Ka on 100% of the time, because in the end that is more of a determent than a cop pinging individual cars and deterring you from speeding is the goal not the ticket.

This is completely wrong. My radar detector proves this wrong at least once a week. You are aware it can pick up when someone else is being radared, right?

Okay, let's do the math. Out of 29 reviews, there are 2 2-star and 3 1-star reviews. That's 6.9% and 10.34% respectively. Total of 17.24%, meaning that 82.76% of buyers give it a 5 star review. One of the 2-star reviews loved the unit, but had warranty issues. Two of the one star reviews were complaining about laser. Laser detection is useless without a jammer, so we can eliminate those too. That brings the numbers to 3 applicable <5 star review and 24 applicable 5 star reviews. That means 88.4% of reviews are 5 star, and 11.5% are not. Extrapolate that over units sold, and the numbers would suggest that most meople love their unit. You don't get to cherry pick data and say "only the bad reviews are legit". That's not how numbers work.

I'm not going to try and convince him that it works, because I'm not putting proof of situations in writing on the internet. The laser jammer works as fast as their laser shoots and the high end radar detectors are picking things up over a mile away...even if the LEO is using POP.

I will say that you have to know how to use a radar detector in order for it to be effective. You can't just put it in your windshield and do 90 everywhere. It involves knowing what the detector is telling you, using rabbits, etc.

Nonetheless, this thread does amuse me.

Exactly. It's a tool, not adaptive camoflage. Situational awareness is still required.

:iagree: That was a seriously convoluted rant of misinformation. While there were SOME truths about instant on laser in that rant. Ka is totally defeatable. ALWAYS. As i do it multiple times daily with a smile on my face.

In my experience buying items usually the small segment of reviews of 1 or 2 stars of a product are a good indicator of quality and what you can expect thru everyday use of the product.

If there are 100 reviews and only 10 are bad, most likely the ppl that gave good reviews only rated the item after first getting it or minimal use.

Examples , GYM equipment that is never used, sure its great quality, because its never used, then a guy that uses it 2hrs a day and it breaks in 30 days and they leave a 1-2 star rating.

Same thing with the detectors, they are really toys and most ppl that use them never really speed anyway and they give item good rating because it beeps a lot. Then you get the driver that speeds a lot and thinks the detector will keep him from being detected by police and gets a ticket.
Reality sinks in they don't work = 1-2 stars.

Reality no unbiased reports or testing published that the detectors really work .

Anyone care to submit or find any unbiased testing results ?

No one does 'independent' tests eh?? :icon08:

RadarTest.com - Best radar detector reviews from the world's most respected authority.

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Radar Detector Tests and Reviews by Guys of LIDAR

The Great Detector Test - Comparison Tests

Radar Detector Tests 2013 / 2012 | RadarDetectr.net

Radar Detector Reviews and Speed Measurement Laboratory Test Results

ECCTG October 2012 Radar Detector Test - Radar Detector & Laser Jammer Forum

Granted, some of those may be dated, but the point is, Yes, independent tests are often done.

If you are dumb enough to buy a radar/laser detector and thing you'll never get a speeding ticket, then it's not the detectors fault. You're an idiot.

I have my detector for advance warning, because that's all it provides. I try to scan as much of the road as I can, but because I have to pay attention to 360* of other people, I can't be looking ahead, or behind, all the time. The detector can.

Lasers/Radars work line of sight just like a persons eyes do. You can't shoot a laser through a tree. So if the cop can see me, I can see them. Now they may gun me, or they may gun the car next to me. Either way, my detector will go off and I will slow down. This helps in 1 of 2 ways. 1. They detect me, I slow down, and he doesn't move. 2. They get a ping, but aren't 100% sure who it is, I slow down and as we pass them they see the other car going faster, and pull them over.

The radar detector is just another attempt to be even more alert/aware of my surroundings than I naturally already am. I don't expect it to save me Every time. I'm banking on it coming in handy when there is a moderate tone, and I slow down, eventually passing the cop at the speed limit. Or, it goes off from me being pinged by a parked car spamming trons and the cop isn't paying attention initially, and by the time he checks it, I've slowed down enough that he doesn't bother coming out.

I don't do 95 in a 70 anyways, most of the time I'm doing <10 over, unless I know the road/highway well and their hiding spots, I will do <15 over. If you're doing more than that, then more power to you. You must not be worried about the fines/points as much as I do. :ugh2:

Like product reviews and CAI dyno results, all those tests don't apply because he doesn't agree with them.

Well I don't agree with how much I'm paying for the car, but that doesn't mean the repo man won't come take it quick, fast, and in a hurry if I don't pay it... :ugh2:

read these best buy reviews, specially the one from a cop that tested the unit.

Escort, Inc 9500ix - Best Buy

Interesting.... I always thought V1 was #1

Escort RedLine versus Valentine One: Comparison Test and Review.

Because you're going to trust a cop to be unbiased... :bowrofl:

But needless to say, I will hear your argument. I'll read the reviews, brb.