Escort Passport 8500 X50 Radar and Laser Detector (Red Display)
by Escort Inc.
|
List Price: Our Price: $238.95 You Save: $61.04 (20%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $159.94 (click here) Category: Car Audio or Theater See more product details |
|---|
Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Escort Passport 8500 X50 Radar and Laser Detector (Red Display)
Customer Review: This unit has saved me many times already
Summary: 5 Stars
My wife bought me the Escort Passport 8500 X50 after I won a bet with her over who could lose more weight. I had done a lot of shopping, reading and research on radar detectors and told her which one I wanted. I could not be happier with how this machine works. I just leave it on the default "Auto" setting and it does what it is supposed to do. What I have confirmed with owning this unit is that there are 4 major alerts that I receive while driving. By far the scariest but also the least often heard alert is "Laser". There is no warning for that one. But since you need to be travelling at a speed for 1/4 of a mile to really be doing that speed it gives you a fighting chance. 2 times I have been hit with the "Laser" while going over the posted limit, I immediately slowed some and avoided a ticket. I think the most common alert is the "K" band alert. That is the one from automatics doors at stores and really old radar. It is on many freeways in posted radar areas. So far the one that gets ME the most alert is the "Ka" alert. I have never got that alert and not found the police unit that came with it. If you get a "Ka" you know that the law is present. It may not always be pointed at you but it is out there. The one band I do not understand is the "X" band. I have never seen a police unit when getting hit with the "X" band so I am not sure what it's real use is. I am not a bad driver nor do I think I drive overly fast or agressive. I drive 60+ miles every day and need to get places so I generally run 5 to 15 MPH over the posted limit when traffic allows. Now I know where the speed traps are well before I get there.Customer Review: Best Radar Detector on the Market!!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
If you're like me and you like to drive faster than average, you might want to think about this radar detector. I previously owned a Cobra. Though it had some nice features, and would talk, it seemed to hesitate sometimes with picking up radar signals. The Passport 8500 has paid for itself over and over again. I like the blue display, it's easier to see at night, and catches your attention when you pick up a radar signal. This detector will pick up a signal quite a distance away, so I have plenty of time to slow down long before the cop even has sight of me. It will pick up radar to the front, the sides, and behind you. If you're on a flat stretch, it will pick up radar sometimes up to several miles away, which gives you enough time to slow down without looking too obvious. You still have to be careful, but it's nice to have a warning with ample time to slow down.
PROS: -Blue display is easy to read at night
-Several display options, including vehicle voltage!
-Nice carrying case
-Strong suction cups
-Locks into mount, and easily disconnects with push of a button.
-Additional light and mute button on Power plug
-Able to be hardwired into power
CONS: -Expensive
-Cord hangs down in the way of dash, unless hardwired
OVERALL: I have had radar detectors in the past, but the Passport 8500 is hands down the best. You pay for what you get, and you get the best radar detector on the market. I've had it for about 3 months, and I do alot of driving. Works great everytime!
Customer Review: Good detector so far
Summary: 5 Stars
I drive alot for work, so not having a detector is stupid, in my opinion. Most people simply say, don't speed, but sometimes you do without realizing it. I've had a few detectors in my life, and this one seems to have the best range. It does have false alarms every now and then,as they all do, but it does'nt bother me. For example, the pop alarm will go off for no reason sometimes, but very seldom. I guess that's why it's turned off in default mode. As stated in other reviews, the suction cups could be better, and it would be nice if the smart cord had an on/off switch, along with the alrady had, mute button. The instant digital ka band the cops use will beat almost any detector, so a radar detector is not 100% effective. I'd say it works 80% or more of the time, which makes it well worth having. You can also turn off the x and pop band,if you know it's not used in your area, to have fewer false alarms. Few cops around here use the x band, at least from what i've seen with my detectors. I've never expereinced a pop(at least one that came from a cop) either, but i've only had it a couple weeks. Overall, well worth the money, if you stay on the road. That is, if it keeps working. I have read a few reviews that stated, they(this detector), quit working and had to be sent back. If this one keeps working, it will be the best i've had. Some reviews also state that the detector did not go of when they passed a cop. Uh, only a few percentage of cop cars have radar/laser. Duh.Customer Review: Below expectations
Summary: 3 Stars
After using the 8500 for almost 6 months now, I figured it was time to write up a review. Reading the good reviews on Amazon convinced me to buy the detector in the first place, but my experience with it have been spotty at best. About 50% of the time the 8500 would detect radar or laser before I could see the speed trap and have time to slow down, not great odds by any means. Today I got pulled over for the third time in 3 weeks. Each time I saw the cop before or just as the detector gave an alarm, either way it was always too late.
The detector has always been mounted securely to my windshield, with a clean view of the road ahead. It's possible I have a defective unit, or maybe the state troopers in Maryland just have better tech than the 8500 can handle...either I still have to rely on my own senses. I really wanted a good detector to save me those times when I wasn't paying attention, but as you can see from the 1 star this unit isn't doing the job. The 8500 has easy setup and some nice features, but effectiveness is what matters here, and this gadget falls way short.
UPDATE - I have found that how effective these detectors are truly depends on what your local police department has in the way of radar tech (and possibly their setup techniques). For example in my home county, the county cops radar will NOT set this detector off. However, it does do a decent job of detecting radar from Maryland State Police (go figure).
Customer Review: Works. Looks cool. Prevents tickets. What else do you need to know?
Summary: 5 Stars
I was going 75 in a 40, up a hilly highway last night, to get by a logging truck before a long stretch with no passing zones. There was some downhill traffic, but no cop-like vehicles I could see. But Mr. Escort blinked his lights (the one on the power supply as well as the blue LEDs) and sounded his chirp (which is loud enough for me!) and I buried the brake pedal to get my bimmer down to the legal speed. Then the signal went dead. None of the downhill vehicles was the fuzz, so my first thought was "dangit, that false alarm is going to get me stuck behind this truck for five miles!" but then I saw Mr. Smokey in the trees just off the road, using pop-radar in his unmarked car. He had just clocked the downhill cars, that's where I got my signal.
"BUzzzzzz!" Mr Escort said again when the copper clocked me, and I'll bet HE thought "a BMW going 40? He knew I was here." But once the cop was out of view,I zoomed by the truck , and thanked the Escort Co. for the 50th time this year. I have not gotten a SINGLE ticket since I installed mine, and many, if not most, would have been unavoidable without it.
If you drive a lot, and you don't like being passed by grandmas, BUY THIS DETECTOR. Don't quibble about the price, it will save you three times the $ in the first year. I never owned any other, so I can't say if it's better than a V1 or a Cobra, but I do know I am VERY glad I bought mine.