Bel

We get a lot of questions about what radar detector is the best deal around. Anyone that reads this blog knows that we like every Whistler radar detector model, but that does not mean they have the best budget radar detector for everyone.

If you are looking for a radar detector with very fast detection capabilities, or Ku band detection we have a detector you may like. The Bel Vector 995 Radar Detector has Ku band detection and is a very good radar detector for the price. It has fast detection speeds, good filtering, and has a great informational display.

Also, if you are looking for a radar detector that can also be easily used with other defensive gear for even more protection, you will want to give the Vector 995 a look. You can add some Laser Veil for better protection from laser, and even connect it to the Cincinnati Microwave ZR4 Laser Defense System (The two are made to work together!). Later, I would add the Cheetah GPS Mirror to have complete protection from radar, laser, and cameras. This is a surprisingly affordable upgrade path for those that want to build a good protective system over time.

We currently have a special on a Beltronics 995 and Veil combo to help get you started. For $314.94 you will have a great Beltronics radar detector, and Laser Veil. Call us if you have any radar detector questions.

Over on his blog, the Veil Guy has a new, and very thorough, review of the Beltronics STi-R Concealed Radar Detector. This is one of the top of the line detectors available, and you will have a hard time finding any reviews of at all, let alone one with the Veil Guy's signature real world testing style. Add to this the unbiased and very honest approach he takes in every review and you will not find a better, more objective look at one of the best high-end radar and laser detectors available.

He is not going to give you some marketing fluff. Instead he installed and documented how it performed, and not over some weekend. He used it for quite a while in everyday driving in addition to just "testing" it. With years of experience and a tremendous amount of knowledge, you will not find many better reviews of radar and laser detectors out there.

While you are there, go and check out the rest of his blog. It is always insightful and a tremendous resource for the first time shopper, radar detector enthusiast, and informed drivers. So go and check it out now!

We are excited to announce that we are accepting pre-orders for the new Beltronics Pro GX65 GPS enabled radar detector. The Bel GX65 provides the high performance and functionality that you have grown to expect from Beltronics radar detectors, but is Bel's first detector to incorporate a GPS chip. The GPS allows the GX65 to offer many of the GPS enhanced functions of an Escort 9500i, such as false alert reduction, while adding a North American database of red light, speed, and safety camera locations.

Vehicles equipped with the Bel Pro GX65 will be able to avoid tickets from the proliferation of red light cameras and speed cameras. The Bel Pro GX65 incorporates GPS and the North American Trinity Database, which allows a user to be notified of known speed cameras or red light cameras. The Trinity Database can be updated through a PC USB cable and it is recommended to do so every month due to the fluid nature of camera use to enforce traffic regulations.

The addition of GPS not only allows the user to be warned of known locations, the Bel Pro GX65 allows the user to "mark" the locations of local speed traps and hot spots. Another annoyance, repeated false alarms, is virtually eliminated with the Bel Pro GX65. While driving by areas that normally set off false alarms, the user can program the Bel Pro GX65 to disregard the location and frequency of the false alert.

The Veil Guy has a pre-release version of this highly anticipated new model, and has posted a preliminary Bel GX65 review to his blog. Check it out!

Great news! The new and much anticipated Bel STi-R radar detector has arrived! We have them in stock and ready to ship.

The STi-R is an installed version of the popular Bel STi Driver. Like the STi Driver, the STiR doesn't "leak" a signal and therefore cannot be detected by any police radar detector detector (RDD) like the Spectre. I have not seen any independent STi-R reviews as of yet, but it is expected that the performance will be in line with the STi Driver, of which there are several reviews.

Just want to point everyone to a couple of in-depth reviews of our high performance detectors from Bel and Escort, the Bel STi Driver and the Escort Passport 9500i. These reviews are by the Veil Guy, and are based on thousands of miles of actual driving experience.

• Bel STi Driver Review
• Escort 9500i Review

Beltronics has discontinued their Express series of radar detectors. Their most recent Express models included the 795, 925, and 935. This is now fairly old news, but I thought I would post it here because we are frequently asked for these models. If you are looking for a low-cost Bel product, the Bel Vector 940 is now the closest that you can get to the old Express series. If you need to stay around $100, we recommend that you take a look at the Whistler brand.

The Beltronics STi Driver is a very impressive radar detector. In fact some consider it the best available. In this test the Beltronics STi goes up against the Valentine One. Besides the impressive performance, the STi is also 100% shielded and cannot be detected by police radar detector detectors!

The Beltronics STi Driver offers impressive performance and is complete undetectable. Give us a call or send an email if you want to learn more about this amazing radar detector!

Now that we're carrying the Bel STi Driver, we're already getting the question: "Is it worth the money?" For some people, the STi Driver is well worth the money. Most of you, however, would be fine to stick with a Bel RX65 or an Escort 8500 X50 Black and save $100.

The biggest benefit of the STi Driver is that it doesn't "leak" a signal that could be detected by "radar detector detectors" (RDDs). RDDs are used by police in areas where radar detectors are illegal to sniff out vehicles that have a detector. So, if you're in a state or country where radar detectors are illegal or if you sometimes drive through these areas, or if you drive a vehicle that is over 10,000 pounds the STi Driver could be a very wise investment. (Radar detectors are illegal in all states in vehicles over 10,000 pounds.)

On the other hand, if you're like most of us and live in an area where radar detectors are legal then you won't find much of a reason to spring for the STi Driver. Some users claim that performance is slightly improved in the STi over the RX65, but not enough for us to recommend your spending the extra cash. The feature set is very similar between the RX65 and STi as well. The biggest difference is that STi offers automatic brightness control that will brighten/dim the display based on conditions. The STi also comes with a nicer case, an external speaker, and a direct wire SmartCord. One advantage for the RX65 is that it will detect the Ku band, which is used in some European countries.

Our recommendation: If you drive a vehicle over 10,000 pounds, drive in areas where radar detectors are illegal, or if you want the best regardless of price, get the Bel STi Driver. Otherwise, stick with a Bel RX65 or an Escort 8500 X50 Black.

We've still got a few Bel 945's that we need to move, so we're dropping our price by $20. While supplies last, you can get one for only $149.99. We'll even throw in free shipping. This is a good opportunity to pick up a top performing Bel radar detector for under $150.

The Bel Vector 945 is a discontinued model, and was replaced recently with the Bel Vector 955.

We are excited to now have the Bel Express 795 radar detector in stock. This model was originally made by Beltronics specifically for sale at Radio Shack, but we took advantage of an opportunity to pick up a quantity of them on closeout.

This model is similar to the (now discontinued) Bel 925, with a few exceptions. The 925 had selectable voice alerts, but the 795 only supports tone alerts. Both models had LED displays, but the 925 had a numeric signal strength indicator while the 795 has 4 red LEDs to indicate signal strength.

One benefit that the 795 has over the 925 (and 935) is that it is compatible with the SmartPlug power cord. I couldn't find this mentioned in the owners manual or on Bel's web site, but I tested it with the SmartPlug and it worked like a champ!

3/14/07 UPDATE: The Bel Express 795 has been discontinued, and is no longer available.