EmailBest Reviewed
Radar Detectors
- Best radar detector overall Escort Passport 9500ix *Est. $525
- Best mid-range radar detector Beltronics RX 65 *Est. $300
- Best radar detector under $200 Beltronics Vector 955 *Est. $175
- Most "invisible" radar detector Beltronics STi Driver *Est. $500
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- Warns of speed and red-light cameras
- Good radar and laser detection
- Doesn't automatically spot false alarms
- Not as strong a detector as Escort 9500ix
- Costs almost as much as Escort 9500ix
The Beltronics GX 65 performs almost as well in tests as the top-ranked Escort Passport 9500ix (*Est. $525). Both are made by the same company. Both are GPS-equipped, to offer the latest speed/red-light camera warnings. Both detect police laser guns equally well in tests. But when it comes to radar guns, the Escort detects them a bit more strongly from far away (the Beltronics detects them from an equal distance, but the signal is weaker). And the Beltronics lacks the Escort's new AutoLearn feature, so it can't automatically detect and eliminate false alarms. Since the better Escort doesn't cost much more, reviews suggest it is the better buy. Both Escort and Beltronics use the same traffic-camera database, with free updates for 90 days ($20 a year or $30 for three years thereafter), but the software is not Mac-compatible.
SpeedZones.com expertly and objectively tests all of the Beltronics GX 65's detection capabilities. LaserVeil.com, RadarTest.com and 007RadarDetectors.com test the unit in less detail. The proprietor of the RadarBusters.com retail site ranks the GX 65 alongside two dozen other units, but there is no testing mentioned. Amazon.com posts both positive and negative owner reviews for the products it sells -- and they're all positive for this model.
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Our Sources
1. SpeedZones
The Beltronics GX 65 doesn't detect faraway radar guns as strongly as the Escort Passport 9500ix does in this test by Speed Management Laboratories. However, it still detects all radar bands from two miles away under ideal conditions, and it's just as good as the Escort at detecting laser guns and speed/red-light cameras.
Review: Annual Radar Detector Test 2009-2010, Editors of SpeedZones.com
The Beltronics GX 65 is on the short list of recommended radar detectors at this retail site, which sells a laser light-absorbing spray for cars. In this single-product test, the reviewer says the GX 65 seems to be better at detecting laser guns than the older Beltronics RX 65. But in an earlier blog post, he noted that for a bit more money, you could get the Escort Passport 9500ix with its bonus AutoLearn feature.
Review: Beltronics Pro GX 65 Review: Another GPS-Enabled Winner from Bel, "The Veil Guy", Updated Oct. 3, 2008
Reviewer Craig Peterson tests the Beltronics GX 65 along with four other GPS-equipped radar detectors. Although he has no complaints about the GX 65's performance, he says it is "priced uncomfortably close to the feature-laden Escort 9500ix."
Review: Reviewed: New GPS Radar Detectors, Craig Peterson, Dec.1, 2008
The Beltronics GX 65 (along with its sister model, the Escort Passport 9500ix) has the best features and fewest false alerts in this ranking of 10 current radar detectors. However, the Valentine One is slightly better at detecting radar and laser guns.
Review: 2009 Radar Detector Reviews and Tests, Editors of 007RadarDetectors.com
The Beltronics GX 65 is one of several radar detectors with a perfect five-star rating from "Radar Roy" Reyer, the former police officer who runs this retail site. He says it was his top detector in 2007, now improved with the ability to detect traffic enforcement cameras, but there is no full review.
Review: Radar Roy's Badge Ratings, Roy Reyer
6. Amazon.com
The Beltronics GX 65 earns an average of 4.5 stars (out of five) from about half a dozen owners posting reviews here. Most of the ratings are a perfect five stars.
Review: Beltronics Pro GX 65 Radar Detector, Contributors to Amazon.com
Radar Detectors Runners Up:
6 picks including: Amazon.com, RadarTest.com…
4 picks including: SpeedZones, Guys of Lidar…
4 picks including: Amazon.com, SpeedZones…
3 picks including: RadarBusters.com, BestBuy.com…
2 picks including: Amazon.com, RadarTest.com…
2 picks by top review sites.
2 picks by top review sites.
2 picks including: Amazon.com, RadarBusters.com…
2 picks including: Amazon.com, SpeedZones…
2 picks including: Amazon.com, SpeedZones…
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