Cordless Detectors - Convenience Over Performance?Nov 19 '03 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line Don't buy one...
Cordless detectors have become more popular these days because people find cords dangling in their cars to be annoying. Then came the cordless detectors, such as those from Escort, PNI, and Beltronics. They offer a detector that sniffs out X, K, Ka, and Laser that runs on two AA batteries! Wow, that's so convenient? But at what cost? -The Costs- *Cordless detectors unfortunately don't have the same performance as corded detectors. A corded detector runs of a 12V power supply in the car, while a cordless runs from 2 AA batteries. In order to make one of these detectors work and conserve the battery so that it doesn't run out in 5 minutes, these cordless detectors put themselves to sleep, which means that they shut on and off constantly, according to stats, about 85% off the time they are off. Well, what does this mean for sensitivity? -Sensitivity- *Well, with the detector shutting itself on and off, you lose a lot of sensitivity, especially on Ka-band. When I turned the old Escort Solo on Ka-band, it sucked horribly. It was either barely able to detect it, or not at all! Other "better" cordless detectors such as the Bel Express 946i and Escort Solo S2 do obviously have better performance, but a corded unit will EASILY destroy it in performance. -Price- *For example, when the old Escort Solo was out, it sold for $199. People bought it thinking that they would be getting great performance. However, it performed worse than a $50 Cobra ESD-9110CS. Cordless units are more expensive because they run on batteries. It's not rocket science here... It's just a detector that horribly hinders its own performance to make it run on batteries. -In Conclusion- *If you don't have a cigarette lighter, you can still hardwire your detector into the car's electronics system, the Valentine One comes with that for example. If you don't even have one... Umm... Ok, maybe then go for a cordless. But avoid them at all costs. They offer significantly worse sensitivity, and especially on Ka-band. SO, expect a Trooper behind you! And oh yeah, today's hot cordless is the Escort Solo S2, which retails for $329 (Yikes!), compare it to the Passport 8500. The corded is better. C'mon people, who cares if you have a cord? It's not that big of a deal. You shouldn't be risking hundreds to thousands of dollars worth of tickets and insurance premiums just because there's a cord in your car. Also, a cordless isn't any easier to move from car to car than a corded, you can move the cord too. Oh well, just don't pick a cordless unless you want to spend a lot of money and get pulled over.  |
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