surftheasphalt's Full Review: Escort Passport 8500 X50 Radar Detector
Intro
Although I live in a state where radar detectors are completely verboten, I purchased one in Joliet, IL, while on a cross country road trip. Until I reached California, the trusty Escort 8500 gave its occasional beeps, chirps, and buzzes to let me know that some sort of radar was operating was nearby. Although most were false alarms, cruisers in opposite lanes of travel, fast food restaurants, speed signs, or sitting ducks, the simplistic alerts were rather enjoyable during the trip.
A $300 get out of jail free coupon...sort of
While en route from Colusa to Sacramento, CA, on Rt. 5, I decided to test the limits of the California speed limit in a rare moment of reckless abandon. I got my 1998 Volvo S70 sedan (smirk) to 95mph and was cruising along the 65mph stretch when the Escort went ballistic with a Ka band alert.
Around a bend, slightly obscured by a semi traveling in the same direction a mile ahead lay one of California's finest in wait. Once the semi passed, I saw the distant figure of a car move from the median, across the highway, and into the right hand emergency lane. CRAP! I'd been caught. This was going to suck. I had my friend stash the radar detector and I discretely slowed down to the speed limit and edged by the state trooper with my heart caught in my throat.
And he did nothing. No lights, no siren, nothing. My heart slowly crawled back down to where it belonged in my chest and I sighed in relief. The Escort had saved my trip from what would have been a very ugly reckless driving ticket for speeding and fine for a contraband radar detector (I found out later that they are illegal in CA). That being said, the Escort's excellent long-range detection of dissident Ka waves is what saved the day. This was a straight, flat road with easily over a mile between the trooper and I. The Escort promptly gave me a strong signal reading with ample time for me to correct my...er, "criminal" activity.
The Good
The 8500 X50's robust set of user-programmable options allow one to tailor it to suit a wide range of radar conditions. While this option will definitely please tech-heads and frequent users, its operation may easily be mastered by anybody savvy enough to read the manual. One-click dimmer options optimize the unit's daytime and nighttime readability, ensuring eye comfort for the driver and obscurity from any pursuant vehicle, police or not. My favorite feature of this radar detector is its ability to discern between eight signals at once, consisting of 2 K, 2 KA, and 4 X band signals. Like shoplmart mentioned, X band is somewhat outdated and few cops use it anymore, so there is no point in being ready to detect that many X band signals. However, this is the mode I use, since false alarm interference from automatic door openers and the like can cause one to become jaded to radar presence at any particular time. Unwanted warnings in areas where known, frequent radar interference lingers can be silenced with the push of a button on the SmartCord, or entire bands may be ignored. VG2 cloaking helps prevent the 8500's presence from being detected by radar detector detectors (should you wish to risk using the Escort in a state that bans its use, I don't recommend it) while the auto-mute function quickly tames the initially raspy (for good reason) alerts. Last but not least, the warranty service offered by Escort is highly courteous, responsive, and well-informed to handle consumer inquiries or possibly defective units. I had to send the initial unit back due to its spontaneous malfunction a thousand miles later in the trip. I simply returned to a franchise of the electronics store chain where I purchased it and obtained a brand new unit. Everything else was taken care of and arranged by the manufacturer, and I was back on the road.
The Bad
On the downside, despite the aesthetic appeal of the 8500's platinum, bullet-like design, its entire plastic composition is easily scratched, dented, and marred. Utmost care must be taken to avoid dropping or carelessly attaching it to the window bracket, as ugly results may occur. Laser detection from the rear does not seem very effective, although I have never been zapped before. If anything, a directional indicator similar to the Valentine One's would be a world of difference in determining the urgency of a radar threat; however, that's probably why the V1 costs $100 more.
Conclusion
Although I have not compared the 8500 X50 to any other detector units, I know from personal experience that this product works well. Although radar gun tests may allow scientifically inclined evaluators to give particular ratings, the real-world environment a radar detector operates in is adversely different. From my personal experiences with the Escort 8500 across the country, ranging from flat, wide areas to the curvy, elevated Pennsylvania turnpike, I have no doubt that this radar detector is an excellent buy for the performance-minded individual.
Final Note: Important!
Since the 8500 is a sensitive piece of electronic equipment, it is essential to take proper care to ensure that it does not get fried by direct sunlight on a hot afternoon. A thousand or so miles later, the dutiful 8500 that saved me from the CHPs conked out. It started one night when in an area where there was both X and K band interference. The unit gave several never before seen "Self Calibration" diagnostics before stating that it needed to be serviced by the factory. Apparently, this was from leaving it on the windshield for several hours on a sunny afternoon. Should you decide to spend $300 on a radar detector, you should take care to remove it from the windshield after each use and stash it away in its protective case. Otherwise, it may not provide accurate readings when you need it most, or stolen.
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