Good model at a Great Price
Written: Nov 04 '02
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Pros: So many features for the price, additional socket multiplier included.
Cons: Not cordless, cord likes to pull out, no visor clip included.
The Bottom Line: Excellent value although it may be hard to find "new".
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| sequitur2002's Full Review: Whistler DE-1785 Radar Detector |
First let me state that I am not a speed-demon. The only reason I purchased this detector was because I had heard that the Whistler Group was having a sale on their website. This unit listed at other sites for $259.99 but was priced at $60.00 plus $5 shipping with no middle man. I rationalized the purchase as simply buying a souped-up electronic compass for my car (see below).
I have since heard that the company was forced to sell all of these models this year in order to comply with FCC regulations that state that different radio waves need to be used in newer models. Thus, whatever they don't sell now will be junk next year.
My model is actually the "Daytona" which is a rebadged 1785 with a silver case instead of black. It also has a nifty "Daytona" and checkered flag logo printed on the top for no really good reason.
Some of my colleagues believe that the only detectors worth using are the Valentine One, Escort or K-40. These higher-end units detect signals further away, but also cost several hundreds of dollars. My view on this is that if you can afford to pay $400 for a toy, you can afford to pick up a speeding ticket now and then, so why bother? Unless you expect to receive several tickets each month, you're better off with the standard detectors (Bel, Whistler, Uniden, Cobra, etc.)
The X-band alarms are pretty frequent in the city due to garage door openers and alarm systems. You can experiment with the different settings (3 different City settings) to eliminate these false alarms.
The compass is a nice feature which can be turned on, off or on combo mode to work simultaneously with the detector.
The Real Voice feature has a woman's voice saying "K Band", or whatever the alert is, immediately after the standard bleep-bleep unique to each band's warning. The audible sounds are easy to memorize after a week. The voice can also be turned off.
This unit also has the VG-2 "radar detector detector" for areas in which law enforcement tries to detect your detector, and also the "safety warning system" which allows emergency vehicles and construction sites to send standardized text warnings (over 60 different messages) to oncoming traffic such as "Adverse weather" or "Exit Now" in case of an accident causing delays. This is worth $60 by itself.
Did I mention that the text display is red? All of the lights in my Audi are red, so this was a nice perk. While it is a nice look in the dark, it is difficult to read with sunglasses on.
The Battery Saver feature turns off the unit if you forget to (after 3 hours), and the standard Dim and Quiet features are present.
Expect to spend at least 30 minutes learning the features and calibrating the compass (driving in 2 circles in an empty lot). Settings can be retained.
Missing is the "Voice Memo Recorder" found on other Whistler models which I did not need nor want.
Made in the Philipines with a one year limited warranty.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
sequitur2002
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Reviews written: 1
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