If you have a need for speed and a disdain for tickets, than the Bel 970 Vector LR is for you. This is definitely the best buy on the market right now. This detector is right up there with the big dogs like the Bel 980 and the hot Escort Passport 8500. I test radar detectors frequently and I have found that the Bel 970 is the best buy because of it's sensitivity, ergonomics and user options, and Warranty.

When you purchase the Bel 970 you receive certified specifications for your personal radar detector. This is not just a form letter; the specs are hand written signed by special engineers which is a good sign of high quality. However, there is no greater test for a radar detector than taking it on a road trip in a variety of conditions. I live in Maryland so I made two trips between Washington D.C. and Baltimore; once taking a strictly highway route and one rural. In both settings the Bel 970 out performed the top Cobra, Uniden, and Whistler radar detectors. In fact the Bel 970 tied the Bel 980, surpassed the Escort Passport 8500 on the X and K bands, but fell a little short of the Passport 8500 on the Ka-band. However, the Bel 970 gave more than adequate warning on the Ka-band. So which of the three has the best sensitivity? These three detectors are a lot like world-class athletes who can defeat each other on any given day. Hence, if the sensitivity of the radar detectors are about equal, we must look at other factors.

The Bel 970 is a black mid-size detector. This ideal because I feel that radar detectors should only come in black so that they very low-key and not very reflective at night. This is good if you live or drive into places where radar detectors are illegal like Virginia and Washington D.C. You are provided with suction cups for the windshield, hook and loop for the dash, and non-skid pads for the dash. Furthermore, there are a lot of features and options that come along with the Bel 970. First, the volume can be adjusted from very low to the loudest in the industry at little over 90 db. You can scroll through the options fast or slow, change the self-test sequence, city and highway modes, turn off certain radar bands that are not used in your area, and adjust the brightness from bright to dim. My favorite option of all is the Tech-Mode. With this option you can visually see the actual frequency of the radar that is hitting you another car in the area. Finally, the Bel 970 has set and forget memory which means that you do not have to customize your setting each time you turn the unit on. The Bel 980 and the Escort Passport 8500 both have these features.

The warranty that accompanies the Bel 970 is what really separates this detector from the pack. The Bel 970 is covered for three years from the date of purchase while the Bel 980 and the Escort Passport 8500 are both covered for only one year. Furthermore, The Bel 970, like the Bel 980 and Escort Passport 8500, is software upgradable. This means that when the police come up with new means of radar speed detection or laser, you can have the Bel company upgrade your detector instead of buying a new one. The software upgrade is included in the warranty. The police are more likely to come up with and use new technology within the next three years than within the next year. Therefore the Bel 970 clearly wins the warranty battle.



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