The Bottom Line: The 8500 should be in your top 2 choices. I considered the BEL 950 for less money, but ExpertMeter and SmartCord are two features I had to have!
markjrenna's Full Review: Escort Passport 8500 Radar Detector
I have had four radar detectors during my 20 years of driving. I am not an expert, but I can offer an opinion.
During my 20 years, radar detectors have improved. Each detector I owned seemed to be better than the prior, until the Escort Passport 8500. This detector is not like any of the others I have owned.
Here are the reasons why:
Range – Most of my driving is suburban and not much on the highway. In my opinion suburban driving is the most difficult for a detector to perform and here is where the 8500 shines. Driving on one or two lane curvy hilled roads provides a very short line of sight. Numerous times the 8500 has gone off and I am wondering why. And then, bingo, there he is hiding as usual.
ExpertMeter – This is one feature that all detectors should employ. ExpertMeter is a means of displaying X, K, and Ka bands simultaneously with each signal's strength. Why is this good? Well, I have come across a situation in a local town where they deploy one of these mobile radar units. You may have seen one, where the mobile unit is on the side of the road indicating your speed. What this town did was use the wide X band for the mobile unit and then uses the much narrow Ka band in a police car just up the road. In a radar detector without the ExpertMeter you will probably think you are being hit with the mobile unit as you pass, and of course speed up. With ExpertMeter I was able to identify the strong X signal and the weak Ka signal. Noticing the Ka signal increasing and me cautiously not speeding up. And, just over the hill was the cop running his Ka! Sneaky, but not for the 8500’s ExpertMeter feature!
SmartCord – This comes in handy! SmartCord is the power cord but with two exceptional features. It has a mute button and an LED for indicating radar detection. In my car, my 8500 sits way forward on the windshield. Located there it is not easy to reach every time I want to mute it. Hence, SmartCord, all I do is move my hand to mute button by the gear shifter and push the mute button!
The 8500 should be in your top 2 choices. I considered the BEL 950 for less money, but ExpertMeter and SmartCord are two features I had to have!
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