so i went out on my lunch break today and on a whim i purchased an escort 8500 x50 new from asBestos Buy.

This evening i thought i'd do a little "let's see what happens" trial run around town in my 03 6MT coupe. so i'm doing ~75 in a 45 and the escort lights up - Ka band full bars ...i slam on my brakes to just under 50mph and there's the cherries pulling up beside me.

i ended up with a warning and a fix-a-ticket to get my address updated on my drivers license. frankly, i'm AMAZED the cop didn't bend me over, especially when he saw the escort in my windshield. i'm guessing that since the escort picked up his radar gun so fast and i was able to slam on my brakes that he wasnt able to get a good reading. the escort went off for about 3 seconds, so i'm betting the trooper had just flipped his gun on. the quick detection and the fact that the trooper was behind me when he gunned me gives me some peace of mind that the escort is going to pick up most anything i run into.

so i guess you could say that the escort just paid for itself (in about 8 hours after buying it), since 30mph over the limit is $200 + court costs here in nebraska, not to mention a hike in insurance premiums.

whew! i need a beer!

 

Full ka just like that seems odd. I bet he didn't clock you just turned it on, that's prob. why you got the warning!

Good Luck, and remember any detectors not effective at 75 in a 45. Thats really pushing it!

 

how much did you pay for your x50?

 

A word of warning: Although the x50 is a solid unit, I wouldn't get too cocky, you are still vulnerable to getting picked off if you aren't careful. The detector is only a tool, and it's not a perfect one at that.

Also, don't make the assumption that it's going to pick up most everything, because thinking this will most likely cause you to drop your guard and be less attentive to what is going on and the next thing you know you're getting paced by the unmarked a few lengths back. I've watched it happen several times and it's not pretty.

Anyway, glad you got off....this time =)

 

i had a $50 gift card from best buy...i think it was going for $309. in any case it was $280 out the door.

 

i definitely dont have an invincibility complex; i rarely drive 30 over (especially in a 45 zone). frankly, i was very close to returning the x50 because i just couldnt justify spending so much...i'm poor after all. but like i said, it kinda paid for itself last night anyway, so i think i'll keep the x50 and slow down

 

full KA right off the bat means he was using "instant-on" radar detection i believe.. which doesnt allow you to react nearly as fast. Take that with a grain of salt but that is what I think.

 

Yeah it was instant on, but unless he was the only person on the road for a whole mile, he still should have gotten some Ka warnings.

I love the State Patrol, they love x band!

 

since i bought my passport 8500 i haven't gotten many readings besides X
it seems as of late that a lot of cops have been out to catch speeders.
along with that my passport has been picking up the K and Ka bands by their hiding place. sometimes cops just hide on the side, but they're full visible so i just slow down anyway. those that are on a side street somewhere, my radar picks it up well.

 

I unfortunately am a living testament to copbaits word of warning there. Don't get cocky!!! Escorts are amazing detectors. The majority of the time on the interstates, my escort goes off long before I even see a cop. Well I was on a 3 hour trip on the interstate and was picking em up the entire way home. I got cocky, kept speeding, and 2.5 hours into the trip as I was going through somewhat of an urban area and my Escort lights up "Laser." Well after a lovely chat with an officer in an unmarked car and a $200 ticket, I had learned my lesson: be very careful, or get a ZR3 Laser Shifter

 

i've got the escort too, but i turned off the X band cuz its starting to annoy me. i keep getting false readings of X every damn place i go and it was eating up too much of my battery. i think clint mentioned something about LED tailights setting off the laser bands on the x50. i think i probably ran into a couple of times where LED tailights set it off. but what really annoys me is the fact that my cellphone sets off the laser. everytime my phone rings my x50 goes nuts with laser detection. honestly i have yet to be in a situation where my x50 saved me from a ticket; course i usually do a quick cop check before i head over the speed limit too.

 

if you didn't know, you could turn off the X-Band, like I did.......

 

like what copbait said.. you shouldn't get too cocky.. i love my V1 and it has saved me countless times, but always use the best defense: your own good sense of when to speed and watching your surroundings..

 

I was nailed last week by "instant on", and I was in the same situation you were in. Ka was lit to a full bar, and when the cop saw it he said "aww, radar detector didn't pick up my instant-on radar? Boohoo". Jerk. Anyway, be careful, especially if you are the only car in sight. BTW i have a passport excort 8500 x50 (blue), and I love it.

Hockeyplay95