Home > Consumer Reviews > Whistler DE1730C Radar Detector

I bought the Whistler 1730 at [a local store]. I must have forgotten the "get what you pay for rule." The poor performance of this detector brought it to mind.

After several minutes of operation the unit gets overly hot and begins false detects in the X band, beeping about every 3-5 seconds. When it does detect real radar it does so too late to be of any use. This unit performs much worse than the Radioshack 360-degree detector which I also own.

I took the Whistler 1730 back for a refund and ordered a Bel-tronics Express 936 from [Amazon.com].

Pros: Sleek and stealthy, hard to spot -- VERY compact. Nice & LOUD alerts.
Cons: LED indicators hard to see in extremely bright, direct sunlight.

Contrary to the other reviewers' experiences, I have nothing but compliments for this radar detector. I've used and abused costly [brand name] detectors over the years and I ended up buying the Whistler DE-1730 in mid-2002 at BestBuy. I paid significantly less than what other detectors were selling for and I figured, "If its cheap, I'll just return it". Well, a year later I still have it and its kept me from getting speeding tickets on numerous occasions. I've used it on expressways, highways, local roads, you name it.
I have only been caught speeding ONCE with this detector, and it was by a motorcycle cop hidden under a 10 lane freeway over-pass, who didn't flip his radar on until I was right in his invisible lair. That was not the detector's fault, that was the work of a skilled police man and the ever-present vulnerability of radar detectors to instant-on radar or close range radar. Beware!
The Whistler DE-1730 comes with an adjustable volume switch similar to what would be on the side of a portable CD-player, three buttons on the top of the device (City/Hwy mode, VG-2 mode, Silent/Audible mode), and that's about it. It has three LED lights under the buttons but they really serve no purpose unless you want to see them while in "silent mode". It is *Very Simple* to operate and it has you covered on laser and all bands of radar.
Summary: I highly recommend this detector - it is an effective, low-cost alternative to other expensive & very similar detector models. My Whistler DE-1730 has gotten the job done.

Take from a person who has tried a few radar detectors in his day, this may not be the best one on the market but it's the best value going. Look at the features you get for 40 bucks...Audible alerts with separate tones for each band of radar plus laser, visual alerts with separate LED lights for each band plus laser, simple on off volume control, city modes that mutes all signals to 2 quick beeps but continues with all visual alerts unless the signal becomes very strong, auto-mute mode that silences all alerts after 5 beeps but keeps the visuals (also with a 20 second reset so if you're driving in a heavy false signal area where the same false signal pops you intermittently or several are very close together the unit stays silent until you're well away from the falsing without it constantly resetting itself, a nice idea), VG-2 protection if you need it...most don't, Safety Radar (for emergency vehicles) detection if you need it...most don't, Pulse Protection to detect pulsed radar if you need it...most don't, auto power off feature turns the unit off if you forget, overall compact and very easy to use and understand. The only drawbacks are it could be a tinge louder and the LED's a tinge brighter, but these are minor negatives...the alerts overall are quite sufficient. In actual use you'll find this unit picks up radar very well for the casual speeder, maybe even a little better than that. Tip: Using the City mode together with the automute works very well in very urban environments

I had mine about 5 years (approximately) and I keep it at the dashboard--exposed to very hot weather in summer, and quite cold in the winter. It's still working just fine! It may not be as sensitive as the more expensive brands, but it saved me on several occasions--you know where the speed limit is 25 mph and you go by accident 35 miles per hour, and that's VERY easy to do! Those areas where the speed limit is very low--That's when you are most likely going to get a ticket--let's face it, it's easy pickings for the cops. So it did pay for itself.

Simple as pie to set up. It also has some clocking technology activated at a push of a button.

Considering the price, and it DID save me from getting a ticket, it definitely paid for itself. It's not the ticket I so much fear, but what the insurance will do--raise their rates over years.

I don't know all about Ka bands and other techologies coming out; I suppose I'll eventually have to ugrade to a new detector; but for the present time I'm happy with what I have.

Some say radar detectors "encourage" speeding. I beg to differ. If anything it makes you MORE AWARE of the cops out there, and is a constant reminder of this--it's made me a more defensive safe driver. Also the knowledge radar detectors are far from perfect, so I try to be at my best behaviour behind the wheel. When I hear beep beep beep it reinforces the cops are out there.

The unit does its job. I've had mine for over 5 and half years now.