Home > Consumer Reviews > Escort Passport 8500 X50 Radar and Laser Detector (Blue Display)

For the money i expected more. To many false alarms no way to update the software on the detector. I didnt care for it at all i sent it back!

In 2007 (April) I decided to replace my old Fuzzbuster (FB) I had for years with a new, more modern and supposedly far superior unit. My FB cost about $60.00 and the Escort I decided to buy in April 2007 cost $299.00 on sale. I did significant research at all the web sites, Amazon, Radar Roys, Radarbusters, etc.. After much deliberation I decided to purchase at a local store. The unit worked for almost three years, and just died. It is out of warranty and not worth repairing based on the new models offered. The unit looks nice, but no matter what I did previously (IE: Alter filters and settings), it was terribly sensitive to "X" band and in side by side tests with my older fuzzbuster did MARGINALLY better at picking up any signal faster and farther away. The mounting bracket (no matter what I did) really did not sit well in my windshield, and I even replaced the suction cups, as compared to the fuzzbuster bracket (which had a rubber stopper as well). The operation was easy enough, but I found the "Auto" setting did nothing to limit sensitivity to false signals, nor did I EVER notice any difference between "Auto" and the "City" or "Highway" settings. Bottom Line, I had a few good years of use - but feel I overspent SIGNIFICANTLY and would not recommend or EVER buy a RD of this cost again!. I have found after doing further research that radar technology has not really changed much over the last 10-15 years and if you are buying for LASER protection, then you are most DEFINATELY wasting your money on this product as well as any RD for that matter. For a unit of this price, I would have hoped the company (Escort) would warranty for more than a year, but that tells me enough and I should have not purchased almost three years ago. They obviously do not have faith in their products to only warranty for 1 year, same as under $100.00 units. My Fuzzbuster lasted me over 5 years and still worked when I eventually sold it, and since I NEVER got a ticket using it, have to conclude the Escort/Passport did NO better and was NOT worth the huge extra cost. I for one, do not believe any of the FALSE claims this manufactuer makes as to their product being any better. While it did what it was supposed to do, it did fail after only 2.75 years and did no better than the cheaper models I have owned and have now purchased. Amazon.com sells MANY other brands. Don't let the higher price and cost fool you!

I have purchased 5 of these units in the past 6 years. The first 3 stopped working after one year and even though I had extended warranty, it was a pain to have it replaced. The last 2 that I purchased a couple of years ago have been working fine. One is the blue LED and the other one is the red LED. When I purchased my recent autombobile which has Blue Tooth as one of the standard features, things began to go down hill. Evidently Escort tunes up their devices to such sensitive levels that the detector goes off constantly and randomly and it stay on until I unplug the unit. Because of this, it has damaged both of my units to where not they do the same thing in one of my other vehiclse WITHOUT Blue Tooth. When I contacted the factory, they told me that I have to send them $120 and ship both units at my expens so they can check it out and maybe retune it. I'm upset because I don't think they should charge anything since I'm not asking for any repairs to be done but rather for them to check the units and maybe retune them? They have rejected all of my requests and have insisted that they will not do anything without my $120. I would rather buy new units from another manufacturer than to spend another dime with them. Will never buy them.

I've been using the Escort 8500 x50 detector with the blue display for about 6 months. It has some features that are really quite good: really good range, alert sound dims after the first few beeps, easy programing (if you want to, although it's ready to use out of the box), great rejection of false signals. The one negative is the window suction mount that comes with the unit... its flimsy, and tends to fall off the windshield, especially with temperature changes. What I did is purchase a much better radar detector mount through Amazon ([...]) sold by The Mount Guys for #12.95 + shipping, This mount is much better than the one that comes with the radar detector plus it can be used as a windshield mount or a dash mount (all the hardware needed to mount it on the windshield or dash is included). I chose to mount it on my dashboard (as in the photo on the amazon page). Radar Detector Car Dash and Windshield Mount

Before purchasing the 8500X50 I read with interest many of the reviews and was able to determine the pros and cons of the unit. I also contacted Escort directly regarding the concerns some had regarding the failure of their unit to calibrate and work. As noted in one review and confirmed by Escort leaving the unit on all the time (hot cigarette lighter) results in program problems..and no problems if power to your lighter plug disconnects when the ignition is turned off...Since Escort is now offering an 80 dollar credit for an old detector with free shipping, I ordered from them ... sorry Amazon but competition rules.
Right out of the box, plugged it in and it works perfectly...just as I expected.
While reviews are helpful one must do some research and Escort would not be selling a product that didn't work...The feature I most like is the auto mute mode...after a loud alert the sound is reduced....no need to use mute button.