Beltronics V955 Vector High Performance Radar Detector (Black/Silver)

Amazon Customer Reviews

(1 out of 5)

BEWARE! Beltronics will not honor it's warranty

I own a different model of Beltronics radar detector (the Express 925) which I have had for less than a month. It developed a porblem with the display, so I called Beltronics so that I could get it repaired. Surprise! Surprise! The lady there told me they will not honor the warranty of any Beltronics radar detector not sold by an "authorized reseller" and she told me that Amazon is NOT an authorized reseller. So if you buy your radar detector from Amazon or other non authorized dealers, they will not honor the warranty if you have a problem. Check Beltronics web site to verify this!

(5 out of 5)

Great Buy

I was slightly reluctant to buy this item after reading a few bad reviews on Amazon but I bought it and I'm glad I did. Other consumer report sites rated it high and I do also. It's a great unit and came with no problems. It picks up radars long before they're in view. Make sure you have the unit parallel with the ground to work best. No need to unplug it when you leave your vehicle...it senses a low voltage and turns itself off after a moment when it senses the car is turned off then it turns on when you restart the ignition. It also muffles its alerts after a few beeps so you don't have to reach up and turn it down if you're conversing. Great features in a great product.

(5 out of 5)

Great at any price

The 955 is a great detector that has only less features, not less range, than its more expensive stablemates. But if you are upgrading from a detector that's a few years or more older, you'll still find the features on the 955 to be great. More importantly, the range on the 955 is spectacular. Now, Bel has had some quality control issues as of late, but unless your unit pops up the dreaded "service required" message, chances are your detector is finding each threat the best it can. What some people don't realize about police radar is that police can use "instant on" radar which can be flicked on at practically point blank range. Using radar in such a fashion limits or completely prevents radar from being detected. It's not the detector's fault, police and radar manufacturers have just become savvy to the downside of leaving their radar units constantly on. Being popped by "instant on" radar has led many an inexperienced radar detector owner to throw their detector in the trash because they figured it just didn't work.... My advice would be for anyone contemplating the purchase of a detector to do a little online research into how police radar is used and what roll a detector can play in avoiding costly tickets....

Back to this unit, as I said previously, it's great. It has excellent sensitivity on all bands. If you can get by without the latest non-essential features (more conveniences than anything) then the 955 is the best your going to find in its price range.

(4 out of 5)

Best value - awesome performance for it's price

I got this detector for my second vehicle. Even though I rarely speed above general traffic flow, speed enforcement has picked up a lot in my area and I didn't want to pay back-door taxes.

The Vector 955 is an excellent radar detector that will provide sufficient warning of radar activity. It is not as sophisticated as the top 4 radar detectors (as of 1/23/2007) but it is one of the best deals from a performance / price perspective (at MSRP). However, like any radar detector (even the best ones), this radar detector is NOT a cop detector.

Overall, the 955 is waaaaay better than the best and most expensive Cobra radar detectors. Any time any day. Only the best Whistler radar detector is somewhat close in performance to the 955 for laser, but not radar. Reason for giving 4 is because Beltronics is very picky about it's warranty and the volume from the 3.5mm audio jack (I use it when spouse/kids are sleeping on a long drive) is way too loud even at just one click up from zero.

And the product description from Amazon is quite pathetic, it's almost non-existent - like a whole 20 words. What's up with that? Don't they want to sell it?

And yes, please drive carefully. Lives are more important than seconds/minutes saved.

(1 out of 5)

Poor design, lots of false alerts.

I purchased this to replace my 10 year-old Bel 846i, and was really disappointed.

It is difficult to tell in the picture, but the portion of the detector that appears light grey is actually kind of silver. On its own, I wouldn't particularly like the color scheme, but what makes the design terrible s that the shiny silver reflects on your windshield. I can't believe they'd think this was a good idea.

For some reason, I was getting false laser alerts like crazy -- empty subdivisions, on the expressway without a police car in sight, parking lots... At first, I thought my phone might be interfering with the detector, but I was getting just as many falses with the phone turned off.

I'd expect this with a Cobra detector that cost half as much, but this is pretty terrible. Based on other reviews, I don't think this is isolated to a defective unit.