Home > Consumer Reviews > Beltronics V955 Vector High Performance Radar Detector (Black/Silver)

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.

I bought this radar detector because in independent testing at www.radartest.com, they said that they found the Bel Vector 985 to be the best model under $200 that they've ever tested (Bel Vector says that the 955 and 985 models are the exact same product with the only difference being a plate on it, one's a radio shack model). So that's why I originally bought it. I know that amazon.com ratings may not be as good as expert ratings because experts usually compare many models together and so they know how they compare, while customer ratings usually compare a product to what they think the ideal product should be like. Customer ratings are also usually biased towards those who either had really bad or really good experiences, since most people who buy don't fill these reviews out.

I gave it a four star rating because I believe that it's more sensitive and has less false alerts than a lot of other radar detectors that I've seen while being a passenger in other peoples' cars. It still has false alerts and can be annoying when in the parking lots of certain motion detecting stores, but seems to be better than others I've seen in friends' cars. It seems to be sensitive towards real alerts. I have used it to avoid some radar ambushes by police officers. But then there's always room for improvement and a $500 radar detector is going to be a lot better.

Keep in mind that radar detectors aren't meant to be foolproof. They're meant to alert you to police officers radaring vehicles ahead of you. Police usually leave their radar off until they're ready to target someone, so if you're the only one on the road for miles I'd be careful. Radar detectors are only a tool that helps you lesson your chances of getting a ticket. Tickets are expensive after raised insurance rates and all, so detectors are worth the money. Don't expect more than what they were made for. Situational awareness is important too.

I bought this unit because it was rated the "best radar detector under $200" by Radar Roy. The unit itself is nice, and the settings were easily discoverable without reading the instructions. I like how the alerts go quiet after 4 beeps, and that configuration changes are saved so I don't have to re-enable the settings after the unit has been turned off. There are several options for the display of information on the unit.

There are two things I don't like about it. First is the plug, which is like a phone cord. What the hell? I didn't want to have to pay $20 for an "official plug," so I made my own by cutting the plug off of the included adapter. Second thing is that the top of the unit is shaded light gray, which reflects in my windshield -- kinda annoying.

But all in all I'm please with this radar detector.

Yes, the Valentine, Escort 9500-series, Bel Sti-series all get 95+ percentile performance for $400+. The Bel Vector series (all of which have the same sensitivity performance, just differ on features) reliably tests in the 60-70 percentile range with independent repeated testing. This makes for ample time to recognize police radar operating in the area. Compared to the dismal 5-10 percentile range performance for the best of the Cobra/Rocky Mountain Radar line (avoid even at a fraction of their price), the Vector 955 is a quality, good performing detector.

The Vectors have better false-recognition than most radar detectors built before 2004, but today, they're just an also-ran in that department and will pick up X and K band automated door openers from your local supermarket. The Vector 955 has the feature to turn off X-band, which is rarely used outside of New Jersey. For this reason, the Vector 955 is my bang-for-the-buck choice over the Vector 940. Though I will give a positive nod to the Whistler Pro 78 which has similar performance.

The Vector 955 also has Voice alerts and can be connected to auxiliary devices such as the Beltronics SmartCord for remote operation, or the Cincinnati Microwave ZR4 Laser Shifter. For motorcycles, it can be connected with the H.A.R.D. helmet LED device that lights up a tiny light in your helmet when the radar detector alerts to radar.

The Vector 955 (like many detectors), does not do so well in very hot weather, such as 110-degree days in the sun in Arizona. When hot (combined with the heat of it's own operation), the device can give error/service codes.

Just bought the Bel 955 to replace my Bel 980. From what I have read the 955 gives all the advanced detection of more expensive Bel products, with some lacking features that you may not miss.

Compared to my old 980, the 955 has much, much less false alerts and seems to pick up K and Ka radar much sooner. It is also very easy to program, but to be honest the factory settings are great and not much needs to be changed.

The new auto-quiet feature is very nice. With this you get the alert at the sound level you picked, then it automatically goes softer after a few seconds.

What I didn't like is that they do not supply a straight cord (only a short coiled one), they changed the shape of the power plug (now its a telephone type jack), and moved the jack on the detector to the detector's right side.

I had my old detector hard-wired to the car and was unable to use the existing wire/plug without buying an adapter direct from Beltronics.

One last bit of information. It has been posted that Beltronics won't honor the 1 year warrantee if purchased from a "non-authorized" reseller like Amazon. There is even mention of this on Bel's web site. Before buying from Amazon, I sent an E-mail to Bel asking if this policy included purchase direct from Amazon or if they were refering to Amazon re-sellers. This is Bel's response:


Thank you for your interest in Beltronics! Amazon is authorized. But often you are directed to the reseller site they host. You may not see this unless you look closely at the page you are directed to. We do not have any authorized resellers on their re-seller site.

Regards,
Customer Service Department


In conclusion, the 955 is a nice upgrade from my old Bel detector with some new features, less false alerts, and what seems to be better K & Ka detection.


2/9/08
Addendum:

Unit just died after 6 weeks of use. Suddenly will not pick up any radar! Shipping it back to Bel for repair. Very disappointed in the quality of this unit. Therefore, rating for me has just dropped to one star!

3/29/08 update:

Received the unit back from Bel in less that two weeks. Repair was done free of charge under warrantee. So fears of Bel not honoring the warrantee if purchased from Amazon directly seem to be unfounded. Unit works better than ever now. Lets hope it stays that way!