I bought this because my current driving situation involves a 3 hour commute twice a week and I figured with that much highway exposure my chances of a ticket were probably pretty high. I had a cheaper radar detector by Whistler, but haven't been that impressed. My in-laws are big Escort fans, so I decided to give this one a try.
The unit has a lot of features that I really like. The mute button on the power cord is handy for muting the alert once you have figured out the source. Also, the unit has an "auto-mute" feature that turns the volume down on the alarm after the first few chirps which helps with being annoying. Also, in addition to the normal "city" and "highway" modes, you can choose "auto" which lets the unit decide where you are and what is a real alert. For the most part this works beautifully and saves me the trouble of switching.
I like that the display identified the strength of the signal and the TYPE of radar that is being detected. You start to learn to take some bands more seriously than others and to predict which alarms are real and which aren't. Also, the range seems to be really well. I have had it identify troopers 0.5-1 mile away. Once, while driving down the interstate, it made a noise I hadn't heard before and identified the band as "laser." Sure enough about 500 feet later I saw an unmarked state police car parked in a clump of trees in the median. I later found out that laser is relatively uncommon, very expensive, and hard to detect. This unit did perfectly, though.
Finally, I wanted to address the one complaint I have even though it's probably not really a fair criticism. The unit goes off constantly in Illinois because the state has seen fit to equip EVERY construction sign with a radar gun. One stretch that I drive has literally a dozen of these signs scattered over about 60 miles and the constant beeping is very annoying. Sometimes I just unplug the unit and drive without it through this area. But, like I said, I'm not sure this is fair. The signs aren't cops, but they do actually have real radar, so I'm not sure there is any way the 8500 could be expected to tell.
One last thing, be sure that you understand that while this unit may save you a speeding ticket, that if you get pulled over for any other reason, the police officer is 0% likely to give you a warning once he sees your radar detector. That's just the fact of the matter.
Overall, I have been very impressed with this unit and recommend it over the chapter units I have tried in the past. I know detectors can go for up to $700 or more, and I can't attest to what those are like, but this one does everything I expected it to splendidly.
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This Item  Escort Passport 8500 X50 Radar Detector – Extended Long Range, AutoMute, AutoSensitivity, Audible Alerts, Adjustable LED Display, Signal Strength Meter, Grey, 1.25"X2.85"X5.32" |  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | — | $199.99 | -23% $499.99 List: $649.99 | -7% $649.99 List: $699.99 | $14.95 | $24.99 |
| Delivery | — | — | Get it as soon as Friday, May 17 | Get it as soon as Friday, May 17 | Get it as soon as Monday, May 20 | Get it as soon as Friday, May 17 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Easy to install | ||||||
| Suction power | ||||||
| Value for money | ||||||
| Accuracy | ||||||
| Easy to use | ||||||
| Sold By | — | Amazon.com | Amazon.com | Amazon.com | LycoGear | Freezaah |
| power source | DC | Corded Electric, Battery Powered | DC | DC | — | Battery Powered |
| display type | LED | VFD | OLED | OLED | — | LED |
| voltage | — | — | 12 volts | 12 volts | — | 12 volts |
Reviews with images
"I recommend this detector to anyone who's in the market to buy one."
I've been using this detector for about 9 months now and I've become a pretty big advocate for it, I recommend this detector to anyone who's in the market to buy one. During the first week I had it, I found myself going down a hill. My speed was 75 and the limit was 50. In my state, this would easily be over a $200 fine, but my radar detector was able to give me enough warning to slow down, even though the police officer had just turned his radar gun on.8/10 for the alert that plays. I found that on full volume, your music can start to cover it up; however, the detector is still audible at what I consider to be high music volume. It started to get covered up at 85db and was hard to hear at 100db. The alert also seems to distort when the detector gets hot, this does not affect the usability, but it does sound odd.10/10 for the ability to detect radar guns. During the rare encounter with a police officer who has an X band radar gun, I was able to detect it from extremely long distances in hilly terrain. I had around 1-3 minutes of preparation. As for K band, the longest distance I have recorded is 4 miles. In this instance, there is a device that shows your speed in a work zone. Once I reach the top of a hill 4 miles away, I am able to faintly detect the K band. I don't have much to report with Ka band. Most police officers use this band and I encounter it the most. With little exception, police officers do not leave the radar gun on, they turn it on as needed. Every time this happens, I am given enough warning to slow my vehicle down before the office can get an accurate reading of my speed.10/10 for when the beeping lines up with the beat of my music. The satisfaction I gain from these not-so-rare occurrences is concerning.5/10 for false positives. The radar detector has 3 modes: Highway, City and Auto. I've found that switching modes does not make much of a difference. This detector is extremely sensitive, and while that works to the advantage of finding officers, it can become quite annoying. I have found great use in the mute button.Overall, I rate this detector a 9/10. The false positives can become a little annoying, but when it comes down to it, i'd rather have it tell me something's there when it's not than the contrary.
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Top reviews from other countries
W. Seymour
Escorts are dependable!
Reviewed in Canada on August 24, 2020Style: 8500 X50Verified Purchase
brayden
Saved me thousands and a license
Reviewed in Canada on January 13, 2021Style: 8500 X50Verified Purchase
Felix J.
good detector overall with minor issues
Reviewed in Canada on January 29, 2021Style: 8500 X50Verified Purchase
