In honor of our old friend Brock Yates, the impresario of the legendary Cannonball Run, we use a system of one to five cannonballs to rank the detectors.

* * * * ½    4.5 Cannonballs


Bel Pro RX-65

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Pros: Virtually every major car magazine test has shown this unit and the Escort 8500 X50 have roughly double the Ka band detection range of most other units on the market. This is absolutely key since this type of gun is rapidly becoming the majority of police inventory nowadays. These tests also show a much better ability than most units to weed out the false alarms from other peoples’ detectors. There are a few differences, however. The RX-65 has voice alert, which can be quite helpful in many scenarios. The RX-65 also has Ku band as well, but this is hardly a significant issue for most drivers, since this band is not currently used by police in North America. Total invisibility to the VG-2 Interceptor radar-detector detector. Receives the new POP radar and has the handy multiple threat/bogey counter. Selectable band defeat, too. Picks up Safety Warning System transmitters if you’re lucky enough to ever drive by one. Upgradeable software helps preserve your investment.

Cons: No GPS capability, but if you drive in areas where stopwatch timing is rare, not a big downside. No invisibility to the Spectre radar-detector detector, but this is not really an issue unless you drive in Virginia or drive a commercial vehicle subject to federal D.O.T regulations.

Bottom Line: If you drive in areas where enforcement is largely confined to radar and laser guns, with little or no incidence of oddball methods like stopwatch timing, and you don’t feel the need for GPS capabilities, this is an absolutely fabulous unit.