Customer Reviews

Beltronics Vector V995 Radar Detector

5 star:		(62)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I got the Vector 995 because its performance is at par with the top of the line radar detectors from Bel, Escort, Valentine. Even though I rarely speed above general traffic flow, speed enforcement has picked up a lot and I didn't want to pay back-door taxes.

Its radar detection performance is at par with the best of them - usually just 5% or so less than the best for a given test. But the cost difference is way more than 5%, more like 25%+. Its laser detection is its weakness, but only when compared to the top of the line models. However, the laser detection weakness isn't really critical because laser guns are so fast and accurate that the officer has already clocked your speed before even the detector alerts (even the best one). Don't take my word for it, just go ask your local police officer. Also, the rear facing sensor is quite useless on most detectors - someone in marketing thought it would be cool and all other brands followed. It is also one of the very few detectors which can detect the Ku band, which is rumored to be introduced in the US soon (already there in Europe).

It also falses significantly less than what I've had before. I can't compare with the top 4 because I don't have them. AutoScan works best in city or when in new areas; Highway works best on rural areas or highways. Use AutoScan with care, it filters all bands and can potentially reduce detection range (because it spends some time figuring out if the radar signal pattern is like those from typical sources of falsing). Its Tech mode (showing radar freq) can be used to find out real speed gun threat when a cunning officer hangs out in an area where detectors often false (drugstore, grocery store, etc) - not fool proof though. One should note that the 'false alerts' are not really false - they ARE actually radar signals in the same band used by police. It's called 'false' because it's not a 'cop' radar signal.

POP mode, while a nice feature, usually trigger a lot of falsing on most detectors - because of leaky/crappy detectors like the Cobras. I've enabled POP for the last 3 weeks and have run it in AutoScan and City modes - no difference in falsing. Even the top 4 detectors today can't beat this. Also, the review/description is wrong - POP is disabled by default on the 995 also (maybe Bel changed it after the review).

The Vector 995 is the only one in the Vector series that can have its firmware upgraded by Beltronics - useful if they have some bug fixes and/or they have an update that does better detection.

It also has a few less features than the top 4, but I didn't care for those. Its got all the essential features one really needs for its intended use and does them extremely well. Its stellar performance makes it an awesome deal for a $225 price. I got mine on a special sale at Amazon for even less :). However, like any radar detector (even the best ones), this radar detector is NOT a cop detector - so drive sensibly.

Even when the 995 is having a bad day, it is waaaaay better than the most expensive Cobra/Whistler radar detectors.

Like any product, it has quirks:
1. 3.5mm jack volume - it's just too loud even at one click above minimum (I use it when spouse/kids are sleeping on a long drive)
2. Buttons for visor clip - if you get the visor clip, the buttons are not easy to reach

And last but most important, please drive carefully. Lives are more important than seconds/minutes saved by excessive speeding and rash driving.

Bonus tips:
a. Tutorial mode - manual doesn't mention it, but I stumbled on it. Press the Dark and Mute buttons down and then the Power button to turn the unit on. Voila - tutorial mode!! Power button press exits this mode.
b. Audio/Voice alerts - learn to identify the bands with your ears, the range based on audio beep frequency, it helps keep your eyes focused where they need to be - on the road. I've turned Voice off after a couple of months, and rarely need to look at it (except in Tech mode).
c. Ebay/Unauthorized dealers - Beltronics honors warranty from authorized dealers only. Amazon itself is authorized (may change in future), Amazon's sellers are not. Ebay is not, most stuff there are refurbs or rejects and hence the low low prices. You've been informed, use common sense.

If this is your first Radar Detector, it takes a little getting used to. I've had my Beltronics 995 for about a year or so now. It's been quite useful. It will NOT save you if you pass a cop and he decides to tag you. I lucked out one night when the cop couldn't find a place to turn around quickly enough when he waited until I was right next to him (going to the other way) when he turned his radar on. Do NOT think any radar detector is an excuse to drive however you feel... you WILL regret it.

Also, banks, gas stations and a lot of other little things will set the Beltronics 995 ablaze with lights and sounds.

If you're in one area, and can learn where the bands are, this radar detector becomes VERY useful. A good example... I got X band in an area where I always got K band... sure enough, there's a cop sitting right there. Also, the voice saying the band is kind of useful, as I don't have to look at it.

The Beltronics 995 offers a wide range of bands it'll detect. The tones can be adjusted to be quiet (they're pretty dang loud off factory settings and'll scare the hell out of you when you get your first tones). You can also mute it when it drives your significant other nuts.

On the whole, I'm pretty happy with it... would I buy another in the future? Probably.

I've had this for about a week, and it seems to be working very well. The "autoscan" feature is very nice since I seemed to forget to switch between "city" and "highway" with my older units.

The voice prompts are very clear, and the automute keeps the annoying beeps to a comfortable level.

I've had several radar detectors over the years, and this one certainly seems to be the best so far. It is also rated very highly in the amgazine articles I found.

I've been using radar detectors for 25+ years. First a cheap Cobra, then a nicer Whistler, another Whistler, and then finally I stepped up to the plate and bought a Beltronics Vector 980 which at the time (9 years ago) was one of the best on the market. During that 25 year period, I have only received ONE speeding ticket, and that was from a motorcycle cop hiding in the driveway of a private residence behind the homeowner's truck reaching around the canopy with his radar gun and doing the "instant on" thing (I guess they were getting desperate for some revenue......lol). Under those circumstances NO radar detector would have saved me as I was the only car on the road......Still, my driving record is totally clean (driver diversion class for that one ticket...), and, while I've spent maybe $700 on radar detectors over the past 25 years, I've saved THOUSANDS of dollars in tickets/fines/court costs and increased car insurance premiums. So, if you're wondering if a radar detector is worth the money, YES, they are!!!

Anyway, after 9 years of faithful service, my 980 is finally starting to die: lot's of false alarms, self-cal and low voltage warnings, etc. After speaking with Beltronics Tech Support (who are located in the U.S. and very helpful!) it became pretty obvious that it was time for a new detector as my 980 is acting like it's on the way out.

Even though I've been very pleased with my Beltronics 980, I did want to read all the relevant reviews to see what detectors are the best bang for the buck these days. Basically, if you want a top-quality radar detector, you have to spend at least $200 and you want to buy from Beltronics or Escort--it's really that simple. Both companies are currently offering an $80 "Cash for clunkers" rebate where you can send in any old detector (working or not) and get $80 off any of their current models. A pretty good deal, though [...] price without the rebate and free prime shipping on the V995 was still lower......

I thought briefly about making the switch to Escort--I like the smaller profile of the Passport and they are highly rated. But after reading some of the reviews here and at other sites, it seemed like there was a fairly high failure rate of these units after a year or so of use. Given that repairing this type of electronics is almost always cost-prohibitive, I decided to just stick with Beltronics, after all, my 980 lasted for over 9 years!!!

In reading the review sites (just google "best radar detector") it became clear that the Beltronics GX65 is among the top dogs. Its got all the bells and whistles, including GPS. It's also got a $469 price tag.....

I think GPS is a nice feature. It would be nice to add grocery stores and other false alarms along my most-traveled routes to the GPS-enabled RD to keep it silent. It's also nice to be able to plot out and store the locations of the seemingly never ending mine field of photo radar speed cameras. However, for me a GPS-enabled unit didn't make sense.

This V995 costs only $209, $260 less than the GPS-enabled GX65. Yet for less than the $260 difference between these two RD's, you can buy a good Garmin nüvi 765/765T 4.3-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Traffic that will not only allow you to maintain a database of known red light cameras and speed cameras, but also help you to navigate, avoid traffic jams, find nearby restaurants, gas stations, etc. By utilizing the POI (point of interest) database in the GPS unit, you can customize the POI's in your GPS to include speed traps, red light cameras, speed cameras, etc and then warn you as you are approaching these areas giving you time to check your speed. At the Garmin website are links to a dozen or so POI databases that provide all of this information for free.

The next model in the Beltronics lineup is the RX65 which retails for $339.95 Yet several tests rated the V995 BETTER in radar detection, and it's $150 less.....Yes, the RX65 has a few more bells and whistles, but not nearly enough to justify the much higher price IMHO. It's worth noting that the V995 retails for $295 at the Beltronics website.

So far, I'm very happy with the V995. I've been running the 980 and the 995 together for about 2 weeks now just to test sensitivity of the V995 (my 980 still works very well on detecting actual radar--it's just getting waaaaay too many false alarms). I really like the fact that the V995 comes with the "smart cord," I saw earlier reviews that stated it did not, but mine did. The V995 mounting bracket is simple, yet very strong and effective, and I really like that the V995 locks onto the mounting bracket with a push-button lock on the top of the V995. This means that if you're running some errands and you want to hide or take your RD with you to prevent theft, you can quickly remove it from the bracket without having to remove the bracket from the windshield. Still, if you're in a high crime area it's probably best to remove the bracket from your windshield as crafty thieves will look for RD and GPS suction cup mounts hoping that the owner has just hidden the RD in the glove box or under the seat and then bust out your window just to find out......

I also really like the auto-mute feature on the V995. Essentially, once it pics up a signal it will beep 2-3 times loudly so that you are alerted, and then it will mute the sound but keep the lights flashing so you can track the alert over the next few minutes without the annoying beeping or the need to push the mute button. Another great feature is the autoscan feature (which I now use the most) that allows you to not have to choose between City or Highway mode (for increased/decreased sensitivity) it will autoscan the area you're driving in and switch itself between Hwy and City as needed. So, all the protection without the false-alarms from cell phone towers, motion detectors, and other cheap radar detectors. The end result is a very quiet, yet very sensitive radar detector--and that's what you really want.

My V995 has been great--it even gave me plenty of warning last week for a laser speed trap--though when you hear the "laser alert!" warning you need to slow down NOW! It gives me virtually no false alarms, and it mounts securely to the windshield. It comes with the smart cord, the windshield mount (and Beltronics even included a spare set of suction cups--a nice touch) and a well made zippered case to store everything in. Sure, you could spend more money if you want to, but for $209 for the V995, this is hands down the best radar detector bang-for-your-buck!!!

My Radar detector was purchased January 2010. One month later the detector stopped working and would not turn on. I verified it was not the power source or the cable; the unit was receiving power but would not turn on. Well I wasn't too happy but I knew it was covered by a 1 Year warranty. I called up Beltronics only to find out that they DO NOT HONOR WARRANTY CLAIMS for products purchased from Amazon.com!!! Even worse, they wanted $79.99 + shipping to fix the unit. Needless-to-say, I find their level of customer service inadequate and disconcerting given the volume of product they sell through this site. I will not purchase another Beltronics product and would advise highly against it given their lack of professionalism in standing behind the quality of their own product.

I am a long time radar detector user (25+ years), but haven't bought a new one in maybe 5 years. I therefore felt a bit out of the loop on current radar detector technology and thus decided I had some homework to do. I bought this Beltronics V995 unit after carefully reviewing all the radar detector review sites (which I very much recommend you do as well) and then honed my decision after picking a few top candidates and reading the reviews here on Amazon. I took about two weeks to make my decision. This is my first Beltronics unit, I have normally bought Escort/Passport in the past. Now that they are essentially the same company, and the same technology and construction has been brought to the Beltronic's lineup, I thought I would give them a try, especially since this unit is top-rated and less expensive than the other high end detectors in this field, like the cough*Passport 9500i*cough.

First, note this unit is not GPS-enabled with preset photo radar cameras in its memory. As another reviewer noted, for the additional price, go buy a Garmin GPS and plug them in yourself. You'll save a ton of money and have a better GPS unit to boot. If $ is no object, and you simply must have the latest toy, by all means go buy yourself a GPS-enabled unit. The reviews stated they did work pretty well, but you will pay dearly for that technology.

But if you just want stellar radar detection at an affordable price, by all means consider the Bel V995. In "most" tests I reviewed, while it may not have offered the very earliest detection warning, it was close enough to easily get the job done. Sure you could spend twice the price (or more) and get .3 of a second earlier warning, but, do you need to? I didn't think so and in real world driving, the difference has proven negligible. Still, if you are someone who has to have the "best," and will pay whatever that costs, by all means go look at those $500 to $600 units out there and get them. I used to be one of "those" guys, but that was before the reality of things like a family, mortgage, college savings, etc. came into play. This unit now costs under $200, which is really a steal considering what it does.

I have had the unit for several months now and consider the unit battle tested, having driven up New York State's infamous Route 17, from beginning to end, half a dozen times. As anyone who is familiar with that highway knows, it is a literal rat's nest of radar traps, the New York State troopers utilizing both KA band and laser, and of course, instant-on. It does help that I am very familiar with most of their preferred "hiding" spots, but that just made it easier to test the unit's ability to sniff them out in advance. And let me just say, the unit works as advertised and reviewed. Not a single ticket and I just smile every time it finds the cop...But of course you can never predict where they will be cruising on the highway itself, with instant on, you really have to pay attention and take every alert seriously or you will, eventually, get a ticket. And if there is no one around you at all - slow down!

I drive with the unit's "autoscan" feature, which as many have described, is the no-brainer way of letting the unit pick whether to be in highway or city mode, and it does a very effective job of ignoring false alarms like automatic door openers operating on X band, and yet picking up a real trap from a great distance.

The other great feature, again as others have noted, is the auto-mute feature. The unit loudly announces the presence of police radar for 2-3 seconds, gets your attention, allowing you to slow down, then reduces the volume automatically so it is not blasting your ears. You can manually adjust this feature if you do not want it to auto mute. Nice.

The smart cord feature is also nice and does in fact now come with the unit. It's nice because you can auto mute from the cord if you want, and you can also run in "dark" mode, if you don't want others to see the warning lights from your unit mounted on the windshield, the display on the cord will light up instead. They call this running in "stealth" mode. At night I would and do consider doing this.

Oh, and for those newbie radar detector users who just don't "get it," and give this unit, as well as others, one star for failing to protect you from instant on radar - this unit will NOT protect you from instant on radar. NO radar detector will do that and if you don't understand that, perhaps a radar detector is not for you. Enough said.

Bottom line, this unit works extremely well for what it was designed to do. It is well built, easy to use right out of the box, and does what it is supposed to do. For now less than $200, I don't see how you can beat it from a price/performance ratio. I would buy it again in a second. Do your own research and see if you don't agree with me after you do. Good luck.

The Vector 995 is in my opinion one of the best products available for the price. I have two 995 models in different vehicles and they both perform perecftly. The devices seem a little heavy to rely on just 2 suction cups for their support, but so far neither have fallen. Alternative mounting hardware is available for extra cost, if necessary. Features & options are just what is needed and no more. Display & sound are clear. Design is neat and quality of manufacture is high. I find that the quick start beep sequence is an especially welcome option over previous versions, particularly when the devices are permanently mounted and powered whenever the vehicles are operating.
Highly recommended.

Being a satisfied user of a Bel Express 936 in my 02 WRX, I looked to Bel for a radar detector to go in a new Cooper S in Jul 05 (mainly my wife's daily driver). The Vector 995 was reasonably priced and feature laden and seemed to perform well in tests carried out by radartest.com, so I bought one.

The 995 is more noticeably more sensitive than my older 936, it starts chirping sooner when a police radar is around, while simultaneously being a slightly less susceptible to false alarms. Possibly due to the Autoscan feature. I'm happy with it.

So when we bought a V6 RAV 4 as some sensible family transport (our first baby arrives in a couple of weeks) I could have taken the 936 from the WRX, but since I plan on keeping that car, at least for few more months, a 2nd Vector 995 went right into the RAV. Not that I expect to be seriously violating speed limits with junior on board, .

Pros: Autoscan, Programmable, Sensitive, fewer false alarms
Cons: Automute too quiet, mounting bracket allows a bit too much flex.

I purchased this radar detector after driving from California to Michigan and preparing for the return drive. My wife and I wanted to make better time heading back and I did my research and had Amazon expedite it to my Dad's house in Michigan.
I have to say that this unit met our expectations and surpassed them. We drove through Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, and California and we were warned of police with their radar on way before we ever saw them. We received very few false alarms and only when we were off the highway. We can definitely say without a doubt that this detector saved us from at LEAST 3 tickets over the 24+ hours of driving. If you are taking a road trip and plan on driving over the speed limit you cannot be without a radar detector of some kind, and this one worked great for us. The voice alerts were great and the included smart chord was very useful.
BTW, here is some of the experience we gained from the trip, and this is applicable to any detector: If K or X band radar is detected then it could easily be a automatic door opener or one of those roadside units that the police set up that tells you how fast you are going, but it could just as easily be a cop too, you never know until you see the source of the radar. If you ever see Ka band then it is DEFINITELY a cop and you need to take action immediately. That was our experience anyway. Hope this helps.

I bought this detector to replace my old V940 (but I still use the V940 over this, I'll explain more in depth later). I did a lot of research and consulted forums, asked questions, watched videos and basically wanted an all around decent detector that didn't break the bank. So I chose this one. If you're going to buy a Vector "V", then get the V995 as you will not regret it because it has way more features and is worth the extra money over the other Vectors.

The Good:
Tech Mode/Band ID = Shows you the frequency of the radar band which if you pay attention can help you distinguish between a true and a false alert. I personally don't use it because I'd have to take my eyes off the road. Still good feature.
Selectable Band Coverage (Awesome feature and this is why I say pony up the extra money) = Ability to turn off all bands and warnings so you won't have to listen to X-band and that annoying guy scream bands at you as if you couldn't already distigush between the beep pitches. I personally have mine setup with: X-Band Off, POP Mode Off, Laser Off, SWS OFF, Voice Alert Off, Auto-mute On, K-Band On, Ka-Band On. No laser used in my area and you cannot receive a citation from a POP burst as the officer has to clock you using normal radar mode.
Voltage Meter.
Very Loud or mine is at least and I have it maybe 2/3 of the way turned up.
VG2 Protection.
Smart Plug cord with Mute Button.
On 35.5Ghz Ka-Band this thing is somehow a monster, but only on that specific frequency.

The Bad:
Response time is slow compared to expensive radar detectors. Response time of V995 = .400sec average ; Response time of V1 = .200sec average. But again this is a budget mid range detector so that is to be expected so I guess it's not that bad. Also I'm editing this part to further inform a potential buyer as response time is very quick and it will pick up a signal before you can visually see the enemy. Basically the response time has more to do with Instant On / Quick Trigger whereby the officer holds the radar unit in standby and when he sees you he pushes the button and you're done so it is somewhat irrelevant to me because at that point it's game over.
Now I'm getting technical so bare with me. The radar detector uses an "M4" horn to receive alerts while my old V940 uses an "S7" horn. Well the S7 horn is superior in sensitivity and has a wider degree range meaning it has better off axis detection. Also the V940 being 7 years old responds quicker to an alert every time.
There is virtually no ramp up. This means there is no build up of beeping and bars as you would expect as you get closer to the radar source. It will literally go from 1 bar beeping to all out full bore beeping, no in between.

Overall it is worth the money for what it is. If you're desperate for a detector and on a budget I would recommend it. If you have random money to blow then I would suggest a V1 or Redline.

Two more pieces of advise. Think of a Radar Detector as a second set of eyes. It can't save you all the time but it's nice to have someone else so to speaking looking around with you. Also, always contest a ticket even if your guilty of speeding. Statistically speaking over 90% of people just pay the fine. Imagine if everyone contested a ticket? You would completely clog up the courts. It is true that speeding tickets are an alternative taxation system that generates billions of dollars in revenue. Speed doesn't kill, ignorance and inexperience kills.