Customer Reviews

Whistler DE1788 Cordless Radar/Laser Detector with Tri-Directional Text Display

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I purchased this unit a few months ago and I am happy with it. The windshield clip is pretty lame and I do not like the way it blocks part of the view out my windshield. I went to whistlers web site and ordered a non-skid pad to set the unit directly on the dashboard. My dashboard is flat and it sits well on there and does not slide around. Until I got that pad, I was not real happy with the mounting options. You could do the same thing with two way tape, or Velcro - but it would be hard to remove the unit and put the unit in the glove box when the car is parked.
I wanted a cordless unit so I don't have the power cable hanging across the dashboard. I like the rechargeable feature, if the batteries go dead while I am driving, I just plug in the adapter and I can still use the unit while it is charging.

I am very pleased with my portable radar detector. I love the option to transfer from one car to another, and the battery life is pretty good; best to bring it inside when it's really cold though. After doing research on all the available units, I'm very pleased with my purchase! And the price was well below the competition!

This radar detector was rated the best wireless (battery) detector for the money by Radar Roy and it performs like it.

Concerning the complaints about the fragility of the internal clip, so far, after 6 months of near-daily use of the Whistler DE-1788, the clip on my device is holding strong. Every time I'm finished using the radar detector I unlatch it from the window bracket and place it in the middle storage box so it doesn't get nicked. So, I am heavily using the 1788 and it still hasn't broke...knock on whatever.

The product itself works reliably. Although the sound may not be as loud as you desire, the blue display brightens up when a radar is detected and usually catches my attention from the corner of my eye, even if I'm jammin' too loud. I also enjoy the available options/features in its menu, including city modes, auto shut-off, rearrangement of sounds for different radar detections, among others.

This thing has sniffed out everything around me......I don't speed on purpose......but when I'm doing 38 in a 25 this thing warns me of the township's money maker trap.....unsafe driving in NJ is $439!!! It's a good safety net. The window suction cups really do suck.....but I found that if I put it above my rear view mirror and let most of the weight rest on the mirror, everything is fine. Velco to the dash is another option to consider.
I like this puppy....if your a race car driver, look at the $400 to $500 detectors

Just to make it simple, the internal clip that attachs the product to the metal holder (and then to the windshield), went loose after 2 days of use. Probably it has a plastic clip inside while the windield piece is metal.
Radar itself works great.

I bought The Whistler to use in my company vehicle and it isn't a bad unit for the money. I don't use it in town so I can't really testify to it's "city" mode but, it has more than paid for itself by saving me from several tickets on the open road. It does pick up false signals in the "X" band, from security systems and garage doors most likely but, not as badly as some cheaper units I've had in the past. If you want a really excellent radar detector then you'll have to spend a lot more money for something like an Excort Passport 8500 (I have one of these on my motorcycle and it's fantastic). If you want to beat the system on a budget though, the DE-1788 is a decent option at a moderate price.

I've been using a Valentine One for years, but my newly acquired vintage sports car does not support a power source, so I had to go with a cordless model. Since this appears to be the only one that doesn't "go to sleep" while turned on, I was attracted to what promised to be better performance than the typical cordless detector. I've been surprised by how good the performance has been. It's no V1, but it's a very good detector, and the cordless convenience is great. It runs for a couple weeks between chargings. I wish the alerts were louder, as I'm using it in a convertible, but I can still hear it go off. Highly recommended, especially at this price point.

I was shopping for radar detectors when I came across the Whistler DE-1788 on sale - clearance actually - at Radio Shack for $99.99. I figured for being wireless and having POP detection, this was a steal for under $100! I have a few good things to say about this, but several complaints.

The Good-
The radar itself has a nice look to it. The blue display is very appealing to the eye and looks nice when it's dark out. Like I said before, POP detection and a cordless feature for under $100 bucks is a good buy. The detector for the short time I had it performed well, but then again I had it for less that 24 hours!

The Bad-
After walking out of the store I stopped and sat on a bench in the mall to look at my new purchase. I opened up the package, put the suction cups on the metal clip that goes to the windshield and then slid the mounting bracket into the detector. Withing minutes of fiddling with it - it broke... I by NO MEANS was rough with this product and I honestly feel that hitting a hard bump on the road would have caused as much pressure as it took to break the mounting peice. It was actually something inside the detector - cheap cheap CHEAP plastic. *the review below mine had the same thing happen* I decided to continue on and mounted the detector in my windshield - the detector is SO heavy from the batteries in it that it doesn't mount worth a crap on a window. It is really saggy and flops all around, plus the bracket is now broke. Cordless is nice but from other reviews I read it shuts off after continous use, thats no good - what about long car trips?? Also, the sun washes out the display - it only looks good at night, day time its invisible. Probably worst of all is the volume, or lack of, that the unit produces. It is no where near what it should be. It provides no output jack for an external speaker (though that shouldn't even be necessary!) The knob goes to seven, why seven? I don't know! My music is loud - not crazy loud - but I couldn't hear the detector at all over the music.

Overall - keep looking!!! [...]

I have used this for a couple of weeks now. No complaints. It is easy to configure. The unit is rather large, because it has 4 AA batteries. I knew this before I bought it tough. I really like the cordless aspect of this detector.