Escort Passport 8500 X50 Radar and Laser Detector (Red Display) by Escort Inc.
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Digital camera reviews of Escort Passport 8500 X50 Radar and Laser Detector (Red Display)
Digital camera Review: Best radar detector I have ever had
Summary: 4 Stars
Best radar detector I have ever had. That said--is there really a radar detector that can 100% protect you?
I think not.
The issue is that the detector never goes off because law enforcement in my area keep their radars off. They only trigger their radar when they can instantly get you. Then it is too late to slow down after this detector goes off. In some cases, though, it has saved me on the interstate and major roads.
I think if you live in high traffic areas with other vehicles that speed, this detector works well.
This detector did everything I expected except suction to the windshield. On hot days it will fall off--thus I deducted 1 star for lousy suction cups.
Digital camera Review: Beware!
Summary: 1 Stars
I ordered the Passport X50 from Amazon to save the $18 shipping Escort Radar was charging. I was told by someone at Escort Radar that Amazon was an authorized reseller.
After having my detector on for ten minutes (right out of the box), it did three "SELF CAL"s, then said "SERVICE REQUIRED". I called Escort Radar and was told "If you let the car power up the unit when you start the car, the voltage can be all over the place and the unit gets confused. You must first start the car, and then use the thumbwheel to turn on the detector." It makes some sense, but if this is really the case, why don't they put those instructions in their manual? After trying this many times, the unit was "still confused", so I returned it for a replacement.
My second detector worked for maybe thirty minutes before the same thing happened. This time Escort Radar told me "if you leave it plugged into the cigarette lighter over night, this has been found to cause problems." Well my lighter power goes off when I turn off the ignition, so this doesn't apply. Escort Radar also told me that "excessive heat" has been causing them problems. Now we have had a few days of 100° heat, and I'm sure the car gets hotter parked in the sun, but the design engineers should have accounted for these conditions plus some margin when you design something that is supposed to work in a car. It gets a lot hotter in other parts of the country. There are no warnings in the manual about not using it above 90° or leaving it off in a hot car. You wouldn't design a ski that doesn't work below 35°, would you???
The most troubling part of my conversation with Escort Radar service department was they told me Amazon is not an authorized reseller, and they have no idea where they are getting the units from. Furthermore, they will not honor any warranty nor will they ever repair the unit, not even for money.
Digital camera Review: Beware, it doesn't work when it gets hot
Summary: 1 Stars
When this unit is in direct sun light for too long, it stops working, but you will never know it until you get a ticket. In other words, the display says that it is on, and there is no radar, so it looks like it is working correctly, but it won't beep when there is radar anymore. The only way you know if this is happening is if you power cycle the unit, when it powers on, it won't stop beeping. The way to fix this is to put it in the shade (i.e. on the floor or under your seat) or better yet, put it directly in front of your air conditioning vent until it cools off.
One morning it was sunny and about 80 degrees outside, I had my air conditioning on, and I would hardly be considered an extremely hot day. I drove past a nice bush on the side of the highway that was hiding officer friendly from the highway patrol, who was doing radar. Not a peep at all from the radar detector. Evidently it decided to stop working again with no prior notice. Officer friendly gave me a speeding ticket for $240... this is your state sanctioned highway robbery at work. It is not like it is 120 degrees outside either. Considering that I don't use this in extreme temperatures, my conclusion is that this radar detector does not operate correctly in the normal operating temperature where it would typically be used, it is a design flaw. You might as well make a ski jacket that only operates correctly if the ambient temperature is over 50 degrees, and not mention anything about this to the consumer before they buy it.
The other problem with this radar detector is that my state uses photo radar vans on the highway. They don't use laser, they use K-band radar. This radar detector does not pick up these photo radar vans until you are right along side the van. When you are there, you have already been clocked. What good is the radar detector if it doesn't warn you before you get clocked?
In all fairness, the radar detector has saved me from several tickets, but I am disappointed with the quality. This can not possibly be the best radar detector that is out there. Escort used to make a good product, I don't know what happened to their quality control, and in particular I can't understand why this product doesn't even work when it is sunny and over 80 degrees outside.
Digital camera Review: Borrow one before you buy.
Summary: 1 Stars
Escort X50 is plagued by false alarms on the Laser and Pop channels. Please borrow a friends and test in your car first. I have tested in 4 different cars and everything from the horn to the turbo charging spooling up will cause this thing to go wild. I tried working with Escort to resolve problem but they wanted 65 dollars to place foil over the sensor to (Dumb down my detector) fix it. I've already given to much money to escort.Digital camera Review: Borrow one before you buy.
Summary: 1 Stars
Escort X50 is plagued by false alarms on the Laser and Pop channels. Please borrow a friends and test in your car first. I have tested in 4 different cars and everything from the horn to the turbo charging spooling up will cause this thing to go wild. I tried working with Escort to resolve problem but they wanted 65 dollars to place foil over the sensor to (Dumb down my detector). I've already given to much money to escort.