Bel Express 946Li: A Cordless That Actually Performs!
Written: Oct 18 '03 (Updated Jan 18 '04)
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Pros: CORDLESS, Price, Performance as a Cordless
Cons: CORDLESS
The Bottom Line: If you're looking for a cordless, then the Bel Express 946i is a good choice.
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| soupcraze's Full Review: Beltronics BEL 946 Radar Detector |
Before I start out writing this review, I would just like to say that many people who are very serious about radar detectors would never buy a cordless. I have so far used only the Escort Solo and Solo S2 before I used the Bel, but it was quite a fun test.
-Why Not A Cordless?-
*I really don't know why, but many people make a big deal out of having a cord. Some say that it makes the car look bad, so then they go out to find a cordless radar detectors. The cheapest are the models from PNI which I haven't yet had the chance of trying out, these go in around the mid-$100's range. Then comes the more expensive Escort Solo S2 which goes for $329.99 (MSRP). Then there's the Bel Express 946Li which goes for about $200 in stores but can be purchased for around $140 online. When you're moving from a 12V cord to dual 3V batteries, you are sacrificing performance. A radar detector isn't the most energy efficient electronic device. So in order to have a somewhat decent battery life, the detector turns itself on and off. This completely decreases K and Ka band performance. However, all of the cordless detectors have different performance.
-What's It Like?-
*The Bel Express 946i is a cute little unit that does resemble other Bel units to some degree. It has one of those more annoying LED displays. I really prefer the digitial displays on the Vector models more than this. However, the Bel Express 946Li does offer distinct audio alerts for the different bands. The Bel Express 946Li does have driver selectable features which allow you to turn off the bands or to turn of the SWS-warning system. It also has brightness settings which allow you to make the LED either very bright or dark. An other nice feature is that the unit shows the battery life whbich is quite useful. Overall, it's a nicely packed and easy unit to use.
-Price-
*The Bel Express 946Li can be purchased for around as little as $140 online. That's quite a deal, also considering how much cordless units can and have gone for in stores. If you went to Sharper Image back in the pre-S2 days, the Bel Express 946Li went for the same price as the Escort Solo at $199 sticker. However, regarding performance, the Bel Express 946Li completely destroys out the Solo which absolutely sucks... That's the only way to put it. The Solo S2 actually does perform decently, and better than the Bel Express 946Li, but it costs more than twice as much. If you're very serious about buying a cordless detector, the Bel Express 946Li is quite a bargain. However, if you just want the down-right best protection. Go for a corded unit which will definitely deliver the best performance possible. Try other Bel Express models if you're in the sub-$200 category, they are excellent performers.
-Performance-
*I remember the first time that I was in a car with the Escort Solo. It was funny... The detector barely was able to pick up K-band and almost didn't pick up Ka-band at all. Hahaha. Well, the Bel Express 946Li is something quite different. My friend who owns a nice import (Acura RSX Type-S) kept asking me on what radar to get. I continuously told him to buy a Valentine One, and then somehow he kept telling me how he didn't want a cord because he wanted to transfer the radar between different cars. I tried to convince him otherwise, but he persisted. He thought about buying the Escort Solo S2 but then settled on the Bel Express 946Li because of its much lower price range. We tried this baby out in K-band and also Ka-band territory. On a straight road, we picked up a police cruiser that was pulled over in the median that had K-band facing our direction. He had a fairly good amount of time to slow down. This was surprising because I remembered how horrible the Solo was. Then with Ka-band, it performed slightly worse on a straight road, but yet again, he had time to slow down. This is no where near the type of performance you'd get with a Valentine One, but the Escort Solo is a far cry from the Bel. Then, does the Escort Solo S2 really give better performance? Not by $180 more... If you're looking for a cordless that can give you ample time to slow down, then the Bel Express 946Li is a nice choice.
-The Verdict-
*The Bel Express 946Li is definitely a better cordless that I've seen. It completely destroys the preceeding Solo and comes pretty close to the S2 in performance. For ~$140, you can't really go wrong with the Bel Express 946Li as a cordless. However, if it's only sensitivity that you're worrying about, I'd stick to a corded detector. For around $70 more, you can have the Bel Vector 985 which has clearly superior performance. Also, in the mid-$100 range, you can get yourself a nice Bel Express that will give you great performance. Overall though, the Bel Express 946Li proves itself worthy.
Curious about other cordless models?
PNI Sensoro Traveller II
Escort Solo (Original)
Escort Solo S2
Recommended:
Yes
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soupcraze
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Member: Soup Enthusiast
Location: Chicago, Illinois
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I enjoy many of life's passions... Music, medicine, people, and life itself.
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