Escort Passport 8500 Radar Detector

Pros: Superior detection capabilities. Loaded with customizable features. Nice design.
Cons: Expensive.

In the ever competitive cat and mouse chase world of police radar and drivers who want 'protection' from their lead-foot driving tendencies, radar detection companies are always trying to keep in step with the radar gun producing folks who are doing...

Pros: Much improved K and Ka band range, sleek design, easy mounting, easier storage, SmartCord
Cons: Flashy color attracts undesirables, poor rear protection.

Oh, how I truly believe that speed limits are arbitrarily set by agents of The Man.

Weeks ago, I did a head-to-head comparison of the Passport 7500 and the Valentine One. This had the results of a man-vs-boy confrontation with the Valentine...

Pros: Does its job and does it well. ExpertMeter. High quality item, too.
Cons: Lacking voice feature, maybe? Of course, a bit pricey.

There I was! White-knuckled and sweating, pedal to the metal... flying down the interstate at 100 mph. I suppose there were a lot of things on my mind as I flew towards Dallas, TX in a borrowed 1997 Jaguar XK8 (review to come, I promise), but being ...

Pros: Clean/Clear display; Band selectable; Customized for driver
Cons: EZ Program! NOT!; Long unit; Windshield mount

The Escort name has been around for over 20 years. They have dominated the detector market with the Original Escort, Escort Passport, and late 80s Solo. After one of the founders had departed from the company (Mike Valentine) the company hasn't produced...

Pros: Excellent proven detection ability, robust programming options, good looks, great warranty fulfillment
Cons: Easily marred plastic case

Intro Although I live in a state where radar detectors are completely verboten, I purchased one in Joliet, IL, while on a cross country road trip. Until I reached California, the trusty Escort 8500 gave its occasional beeps, chirps, and buzzes to ...

Pros: detects most radar well, small
Cons: not the best in its price range

I have been using this radar detector a great deal lately because of some troubles I have had with my vehicle which have forced me to drive my friends car a bit. He has owned this radar detector for some time and has said that it generally has done a...

Pros: Programmable, High Performance Detection, Easy to Mute
Cons: Expensive

Background
My commute to and from work puts me in my car about 2 hours a day. I have owned escort and passport radar detectors for about 15 years and have never been disappointed.

Important and Useful Features
The...

Pros: Good Sensitivity, Good Price, Upgradable, Covers All Bands
Cons: Lacks Features of V1, Silver Color Is More Appealing To Theives

For the many people who require the best protection from cops and who can't afford the Valentine One comes the Escort Passport 8500! The Passport 8500 is $100 less than the Valentine, and it is put up as a very competent competitor. I was able to use a...

Pros: soothing HP blue display, automute is a must, raspy brap alerts not annoying, smartcord
Cons: no SWS on x50, length, no voice, no directional arrows

After hours of reviewing articles, radar tests at speedzones.com, radartest.com, http://www.radar-detectors.com , motortrend.com and others, I narrowed it down to x50, rx65, and V1. Not an easy choice for me. THE SKINNY ON THE THREE DETECTORS escort ...

Pros: Detection range, very little falsing, FREQUENCY DETECTION, travel case
Cons: Silver paint, no autobrightness, V1 windshield mount is much smarter

For those who have read already this review please go right to the bottom and see an update as of 03 15 05. For those who have read already this review please go right to the bottom and see an update as of 10 26 08. Two months ago I started ...

Pros: Highly programmable, Band Selectivity, Ka band sensitivity, solidly built
Cons: Rear radar sensitivity, lots of K band falsing, somewhat bulky

Specs from the booklet! Operating Bands * X-band 10.525 GHz ± 25 MHz * K-band 24.150 GHz ± 100 ...

Pros: Performance (for the short time it works)
Cons: Quality, Reliability, and price

I won't bother with any glowing performance reviews. Others have pretty much filled this space with them and I agree, it is a great detector - WHEN IT WORKS! I purchased one of these units from an online retailer in the Spring of 2004. By the end of ...

Pros: good all around detector. among pinnacle of detectors
Cons: just 2 k/ka band signals at once, range on x/k band less than v1.

The package: The Passport 8500 comes in a metal case with instruction manual, smart power cord, windshield mount with suction cups, and additional suction cups. The windshield mount is a small piece of metal bent into a V shape that can be bent if ...

Pros: Multi-functional display, AUTO mode, silver color, trade-in allowance
Cons: Not that small, For $300 hardwire kit should also be standard

I had been contemplating getting a new detector for a while and had been eyeing the 8500 and the V1, but quite honestly, my old Passport 4500 had been performing faithfully and I couldn't justify the cost. Well my wife took care of that, it was a...

Pros: Increased Ka sensitivity, ZR3 laser shifter compatibility, Expert mode.
Cons: No way of knowing if Radar is coming from Front or Rear.

The Escort Passport X50 radar detector has been released. http://www.escortradar.com/x50 .htm According to the hype on the webpage, there are only a few improvements over the old basic 8500 model. Most importantly, it has a little better range over ...