 Beltronics BEL RX-55 vs. BEL Vector 995
I had an inquiry from a reader today:
First, I greatly enjoy your articles and envy your profession; getting to test and rate all this neat stuff. Lucky you! Anyway,I am comparison shopping radar detectors. On the beltronics site they quote you testing the RX55 "By far, the best performing in its class" I looked in your product reviews for the test...It looks like many of the external features you recommended for the STI were incorporated. But guts is most important. Here's my delima. I can pick up a Bel 995 for about $10.00 more than the sug. retail of the Rx55 at walmart.com. If I may ask, what's your take. How good is the RX55? THX GREAT WORK.
My response:
The RX55 is a good unit but it's on a lower-performance platform than the V995 and for the extra ten bucks, you’ll get a superb detector that’s one of my favorites. This one’s a no-brainer: get the V995. You’ll like it.
Good thing he asked the question. Most manufacturers have only a few platforms, which are shared by up to a dozen models. Although they have different features and prices, they perform identically.
Cobra and Whistler are the most notable examples of this philosophy. Cobra has three platforms as does Whistler. This means you can pay $79 for a low-end model and $199 for a high-end piece--and sometimes you're buying the same detector, just a different suit of clothes.
Craig
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