Police Download ReportBuying a police radar detector
Shopping for a radar and laser detector on the Internet is very difficult. There are a plethora of brand, make, and models to choose from and everyone and their mother has a review of the product. Most reviews seem to be written by people with a financial interest in the product that they’re rating highly. Other reviews are written by people with absolutely no ability to conduct objective, meaningful tests of radar detector performance. If Consumer Reports ever does a review of radar detectors, I would consider that the primary source for a potential buyer to look. They’d have the most objective and thorough evaluations out of any potential reviewers, and they’re trusted as an independent source as they don’t have advertisers to make happy. They have yet to do a feature on radar detectors, though.
The next best choice seems to me to be Motor Trend. Their 2005 Radar-Detector Buyer’s Guide is the best evaluation I’ve seen so far, and while not as certainly independent as Consumer Reports would be, I personally don’t think advertising influenced their results.
Based on Motor Trend’s 2005 Radar Detector Buyer’s Guide, you can purchase their recommended radar detectors (or updated for 2006 models) from Amazon.com here.
