Beltronics Pro RX65 user reviews

Pros Nice specs

Cons unreliable, lousy customer service

Summary I personally know of two detectors that stopped working, one of them is mine. Things do fail, I accept it. I just feel that the manufacturer should be responsible for it's product when they promise to do it (one year after purchase).

The unit was manufactured in December 2005 (date is stamped at the bottom), it broke down in September 2005.
I called Beltronics Customer support, was told that I can send it for the warranty repair, I did not have to send the receipt (I gave the information from the sticker on the bottom over the phone).

Couple weeks later I received a letter "...Because the warranty for your product has expired...".
I call Beltronics (800-737-9393) again. Now I am being told (many times in a row) something like this: "We do not do any warranty repair without the proof of purchase".
I tried to reason that
a. The unit is obviously less than one year old and it is (supposed to be)under the warranty for one year after purchase.
b. I was told by another Beltronics customer representative that I did not need to send the receipt along with the unit.
c. This is not a good way to conduct business - happy customer should be worth more than $59.95

The person on the other end of the line kept telling me "We do not do any warranty repair without the proof of purchase". It was really annoying, I felt I was talking to a robot.


So I (or whoever would be in my shoes) have to either part with $59.95 or get broken unit back and... keep obeying speed limit.
I see it as the (not very honest) way for Beltronics to make money - how many people keep the receipts for every purchase??

Another issue with this detector.
When the sun is low and facing (blinding) you, the RX65 laser alert will give continuous falce alarms. Something I could live with but still annoying.

Pros Solid build quality, useful features, easy programming, good range, good false alert filtering, voice alerts, Ku band (for European drivers)

Cons Volume could be louder, no rear-facing radar antenna or arrows, mode does not automatically switch to multi-threat display upon multiple radar encounters, not immune to all RDDs

Summary Overall, this is an excellent radar detector. It looks great in my windshield (I drive a '98 Honda Civic with a hardwire kit), and the suction cups work well. It has three modes: City, Autoscan, and Highway. I mainly use Autoscan and Highway. The false alert filtering is so good that I rarely use City mode. It is easy to program and to turn off certain bands. There are also four brightness settings, which make it easy to adjust according to light conditions. The detection range is excellent, especially in Upstate New York, where the police are too stupid to use instant-on and I can detect them from a mile away.

Now for the negatives. With wind noise at highway speeds and the radio on, it is sometimes hard to hear, even at full volume. I wish that the speaker was just a little bit louder. There are also no arrows or rearward-facing radar antennae, such as in the Valentine One. During highway cruising, this leaves me guessing whether the cop is ahead of me or behind. I usually just slow down and wait to see if I pass him or if he passes me, and then speed back up again once I identify the threat and see that it is safe. Another thing that I do not understand is the multi-threat display. When multi-threat display is activated, it shows the band and signal strength of each threat, simultaneously. This is very useful when there are two or more police radar threats in the area or when there is one real threat and one false alert (from an automatic door opener, for example). This works even better than the V1 "Bogey Counter," because it shows the signal strength of each individual threat, instead of just flashing the number of threats and the signal strength of the strongest one. In most situations, when there is only one threat to pay attention to, the normal display is much easier to read with signal strength bars, much like a cell phone battery meter. It would be ideal if the normal mode could be used at all times, and the detector could automatically switch to multi-threat display upon encountering multiple threats. Instead, the detector remains locked in one mode, and does not change unless it is programmed. This means that if normal mode is activated (this is what what most drivers want), it stays in normal mode and only displays one threat at a time, ignoring the other, even when there are two or more simultaneous threats. This leaves the driver with an annoying decision to make : leave the detector in multi-threat display mode and have less easy-to-read warnings, or leave it in normal mode and not know when there is more than one threat to be aware of.

All in all, this is a great detector. I have never used a Valentine One, but from what I have read and researched, this is the better detector for most drivers, due to the better ergonomics, ease of use, cheaper price, voice alerts, and reduced false alarms. Don't hook up this Beltronics (or any other detector) to your windshield and expect to be exempt from speeding tickets. Rather, learn how radar detectors work and how to use them, and understand their weaknesses and blind spots. LIDAR (police laser) is becoming more and more widely used, and laser jammers are essential for anyone seeking adequate protection from speed traps. Although radar detectors can detect laser, they are useless as a form of protection. Radar can be detected long before the officer can read your speed, but by the time your detector alerts you of laser, the officer already has your speed. As far as radar detection goes, the Rx65 does an excellent job and I highly recommend it. If you are a trucker or if you live in Virginia, Washington DC, or Canada, remember to get the Bel STi, because the Rx65 is not immune to all RDDs (radar detector detectors).

Pros Sensitivity accuracy, 360 degree, simple

Cons none I could find

Summary Purchased this just prior to a 2600 mile road trip across the southwest. While I am no expert, I compare the function with the RX65 to a prior Bel that I thought worked well but was in need of an update.

I found this unit caught every visible, and some invisible, speed trap along our route. I also liked the significant advance warning in most scenarios - over a mile in many cases, giving us plenty of time to slow down. The red display was easy to read, and the voice announcements were a welcome feature. I easily spotted a half dozen speed traps I would've missed on my own, including the "fricken lasers."

All in all, the RX65 did exactly what I needed it to do, and I am glad to have it.

Pros Easy setup, Long consistent detection, Smart cord great, traveling case

Cons Nothing so far