Beltronics Vector 960 Radar Detector
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Similar in Radar Detectors
- Mute: With Mute
- Detection Mode: City / Highway modes
- Detection Area: Front / Rear
- VG-2/VG-3 Alert: VG-2 Alert
- Detection Bands: X Band K Band Ka Band Laser
- Alert type: Audio / Visual
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Bel Vector 960 - Another Great Innovation From Beltronics
Pros
Price, Performance, Quality
Cons
None
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
The Bel Vector 960 is yet another great detector from Beltronics.
The Bel Vector 960 from Beltronics is the 2nd cheapest out of the four Vector windshield mounted units. All of the Vectors are identical in their radar performance, however going higher from one model to another model brings more features. The Bel Vector 960 is a fine unit, just a step above the bare-bones Bel Vector 940. After getting one of these from Circuit City for a short time, here's what I found with it.
-Price-
*The Bel Vector 960 costs about $250 at Circuit City, but can be purchased for much less on the internet, for about $175 or so. It's about $25 or so more expensive than the Bel Vector 940, and about $40 cheaper than the Bel Vector 985. In comparison to the cheaper 940, the 960 offers the tech display which shows the exact frequency of the radar threat and a numerical strength indicator in the display which might be helpful for some people. For the amount of money that you pay for the detector, you get a whole lot of performance! The Vectors are just a tad behind the Escort Passport 8500 and Valentine One. In the radar market, they prove to be the best overall value. If you want a slightly cheaper detector with some less features but the same performance, go for the 940. If you want something with many more features, go for the 985. If you need to use your detector overseas, you can use the 990i which is the most expensive Vector at $300. But the Bel Vector 960 does give you what you need for the buck, pretty damn good performance!
-Performance-
*Just like the other detectors from Beltronics, the Bel Vector 960 is no different. The performance that it offers for the price is stunning. When I had it mounted on the windshield, I first decided to try it out against X-Band. Since X-Band just about isn't used in my parts of Illinois, I went on a straight road where there is a strong X-Band transmitter which will put any detector to full alert. The Bel Vector 960 gave a very long warning time for the X-Band threat, definitely enough to slow down and have a while to spare. This is expected since just about any detector on the market today can pick up X-Band with ease. Plus, X-Band is almost obsolete in most parts so many people might not find this helpful. When it came to K-Band, I picked up a cop heading straight for me and I had a great deal of time to slow down. Even if you're going around 15-20mph above the posted speed limit, you'd definitely have enough time to slow down. In comparison to my Valentine One which was mounted next to it, the Bel Vector 960 was just a few seconds behind the significantly more expensive detector. This should be about the same for the Escort Passport 8500 since it also performs almost identically to the Valentine One. When it comes to Ka-Band, the Bel Vector 960 yet again provided a long warning. Ka-Band is usually the most difficult band for a radar detector to pick up, and it's detection separates the junk detectors from the big boys. The Bel Vector 960 had no problems with it. If you're speeding around 15mph or so over the speed limit, you should have enough time to slow down. It lacks the AccuSweep feature found on the Bel 985 which narrows down the Ka-Band frequencies to only the ones commonly used in North America, which can result in less Ka-Band falsing and slightly improved pick-up time. If you greatly fear Ka-Band and want a slightly better edge in protection, then the extra $40 for the Bel Vector 985 might be worth it. For what you pay for, you get the kind of protection that you'd expect... Oh wait, you'd be getting "$300" protection from the Bel Vector 960 for much less since it's comparable to the Escort Passport 8500 and Valentine One. Don't be afraid to speed like crazy with this, it's a Vector from Beltronics!
-Ease of Use & Features-
*The Bel Vector 960 has slightly more features than the Bel Vector 940. The most obvious feature is in the display. The Bel Vector 960 has a numerical strength indicator which will give you a numerical reading on the band strength if you don't find the strength bar to be helpful enough. The Bel Vector 960 also has the Tech Mode display which will show you the exact frequency of the threat when it picks it up. This can be helpful in distinguishing falsing versus a true deadly gun on Ka-Band. However, with AccuSweep found on the more expensive Bel Vector 985, there isn't much need for this. The Tech Mode might be fun to look at, but it really only serves a purpose if you don't mind taking your eyes off the road or you really know your radar gun frequencies pretty damn well! The Bel Vector 960 has voice alerts, which are done by the familiar male voice that you hear with other Beltronics detectors. Some people find voice alerts useful since they allow you to identify a radar band without taking your eyes off the road or having to memorize separate tonal alerts. This also picks up Safety Warning System (SWS) alerts which can alert you of hazards in the road up ahead. It's not all too difficult of a radar detector to use. All of its functions are carried out by the four buttons on top. The first is the power button which turns the detector on and off. The second button is the dim button which can either make the display darker or brighter. The third button is the City/Highway mode feature which allows you to switch between the two modes. The fourth button is the mute/volume button which can mute the alert, and also make the detector louder or quieter. It's a little more annoying to control the volume on this since it uses a single button versus two discrete buttons which you might find with other detectors. But eventually, you get used to it. Overall, it's not a difficult detector to use. Even if you're technologically literate, it's not difficult to perform its functions.
-The Verdict-
*The Bel Vector 960 is overall a great detector. It's just slightly behind the significantly more expensive Escort Passport 8500 and Valentine One. It offers significantly better protection than anything that Whistler, Cobra, and Uniden can fire at it. If you need a nicely priced detector with a great text display and amazing performance, then the Bel Vector 960 is a great overall detector for the price. You don't need to spend a fortune to protect yourself from cops!
-Price-
*The Bel Vector 960 costs about $250 at Circuit City, but can be purchased for much less on the internet, for about $175 or so. It's about $25 or so more expensive than the Bel Vector 940, and about $40 cheaper than the Bel Vector 985. In comparison to the cheaper 940, the 960 offers the tech display which shows the exact frequency of the radar threat and a numerical strength indicator in the display which might be helpful for some people. For the amount of money that you pay for the detector, you get a whole lot of performance! The Vectors are just a tad behind the Escort Passport 8500 and Valentine One. In the radar market, they prove to be the best overall value. If you want a slightly cheaper detector with some less features but the same performance, go for the 940. If you want something with many more features, go for the 985. If you need to use your detector overseas, you can use the 990i which is the most expensive Vector at $300. But the Bel Vector 960 does give you what you need for the buck, pretty damn good performance!
-Performance-
*Just like the other detectors from Beltronics, the Bel Vector 960 is no different. The performance that it offers for the price is stunning. When I had it mounted on the windshield, I first decided to try it out against X-Band. Since X-Band just about isn't used in my parts of Illinois, I went on a straight road where there is a strong X-Band transmitter which will put any detector to full alert. The Bel Vector 960 gave a very long warning time for the X-Band threat, definitely enough to slow down and have a while to spare. This is expected since just about any detector on the market today can pick up X-Band with ease. Plus, X-Band is almost obsolete in most parts so many people might not find this helpful. When it came to K-Band, I picked up a cop heading straight for me and I had a great deal of time to slow down. Even if you're going around 15-20mph above the posted speed limit, you'd definitely have enough time to slow down. In comparison to my Valentine One which was mounted next to it, the Bel Vector 960 was just a few seconds behind the significantly more expensive detector. This should be about the same for the Escort Passport 8500 since it also performs almost identically to the Valentine One. When it comes to Ka-Band, the Bel Vector 960 yet again provided a long warning. Ka-Band is usually the most difficult band for a radar detector to pick up, and it's detection separates the junk detectors from the big boys. The Bel Vector 960 had no problems with it. If you're speeding around 15mph or so over the speed limit, you should have enough time to slow down. It lacks the AccuSweep feature found on the Bel 985 which narrows down the Ka-Band frequencies to only the ones commonly used in North America, which can result in less Ka-Band falsing and slightly improved pick-up time. If you greatly fear Ka-Band and want a slightly better edge in protection, then the extra $40 for the Bel Vector 985 might be worth it. For what you pay for, you get the kind of protection that you'd expect... Oh wait, you'd be getting "$300" protection from the Bel Vector 960 for much less since it's comparable to the Escort Passport 8500 and Valentine One. Don't be afraid to speed like crazy with this, it's a Vector from Beltronics!
-Ease of Use & Features-
*The Bel Vector 960 has slightly more features than the Bel Vector 940. The most obvious feature is in the display. The Bel Vector 960 has a numerical strength indicator which will give you a numerical reading on the band strength if you don't find the strength bar to be helpful enough. The Bel Vector 960 also has the Tech Mode display which will show you the exact frequency of the threat when it picks it up. This can be helpful in distinguishing falsing versus a true deadly gun on Ka-Band. However, with AccuSweep found on the more expensive Bel Vector 985, there isn't much need for this. The Tech Mode might be fun to look at, but it really only serves a purpose if you don't mind taking your eyes off the road or you really know your radar gun frequencies pretty damn well! The Bel Vector 960 has voice alerts, which are done by the familiar male voice that you hear with other Beltronics detectors. Some people find voice alerts useful since they allow you to identify a radar band without taking your eyes off the road or having to memorize separate tonal alerts. This also picks up Safety Warning System (SWS) alerts which can alert you of hazards in the road up ahead. It's not all too difficult of a radar detector to use. All of its functions are carried out by the four buttons on top. The first is the power button which turns the detector on and off. The second button is the dim button which can either make the display darker or brighter. The third button is the City/Highway mode feature which allows you to switch between the two modes. The fourth button is the mute/volume button which can mute the alert, and also make the detector louder or quieter. It's a little more annoying to control the volume on this since it uses a single button versus two discrete buttons which you might find with other detectors. But eventually, you get used to it. Overall, it's not a difficult detector to use. Even if you're technologically literate, it's not difficult to perform its functions.
-The Verdict-
*The Bel Vector 960 is overall a great detector. It's just slightly behind the significantly more expensive Escort Passport 8500 and Valentine One. It offers significantly better protection than anything that Whistler, Cobra, and Uniden can fire at it. If you need a nicely priced detector with a great text display and amazing performance, then the Bel Vector 960 is a great overall detector for the price. You don't need to spend a fortune to protect yourself from cops!
