Cobra Electronics ESD 6100 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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Cobra ESD 6100 - A False Sense of Security
Pros
Cheap, lightweight, excellent X Band detection.
Cons
Minimal K, Ka, detection, virtually no laser detection at all.
Recommended it?
No
After attending school in Maine for a year, and driving home to NYC for every holiday, I decided to get a radar detector to allow me to drive faster on the open road. I chose the 6100 since it had all the features of more expensive models, but costed less. I finally bought it on ebay for $56. Not a bad deal, but I probably wouldn't buy that particular model again. The main reason for my dissatisfaction is that the 6100 works well under some conditions, and not at all under others, thus giving the driver a false sense of security.
A good radar detector SHOULD detect all varieties (6) of radar used by law enforcement. The 6100 detects the X Band very well and the others not so well. This uneven ability causes problems for the driver. X Band radar, although used by police in rural areas, is not the choice of technologically advanced police squads. So, for example, when I drive in northern Michigan or Maine, I always have about a 5 second warning a when a cop car is approaching. In similar rural settings, the 6100 performs wonderfully.
However, when driving in NYC or Boston, the story is entirely different. Instead of being a blessing, the X Band detection is a curse. Since some car service vehicles use X Band for communication, the radar detector constantly goes off, scaring you half to death. Since law enforcement agencies in large cities mostly use K, Ka radar, and lasers to catch speeders, the X alert affords the driver minimal benefits.
Perhaps this is not a terrible radar detector for people who live in rural areas, but I obviously need a more versatile one. In many ways it is better to have no radar detector at all than one which is unreliable, which gives you a false sense of security. That is exactly what the 6100 has done to me.
A good radar detector SHOULD detect all varieties (6) of radar used by law enforcement. The 6100 detects the X Band very well and the others not so well. This uneven ability causes problems for the driver. X Band radar, although used by police in rural areas, is not the choice of technologically advanced police squads. So, for example, when I drive in northern Michigan or Maine, I always have about a 5 second warning a when a cop car is approaching. In similar rural settings, the 6100 performs wonderfully.
However, when driving in NYC or Boston, the story is entirely different. Instead of being a blessing, the X Band detection is a curse. Since some car service vehicles use X Band for communication, the radar detector constantly goes off, scaring you half to death. Since law enforcement agencies in large cities mostly use K, Ka radar, and lasers to catch speeders, the X alert affords the driver minimal benefits.
Perhaps this is not a terrible radar detector for people who live in rural areas, but I obviously need a more versatile one. In many ways it is better to have no radar detector at all than one which is unreliable, which gives you a false sense of security. That is exactly what the 6100 has done to me.
