Bel Vector 940 - The Stripped Down Vector... How Does It Stack Up?

The Bel Vector 940 is the lowest end Vector model offered by Beltronics. The Vectors are very notable for their high performance at an extremely low price. They all have the same performance factors, and are differentiated by their features. This detector like others on the market detects X, K, Ka, and laser bands. After using the Bel Vector 940, here's what I found.

-Price-
*If you only got around $150 to spend and need a device that's ideal for a lead footed driver, then the Bel Vector 940 is an excellent choice. This costs about $199 at Circuit City, but can be purchased for much less on the internet. The Vector series detectors are just a small step behind the Escort Passport 8500 and Valentine One when it comes to performance. Compared to the other models in the Vector series, the Bel Vector 940 differs in features. It lacks the tech display and different filteration modes that are offered by the upper-end Vector models. In comparison to a lot of cheaper radar detectors such as those from Whistler, Cobra, and Uniden, the Bel Vector 940 is a far cry from them. At this price range of around $150, you can either get a detector with almost no features but can pick up radar at great range, which is the Bel Vector 940. Or... on the other hand, for around $150 you can get a detector with every feature you can imagine such as compass, voice memos, and a sleek finish, which is the Whistler DE-1793 SE. It really depends what you want when it comes to this. However, a radar detector is a radar detector. And when you're getting the range you'd expect from an Escort Passport 8500 or Valentine One, then it makes the Bel Vector 940 more worthy.

-Performance-
*The performance offered by the Bel Vector 940 is by far the best you'd find in the Mid-$100 price range. Beltronics' Vector models are noted to be almost as good as the Escort Passport 8500. Well, they do perform as well as they say they do. When it comes to K-Band on straight road, the Bel Vector 940 picked it up with a very large amount of time to slow down. It was only seconds behind the Valentine One. With such range on K-Band, the most heavily used gun, you can speed like a bat out of hell and slow down with some time to mess around before you see the cop. When it came to Ka-Band, the Bel Vector 940 once again offered excellent timing. It breaks apart any cheaper competition by providing significantly more warning time on this more difficult to detect band. It leaves Whistler, Cobra, and Uniden in the dust... The Bel Vector 940 lacks the Ka-Band filtration feature that the Bel Vector 985 has (AccuSweep), but it'll still provide more than enough time to slow down. Once again, it was only seconds behind the acclaimed Valentine One. Some may doubt that you can get a detector suitable for a lead footed driver at only around $150, but damn does this thing perform!

-Ease of Use & Features-
*The Bel Vector 940 is different from the other Vector series detectors because it has less driver selectable features than the Vector 960, 985, and 990i. The Bel Vector 940 has the basics that you'd want. It has the nice red text display that's on every other Vector models available (Except 975R). It doesn't have the numerical indicator, but you can still get a very accurate reading from the strength bar. This detector has voice alerts which many people find to be useful. Some people don't care for them, but many drivers do since they allow you to identify the threat without having to memorize specific tones or make visuals. It uses Safety Warning System (SWS) text messages which can alert you of hazards in the road. People may find this to be useful. The Bel Vector 940 is also flash upgradable with Motorola's Digital DNA, which will allow it to become accustomed to new radar bands if they ever become present. Since the Bel Vector 940 lacks the driver selectable features that the upper-end Vectors have, it makes it easier to use. It lacks the tech mode which some people find to be cool, but it's rather pointless. It's a shame the Bel Vector 940 doesn't have the Ka-Band AccuSweep feature that the Bel Vector 985 has, but it still detects Ka-Band beautifully. The Bel Vector 940 is operated by the buttons on top. The power button turns the detector on and off. The dim button dims or brightens the screen depending on your liking. The volume button controls the volume of the detector. It's a little annoying to use compared to a detector that offers two separate buttons for the volume. But hey, you get the hang of it. This also acts as the mute button. Then there's the City/Highway mode button which allows you to differentiate between the different modes. Overall, it's pretty simple to use since it is after all, a bare-bones detector.

-The Verdict-
*The Bel Vector 940 might be the stripped down model in the Vector series, but it in no way lacks performance. It is probably the best performing radar detector that you can purchase for under $200. It's very neat how a detector can come close to the performance of the Escort Passport 8500 and Valentine One when it's drastically cheaper. If you're a lead footed driver that is driving at very high speeds almost all of the time, yet you feel like you need to save money, then the Bel Vector 940 is great since it offers so much range for so little money.