Whistler DE-1753 - Hot & Sexy... Does It Perform As Well As It Looks?
Written: Jan 06 '04
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Pros: Performance, Sleek look, Voice alerts, Display, Other features
Cons: Could be louder
The Bottom Line: The Whistler DE-1753 is a great detector for the money, much better than anything you can get from Cobra!
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| soupcraze's Full Review: Whistler DE-1753 Radar Detector |
The Whistler DE-1753 is one of the newer detectors in Whistler's line-up of radar detectors. The Whistler DE-1743, Whistler DE-1753, and larger Whistler DE-1763 are all carried there as Whistler's upper-range models. The Whistler DE-1753 and Whistler DE-1743 are nearly identical other than their displays. I tried out the Whistler DE-1753, and here's what I found with it.
-Price-
*The Whistler DE-1753 is just a whisker below $100. For a $100, the Whistler DE-1753 sports a very elegant and sexy design. It seems that Whistler decided to move away from it's uglier detectors to having a new look which is moreso comparable to that of the Cobra ESD series detectors. The Whistler DE-1753 is more expensive than the Whistler DE-1743, and the reason is because of the different display. The Whistler DE-1743 has one of those displays with icons instead of text. I prefer text over that, but some people can go either way. Other than that, the units contain the same antenna and perform just about the same. So, for these cheaper units, is the sexy looking Whistler DE-1753 better than Cobra competition? Well, I decided to borrow a Cobra ESD-9210 and compare them. The Whistler DE-1753 performs like other Whistlers offering excellent protection and features for the price in comparison to Cobra. They offer voice alerts and other driver selectable features, but the Whistler DE-1753 is the one that completely edges out the other in performance. You can do a lot in the ~$100 price range, and you'll definitely get what you deserve with a Whistler product. They sure know how to build radar detectors.
-Performance-
*I took the Whistler DE-1753 into the usual territory where I test out radar detectors. The first test I performed was finding a cop using K-Band on a straight road. Well, I found that, and the Whistler DE-1753 sounded well before the Cobra ESD-9210. The Whistler DE-1753 should definitely allow for sufficient time to slow down for a K-Band alert. Then came the ultimate threat, the Ka-Band gun. The Whistler DE-1753 offered a fair amount of time to slow down. If you're not used to slamming the brakes at the time of an alert or speed 15mph+, then maybe you should consider a more expensive Vector, Passport, or Valentine One to handle Ka-Band since cheaper detectors are quite lacking on it. However, on a straight road, I had enough time to slow down, but not in the comfort zone of a $200+ radar detector. What the Whistlers really perform well at are helping drivers slow down as long as they are within 15mph of the speed limit. If you're lead-footed and travel at reckless speeds, then consider a Valentine One or Escort Passport 8500 for the greatest range which completely surpasses the Whistler DE-1753. Overall though, you do get a lot of performance for the money.
-Ease of Use & Features-
*The first nice thing that you notice about the Whistler DE-1753 is its easy to read high-quality red text display. It's a lot like the kind that you see in a Beltronics Vector detector which sells for considerably more money. It's very easy to see in the dark, a bit trickier in the light, but there are some things that take care of it. The Whistler DE-1753 offers very clear voice alerts which are perfect for those who don't like to look at the display and or remember the different alert tones for different bands. The only real complaint that I have is that the speaker just doesn't get loud enough. I found that to be rather dissapointing since other older Whistler models were louder. Accessing the more advanced features on the Whistler DE-1753 is what you'd expect from a more expensive and complex detector. It's easy to set everything by following the instruction manual, and then you get the hang of it eventually. The Whistler DE-1753 has plenty of features such as VG-2 which can be turned on or off, and also it has Safety Warning System (SWS) which can alert you of hazards. For the price you pay, you get a lot of neat features.
-The Verdict-
*For the price, the Whistler DE-1753 gets you what you deserve. A detector with good performance and features. The new Whistlers sport a new sexy look which will look nice in just about any car. Yes, this detector does have that "wow factor" there. It still may not look as hot as any of the Cobra ESD series detectors, but it sure performs a lot better.
Recommended:
Yes
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soupcraze
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Member: Soup Enthusiast
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