Whistler DE-1730 Radar Detector Review

Whistler DE-1730 - The Cheapest Detector Which Has The Potential To Save You

The Whistler DE-1730 is one of the cheapest detectors that I've ever used. I compared it face-to-face against the Cobra ESD-6060 which costs about the same. The Cobra may look better with its display, but the Whistler DE-1730 actually manages to scan out police radar and provide some early warning. Here's what I found with the Whistler DE-1730.

-Price-
*The Whistler DE-1730 is a very cheap radar detector. You can find it for about $50 and less. I wouldn't recommend buying a detector for so little money, but at least you're not getting a pile of crap with the Whistler DE-1730. It may not be the best looking detector, but it does provide good X-band coverage, and barely sufficient K and Ka band coverage. If you can't spend more than $50, then the Whistler DE-1730 might be the ideal detector for you, don't go bother looking at Cobra or anything else. Whistlers are known to provide good performance at a low-price, and the Whistler DE-1730 does carry that tradition to an extent.

-Performance-
*The Whistler DE-1730 did fare better than the Cobra ESD-6060 in the tests that I performed. I took these two puppies on a stretch of IL-60 in Lake Forest where there is a very strong X-band sensor, and the Whistler DE-1730 picked it up with excellent range and this would've provided enough time to stop. Alright, so then it's off to K and Ka band territory. The Whistler DE-1730 alerted of K-band gun maybe a second or so before the cop was visible. If you are able to react very quickly and push down on that brake, the Whistler DE-1730 would technically save your behind. The Ka-band performance was a bit worse since the cruiser was already in sight when the radar went off, but at least it actually alerts of it unlike the Cobra which didn't even go off at one point. So therefore, if you occassionaly speed up to 10mph over but not really more, then the Whistler DE-1730 should be a sufficient radar for you. But it's a far cry from anything in the $200+ range where you can have a very long warning and even play around with your speed before you see the cruiser.

-Features & Ease of Use-
*The Whistler DE-1730 is a very simple to use detector. It has three buttons on the top of it. There's the mute button which will mute the alert, the City/Highway mode button, and also a VG-2 button which allows you to turn that function on and off. Then for volume, there's the turn-wheel on the side. My only complaint with its ease of use is the lights, they can be difficult to see. But at least the Whistler DE-1730 gets loud enough when announcing threats. I really liked the display on the Cobra better, but performance is key.

-The Verdict-
*The Whistler DE-1730 is about as cheap as they come. If you occassionaly go a little bit above the limit, then this detector would suit you well. If you're a lead-footed speed demon, then prepare to have a cruiser pulled up behind you with its lights on. The Whistler DE-1730 fares much better than the Cobra ESD-6060 competition. For the price, you actually do get some performance from this thing. Other than the hard to read display, everything else about the detector is good. Whistler knows how to build cheap detectors that perform alright.
Absolutely fantastic detector for the $$

I have nothing but compliments for this radar detector. I've used and abused costly [brand name] detectors over the years and I ended up buying the Whistler DE-1730 in mid-2002 at BestBuy. I paid significantly less than what other detectors were selling for and I figured, "If its cheap, I'll just return it". Well, a year later I still have it and its kept me from getting speeding tickets on numerous occasions. I've used it on expressways, highways, local roads, you name it.
I have only been caught speeding ONCE with this detector, and it was by a motorcycle cop hidden under a 10 lane freeway over-pass, who didn't flip his radar on until I was right in his invisible lair. That was not the detector's fault, that was the work of a skilled police man and the ever-present vulnerability of radar detectors to instant-on radar or close range radar. Beware!
The Whistler DE-1730 comes with an adjustable volume switch similar to what would be on the side of a portable CD-player, three buttons on the top of the device (City/Hwy mode, VG-2 mode, Silent/Audible mode), and that's about it. It has three LED lights under the buttons but they really serve no purpose unless you want to see them while in "silent mode". It is *VERY SIMPLE* to operate and it has you covered on all bands of radar.

I am writing a special review for this radar detector for the people shopping for a superb radar detector priced at a reasonable level and offers very good protection. I purchased this unit about two months ago. Since then it has saved me more times than you can imagine. Excellent rating on X, K, KA, and Laser.

I live in the State of Texas and when I first got this unit I went through what they call here "Police Trap City" just a small town, blink an eye and your through unless your are speeding.Then you will get detained. They run X band and K band units and I picked them up more than a mile away, plenty of time to monitor for proper speed. The city that I live in, the Police and Sheriff department use K band exclusively. No problem again picking up radar a mile away or better. However KA band is sensitive enough and works quite well but the TXDPS state troopers only shoot about 500-1500 ft range so be alert. So it wont matter if you have a more expensive detector in this type of scenario, if they are shooting that type of range. Another words the adage if you are out there by yourself and the detector has seen them, they have seen you. The laser also works quite well but that is if they are pointing at your windshield. Most traffic enforcement officers point at the tag. I actually did see an officer point at my windshield and laser went off no problem about a 1/4 mile away. It is as the other reviewers here say the best $40.00 dollars I have ever spent. If you are looking for a good quality unit this is a excellent choice. Also detected POP when POP is on so if you are looking for a detector that gives an early warning on POP buy a unit with POP.