I have a crappy one that does me lots of good. David, to a point, you're correct....but the best thing you can do with any detector is live with it for a long time before you trust it....then realize you should never trust it. It's a tool, not a save-all. I travel lots of the same roads every day and don't even hear mine when it goes off in familiar places.....but I damn sure hear it when it sings a song in a place it does not usually ring. They help IF the user first decides that when speeding, the user can be nabbed despite the detector....if you're cool with that, then speed if you so desire. If your detector "saves" you, good deal. Then again, don't get pissed if it doesn't....'cause it wasn't driving...