I will admit that I'm not too knowledgeable about radar detector technology, but I will say this: I have an Escort Passport Max, and it's value to me are twofold:
- Notifications of threats (real or not)
- Reminders of my excessive speed
Like most sports cars, I can get going quite quickly in my car before realizing just how fast I'm going. The speedometer is passive in that you have to actually look at it, whereas the Escort is active - it tells you: a) you're speeding; b) there is a possible threat.
So for me, it just makes me more aware and alert, fwiw. IMHO, that is worth the price of admission.