If you’re looking for a decent radar detector that isn’t going to break the bank, look no further than the Whistler Z-15R Review.
I know you probably don’t have time to read the whole thing, so here’s what you need to know:
The Whistler Z-15R radar detector is a great budget range pick. It is far better than nothing and can give you pretty decent detection of police speed traps. This radar detector is far from perfect and suffers from a much shorter range that often is too small to protect you from a ticket. This radar detector is great if you go 7-10 MPH over the speed limit, but really, nothing more.
The Whistler Z-15R radar detector is the radar detector you buy so you get basic protection against speed traps on the interstate on your way to work. It also helps protect against police that are speed gunning in secluded rural areas. But, if you’re a “super speeder”, you’re going to have to upgrade to the Uniden R1 at least.
Whistler Z-15R Review: Where It Saves You, Where It Doesn’t.
Honestly, the whistler Z-15R isn’t that bad of a radar detector. So let’s give it a little bit more credit than I have been in this whistler Z-15R review.
Here are the facts: It’s pretty solid. It’s got awesome features, can detect and tell you multiple bands of radar frequencies, and has great features that make it stand out from any ol’ $40 radar detector in the store.
The Range is ‘Alright’
But, it does suffer problems with its’ range. While the whistler Z-15R doesn’t have a horrible or small range, it just most of the time doesn’t cut it.
Now here’s the thing: radar detectors aren’t meant to give you complete immunity to speeding tickets. Because ultimately, a radar detector can’t always stop a police officer from using a laser beam, I/O, or POP frequencies to catch you off guard.
But the truth is, the range is ‘alright’ and nothing more than that. This radar detector can probably safely get you going 5-10 mph over the speed limit, but not really anything above that.
Video Showing Huge Range Differences
Here’s a video explaining the huge differences in the range between this radar detector’s little brother, and a super expensive $700 radar detector. Obviously, the $700 radar detector is going to do much better- but the point of this video is to focus on the exact range the whistler radar detector gives you.
Do you see the problem? A lot of the times it’s almost too little, too late. And that’s not to say that this thing is useless, because it is actually incredibly helpful.
Let’s discuss where this thing shines, and where it doesn’t.
Where The Whistler Z-15R Radar Detector Saves You:
I know many people who write a whistler z-15r review are very critical of the thing. But that’s not to say this thing is useless.
Here are some in-depth situations where this thing saves you:
Highway Driving
The whistler z-15R will definitely be a lifesaver when it comes to highway driving.
Now, typically, highways aren’t on super sharp curves and are in most cases on pretty open terrain. This means that the frequencies coming from police officers speed gunning on the side of those roads will go way farther, allowing your radar detector to pick it up.
This thing isn’t really that bad, ultimately. But when it comes to highway driving, it can be a serious life-saver as in some best case scenarios it could pickup the signal 3 miles ahead of time before you even see the police with their speed trap.
That’s why I recommended this just for a basic person trying to avoid speed traps on their commute to work. I mean, let’s admit it, we all speed. And a lot of us might speed to work a little bit and just want to avoid getting that 10mph over ticket.
This thing can definitely give you a little more leeway and avoid some speed traps ahead of time. (That is, if they aren’t using LIDAR/Laser).
Open Country Roads
Coming from a rural midwest area, I know the open country roads like the back of my hand. I’ve done my fair share of avoiding hitting wildlife that pops out onto the road out of nowhere, and my fair share of braking when I see a ‘SHERIFF’ logo on the side of a car in the middle of nowhere.
Let’s be honest. Rural Sheriffs, they really got a knick-knack for sitting at either the city/county entrance or in literally the most unexpected places you can think of.
If you follow my YouTube channel, you might see an instance where one of my buddies does a ‘QUESTIONABLE’ mustang maneuver.
But the fact is, a lot of sheriffs will sit out on those roads waiting for unsuspecting people like him to hit 130MPH and be sent home on his way with a $1000 ticket.
This radar detector can shut that down real fast. On those empty country roads, there’s a lot of room for those frequency bands to fly, and it can alert you way ahead of time that Old Smokeys Got His Ears On, and he’s out on your trail.
Will Give Some Warning Against City Police
The last thing you want to do in the city streets is get tagged by that unmarked ford explorer. I swear, city cops just don’t care about what ‘warnings’ are.
This won’t give you ‘great’ protection per se, as the range will be limited heavily due to all the cars by you. However, I’ve had a lot of experiences where the whistler z-15r has saved me personally in those cities.
Ultimately, it’s way better than nothing.
Where It Won’t Save You
Here are some instances where the whistler z-15r just won’t cut it.
- Turning a hard curve and a cop is speed gunning. (many radar detectors struggle with this, however)
- Most city instances it will be too late.
- Laser/LIDAR
- The age-old saying with ANY radar detector is, ‘If it says laser, it’s just notifying you that you got a speeding ticket, not telling you to slow down’.
- Cops in hilly/mountainous areas.
- I’ve found a lot of times this radar detector has alerted me to a cop almost ‘too little, too late’. While there are instances where it has saved my behind, this radar seems to be a little hit or miss. Being in these areas is going to highlight the radar’s weak range.
False Alerts Are a BIG Problem (Noise Blindness)
Look, no radar detector can ever be perfect. But this thing really doesn’t seem to filter out any false K bands, period.
It does have a City/City 2 mode which will essentially filter out most K bands, but you do have to activate that mode to yourself.
I personally do not get ‘alert blind’ or suffer from ‘noise blindness’ from the radar detector. This is just because I take any alert very seriously.
What many recommend is turning off the ‘K’ band filter. Most of the time these are false alerts, and most agencies don’t use K band for speed traps anymore. However, I can say I have seen a few K band speed traps, so if you hop on the highway I would leave it on.
Who Is This Radar For?
This radar is for the person that likes to roar down some empty country roads alone and wants some better protection against tickets. It’s also for the person who lives in long and open areas- that way the radar can detect faster.
It would also work ideally for people in city environments trying to avoid a ticket for 5-10 over, and even on the highway, it can help save you from 10-15 over tickets (except if they use LIDAR).
While this radar detector works great in its’ own regard, it is NOT a radar detector for people consistently speeding or going super fast through places. Plus the incredibly limited range can prove fatal at times if you’re going through roads with many bends or trees blocking the signal.
This radar detector can help overall and is far better than nothing. But sometimes the range is too close for comfort. I would not recommend doing any ‘severe’ speeding, but instead opting to use this as a radar detector to help prevent getting singled out in traffic or being caught lacking on an old town road.
Conclusion of Whistler Z-15R Review
The Whistler Z-15R is a great budget radar detector for the person looking to get into radar detectors and avoid a few speeding tickets.
It has a limited range and won’t always give you the best warnings- but it is far better than having nothing. And if you’re on a straight empty road at night, it might just save you that $500 ticket.
1 thought on “Whistler Z-15R Review (Best Budget Radar Detector)”