Does the Blinder M20 Laser Jammer work?

A test:

Kustom PRO LASER III

 VS

Blinder M20 X-treme

(Test by Michigan NMA members Parker Thomas and Jim Walker)

jimlaser



Why the test?  Because I got a ticket, of course.  Up until the ticket, I was under the belief that laser tickets could be avoided by careful observation and driving a black car.  The black car should reduce the effective range of the laser.  As you can see on this ticket, my black car was clocked at 85 MPH at a distance of 1773 feet.  It was at night so there was no opportunity to see the officer in time.  My Valentine 1 laser warning did sound to let me know that a ticket was coming.

The officer did not show for the hearing (you can read the details of this here) so I did not have to pay the ticket.  Since one certainly can't expect the officer not to show all the time, it was obvious that something needed to be done. Time to try a jammer.

M20After a bit of research the Blinder M20 X-treme was chosen.  It is worth noting that since this test, new models of the Blinder have been released.  The M20 was approximately $250.

Installing the Blinder M20.  Installing the unit is not easy.  The transmitters must be installed correctly.  For my car it was necessary to fabricate aluminum brackets to mount the transmitters to.  Since all cars have different grills and bumpers there is no way for the manufacturer to create a one size fits all mounting system.  Compared to radar detectors there is much more work involved in the install.  And as the testing will show, how well the transmitters are placed is very important.  Unless you are comfortable with some fabrication and understand automotive wiring you may want to get the unit professionally installed. 

The difficulty of installation likely keeps sales low.  While Blinder does recommend certain installers, you should consider the cost of installation before buying the unit.

Test Cars.  Two cars were used in the test as outlined below.

CAR 1.
Model: 2007 Cadillac CTS.
Color: Black
Grill: Black Plastic.
Notes: Optimal transmitter mounting.  Chrome on grill blacked out.  No shiny bits on front of car.  No front license plate (not required in Michigan).

cts grill2007 CTS as tested.

xmitterClose up of right transmitter mounted in CTS grill.


CAR 2.
Model: 2000 VW Passat Wagon.
Color: Green.
Grill: Black Plastic.
Notes: Big Chrome VW logo on front (left as is).  Transmitters partially obscured by plastic grill.  No front license plate.

Test Setup. 
 
Test Baseline.  We used the units range display to identify a road sign that was 780 feet away.  We clocked passing traffic both approaching and departing at this distance and we were able to consistently lock vehicle speed within 1 or 2 seconds of aiming.  Aiming at distances over 1000 feet is difficult and requires more time to get  a lock.  Within about 1000 feet it was easy to obtain a lock quickly. 

Since we only had transmitters installed on the front of both vehicles we only tested aiming at the front.  You can add two rear transmitters to the Blinder but we did not have them.

Test 1 VW Passat:
We did a baseline run with the Blinder off and could easily lock a speed at 1000 feet.
With the Blinder on we were unable to lock a speed until about 650 feet.
Similar test showed similar results - effective range of laser unit was reduced.
Valentine One sounded laser warning each time.

Test 2 Cadillac CTS:
We forgot to do a baseline test.
With the Blinder on, the Laser unit failed to lock at any distance.
We tried again and once again no lock was obtained.
We tried again at point blank range (less than 200 feet) and no lock was obtained.
We tried different drivers and laser unit operators and failed to obtain a lock.
Valentine One sounded laser warning each time.

Conclusions:

Notes:


Tips for drivers:

Copyright 2007 Parker Thomas