S'truth!
I'm 're-treaded' (my compromise with being 'retired' since I'm 75 & still work three days a week) so 'disposable' dollars are watched carefully month by month.
Garmin's Varia products range from
$99.99 (RVR315) through the same
$199.99 (RTL515) price point as the TREK @ $199.99 on up to significantly higher top end RCT715 @
$349.99.
So as this for me is a foray into a newish realm, I'm willing to go with a mid-range competitor, see whether it offers anything worthwhile to my admittedly recreational biking pursuits.
Roads where I ride I might be sharing with anything from a horse-drawn wagon up through 18-wheelers from time to time. What might widen my perception of what's coming up behind me (I've used a smallish handlebar-mounted mirror for maybe two decades) ought to be worth the expense.
Got an e-mail mid-morning that the TREK device I've ordered has shipped already. So — weather permitting — I might be able to provide a user review soon:
Wheelandsprocket.com, shipped USPS Priority for no extra charge over retail + sales tax.
Random thought: might these things show up as an active radar transmitter on radar detectors used by drivers?