As title says, which one is best? I am currently using a Escort 8500. It works well, but sometimes the warnings are a little later than I would like. I'm thinking V1, but just wondering if there is anything better out there on a $500 max budget. Thanks.
Valentine One (aka V1). Hands down the best and farthest distance. Also has directional arrows so you can look where its coming from to see if there is really a cop of if its just interference. My friend had a escort and then bought a V1, used both at the same time and the V1 would pick stuff up 5-10 seconds faster, and knowing where the radar is coming from is awesome! Valentine One radar and laser detectors
+1 on the V1. I had the pleasure of using one on a few trips and it is unbelievable! Gives you enough time to react to the signal, slow down to the appropriate speed, check traffic and merge out of the fast lane, and still have enough time to ask yourself, "Where is this guy?" only to see him standing on the median a good distance away. My opinion is, if you are a defensive driver and watch out for cops actively while you "break the law", with the V1 you will likely never get a ticket. I am seriously considering one, but money is tight.
first off are the legal where you live? if so then get the passport 9500i its gps based so it will elminate false alarms. if they are not legal go with the beltronics sti driver. thats what i have and its awesome. blows the v1 out of the water according to tests done by radar roy. both the 9500i and the sti driver cost 450 dollars. the sti driver is immune to all rdds including the new spectre detectors. I have had mine for almost a year now and gives plenty of warning before you see the cop. if its in a straight line i have picked a Ka band from 3 miles down the road. and like on that website where it says it is full 360 degree and other detectors are not because they dont have a rear facing antenna. my sti driver has a rear facing antenna as well. most of your top dollar detectors will have a full 360 degree coverage. go to radar roys site and read up on which ones are best in there tests. the new passport and the sti driver are the top 2 v1 is up there as well. cant really go wrong with any of them. but if it were me and i lived in an area where they were legal i would go with the passport 9500 because of the gps based system that allows you to mark all the spots in town where the false alarms are. and even if a cop is sitting in that parking lot the next day it will still pick up the new signal. I just read the 2007 radar detector review all 3 of those detectors named are equal in distance but the sti driver is the only fully immune to RDDs and also has the second fewest false alarms the first being the 9500i and then the v1 got the most amount of false alarms even with the filters being on. but you cant really go wrong with either of them
I am in Arkansas and they are legal. I don't really speed much, but it is just insurance. My speeding is usually 5-10 mph over. Mostly it is for when I am not really paying attention and get a heavy foot. The 8500 (not the x50) has been great. When it goes off, you may have about 2 seconds before you see the cop. False alarms aren't a huge concern, most of my driving is open road where there isn't much to set it off. The best mine has done is about a mile, flat open country. I can pass a cop with radar on constantly, and I don't get 50 yards past him and my detector won't pick it up. It hasn't failed me yet, but there have been a few times when I feel it was very close. Thanks for the input.
I use the V1 and recommend it heavily. I believe they also have a program where if they make any updates to their system, you send yours in and they upgrade it for free and ship it back. I haven't had to do that yet, so i can't say for sure, but it was one of the selling points that I liked when I bought it. Rethink the "false alarms aren't a huge concern" comment. I personally agree, I don't mind false alarms, it lets me know that if there is a cop, I can be damn sure it'll warn me. But you'll be surprised what the V1 will find out in the middle of nowhere. For example, one one of the long bridges I cross frequently, there is something at about the midpoint emitting X-band radar. Literally for about 10 minutes (at 70+ mph), without fail, I will hear "beep........beep.......beep.....beep...beep..beep..beep beep beep beepbeepbeepbeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee beep beep..beep...beep....beep." I look every time and I dont' see anything that looks like it would be emitting radar, but apparently there is. I've also been doing a lot of interstate driving around in Texas, and I get hit randomly by a lot of Ka band from unknown sources. But over time you learn what a real hit sounds like, and it catches it in plenty of time for you to recognize the patter that you have learned means its a real hit.
usually before i see a cop with my sti driver i have more like 30 seconds to sometimes 2 minutes depending on if he is shooting it straight down the road and if there are hills in the way or what but generally i have a good 30 seconds to slow down even when he is in the median hiding behind trees and all shooting it sideways. still get plenty of warning.
by no means is my cobra anything compared to the v1 or anything within that price range... but i do recall it saying that sometime engine revs can cause the radar to go off on what i believe was the Ka band... but im not real sure i read that correctly i never read directions
V1s FTMFW!!! One day I will afford one. I have a Cobra from Loves that was only $40. It has saved my arse so many times I cant count. Its a no frills but it really "sees" the radar from a long way away Many times I start looking around and cant find the cop then a mile or so AROUND a corner he will show up
Passport / Escort 8500 here - I LOVE IT. I would REALLY like to get the newer one you mentioned with GPS though. Maybe in the future I will.
I'm not complaining about the 8500. I haven't been stopped yet with it. However, sometimes I really wonder in a what if situation. It picks up the cop, but I really think he could have had me if he wanted to. Cops here are lazy (most of them). My dad knows one very well. He will sit at an intersection and my dad has flat out ran stop signs (made sure nothing is coming of course) just to see if he would do anything. If it goes off, I slam the brakes (doing like 65 in a 55) and barely have time to slow down, and even then he may have already clocked me. The STI may be something I will look into. I have already sent my 8500 in once for repair, it flat out wouldn't pick up. I may try that again, but I think a V1 may be in the near future. Anyone else?
Wow - sounds like your 8500 unit is a lemon. Mine has picked up well over a mile out on the highway. There are times where it will go off for so long that I think it HAS to be a false alarm and then a few minutes later I either see a cop hiding a few cars back or one comes by in the opposite lane. Really great unit. I looked at Valentines too - but knowing which direction the radar is coming from doesn't mean anything to me. Either way, I'm hitting the brakes and turning on the eagle eyes. A laser jammer would be something I would like to look into along with the 9500 w/gps.
I may try contacting Escort to see about a repair. As said, I had it repaired already, they fixed the antenna, and it helped. However, reception from the rear is horrible, and it only picks up maybe 5 seconds before you see the cop. I finally decided that cops in my area use a very weak radar and even the best detector wouldn't pick it up like it should. Don't know if that is correct, but it is my way of thinking.
you will be very happy with the sti driver my friend. does everything and more the V1 does. also has a different beep for each different kind of radar. I pick up pop with it and have picked up laser once in north carolina. but we all know how laser is by the time you are picking it up its too late lol. but remember to every that does not have a radar detector yet you must be smart with them cause they can get you into trouble quick if you pick speeds up above 20 over. by the time you pick the cop up it could be too late so use them wisely its a tool. and about this V1 feature that points in teh direction of the radar. basically radar only work by hitting you from the front so getting hit from the rear or the sides doesnt matter they wont get a reading on you. so i could careless where its coming from but i will be slowing down either way once that thing starts going off. but really any of the top dollar detector you cant go wrong with they all are good.
A friend gave me this site to check up on info. Guys of LIDAR - Radar Detector Test - August 2007 By their tests, the V1 is far above every other detector for range. I like the invisible STI, but legality isn't an issue, so being "invisible" is not of highest priority. Still open, but V1 is calling my name at this point. It has been a while, but I have driven a little with my brother's V1, and it was amazing. It did pick up from the side. I didn't have more than 30 minutes of seat time with it, but it was something else.
thats pretty interesting cause on radarroys site the sti driver and the 9500i were actually at the top of his list lol. but i would get the 9500i if it were me and legality wasnt an issue just cause of the gps feature. oh well lol mine still works damn good.
Another cool feature of the V1 is its case is made of magnesium which protects the inner circuitry and whatnot from damage over time caused by heat. You definately can get hit by radar from behind.
