Best Radar Detector?

[ricks01]

+1 for the V1. I've owned one for a few years and it has never failed. I especially like the directional arrows and the multiple warnings because on several occasions I have gone by a cop only to see another one set up further down the road. I also bought it more for protection as I don't speed that often. It's more for knowing when cops are around because my magnapacks will alert them soon enough.

 

[BennyBlown2v]

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.

Not true at all. You can even get hit by radar from a moving cop car and they can get a reading.

 

[04GTMustang]

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[04GTMustang]

i mean you can get hit from behind and they can get a reading but the chances of it being accurate are very slim .

 

[RaDaRkInG]

Nothing beats the Valentine One in radar and laser detection.

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[ArkansasMystic]

I am pretty much sold on the V1, just gotta wait to make sure funds will permit the swap. Rear detection is a big deal, and it is one of the biggest complaints I have about the 8500.

 

[RaDaRkInG]

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

You don't know what the hell you are talking about.

First of all, Radar Roy doesn't sell the Valentine One so do you think it will win any of his radar detector tests?

The Bel STi is $499.95 not $450 like you said.

The Valentine One is the only radar/laser detector with a forward facing radar antenna and a rear facing radar antenna and arrows to actually locate radar and not just beep. Valentine Research has the patent on arrows and multiple antennas facing opposite directions in a single radar/laser detection unit. This is why the Valentine One beats every other detector regardless of brand by 2+ miles in rear radar detection.

The Bel STi has two forward facing antennas, one for X band and one for K and Ka band.

9500ci and STi Radar Antenna Horns - Radar Detector Jammer Forum

The Bel STi is on the right and notice that there is no rear facing antenna.

Notice how the Valentine One has two antennas, one facing forward and one facing to the rear.

 

[04GTMustang]

You don't know what the hell you are talking about.

First of all, Radar Roy doesn't sell the Valentine One so do you think it will win any of his radar detector tests?

The Bel STi is $499.95 not $450 like you said.

The Valentine One is the only radar/laser detector with a forward facing radar antenna and a rear facing radar antenna and arrows to actually locate radar and not just beep. Valentine Research has the patent on arrows and multiple antennas facing opposite directions in a single radar/laser detection unit. This is why the Valentine One beats every other detector regardless of brand by 2+ miles in rear radar detection.

The Bel STi has two forward facing antennas, one for X band and one for K and Ka band.

9500ci and STi Radar Antenna Horns - Radar Detector Jammer Forum

The Bel STi is on the right and notice that there is no rear facing antenna.

Notice how the Valentine One has two antennas, one facing forward and one facing to the rear.

not trying to argue but any detector will pick up radar from the rear. radar bounces and will hit something in front of you then bounce back and hit your antenna anyways. and sti driver does have rear facing antenna. i dont think that site you looked at has any idea what they are talking about 9500ci is the remote mount passport the 9500i is not remote mount. but yes the passport and the beltronics are developed the same. i never said the v1 was bad my apologies if thats what you got out of it. but i am trying to show my opinion on other detectors.

i got mine from radar busters.


what you and i call good detectors may be different. I dont like as many false alarms and still good strength. and i went with sti just because its invisible to all RDDs. I would have went with the passport otherwise. sti is not worth it unless you need it in a place where they are illegal.

V1 is good my buddy has one but i prefer mine. I like all the features of it. it has different sounds for different bands of radar. when i get hit with pop it says pop across the screen and same with laser. its just certain things i really like. I would love the 9500i for its gps to eliminate false alarms completely. they do get really annoying when you use the detector on a regular basis. i thought who cares and left mine on highway mode at all times for a better warning but when you drive through town and hear beep at every cvs or walmart door then you will turn the filters on to eliminate it.

 

[RaDaRkInG]

not trying to argue but any detector will pick up radar from the rear. radar bounces and will hit something in front of you then bounce back and hit your antenna anyways. and sti driver does have rear facing antenna. i dont think that site you looked at has any idea what they are talking about 9500ci is the remote mount passport the 9500i is not remote mount.

You don't have any idea what you are talking about. The Bel STi does not have a rear facing radar antenna, it only has 2 forward facing radar antennas (one for X band and the other for K and Ka band.) Valentine Research has the patent on multiple radar detecting antennas facing opposite directions with arrows so every other detector lacks a rear radar antenna and arrows to "locate" radar.

But what do I know, I only have internal pictures of the Bel STi and Bel makes no mention on their website of this imaginary rear radar antenna that you think is inside of the Bel STi.

Please show me where the rear radar antenna is located inside the Bel STi in this picture. There is a rear laser port but that is nothing special and laser is not the same thing as radar.

You also claim that any detector can detect radar from the rear because radar bounces and will hit the antenna anyway. Let's examine the last rear radar detection test that was done in the year 2000. Their is a reason that the Valentine One can detect Ka band radar from the rear that is over 2.5 miles away while every other brand struggles to detect it .5 miles away. Ka band is the band most widely used by police so it is extremely important to excel in this area.

 

[ArkansasMystic]

According the the rear test, the STI is no better than my 8500 at rear detection. I almost got busted going through town last night (not bad, 35 in a 25, but still). Radar beeped and I was on a strait stretch with the cop about 1/4 mile behind, just driving with radar on. Thanks for the info Radarking, very helpful.

 

[04GTMustang]

not exactly sure why you continue to argue with me radarking. but you do what you want bro. I dont like false alarms every 5 seconds and thats what you will get with a valentine. even with the city mode filter on its still going to go off at just about everything. I also never said the sti driver was best. I like mine for legality. If i was running a valentine here i would hve gotten caught with it.

my opinion the 9500i is one of the best and yes valentine is one of the best too. and if you would look back at why i asked if he lived in virginia or not i said get the the sti if he does and if not get a 9500i because of gps. those are my opinions take it or leave it. I got a buddy with a valentine but he loves my sti a lot more than his and mine beeps before his but mine is in a better mounting position too.

 

[rabidscoobie]

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

+1
I think I have the exact same one.$40 Cobra from Circuit ****ty.I get one false alarm where I live and does a pretty good job with the coppers.But I got it cuz I couldnt spend alot more at the time.Hell my wifes $200 cobra sux compared to the $40 one...

 

[ArkansasMystic]

IDK, the 9500 or V1 will probably be the one I go with. I love the invisibility of the STI, but performance just isn't up there according to the tests I have read. I have had great service with Escort, so the 9500 may just be an option. However, I would rather have false alarms than no alarm. Not sure what it is, but cops have been watching people like crazy in the past month or so, way more than usual. Being hit from the rear is a big concern, and without a doubt the best performer is the V1, don't see how you can argue that. Also, I am kinda sold on the arrows. I like the idea of knowing where the radar is coming from. About 50/50, both seem to be excellent units, and either will be a big improvement, just not sure. Thanks everyone.

 

[ArkansasMystic]

OK guys, I've had my V1 for a few weeks now. I went used and picked it up for $300, well under my $500 budget. After just a couple weeks, I have already been saved 3-4 times in situations I KNOW my 8500 would not have picked up. The arrows are AWESOME, along with knowing how many signals there are. I live in a small town, 25mph speed limit, but open roads. Very hard to keep it under that. On one occasion, it went off, but showed two signals. One cop had someone stopped, only to have another cop .1 mile down the road still clocking people. It picks up about 5x further in my area from the rear, really saved me. I have gotten readings from 1 mile (compared to 1/4 mile in the same spot with the 8500). We don't have any large stretches, so 1 mile is great (a lot of curves and hills). I am very pleased with it, well worth the money. I am simply amazed at how much better the V1 works. Thanks to all who helped me with my decision.

 

[LaserSVT]

+1
I think I have the exact same one.$40 Cobra from Circuit ****ty.I get one false alarm where I live and does a pretty good job with the coppers.But I got it cuz I couldnt spend alot more at the time.Hell my wifes $200 cobra sux compared to the $40 one...

I love my cheep little Cobra!
I find the even better bet is to donate a few bucks to the cop charities and they give you stickers

I have the same deterctor in the Termi and when pops got pulled over he was hit with LASER. The Cobra saw it but its LASER so unless there is someone else right by you getting painted then your the target.
Well the cop supporter sticker (Little round one in the lower left corner of my rear window) got him a free pass. Cop said straight up that they did and if he had no warrents then he was just getting a warning.
Only paid $25 for that for all three cars.
Even if I had a $500 unit in there he woulda got tagged cause with no other traffic the cop wasnt shooting the LASER

 

[ArkansasMystic]

Just gotta remember, a radar detector is a tool, not a guarantee you wont get caught. Even the V1 is not gonna do much with laser, once hit you are hit, no way around it.

 

[Team Ford]

V1 + ∞

 

[bullitt_2620]

I love my little whistler xtr 520 got it for like 70 or 80 bucks on sale at frys. Ive seen them go for like 120 or so. It has saved me several times, especially traveling down hwy 5...anyone who has done the drive down 5 will tell you that any radar detector is better than no radar detector. Its the first one that ive seen that came with a little cordless remote that has all the features that are on the unit itself, comes in real handy when it was mounted like 3 feet away from me in the gf's civic. Ive gotten used to the false alarms and they dont really bug me too much, everyone who rides in my car always gets a kick out of my "cop detector" Someday ill get a V1 when I have the funds but for now this has more than paid for itself on my limited college budget.

 

[jdcleve]

jdcleve--radar/laser detectors

I just received a Valentine 1 for my new car. In more than 7 years with the V1 in my other car, I was only stopped once. That was at night by instant-on coming at me from the opposite direction on a bend in the road. I ordered both of my V1's with the concealed display. I place it with the instrument cluster and mount the main unit on the far side of the rear view mirror so it has a good view to the rear. As I do half of my driving at night, it is important to know if radar/laser is running within the headlights behind me as I prepare to merge onto the highway. In the time between purchases, V1's price has changed little--if any. The full price for the two components, multiple mounting and hook-up accessories, and $23 shipping/handling was $461. Used/possibly stolen V1's go for more than that on eBay. And, although upgrades are NOT free, there has only been one in over 7 years (pop).

 

[merc123]

Save your money... Unless you're doing 20 over you have nothing to worry about. By the time you pay for any speeding tickets it'll be less than the $400...

I didn't start getting speeding tickets until AFTER I got a radar detector. I removed it from the car and no more tickets. Reason? Cops see it and know you have it for a reason...