futuresvt

With the new ride on order, and never having owned a vehicle with as much power, I figure that a radar detector may be a wise early "performance" mod!

I've read good things about the Valentine 1, but wanted some feed back to see what you guys think...

Love your suggestions from experience, etc...

eci

Bel RX65 is more accurate than the V1.

metroplex

Escort Passport 9500i hands down.

Mustangfreak

V1>*

Hatchman

Escort 8500 X50

or any one of these:

http://www.007radardetectors.com/tests.htm

Donna

+1 on the Escort 8500 X50

mikes rx

I've got the Escort Solo S2 cordless and love it. Easily transportable from one car to another

Hatchman

The cordless ones are VERY convenient, but test show that they aren't as sensitive as the corded ones. They are great if you swap between cars a lot, such as rentals, loaners, fleet vehicles, etc.

I have a cord hardwired that hangs down from the center of the windshield in both of my cars, with an extra mount already suctioned to the windshield. So when the radar detector is not there, it's just a few inches of wire and the little suction mount and bracket. So swapping back and forth between the two vehicles is pretty quick.

metroplex

Escort Passport 9500i >>>>>>>>>> Escort 8500 x50, Bel RX-65, Valentine 1.

The 9500i JUST came out: http://www.escortradar.com/9500i.htm
making everything else obsolete. Good luck trying to get GPS functionality out of the Valentine 1 with a free upgrade.

mikes rx

I've heard similar things in terms of sensitivity. But, realistically, does it matter??? The S2 is very good and sensitive. I've had the thing go off before even SEEING radar guns. Some may be better, but it still gives you plenty of warning.

I don't think that extra range really matters, because there aren't really any roads that are long enough to give a straight shot to the radar anyway. Most roads have some type of curve/turn that arrives in a shorter distance than the radar's length.

metroplex

The problem with the S2 is that due to its reduced duty cycle to conserve battery power, its response time and range is limited, more so than the 8500 x50. If you just want to pay extra money for something that doesn't perform as well, go with the Solo S2. Get the 8500 x50 if you want to save some money and get a top tier detector. The S2 itself is very nicely made, but its cordless design is both a blessing and a drawback. If they made the S2 so that it switches to 100% duty cycle when the power cord is used (yielding 8500 x50 performance), it would have been its saving grace.

In the meantime, the Passport 9500i blows everything out of the water at this time. You can mute out false X/K sensors at street corners (from gas stations or Wal-Marts) and its GPS system will remember where you falsed it out. Read the Escort website for more details:

http://www.escortradar.com/9500i.htm

You wanted to know what the best detector is right now? Look at the 9500i first because that is the latest and greatest.

The Reverend

Valentine 1, no comparison. Here is why... The arrows. Once you have them, you can't see using one without them. I don't care if your detector has great range, say from 20 miles you can pickup radar, and then what? You don't know if it is from behind and you are driving away from it, or if it is in the strip mall 1 mile to the west. But with arrows, you know where and in plenty of time, and once you pass the source, you can go ahead and speed up long before the arrowless wonders.

mikes rx

The SOLO is VERY CONVENIENT in mustangs, because there is no place to put a power cord on the 05-up (assuming you have a power point plug from MGW or another source). I'd rather keep my MGW plug in place, to keep it from becoming loose over time from removing and replacing all the time.

Also, I drive multiple vehicles, so it's even better. And, I drive in NC and VA, and in VA they are illegal to have "within reach". So, when I cross the border, the SOLO comes right off with no wires to deal with.

I'll agree that the new 9500 looks interesting. BUT, your paying a premium for a few features.

Either way, Escort detectors are one of the best on the market. You can't go wrong with any of them. It's all about personal preference

SOLO = CONVENIENCE hands down, and I don't think the supposed "peformance decrease" (if any) is notable for most users. If you consistently drive 25 mph over the limit, then maybe. But, if you are looking for something to save you in case you don't realize your speed and get caught in a trap, then the SOLO is a great choice

BTW, the blue LED 8500 is more money than the SOLO.

metroplex

The arrows are a novelty factor. With the Passport 9500i, you can individually block out the strip mall to your west or the garage door to your east so that these signals NEVER EVER set of your 9500i again. Your arrows would keep lighting up each time.

How's the auto mute on the V1? Oh wait... forgot about that! The Escorts have bogey counters that work very nicely (bar graphs in the Expert display). Albeit the V1 theoretically has an edge because it can show more than 2 Ka band alerts, but what are the chances you will get hit with 3 Ka sources or 3 legit K-band sources? The x50 and Passport 9500i can show up to 2 Ka, 2 K, and 4 X band sources simultaneously.

The saving grace for the V1 is dual antennae, unfortunately most of the reviews for the V1 show that it tends to false out more easily.

The 9500i is an example of things to come (GPS integration and features). There are already GPS based products that will warn you of known speed traps or red light cameras. The 9500i integrates some of those features into a radar detector package and has a USB port.

mikes rx

The escort radar detectors also have two antennas.

PATAN

I personally love my V1
the arrows are real cool, and the good thing is that it really shows you if there are more than 1 radar, this is useful because sometimes cops with radars hide after school radars, or they have those tandem cop cars on the highway.
it happened to me several times, I see the radar go off, but it shows 2 ka's, then it shows when I passed one, (arrow back) but the strongest one ahead, and there it is the 2nd police car.
now, the new tech with Gps is going to be incredible!
I hope valentine does some like that soon.
I don't even speed, but speed traps are for that
to catch you in roads where people usually drives a little faster than the speed limit.
I respect the work police men do, but when they set up those speed traps, I have to admit it irritates me big time, because I feel tricked into the ticket.
I remember an old lady once, got a ticket, went to courtand she won the case because she proved that the road she was on , was designed to have a higher speed limit than the sign said, and proved to the judge it was a revenue making avenue, so they had to raise the speed limit there.
other than that, I respect the law always, and looks like policemen like my car because They spotted me going a few miles over and never stopped me or anything, we have pretty cool cops in Orlando!!!

GTracer

escort passport 8500 X50. i have one, my dad has one...they are he best detectors

boomerman

Actually it only has one for radar and 1 for laser.
The "other antenna " one is nothing but a piece of plastic that is clear and it is attached to the same front antenna for the laser only.
Think of it as a mirror.
Valentine 1 has a patent on the front and rear antennas for both radar and laser.

As for the new 9500i it is still to new to say that is really works that good.
I have not seen any testing on it yet and it is supposed to be tested next month with a group of people I am involved with.

As far as the GPS marking false locations that is a great idea but if the unit looses connection with the satellite then you are screwed until it reconnects.
Under heavy clouds this problem has already been verified and reported by Escort that this is an issue they are aware of.

I think in time and with some revisions this could be a good thing but for right now I would not trust anything that has not been proven.
Only time will tell.

I have been in a few situations where I was glad the V1 has a bogey alert.
I go by a Walmart every day and I always get 2 K band alerts.
This day was different I got 3 alerts all on K band and I knew that was not the norm. Sure enough there was the cop sitting on the side of the road in the dark where he could hardly be seen unless you were really looking for him.
If it had not been for the bogey counter on the V1 I would have been busted for speeding.

As far as battery powered radar detectors yes they have a shorter range and yes they may still pick up a radar from a distance but that distance can be crucial depending on your vehicle speed and type of radar used.
Also that range will be shorter as the batteries get weaker.

Yes it may alert that there is a radar around but how much time does it give you to react to slow down and how do you know if by the time it alerts you the police officer may have already gotten a reading.

Low end radar detectors and battery operated ones are ok for the occasional speeder who may do 5-7 mph over the limit but anything over that and you are asking for trouble with these detectors.

Mongoose

Any of the above will do a great job for you. It all boils down to how much you want to spend. $250+ is about the going rate and you can pick up some deals on E bay. Just make sure they are new. There is a guy over there from Bentonville, AR that has some great deals from time to time. I purchased mine from him several years ago. When you think about it a ticket will cost you way more than $250 and you get nothing in return. Its not about doing 85 on the big road but doing 40 in a school zone that you did not see that will kill YA.