I'm trying to decide between a Valentine V1, Escort 9500 ix and an Escort Redline. From what I've gathered so far the 9500 ix has the least false alerts but the V1 is the most sensitive with some false alerts. Any thoughts, suggestions, alternatives?

4/22/2012 9:49:10 PM

"It's cheaper to just drive the speed limit." -Mike Valentine

4/22/2012 10:01:40 PM

I have an original 8500 that still works very well and I haven't had it "defeated" by any cop yet

4/22/2012 10:17:42 PM

you're better off getting a car that blends in or doesn't stand out at all

save your money

4/22/2012 10:25:06 PM

that's also a good idea, but the V1, in my opinion, is the yardstick. The others you listed are good enough to be useful, but if you're serious, my opinion is to go V1.

4/22/2012 10:27:58 PM

^^Not an option, already have a red e93

4/22/2012 10:56:27 PM

I have a v1. But you have to be smart about it.

If you are driving down the highway, no cars in sight, then you might as well have a brick on the dash because a detector is worthless (detectors detect the radar being used to clock the cars ahead of you)

Laser detection is mostly worthless. I picked up a laser by chance hitting traffic ahead of me.. once. The rest of the time I detect a laser as they paint me.

If you are on a highway with traffic ahead and no steep hills or sharp turns then you can push it a bit. But remember, cops are smarter and pick and choose when to turn the radar on. (example: state trooper between Sanford and Greensboro on 421 that clocks at random, passed him many times and he clicks it on as he passes... some times. The randomness defeats a detector.)

The point is, if you speed, you will get caught. A detector will increase your odds of not getting a ticket, but odds catch up. And assuming risk for speeding will also catch up.

4/22/2012 11:10:14 PM

I agree with pretty much all of that. It isn't a magic bullet. It's for if you are going to speed, it reduces your chances of getting ticketed.

My experience with LASER has been similar. It's saved me maybe twice. I actually got a LASER ticket from the rear one time where the V1 didn't even alert. Fortunately, LASER is still pretty uncommon.

I will say that even on an open highway with little/no traffic, it's more effective than you give it credit for, because there are a bunch of cops who just drive around or sit there with their RADAR on. Really, though, the V1's sensitivity is an asset for those times when they ping someone waaaay ahead of you with instant-on. Just about any old detector will save you from the cop sitting there blindly blaring away on Ka band. (and then obviously the threat counter and, more importantly, the crude direction of arrival capability--the arrows--are huge SA builders that no other detector has).



If you want to go all-in, V1 is the best, in my opinion. If you are willing to sacrifice a little capability in exchange for being a little "quieter" (fewer falses; not as "chatty"), then I think one of the other high-end detectors would still be worthwhile. I wouldn't go below the Passport 8500 level, though.

4/23/2012 1:00:28 AM

this thread, again.

V1 > 9500 > 8500

Any are fine though, just depends how much you want to spend. I still run an 8500.

4/23/2012 8:14:39 AM

Ask this question on any car forum and you'll be told over and over again that nothing compares to the V1. I've heard it countless times, but I've yet to see the test(s) confirming it. Are you guys just repeating what everyone else is saying or do you have any evidence?









http://radartest.com/article_2.asp?articleid=100578


I will say I really like the directional arrows on the V1, but I where is the evidence that it outperforms the top Escorts? Not to mention that they're way behind the competition on using GPS to prevent false alerts.

4/23/2012 8:41:03 AM

waiting for the smart cops to sit in the gps verified false areas

4/23/2012 9:37:43 AM

all the falses keep people driving the speed limit so less people get tickets.

4/23/2012 9:46:14 AM

Quote :

"waiting for the smart cops to sit in the gps verified false areas"

[NO]

You realize bands such as "Ka" represent thousands of possible frequencies, right? "Ka" represents any signal from 26.5–40 GHz.

The grocery store motion sensor, for example, is not operating on the same frequency as the police radar despite being in the same band. Passport detectors store the actual frequency of the false alert; not just the affected band. There is no way an officer can tune his radar to work on the exact same frequency as the grocery store's motion sensor and even if he could he would end up with interference from the conflicting frequency.

You didn't really think the engineers at Escort were that simple, did you?

[Edited on April 23, 2012 at 10:50 AM. Reason : l]

4/23/2012 10:48:55 AM

^^^ In addition to logging the false area location it also records the frequency of the radar signal. Unless the cops are using the exact same signal it shouldn't be a prob..

[Edited on April 23, 2012 at 10:50 AM. Reason : .]

4/23/2012 10:50:08 AM

I don't get those false alarms.. I tuned my 8500 to reduce the detection spectrum when I first got it.

[Edited on April 23, 2012 at 11:22 AM. Reason : most of my false alarms come from harmonic interference from my bluetooth]

4/23/2012 11:22:10 AM

V1

4/23/2012 11:50:05 AM

My experience is only with the V1. I love it and it has always been accurate in detecting real threats. False alarms are more frequent than the occurrence of a a real threat within city limits, but out in the country or on highway roads, it has never failed me.

When I was at the Tail of the Dragon ~5 years ago in the 944, I was approaching a blind corner with the mountain side to my left. About 150 yards before making that blind left turn, my V1 goes off. As I rounded that turn, a NCHP vehicle came around the bend headed the other way. The tree density on the right side of the road was minimal so I don't know how much of the signal was reflected, but it couldn't have been a lot and yet the V1 still detected the threat. At that moment, I knew the V1 was worth the money. It works.

[Edited on April 23, 2012 at 1:58 PM. Reason : .]

4/23/2012 1:56:50 PM

I have a V1 and everything in the thread is correct. The only thing i can add is that the false alarms are not that annoying and I have learned to tune them out. Im not usually speeding in places where the false alarms go off, and you quickly learn when it is a real or false alarm. I rely on mine mostly for long trips and highway driving because those are the only times when speeding cuts significant time off of your drive.

4/23/2012 2:31:28 PM

^+1

4/23/2012 2:35:49 PM

My Passport 8500 & 9500 have never let me down either. I have quite a few stories of them saving my ass. The only difference is that when you take away the fanboy hype you can save money and get GPS features to make your drive more peaceful. I got my 9500i lightly used with a hardwire kit for $160 and I got my 8500 brand new for $200 sometime around 2001 when it was Escort's top model (it was priced at $299, but I found a deal.)

Until I see good reason to believe otherwise I'm sticking with this:

Quote :

"Ask this question on any car forum and you'll be told over and over again that nothing compares to the V1. I've heard it countless times, but I've yet to see the test(s) confirming it. Are you guys just repeating what everyone else is saying or do you have any evidence?"

V1 fanboys might just be worse than the Apple fanboys.

[Edited on April 23, 2012 at 3:03 PM. Reason : s]

4/23/2012 3:02:20 PM

i loved my V1.

sold it when i made the move from a yellow 370z to a silver nissan titan

never let me down, just use common sense. its no magic 8 ball.

4/23/2012 3:14:34 PM

Both the V1 and Passport have great sensitivity. It's a matter of whether you'd prefer a rear antenna and the arrows, or GPS filtering.

4/23/2012 5:15:26 PM