My V1 saved my butt today

[pierre shags]

Wouldn't you have slowed down from a strong reading even without knowng where it was coming from?

[2000SoCalBoxsterS]

Originally Posted by pierre shags

Wouldn't you have slowed down from a strong reading even without knowng where it was coming from?

Yes. But there is definitely an amount of extra comfort knowing what direction it is coming from.

Also, the Bogey counter is great. A LEO could be positioned near a known false alarm area. Normally the driver knowing he gets a false at that spot might ignore his detector. But with the V1 the Bogey counter would should 2 radar sources and the bands they are on and their directions letting you know that this time there is something else there. The V1 even prioritizes the threats by having the arrow for the bogey with the greatest threat blinking.

[porsche986spyder]

So what's the price of one of these V1? I have the Belltronics and am very happy. I heard the V1 was very expensive.

[2000SoCalBoxsterS]

Originally Posted by porsche986spyder

So what's the price of one of these V1? I have the Belltronics and am very happy. I heard the V1 was very expensive.

A ticket is expensive too and the attendant insurance cost increases. The V1 is $400 which is actually cheap for the protection and quality. Lesser detectors at maybe $200 or $300 are expensive if you get tickets using them. So just look at the the difference in price. You are paying an extra $100 to not get tickets and get the great feature.

[NickCats]

Valentine One is $399.00 :

https://store.valentine1.com/store/

For $299.95, the Escort 8500 x50 is a great radar detector as well :

http://www.escortradar.com/8500.htm

Nick

[Middle Age Crazy]

All this talk about radar detectors makes me envious. Illegal here in Ontario.

The only radar detector allowed here is an alert passenger with binoculars!

[RandallNeighbour]

The debate over whether the arrows and bogey counter are really worth the extra hundred bucks will rage on for anyone who has never used both the V1 and all the others. If you used a V1 in a LEO and Walmart infested area, you'd quickly stop all the debate.

The Beltronics or the Escort will certainly keep you out of trouble with Johnny law, and if you currently own one enjoy the protection it affords you. Just know that I've tried both and sensitivity aside, these other detectors will not tell you if the LEO has passed you or not, going the other way, and you may not know if more LEOs are on the prowl.

Moreover, these other detectors are not upgradeable and not programmable.

So, buy purchasing a V1, you get these unique features:

• Arrows which tell you where the threat is coming from which gives you the ability to look in one direction for the threat, not three or four and keep wondering where he's sitting or driving. No one really understands how wonderful this is until he or she actually use the V1.

• A bogey counter which indicates more than one threat, which also gives you the ability to keep your speed low until you're past all the threats. No one really understands how wonderful this feature is either until he or she uses the V1.

• A programmable detector. Because X band is only used in one or two states now due to it's old technology and age, I programmed my V1 to simply ignore any X band readings. This knocked out a vast majority of the false alarms coming from WarMarts and Kmarts, etc. Other detectors cannot block bands or change sensitivity thresholds like the V1.

• An upgradeable detector. Three years ago, my wife asked me to come into the breakfast room and sort through a junk drawer. In the drawer I had stored 3 radar detectors from the past 20 years of marriage. I bought them new and used, all of which were abandoned for a newer model that was more sensitive, filtered out more false readings, or had more options (Ka, Laser, a rear-facing sensor, etc.). The V1 can be programmed for a small fee for new threats and will probably be the last dash-mounted detector I need to buy. This is a huge benefit to me personally.

My conclusion and recommendation:
If you're reading this and you own a Bel or Escort and want to argue more, resist the urge and just buy a V1 and try it for a month, risk free. If you don't think the arrows, the bogey counter, the ability to turn off X band and upgrade it is worth it, return the detector and get all your money back.

I seriously doubt you'll return it though. I've never encountered a V1 owner who was not so impressed with it that he or she said they'd rather buy a different detector next time. Period.

[JackG]

Originally Posted by RandallNeighbour

The Beltronics or the Escort will certainly keep you out of trouble with Johnny law, and if you currently own one enjoy the protection it affords you. Just know that I've tried both and sensitivity aside, these other detectors will not tell you if the LEO has passed you or not, going the other way, and you may not know if more LEOs are on the prowl.

Moreover, these other detectors are not upgradeable and not programmable.
Not true. The 8500 is programmable.

So, buy purchasing a V1, you get these unique features:
Not so unique...

• Arrows
I just slow down until the threat is gone.

• A bogey counter which indicates more than one threat,
In Expert mode, the 8500 can track and display up to 8 signals at one time.

• A programmable detector. Because X band is only used in one or two states now due to it's old technology and age, I programmed my V1 to simply ignore any X band readings. Other detectors cannot block bands or change sensitivity thresholds like the V1.
Untrue. The 8500 is programmable, allowing you to turn off individual bands and change sensitivity, among other things.

• An upgradeable detector.
Looks like V1 would get it right the first time.

My conclusion and recommendation:

Buy an 8500. It doesn't have the "cool" arrows, but it is programmable, can track multiple bogeys (if that's really necessary), and has better KA sensitivity, in my own experience. My 8500 alerted me to a KA threat about 6 seconds before my friend's V1 alerted him. We were traveling side-by-side on a four-lane, and he wondered why I hit the brakes. A little while later his V1 got around to telling him why, complete with a nice arrow pointed forward!

I'll take my 8500.