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.
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