Radar detectors?

[gschotland]

Anyone have any thoughts on how the Bel and Passport compare to the Valentine 1? I have a V1 sitting in a closet somewhere...

[mptoledo]

Passport 9500 ix all the way. NO comparison. I have had mine for almost a year, paid slighly less than $500 and its worth every penny. The main advantage over most others is that if you drive by walgreens 3 times it will auto block that gps/band frequency(you can manually do it also, like those speed signs that are meant as a deterent). I have never even had a close call as it gives plenty of distance(unless they aren't radaring) The red light camera warning is pretty nice as I had two of those before I bought this. Oh did I mention blocking out false signals?

When I drive through my town / city, it is quiet. If my radar goes off, then there is a cop. Isn't that how they are suppose to work?

[Jaxonalden]

Valentine One, with-out-a-doubt ( http://www.valentine1.com/ ). They give you 360 degree coverage, the unit is upgradeable to the latest software available and you have options to suite multiple applications.

I have it hard wired with a concealed head unit in my Boxster. I also have my SUV, wife's car and the Sienna hard wired with a Blendmount
( http://www.blendmount.com/forumdisplay.php?f=12 ) under the rear view mirror. They're working on a Porsche mount. Whatever I'm driving it comes with me, all it takes to remove it is as simple as unplugging a phone jack, that's it. Rental car? Visor mount and traditional phone cord to the cigarette lighter.

I can't tell you how secure I feel knowing my V1 is on and sniffing the air for the smell of bacon, and then telling me when it's at.

[RandallNeighbour]

V1 Baby! If you've never used one, you simply cannot comprehend what situational awareness with the arrows provides.

Others might be newer or have GPS, but they're not better without those arrows. Moreover, the V1 has two HUGE advantages over most other detectors:

1. User programmable. I turned off X band and WalMarts don't set it off. No need to use fancy GPS to find false alarms. Most of them are on X band.

2. Upgradeable. The V1 can be sent back to be reprogrammed with the latest software for a moderate amount of money. The other detectors? Sell them for a pittance on eBay and buy the new version.

Let the games begin! (we always have heated debates about this topic once a quarter or so!)

Do search on radar detector for many many threads and posts about why we all think the one we bought is the best and everyone else's choice absolutely sucks.

[JackG]

Passport all the way!! In an unexpected head-to-head comparison of my Passport 8500 and a friend's V1, my 8500 alerted me to oncoming Ka radar way before my friends V1 alerted him in the next lane. He doesn't use his anymore after he got a ticket with it later. Arrows... who cares. Passport goes off, you slow down. Turns back off, G2G. No bling, all business. And it's user programmable.

The newer 9500 with GPS is the deal, hands down. :dance:

[9eighty6]

Another V1 lover here. It simply cannot be beat.

If cost is an issue ask them for a "retuned unit" which gives you the same product
with the same warranty for about $100 less.

A no-brainer.

[Viper5]

Heres what it comes down to...

If by "a lot of driving" you are talking highway, then V1 is the way to go. It does not have GPS feature but it's detection is much better for laser. This is starting to become the norm for highway patrol.

However, if you are driving in the city a lot, then from what I hear the 9500ix is it. It does have gps and will be able to block out falses around the city if you pass them three times. It is a little (not by much) lacking in the laser detection department when compared to V1.

Both are high quality detectors and you can't go wrong with either one.

I personally have a V1 and I love it.

[vath2001]

Done a little research and no one makes what I really want... the GPS directions with a built in radar detector.

I do like the Escort 9500ix, but it is a premium price. The one advantage of the Escort is to upgrade, you plug it into your computer... the V1 have to be shipped back.

The Belronics RX65 Pro is a cheaper alternative.

[Jeph]

It should also be noted that the Passport doesn't just know about red light cameras, but speed cameras as well. Does the V1 point to that?

Ooh, and another thing not mentioned... the Passport doesn't look like an old Sony portable CD player on your dash. Pick up an old copy of Motor Trend from the 90s, you'll see the same beastly looking chunk of plastic known as the Valentine.

If some one fires a gun at me, I'm not too concerned where it's coming from. I just duck. Same goes for those "helpful" arrows. If a detector goes off, slow down. I'm sure it's rewarding to have superfluous directional info, but it's still less important to me than the added benefits of a detector that does more.

[RandallNeighbour]

Jeph, I was waiting for you to join this thread

1. If someone has never used a V1, that person really cannot discuss a valid opinion about having the arrows vs. not having them in a detector. Jeph, you said that when your passport goes off, you slow down regardless of the source. I do not do this. I look at the arrows and then decide if it's a threat. When I see side arrows that quickly move to a rear arrow, I speed up most of the time or resist the urge to slam on my brake. Without arrows and what Valentine calls "situational awareness", you have no choice. You must slow down and start looking through all your windows and mirrors because you have no situational awareness of the radar threat. It's really quite simple. I've been on both sides of this situation and the awareness of the directional source has dramatically changed my reaction to an alert. If you've not used both kinds of detectors on short and long trips, you can't comment on the arrows the same education as a V1 user who has used detectors with and without arrows.

2. The Passport cannot be upgraded. You must buy another one when the technology changes or purchase the upgrade option which knocks $50 or less off the price of the new one. I believe the Valentine upgrade path is part of the reason why the V1's sturdy metal enclosure has not changed through the years. When something new is invented for radar use for law enforcement and widely used, Valentine is committed to existing customers enough to upgrade their equipment for a small fee. All the others? Sell your old one to someone for a fraction of what you paid for it and shell out another $399 or more or take Escort's pitiful $50 "trade in" value of your old one.

3. The bogey counter. When I see a 2 or 3 (or even a 4!) on the big LED display, I know the noises I'm hearing and the bars I'm seeing represent more than one threat and not to speed up after I pass the first cop. This is a huge advantage combined with the arrows. It has saved me a half dozen times in complex radar traps. I pass the first cop shooting Ka and the arrows go to the back but there's an arrow forward with a new threat on the counter and the K band indicator is also lighting up. The Escorts probably show both kinds of radar on the display, but without those numbers combines with the arrows, you just don't know how many threats you should be aware of and the directional source of the radar.

If anyone is reading this thread and debating which unit to buy, BUY BOTH just before you leave on a driving trip. Return the one that you don't like under the 30 day, money-back guarantee. Buy a double socket to power them both up on your dash, and run them side by side. Then, do a second test on your own reaction to each unit. Run them alone for a day per unit to see how you react and then decide for yourself. This is the only real way to have a solid comparison of which one is best for YOU. Many V1 users swear by the arrows, upgrade path, and bogey counter. Many Escort users, especially the owners of the newer GPS models swear by them for their connectivity to satellites and the internet for speed camera updates.

[Kirk]

Quite a debate, again I'm on the V1 side, but only because it works great for ME. I think both units have their merits. What's important to you probably depends a lot on how you use the radar detector.

I live in a more rural area. I don't care about speed cameras as there are none in my state. Even still, if the speed camera has radar on all the time, then the V1 will pick it up 2 miles away! The closest city to me only has three red light cameras and I know where each one is, so again not a concern. I also really don't have any issues with false alarms as they seldom occur.

So for me there is little benefit to the extra technology that the Passport has. I prefer to have the directional arrows so I know where the cop is when I do actually pick one up on the highway. Now if I lived in a big city with lots of red light cameras and lots of places with false alarms, then I might really want the GPS function of the Passport instead.

So... to each their own, both detectors have their merits and their uses. Obviously you have to pick which one suits you and your situation the best.

Kirk

[Jaxonalden]

Originally Posted by RandallNeighbour

Jeph, I was waiting for you to join this thread

1. If someone has never used a V1, that person really cannot discuss a valid opinion about having the arrows vs. not having them in a detector. Jeph, you said that when your passport goes off, you slow down regardless of the source. I do not do this. I look at the arrows and then decide if it's a threat. When I see side arrows that quickly move to a rear arrow, I speed up most of the time or resist the urge to slam on my brake. Without arrows and what Valentine calls "situational awareness", you have no choice. You must slow down and start looking through all your windows and mirrors because you have no situational awareness of the radar threat. It's really quite simple. I've been on both sides of this situation and the awareness of the directional source has dramatically changed my reaction to an alert. If you've not used both kinds of detectors on short and long trips, you can't comment on the arrows the same education as a V1 user who has used detectors with and without arrows.

2. The Passport cannot be upgraded. You must buy another one when the technology changes or purchase the upgrade option which knocks $50 or less off the price of the new one. I believe the Valentine upgrade path is part of the reason why the V1's sturdy metal enclosure has not changed through the years. When something new is invented for radar use for law enforcement and widely used, Valentine is committed to existing customers enough to upgrade their equipment for a small fee. All the others? Sell your old one to someone for a fraction of what you paid for it and shell out another $399 or more or take Escort's pitiful $50 "trade in" value of your old one.

3. The bogey counter. When I see a 2 or 3 (or even a 4!) on the big LED display, I know the noises I'm hearing and the bars I'm seeing represent more than one threat and not to speed up after I pass the first cop. This is a huge advantage combined with the arrows. It has saved me a half dozen times in complex radar traps. I pass the first cop shooting Ka and the arrows go to the back but there's an arrow forward with a new threat on the counter and the K band indicator is also lighting up. The Escorts probably show both kinds of radar on the display, but without those numbers combines with the arrows, you just don't know how many threats you should be aware of and the directional source of the radar.

If anyone is reading this thread and debating which unit to buy, BUY BOTH just before you leave on a driving trip. Return the one that you don't like under the 30 day, money-back guarantee. Buy a double socket to power them both up on your dash, and run them side by side. Then, do a second test on your own reaction to each unit. Run them alone for a day per unit to see how you react and then decide for yourself. This is the only real way to have a solid comparison of which one is best for YOU. Many V1 users swear by the arrows, upgrade path, and bogey counter. Many Escort users, especially the owners of the newer GPS models swear by them for their connectivity to satellites and the internet for speed camera updates.

RN,

Great post, wish I could add to it but you hit all the key points.

[Soetekouw]

I also have the Valantine. Those arrows are great!.

[vath2001]

I went with the Escort 9500ix. The Valentine was temping, but the escort has one major feature no one else offers... GPS.
The unit is learning all the time. Some of the traffic lights have K band to check for vehicles and keep the light green. The unit memorizes the signal and location and if it continues to see the same freq at that location, it will block out the signal.
I can add speed traps and as I get closer, it will pop up and remind me, including the distance.. 1300 ft out.
Sweet!