So what radar detector did you decide to get? (1 Viewer)

[Karl_Luph]

And has it saved you from getting a speeding ticket? I bought the Escort Passport 8500 about a year ago and can honestly say that I'm not a leadfoot,but it's tipped me off many times and have seen a number of drivers that passed me earlier getting pulled over. It's excellent if you live in the city where there's various speed limits and school zones.

 

[Will Tolliver]

if you're not using a Valentine 1, you're playing second fiddle

 

[Karl_Luph]

When you can't get the best, you just get what you can, lol! It seems even the cheaper radar detectors work pretty decent nowadays.

 

[Jerry_Wh]

Anyone who thinks they need a radar detector can afford the best - just look at the cost of getting a ticket => ~$250 up front plus ~$2000 in increased insurance rates over the following 5-7 years. By that measure even the V1 is cheap.

There is a saying that the only thing worse than having no radar detector, is having a bad one. The 8500 is not a bad one, and in synthetic tests it scores in same range as the V1. But the direction indicator and the radar source counter are huge improvements in funtionality tgat only the V1 gives you.

 

[Zack_R]

I have the 8500 and think it is an excellent detector. I also had a V1 for 8 years and think it is good but I like the 8500 features better.

Both will give similar warning but where I think the 8500 excels is in it's Spec display. This single feature tells you whether you are getting a false alarm or a real radar.

In every day driving you will likely encounter more false alerts whether from motion sensors or other detectors. The numeric display informs you of the exact frequency you are receiving and you can quickly discount the falses. No other display (except Bels) gives you this kind of info.

Two other features I really like about tne 8500 are the windshield mount and the city No x feature. The windshield mount is very compact and makes it easy to place above my rearview mirror. It also allows me to easily remove and install the detector and leave the bracket on the windshield.

The city No X feature lets you disable x band but keep full sensitivity on K and Ka bands. The reason this is cool is because you can easily enable x band by switching to Auto or Hwy mode which is essential if you drive in an area where you don't know if they use x band or not. When you return to your locality you just switch it back to City No X.

 

[Mehul]

I have a V1 and love it.
But with any radar detector - you have to learn how to use it. I have seen guys barreling dow the hwy with no one leading them to set off the instant guns that cops have and they are surprised when a cop pulls out and catches them speeding.

jus my two cents

 

[JoshuaT]

There is a setting in the program mode to turn off the x band on your V1.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

I bought the Valentine 1 about 2 months ago
simply because I read it was "the best" out there.

It is a remarkable little unit. Has already
saved my butt several times. The directional
arrows are a real plus.

 

[Karl_Luph]

I really like the directional radar feature on the Valentine One too, it's a great selling feature, I'm pretty sure Valentine is the only brand that has that design in a detector. I just might have to make Valentine my next radar detector I buy in a couple of years. I'd like to hear from some of the members who have some of the less expensive detectors to feel free to tell us about their units too.Come on guys, It's all good!

 

[Brian-Nu]

V1

 

[KurtW]

There's 2 types of radar detectors; Valentine 1, and everything else.

That being said, I think the Escort 8500 (steer clear of the cordless units, like the SoloS2) if one of the only other units I would buy if I couldn't get a V1. It's reliable, easy to use (not at all cumbersome like the Whistler or worse yet, the Bel's), and it works. For the money (I paid $240 for my Escort 8500, which I keep in my daily driver, and $450 for the V1 that's in my weekend warrior sports car) it can't be beat. I found my 8500 online, and had a local Best Buy price match it.

 

[Anthony_I]

Im not against these things at all, but would someone explain to me why you would actually want one? I mean what if it saves you from a speeding ticket, but what if you end up hitting someone... or a child???

Obviously this can happen to anyone though.

 

[Jerry_Wh]

Ah, you assume that speed limits are set based on some measure of safety. That is often not the case. Speed limits are set for all kinds of reasons, revenue generation being pretty high on the list. Political power is another - ever drive through the hoity-toity neighborhoods and notice that the speed limits are 5-15 mph less than other, poorer neighborhoods? There have been a number of studys done showing, that for specific roadways, increasing the speed limit would reduce accidents.

Furthermore, I've found that the police themselves are often traffic hazards. Over my 15 or so years of driving, I've seen more reckless behaviour on the road by cops, without their sirens or lights flashing, than I have by "civilian" drivers (admittedly, the incidents of either are both under 10, but given that the ratio of cops on the road to "civilians" is really small this suggests a much higher rate of recklessness among the police). Then there are the cops who seem to go out of their way to park poorly at an accident, blocking way more lanes than any sane measure of safety could possibly call for. Plus, don't forget how many drivers turn into timid little rabbits any time a police car is on the road, driving far below the speed-limit and just basically thoroughly interrupting the flow of traffic. Everywhere I have lived (about 10 states from east coast to hawaii) the cops like to drive around with their radar guns left on. Having a radar detector, especially one with arrows, is like a "traffic hazard" detector. It ain't perfect, but it is one more very useful source of driving information.

BTW, any police reading this, I make no apologies for these observations. I have lived in two different towns where police who were idly speeding without any official reason and without engaging either sirens or warning lights, hit and killed young children. In one case such behaviour was illegal, but in the other and apparently many towns, there are no laws requiring the use of lights and sirens when exceeding the speed limit, for the police. I say what's good for the goose is good for the gander.

 

[Anthony_I]

Maybe so, i also know that when on highways your supposed to go with the flow of traffic, meaning if the speed limit is set to 100Km/h and everyone is driving 115Km/h then you also should be driving 115Km/h as well.

But if you are the one who is going fast, and not everyone else (or slower) then there is the danger of accidents. espically in the city where going too fast could result in an accident simply by not being able to react fast enough.

Mind you i dont have a car and havent for a few years. Im not trying to flame anyone or call you people a bunch of reckless idiots. I usually drive above the speed limit, but safely. as im sure most of you do.... but you know people are buying these things simply to drive way too fast and not get caught.
I just want to understand why anyone would legitimitally own one of these.

 

[MarkO]

Id rather put the money in the stereo. Who cares if it takes an extra 3 min to arrive at my destination.

 

[Tom Weeks]

I can tell what kind not to get ( I won't mention the name because I don't want to get sued), but you have probably seen or heard the adds. It's the one that can cancel out any radar-laser signal that is directed at you. They are so confident that they will pay your first ticket if you get one. I did alot of searching around on the net and found out that these things are absolute crap. They are nothing more than a black box with a circuit board and a few LED's. An interview with the owner in one article simply stated that you pay $259 (?) or so for the unit (which costs him zilch to produce because it's nothing but garbage). You get a $100 ticket, he will be happy to pay it, he's still $159 ahead. It's hard to believe someone can get away with this, but they were advertising very hard around here. Long story short, I wound up getting the Passport and it has proved to be worth every penny.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

There's 2 types of radar detectors; Valentine 1, and everything else.

Agreed.

Anyone looking for a phenomenal Radar Detector
can't go wrong with the Valentine One.

I thought $400 was way overpriced for this unit,
but the fact that it is the ONLY radar detector
that contains both arrow indicators and TRUE REAR
DETECTION, makes this an invaluable purchase.

The Valentine One has exceptional pickup
range. My unit has detected oncoming radar a good
two minutes prior to passing the police vehicle.
I don't even have to look around to see where the
cop is -- the arrows tell you exactly what
direction the cop is at. No other radar detector
can give you that sort of information.

Yeah, I'm really talking up this radar detector,
but I have to tell you, after nervously dropping
$400 (plus the $50 stealth module) into this baby,
I now consider it to be a well spent investment.

I am convinced radar detectors can save you money
on tickets. This detector gives me ample warning
to an oncoming police vehicle.

I wouldn't recommend anything less. My Bell 950
went back to the store the same day I received my
Valentine One.

 

[Jason_Els]

I usually drive above the speed limit, but safely. as im sure most of you do.... but you know people are buying these things simply to drive way too fast and not get caught.

"Way too fast" depends who you are. Driving 70 in a 65 with Vermont plates while going through Virginia will get you a ticket. Back in Vermont you'll be in the slow lane and you won't. Being a ricer or a deadhead going that same 70 will do the same thing while driving a Taurus wagon won't.

Because, quite simply, speed laws are poorly and selectively enforced (ever drive a car from a different state far from home? You're fresh meat!) and many speed limits are arbitrary even to the point of being dangerously foolish (witness a 20mph speed limit on Route 84 in Hartford in a construction area for miles before and after the actual zone even when all lanes were open and no people were working). And everyone knows it. The fact is the great majority of people will drive at a speed which they feel comfortable and prudent and it harms no one in doing so.

I would prefer a few things:

1. Raise speed limits to realistic points based on road condition and weather and then really enforce those.

2. Train people to drive better! Make part of the road test a handling/highway portion and re-test people every 10 years.

3. Rather than sit and wait for revenue enhancers to go by, patrol the highways for aggressive/unsafe drivers. That means everyone from young ricers to seniors out to prove their independence to vehicles with unsafe loads to poorly maintained trucks to tired long-haulers.

I'm very lucky to have driven in Germany on the autobahn and I loved every marvelously disciplined moment of it. Good driving + well-maintained vehicles and roads + well-patroled roads = safer and faster for everyone.

 

[scott>sau]

They still make radar detectors?