Which one should I get. I never owned one & need to educate myself on these devices. I don't want anymore tickets. I drive slow but sometimes you need to pass someone if you know what I mean.

 

Valentine 1 without a doubt.

 

I think the two most popular are the V1 and the Passport 8500. I checked around and I went with the 8500.

Jerry

 

My friend has the 8500. It's sleeker looking but does not have the arrows so you can tell where the heck the radar is coming from. This feature alone saves your as#.

 

V1...


Waiting for the naysayers to come out yelling about radartest.com or whatever the hell it is. :rolleyes:

 

yep i've heard plenty of good stuff about V1 and i am saving up for one now. I used whistler before and heck i hate it! sometimes it'll work and sometimes it won't so i just stopped using the damn thing. i've never gotten a ticket when i had the radar either but i will definately get a V1

 

I'll admit the arrow feature did tempt me but I figured if it starts making noise I just slow down. I don't have a V1 so I can't coment on how good it works, but my 8500 picks up the signal way before I see them. So I'm satisfied :cheers:

Jerry

 

I think many of them will give you plenty of warning, but the arrows combined with the counter give you extra useful information allowing you to access your risk more thoroughly. That's what swayed me to the V1...

 

I vote V1 also. I owned one of the original passports (when Mike Valentine still worked there), and after that, the products I bought (2 radar detectors) didn't last. Poor quality. One had to be sent back 2 weeks after I got it. I DON'T like the plastic cases they are using now. They don't offer any protection from the Texas heat and cook the boards. (IMHO)(though I honestly don't know what they use in the 8500) The original passports and the V1 both have magnisum cases and I believe they absorb most of the heat and offer better protection to the circuit boards.

 

The two best out there are the Valentine 1 and the Escort 8500. Both are very good. The best way to decide is to try them both. Both have a 30 day money back, no questions asked, policy. So order both, then drive with them for two or three weeks and then return the one you are least happy with. (Note: don't even consider any other brand. The Corbras and others of the world are not worth the effort.)

I originaly ordered the 8500. Used it for about three weeks and returned it. It just was not what I was expecting from Escort. Then ordered the V1 and have been very happy with it. Once you get use to the arrows you wonder how you ever got by without them.

tom...


[Modified by Tom73, 11:05 AM 1/3/2002]

 

My Vote: V1:yesnod: :yesnod:

 

After you run with the V1, you will never be satisfied with any other detector.

 

I went through this debate over the last couple of months. I finally decided on the V1. The Escort 8500 seems to be the magazines favorites, but the weighting of the catagories, and the way they seemed to brush off the importance of the dual sensors and direction indicators is questionable.

Some of the reasons that I picked the V1, were (1) High support for the V1 on this forum, which I've found to be a reliable source of information, (2) The fact that Valentine sells only 1 detector... why make a lesser model?, (3) Try and find one used... it's not that easy. I went to eBay and found an old V1 for $300, but I was able to find over 10 Escort 8500s for sale!

Is this saying something about the desire to keep your Escort? I think so. The V1 has been selling for far longer than the 8500, and you'd think that there'd be more people selling their V1... not the case. As it turns out, people like their V1. They've been making the same form-factor for years. If you buy a V1, and they come out with a new feature, you can bet that you'll be able to have it upgraded. I doubt that would be the case for the 8500.


Hope this helps




[Modified by alanmeyer, 9:14 PM 1/12/2002]

 

Check out the reviews on the new Car & Driver mag. Sid,

 

A Forum member was kind enough to point me to the website for http://www.caranddriver.com
The graphs in the magazine issue are incorrect, the website has the correct ones.
I've used other detectors in the past, but for last 4 years it's been a Valentine with the remote display (remote is mounted on top of my steering column, with detector high and right of rearview mirror. Don't know how that will work on your car, though)

 

V1 without a doubt!!!!

 

I can't comment on the new technology but I can tell you I have a escort that is about 15 years old that I still use
every day and still works fine. I have never had a problem with the unit, so if it comes down to quality go with the
cin. microwave product...

 

I thought the same thing. I had one of the old Escort Passports, battery operated, no power cord, and it would fit in your shirt pocket. Excellent unit, well built, solid, metal case. But it finaly quit on me. Due to my experence with it I wanted to stay with Escort, so got their new 8500. Used it for 3 weeks and returned it. It performed very well, but did not like the build, plastic case, and its huge size. Then got the V1, which is built by the same guy who designed the early Escorts, and I love it. Very small compared to the 8500, has metal case, and once you get used to the arrows you cannot live without them.

tom...

 

I will have to keep that in mind when mine craps out, thanks.

 

I took both the V1 and the 8500 for a road test.
As far as picking out radar, they have about the same performance.
They both can give you a bogey count.

The way I look at it:
The Escort 8500 = $299 ($259 at some websites)
The Escort 8500 with arrows (aka the V1) = $399

To be fair, the V1 does have a rear facing waveguide that should make it more sensitive to radar from the rear under some circumstances. However, in every incounter so far, I've been very pleased with the 8500 sensitivity on radar from the rear.

Tom Piper