Trying to decide between these three. Thoughts?

Bel Pro RX or GX series
https://www.beltronics.com/store/rx-65-red.html

Escort Passport 9500 series
http://www.escortradar.com/passport9500ix-details.php

Valentine One
http://www.valentine1.com/

9/12/2010 1:59:42 PM

my droid x has an app for that

9/12/2010 2:00:25 PM

Escort or Valentine. I've always heard Valentine is the best.

9/12/2010 2:25:05 PM

^^seriously?

9/12/2010 2:28:37 PM

save yo' money

9/12/2010 2:29:55 PM

dont waste your money on any of it.

9/12/2010 2:43:55 PM

V1

9/12/2010 2:44:29 PM

I have a V1. When I bought it, I researched them with the intent of buying the best detector on the market, with cost being no object. In my judgement, the V1 is it. The 9500 is a pretty good deal, and can be had for a reasonable price used (whereas there are no deals to be had--new or used--on a V1. It's kinda like a Macintosh computer...it's a high-end product with no really comparable competition...the price is the price. Take it or leave it. I ended up ordering one new from Valentine).

If my opinion, if you speed a lot, you will get tickets, no matter what detector you have. A good detector, however, can cut down on them tremendously. In fact, it's unlikely that you'll get a ticket with a V1 unless the cop uses instant-on (judiciously, at that), LIDAR (judiciously), or pacing/VASCAR...or unless you don't have it turned on or aren't paying attention. That sounds like a lot of "except" scenarios, but it probably cuts your exposure by 95%, I'd guess. If you speed a lot, a detector is a no-brainer. Even if it isn't perfect, it will easily pay for itself. It's no substitute for using good judgement, paying hawkish attention, and being smart/keeping good SA.

A poor detector is not very useful, at best, and a liability at worst. I think a 9500 is about the minimum anyone should even bother with. I'm not an expert on the Bel, but as I remember, it's roughly comparable to the 9500. A recent used example of one of them is probably the best in terms of bang for the buck in one sense (80-90% of the capability for 50-60% of the price)...but in another, it makes sense to go with the very best--if a V1 saves you from even one ticket that the other 2 would've failed on, you've easily made back the cost difference--this happened to me (sneaky speed trap on I-85) about 2 days after I bought mine (plus the V1 is upgradeable in the future, and I have confidence in their customer service if you ever need it).

9/12/2010 3:48:35 PM

One thing about the V1: it's a kinda "chatty" detector. It will give generally give more falses than the others. It has city modes that filter out some of the falses, but I never use them. It certainly doesn't do any GPS lockouts or anything like that. It's definitely from the school of giving the user all the potentially good information it can, and letting you make the judgement (at the expense of beeping at you more often and being a little more annoying sometimes).

9/12/2010 3:51:46 PM

I have a passport x50 8500, it works great for me....that being said, my room mate has V1's in all his cars and it is really really nice to have the arrows telling you the direction the radar is coming from

9/12/2010 7:29:35 PM

Had an escort 8500 and it probably saved me a number of times, now I just don't speed as much and it is nice to not have the annoying beeping and worrying about someone breaking my window to take my radar detector.

That said, if I was in the market for one I would definitely go V1. After having the other best radar detector (at the time) without arrows, I really really wish it did have arrows. I think that it would be one of the best features a radar detector could have and I am pretty shocked no one else has mimicked it.

9/12/2010 7:53:03 PM

If you do get the V1, I would recommend the remote display. It prevents anyone from seeing the lights that would show up on your windshield mounted unit.

Hardwiring the V1 to the map lights or sunroof power lead and having the remote display goes a long way to keeping things neat and tidy.

My remote display sits in the instrument cluster area. Very nondescript.

[Edited on September 12, 2010 at 8:24 PM. Reason : r]

9/12/2010 8:22:43 PM

Why does it matter if someone sees the lights?

9/12/2010 8:24:32 PM

I've got a V1 and theDuke summed it up pretty well..

V1 or [FAIL]

9/12/2010 9:24:47 PM

Don't waste your money.

-he who has had three tickets with a V1.

9/12/2010 9:25:37 PM

^ If you got caught then you were doing it wrong.

9/12/2010 9:29:57 PM

Yeah, the Duke pretty much reiterated what a friend of mine told me. I just like to get a second opinion. Thx for the info. Guess I'll be going with the V1. What's the best place to buy one?

9/12/2010 9:34:28 PM

radar detectors only work on the highway. i got a shit ton of tickets in Cary going like 54 in a 45 or 45 in a 35, etc. there's not a shit a radar detector can do about a cop hiding around a corner and instant-on'ing you. (and i had the new V1 with POP). they also don't do shit about lasers. they just make annoying beeps that piss off girls and give you false confidence.

seriously, its a waste of money.

9/12/2010 9:41:39 PM

why do you have to be in a hurry?

9/12/2010 9:41:45 PM

Because I value my time.

9/12/2010 9:46:25 PM

youre just wasting gas

9/12/2010 10:06:59 PM

I smell...





























A troll.

9/12/2010 10:33:53 PM

Quote :

"I have a passport x50 8500, it works great for me....that being said, my room mate has V1's in all his cars and it is really really nice to have the arrows telling you the direction the radar is coming from"

+1

The few times I've gotten a ticket with it for 4 years has been more than made up by the numerous times it as undeniably saved me. Some of those troopers/cops know how to hide their car good and I wouldn't even know the common parking spots if the detector didn't go off in that area. It won't save you 100% of the time but it's just another tool to aid your eyes.

9/12/2010 10:50:14 PM

Quote :

"Why does it matter if someone sees the lights?"

If you are passing through a state that has declared radar detectors illegal. It helps.

Quote :

"radar detectors only work on the highway. i got a shit ton of tickets in Cary going like 54 in a 45 or 45 in a 35, etc. there's not a shit a radar detector can do about a cop hiding around a corner and instant-on'ing you. (and i had the new V1 with POP). they also don't do shit about lasers. they just make annoying beeps that piss off girls and give you false confidence. seriously, its a waste of money."

It's more of a common sense thing. Don't speed if you are traveling alone. Don't speed in areas that have a low tolerance for speeding and a bored police force.

I don't speed much at all, but the times I have been negligent, it has served as a good and cheap reminder of what I should have been doing in the first place.

If you have the extra cash, why not?

9/12/2010 11:35:43 PM

Man, ADR had the ultimate stealth module that was integrated into your display cluster.

9/13/2010 12:48:39 AM

1. I own a Escort Passport 8500. The real reason I own it is that I had a friend working at Best Buy back in 2001 and they sold Escort, not Valentine1. It was around $208 cash after his discount and taxes. At the time I would have preferred the V1, but the Escort was aesthetically nicer and the savings sealed the deal.

2. The Passport 8500 is a really good detector. While I agree that the V1 is better, I have never thought the difference between the two is really that great. Little arrows are great, but it's not like they tell you anything important. You either hit the brakes on time or you didn't....Knowing which direction to look for the blue lights won't help you at that point.

3. I think most of the opinions in this thread are relevant for the Escort Passport 8500 -vs- V1 argument. It seems to me that the Passport 9500 has stepped up the game with GPS filters. I'm not sure the V1 is the better choice these days. I'd have to find the opinion of some people who have actually used the Passport 9500 and the V1.

Quote :

"radar detectors only work on the highway. i got a shit ton of tickets in Cary going like 54 in a 45 or 45 in a 35, etc. there's not a shit a radar detector can do about a cop hiding around a corner and instant-on'ing you."

They are pretty useless in the city.

In NC I think radar detectors are the most useful on country roads. It really seems that most sheriffs and HP guys out in the country leave radar on the whole time and don't mess with the parking/instant on thing. I'd say 90% of the time on US-1/401/158 between Raleigh and Lake Gaston I was getting warnings over .5 miles ahead of time when I used my radar detector. For several years I sped like a bandit on this route and never got a ticket (although I got a killer one before I bought the radar detector, lol). I had countless "slam on the brakes" moments thanks to the radar detector. Now I just drive 8 MPH over and don't really worry about it though.

Radar detectors have helped me out on several occasions when cops were using instant on though. In several instances I have slowed down because the car 1/4-3/4 mile ahead of me was radar-ed with instant-on. One of the best tactics you can find for interstate driving is to go the speed limit until someone blasts past you at the speed you want to go. Wait for them to get 1/4 mile ahead and pace them. If the cop clocks them you'll have a few seconds to grab the brakes and bring your speed down before you are in his radar beam. More than likely they will get a ticket or nobody will get a ticket. Either way you're fine.

[Edited on September 13, 2010 at 1:07 AM. Reason : l]

9/13/2010 12:51:22 AM

I would far and away rather have the arrows and counter (and a rear antenna) than GPS filtering. If it's a route that I drive enough that GPS filtering would be useful, I already know there's a false there. In many cases, I even know how many falses will register and what band(s) they're in. In that regard, V1 is actually better. In any event, I'm just not down with the detector trying to make judgement calls and keep information from me. I prefer the V1, which tells you pretty much everything it sees.


I don't agree that they're useless in the city (especially the V1, with its arrows). I do agree that they're more useful on the highways and backroads, which is fine, because that's where I really speed, anyway (either to make time on the highways, or because I like driving fast on backroads).

Quote :

"One of the best tactics you can find for interstate driving is to go the speed limit until someone blasts past you at the speed you want to go. Wait for them to get 1/4 mile ahead and pace them."

Yeah, that works well. You can do it without a detector, too, but you're obviously much better off with one! I drove for about a solid hour at 100-105 mph on the interstate in Georgia one time by doing this.

9/13/2010 2:20:09 AM

Quote :

"Guess I'll be going with the V1. What's the best place to buy one?"

Like I said, there are no deals to be had new, and very, very few deals to be had used. The only place I know of to buy a new one is online through Valentine. You can look around for used ones, but most of the ones I've seen still go for so much money that I don't even think it's worth it. I bought mine new.

If you do want to buy a used one, find out what the serial # on it is. You can then enter this number on Valentine's website to see what model it is and what features it has (and how much it will cost to upgrade it to the latest specs, if needed.) You probably don't need POP, but a 1994-spec V1 being sold for $200 is not a screaming deal. Make sure you know what version it is before you automatically think it's being sold on the cheap.

9/13/2010 2:35:36 AM

Thx. Why again do the arrows matter?

And what's all this stuff about gps filtering?

[Edited on September 13, 2010 at 8:03 AM. Reason : .]

9/13/2010 8:03:03 AM

Arrows will tell you which direction the radar is coming from. You'll know if the trap is coming up or if you've passed it already. GPS filtering is pretty much a gimmick if you're of Duke's mentality (which I think is aligned with the majority). A chatty detector with a few false alerts from time to time vs a detector that won't go off during that particular section of 85 that you seem to drive by every day with no patrol in sight. As long as interference wasn't an issue that would totally be the spot I would at least frequent once a month if I were a cop. Everyone gets used to the alerts or programs them into a GPS filter and then blamo.

On that same note however, I would assume that you could download coordinates from a community similar to trapster and have the Escort alert you when entering a potential instant-on area. That would be the only potential up-side I could see for choosing that model.

[Edited on September 13, 2010 at 11:49 AM. Reason : .]

9/13/2010 11:46:53 AM

any good app for iphone?
not looking to spend $$$ for radar.

9/13/2010 12:06:22 PM

^you can't be serious

9/13/2010 1:03:37 PM

Yeah I don't know exactly what you are asking, but there is http://www.trapster.com

9/13/2010 1:17:51 PM

Quote :

"GPS filtering is pretty much a gimmick if you're of Duke's mentality (which I think is aligned with the majority). A chatty detector with a few false alerts from time to time vs a detector that won't go off during that particular section of 85 that you seem to drive by every day with no patrol in sight. As long as interference wasn't an issue that would totally be the spot I would at least frequent once a month if I were a cop. Everyone gets used to the alerts or programs them into a GPS filter and then blamo."

I don't think it works like that. Do you really think the people at Escort didn't think about that beforehand?

According to Escort's product information, the unit stores the exact location and the frequency of the radar. Say you have a Ka band false alert from a satellite tower. That false alert can be at any frequency from 26.5-40GHz. A cop's radar might be within the Ka band range, but it's not going to be on the exact same frequency. If it were it would never work because of interference from whatever is causing the false alert. The detector will pick up the alert, but I believe it will be able to tell that it is different from the false alert that it is used to seeing since it will be on a different frequency.

Like I said, it sounds like Escort has stepped up the game.
http://www.escortradar.com/passport9500ix-details.php

[Edited on September 13, 2010 at 1:34 PM. Reason : s]

9/13/2010 1:32:49 PM

+1 for escort.

All 'tectors are good for long range but short range you just have to have some experience. Chatty just know your bands, what sets off what, and strength.

9/13/2010 3:20:27 PM

So, do these things come with a faq?

9/13/2010 3:31:20 PM

yeah, V1 comes with a manual. Mostly, it's just a matter of using it and getting used to what it does in various situations.

Quote :

"any good app for iphone? not looking to spend $$$ for radar."

Don't speed. An iPhone alone is just enough to get you in trouble. I have Trapster on mine, and it's fine if it pops up an alert, but 99% of the time, it won't alert you...and you need to be eyes out, looking way ahead, scanning for places they might hide--not fiddling with a phone.

9/13/2010 8:26:32 PM

Seems like when I did all my research the website http://www.radarroy.com was really beneficial. I used a radar detector for years and finally decided that I was getting more tickets because of it than it was saving me. If you get pulled over for anything and the cop sees a radar detector, he's giving you a ticket, bottom line, the justification being that you regularly break the law so he's gonna get you for whatever he can. When I took it out, I still got pulled over but I very rarely got tickets. The caveat to this is that I drive a shitty car, I feel like if you drive a nice car and you get pulled over your probably getting a ticket anyway, so you might as well get the radar detector and hopefully get pulled over less.

Also, as duke touched on earlier, its not foolproof and doesn't absolve the necessity of keeping your eyes open. You can't just be like "I'M GONNA GO 100 AND NOT WORRY ABOUT ANYTHING CAUSE I'M RADAR PROOF!!", you've still gotta use common sense.

9/13/2010 9:11:10 PM

oh gee, i thought it was an invincibility cloak.

perhaps i lack the rebel street smarts you all seem to have, but the fact remains, spending $400 on a device that is hardly more than a beeping lucky rabbit's foot was a mistake in hindsight. You guys just like the techno thrill of counting "bogeys" on your "radar" and pretending your in Top Gun, it is fun, i get it. but its not worth it imo. Just do 9 over or go with the flow of traffic, no big deal. look, Mom, all grown up.

9/13/2010 10:08:58 PM

Quote :

"a device that is hardly more than a beeping lucky rabbit's foot"

i don't even know what to say to that, dude.

9/13/2010 11:11:28 PM

i just bought the 9500ix and have had it almost a week so i am still getting to know it. i really like it so far. it stores red camera locations and warns you as you come up to them in the future if you want it to. seems to be a nice unit

9/13/2010 11:17:55 PM

Quote :

"perhaps i lack the rebel street smarts you all seem to have, but the fact remains, spending $400 on a device that is hardly more than a beeping lucky rabbit's foot was a mistake in hindsight. You guys just like the techno thrill of counting "bogeys" on your "radar" and pretending your in Top Gun, it is fun, i get it. but its not worth it imo. Just do 9 over or go with the flow of traffic, no big deal. look, Mom, all grown up."

No offense, but it sounds like you were counting on it in the wrong situations or you just had bad luck. I never relied on mine in the city, but then again I don't really care to speed down city streets for the most part.

I can think of one great example of radar detector use...6:00 a.m. I jumped on I-40 heading to Wilmington. There were just enough cars on the road that there was always one in sight. I set the cruise at 85 MPH and was making good time with a Volvo SUV trailing me the whole way. Just outside of Clayton my radar detector beeped. I dropped my speed to 70 or whatever the speed limit is in that section. A few seconds pass and it beeps some more...Obviously the signal is stronger now. The Volvo flies by me and resumes their 85 MPH cruise. Shortly after the radar alerts are pegged. I make it about 3/4 mile up the road and see a HP car pulling out of the median. He flies past me and pulls the Volvo. +1 for the Escort.

There are a lot of false alerts on that stretch of road from Raleigh to Wilmington and I don't drive it enough to know all of them. That's where I think the GPS filtering would be nice. It would only take 2 trips there to block out all the current false alerts and then you'd be pretty well set.

[Edited on September 14, 2010 at 10:27 AM. Reason : s]

9/14/2010 10:24:32 AM

Quote :

"It would only take 2 trips there to block out all the current false alerts and then you'd be pretty well set."

???

9/14/2010 11:04:22 AM

Radar detectors aren't really designed for city driving anyway. On the open road is where they're at their best. And if you speed a lot on city streets anyway than you're an asshole, esp if its a residential area.

9/14/2010 11:18:42 AM

^^ It has to detect the false alert three times in the exact location and frequency before it decides it is a false and blocks it. Therefore, a trip to Wilmington, back, and one more trip there would give you three passes to block the false alerts. It gets better as you drive your normal routes.

I think you can manually tell it when it hits a false if you don't want to wait.

[Edited on September 14, 2010 at 11:44 AM. Reason : l]

9/14/2010 11:43:05 AM

How does it know they are false alerts?

9/14/2010 1:07:02 PM

I have probably saved $20,000 in legal fees and tickets when I take into account how many times I have slowed down (after V1 warning) only to see a cop down the road hiding. It is the absolute best INVESTMENT I have made. I paid $407 shipped and the thing has paid itself off over and over.

Having said that I did get 2 tickets in my 5 years of V1 ownership. First was estimate visual BS (46 in 35, when in fact I was truthfully going 38-40 at most) and 2nd one was 92 in 55 with instant on. I was the first car in the pack, chit-chatting with a friend in a car and wasn’t paying attention. In other words in both of those cases V1 would not save me anyway. You have to be smart about it when and how you speed. On highway all my cars see triple digit speed daily just because of V1. I generally don’t speed in town, because there is traffic anyway.

[Edited on September 14, 2010 at 1:42 PM. Reason : g]

9/14/2010 1:42:16 PM

So much want to post my opinion, but the jinx rule comes into play...

And to you ^:
No offense, it seems you should probably lose your license if that is accurate. Maybe even spend some good jail time as well. There is no way you arent endangering the lives of others if you routinely get past the century mark on the highway. I am not a complete hardass, and can understand having a nice car, wanting to get it to speed every now and then when there are no cars on the road, but if you are saying that you routinely dodge speeding tickets, then I dont think this applies to you.

[Edited on September 14, 2010 at 3:18 PM. Reason : .]

9/14/2010 3:04:58 PM

[Edited on September 14, 2010 at 3:15 PM. Reason : .]

9/14/2010 3:15:12 PM

^^i don't know where he lives, but depending on where that is there's nothing wrong with topping 100 on a daily basis.

9/14/2010 9:15:47 PM