V1 really worth $400? *UPDATED* See Pg2

[Vito Roma]

Just wondering if you have the V1 is it really worth $400 or do u have something else you like? V1 dislikes & likes.... thanks

[FASTONE]

Absolutely, It has saved my a** so many times trust me, once you use the arrows you wont use anything else. Get it.

[Vito Roma]

where did you mount in on the window? isn't it very bulky?

[Glassnpowder98]

A couple of my buddies have V1's and I borrow them when I go on long trips. I also used to have a detector I got from Best Buy (can't remember the name) which was far less effective. The V1's are definitely worth it except for cases of getting clocked with laser or sometimes pop if you are the only one on the road. Pretty much anytime you get hit with laser, they are going to have your speed at the same time it goes off unless you are lucky enough to have your detector pick up the cops shooting laser at another car. However, laser shoots in a 3x3 box and therefore you have to get reaaaaally lucky to pick it up. With pop radar, the radar is turned on when your car is in range. The V1 has very good reception and will pick this up from cars that are a good distance in front of you. However, like I said, if you are the only car on the road you might get nabbed. That said, I will most likely be picking one up soon, but I will probably just mooch off of my friends some more until after I get exhaust.

[Glassnpowder98]

where did you mount in on the window? isn't it very bulky?

It is not very bulky at all. It is actually much smaller than most of the GPS units you see on people's windshields. The V1 comes with a window mount that has suction cups that are very easy to use. You can mount it low on the windshield and it will be out of the way. It also comes with a visor mount, which I prefer using. Technically, the higher you mount it, the better reception you will get. It also comes with a longer cord for the visor mount that you can run up your a-pillar to keep the cord out of the way which is the most advisable solution.

[stifler474]

from what my friends say, yes it is, i ordered one but i had to send it back because i needed the money. I wish i hadn't but in the future, its on my mod list

[Noffy]

save some money and get the escort 8500x. I have had them both and i like the escort better. has longer range and some better standard options like auto mute.

[Vito Roma]

It also comes with a longer cord for the visor mount that you can run up your a-pillar to keep the cord out of the way which is the most advisable solution.

I've seen this before..does it come with it or is it extra?

[Glassnpowder98]

I've seen this before..does it come with it or is it extra?

I am pretty positive that it comes with it as 3 of my friends all use the visor mount and I don't think they bought any accessories for it. However, they all bought their V1's in 2003-2004 so it might have changed. Also, I know that there have been updates within that time that have upgraded the pop radar detection system. Another cool thing is that you can send your V1 back to the company and they will update it. However, I think they charge around $80...

[SlvrB6Turbo]

save some money and get the escort 8500x. I have had them both and i like the escort better. has longer range and some better standard options like auto mute.

I also have them both and agree that the Escort Passport 8500 does have a longer forward range. The only thing that the V1 has on the Passport is the arrows which I don't really care about because when I see "K" or "Ka" pop up I slow down anyway. Save the $100 and go with the Escort Passport 8500.

[davis449]

The V1 is not worth $400. The 8500 X2 is cheaper and just as, if not more, effective than the V1. Tests have proven over and over again that the V1's special "directional arrows" are useless. If you get really stuck on a V1, for God's sake get one off ebay, but don't pay Mike Valentine $400 for it.

[Brent27]

heres the big three....valentine one,Bel STI, escort 9500i..... all three are about the same in cost....Ill give you a breakdown of their + and -

v1 - excellent distance on X, K,and Ka band radar,best laser detection (which in most cases is just scatter from cars in front of you, otherwise you f'ed),ARROWS ,has arrows to tell you where the LEO is, many different settings , can be sent back and upgraded for a fee, can have a custom in dash warning system or built into your review mirror, decent coverage on POP probably about 55% to 70% detection( which is when a LEO put the gone in a certain mode that retains your speed in 1/16th of a second, but he cant write you a ticket in this mode, he must switch and lock you speed). The cons are lost of falses from crappy detectors, or in city driving. Bulky retro styling hasn't changed in a long time, interface takes some skill or knowledge to put on the correct settings. Price is $450


Bel STI - the only radar the is completely immune to radar detector detectors which comes in handy when your in VA or D.C. since they are illegal to own, easy user interface, great distance on x,k,ka band, audible voice alerts. Cons are ok laser detection, not as good as the V1 but lets you know you have been nailed. decent pop protection but not compared to the V1 or 9500i. price $500

escort 9500i - only radar with gps abilities (you can mark locations are speed traps or lock out false alerts on your routes) USB upgradeable, excellent distance on x,k,ka band radar close to the v1 ( on a test the v1 was about 2000 ft on ka and the 9500i was about 1850 ft personally enough time to slow down.) easy user interface, good detection of pop equal to the v1 on most guns, can display your speed and theres audible voice alerts, comes with a smart cord (has a mute button if you don't buy a hardwire kit, hardwire kit cost $30 and has a mute button)the quietest of the 3. Second best in laser detection ( V1 has the best chance of catching scatter). The cons are you may lockout a k band signal from a store that one day might be a leo so be careful on your signal lockouts, second best in POP and laser, not the best in signal ramp up ( meaning when a signal is detected it goes from low to high to very high, not as good as the x50) price $430



Honestly being in Syracuse, you see lots of troopers so KA, and K band are the most dominant and you may see some x when your in the country area so if your not doing city driving I would settle on the escort x50 price is $230, I had one and the only thing annoying is the false when driving by stores and ect. the V1 i was annoyed with falses also and didn't think it was worth it since the 90 is pretty straight forward and odds or a laser save are slim and the design is annoying but its nice to have the arrows but not worth it. last year I went back to the 9500i and love how quite it is and the performance is great ! its quite so my g/f doesn't get annoyed with the braps every two mins and hitting the mute button, when it goes off I know its a leo and I slow down. The other models are good but with all the falses i just ended up driving slower and if i wanted that i would need one in the first place :-).....

also look at the Bel rx65 is around the same as the x50 if the others are too much $ for your budget.

[Vito Roma]

I do both...I'm ALWAYS in the city of Syracuse (Rochester & Big Flats(for work)) also rural areas like l'pool. b'ville, cicero, clay, N. syracuse, ect...So i def need something for both

[bcramer]

Here is my take:

I was going to buy the V1 from all the great reviews and hype surrounding it on the forums I use. However, after doing some more research I decided against it. I decided I'm going to get the Escort 8500x which is cheaper than the V1 and use the extra saved money towards Escort's Shifter Z3.

The Shifter is a laser jammer (which is legal, do some research before any of you nay sayers say it isn't) which actually works very well. I have seen it in action in one of my best friend's cars. It has saved countless times, many of which I have been there to witness.

[Tiesto]

I just know that if I ever got a V1 I'd get caught via laser the week later. I don't know why more people aren't worried about that.

[acidrome]

Here is my take:

I was going to buy the V1 from all the great reviews and hype surrounding it on the forums I use. However, after doing some more research I decided against it. I decided I'm going to get the Escort 8500x which is cheaper than the V1 and use the extra saved money towards Escort's Shifter Z3.

The Shifter is a laser jammer (which is legal, do some research before any of you nay sayers say it isn't) which actually works very well. I have seen it in action in one of my best friend's cars. It has saved countless times, many of which I have been there to witness.

sounds ideal but in the the state of California, Laser jammers are illegal

[bcramer]

sounds ideal but in the the state of California, Laser jammers are illegal

Well they are legal here in the state of Washington. Radar jammers are illegal everywhere, no matter what. That's because they transmit signals and that is controlled by the FCC.

[Sanjman]

heres the big three....valentine one,Bel STI, escort 9500i..... all three are about the same in cost....Ill give you a breakdown of their + and -

v1 - excellent distance on X, K,and Ka band radar,best laser detection (which in most cases is just scatter from cars in front of you, otherwise you f'ed),ARROWS ,has arrows to tell you where the LEO is, many different settings , can be sent back and upgraded for a fee, can have a custom in dash warning system or built into your review mirror, decent coverage on POP probably about 55% to 70% detection( which is when a LEO put the gone in a certain mode that retains your speed in 1/16th of a second, but he cant write you a ticket in this mode, he must switch and lock you speed). The cons are lost of falses from crappy detectors, or in city driving. Bulky retro styling hasn't changed in a long time, interface takes some skill or knowledge to put on the correct settings. Price is $450


Bel STI - the only radar the is completely immune to radar detector detectors which comes in handy when your in VA or D.C. since they are illegal to own, easy user interface, great distance on x,k,ka band, audible voice alerts. Cons are ok laser detection, not as good as the V1 but lets you know you have been nailed. decent pop protection but not compared to the V1 or 9500i. price $500

escort 9500i - only radar with gps abilities (you can mark locations are speed traps or lock out false alerts on your routes) USB upgradeable, excellent distance on x,k,ka band radar close to the v1 ( on a test the v1 was about 2000 ft on ka and the 9500i was about 1850 ft personally enough time to slow down.) easy user interface, good detection of pop equal to the v1 on most guns, can display your speed and theres audible voice alerts, comes with a smart cord (has a mute button if you don't buy a hardwire kit, hardwire kit cost $30 and has a mute button)the quietest of the 3. Second best in laser detection ( V1 has the best chance of catching scatter). The cons are you may lockout a k band signal from a store that one day might be a leo so be careful on your signal lockouts, second best in POP and laser, not the best in signal ramp up ( meaning when a signal is detected it goes from low to high to very high, not as good as the x50) price $430



Honestly being in Syracuse, you see lots of troopers so KA, and K band are the most dominant and you may see some x when your in the country area so if your not doing city driving I would settle on the escort x50 price is $230, I had one and the only thing annoying is the false when driving by stores and ect. the V1 i was annoyed with falses also and didn't think it was worth it since the 90 is pretty straight forward and odds or a laser save are slim and the design is annoying but its nice to have the arrows but not worth it. last year I went back to the 9500i and love how quite it is and the performance is great ! its quite so my g/f doesn't get annoyed with the braps every two mins and hitting the mute button, when it goes off I know its a leo and I slow down. The other models are good but with all the falses i just ended up driving slower and if i wanted that i would need one in the first place :-).....

also look at the Bel rx65 is around the same as the x50 if the others are too much $ for your budget.

you are wrong with the 9500i.... with the 9500i if you lockout let's say a K band that may have been a store, the radar will continue scanning for K band and if it sees 2 K bands near a store, it will alert you therefore never missing something that you may already locked out. And if you see 1 K band and 1 Ka band it will say okay since the user has locked out 1 K band, I will alert the user about the 1 Ka band.

And IMO... the Passport 8500 X50 surpasses the Bel rx65 in performance

overall in terms of performance and features I would rate as is:

1. Escort Passport 9500i (due to GPS lockout... well worth it)
2. V1 (simply the best performance)
3. 8500 x50 (best bang for the buck)

[Raymax_2.0t]

Heres like 3 pages worth of opinions on the V1, its from the s4/rs4 forum:

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=204749

[davis449]

I'll go ahead and post that, in my real world testing, I find it odd that my 5 yr. old 8500 is just as good at detecting radar as my friends' new 8500 X2's (we drive together alot). I have a sneaking suspicion that when I sent it in for service 2 yrs. ago, they put 8500 X50 internals in it.

[ABL2point0T]

V1 is worth $400. It has saved me that much in attorney and ticket fees 50 times over. I had an escort 8500, pre x-50 for about 2 years, got a ticket with it, sold it on ebay and bought a v1 the next day. Havent looked back since, this was in late '05 early '06. Still hasn't needed an upgrade and still keeps me from getting tickets. The X-50 8500 may be a nice unit, but I don't have a reason to try it out.

[davis449]

V1 is worth $400. It has saved me that much in attorney and ticket fees 50 times over. I had an escort 8500, pre x-50 for about 2 years, got a ticket with it, sold it on ebay and bought a v1 the next day. Havent looked back since, this was in late '05 early '06. Still hasn't needed an upgrade and still keeps me from getting tickets. The X-50 8500 may be a nice unit, but I don't have a reason to try it out.

That cop could've popped you several different ways. Maybe radar, maybe with his eyes (which they can do), so I don't think your reaction was valid. Hell he could've nailed you with Instant-on, in which case you're screwed no matter what detector you have or how much you paid for it. I've received a ticket with my 8500 too, but it was probably my fault. Maybe I reacted a 10th of a sec. too late. Shit happens and brash judgments aren't warranted. From the sound of it, you haven't been using a radar long enough to have make a judgment on either detector. You will get a ticket with that Valentine One sooner or later. The first ticket with my 8500 was two full years after I bought it. It saved me countless times before then and countless times till now.

[Sanjman]

I'll go ahead and post that, in my real world testing, I find it odd that my 5 yr. old 8500 is just as good at detecting radar as my friends' new 8500 X2's (we drive together alot). I have a sneaking suspicion that when I sent it in for service 2 yrs. ago, they put 8500 X2 internals in it.

when you guys talk about 8500 x2... i'm assuming you are talking about 8500 X50... right?

[akasch]

are there any companies that sell radar and laser jammers? ignoring that they are illegal

[Phrost]

overall in terms of performance and features I would rate as is:

1. Escort Passport 9500i (due to GPS lockout... well worth it)
2. V1 (simply the best performance)
3. 8500 x50 (best bang for the buck)

I agree 100% if I was in the market. I bought an Escort 8500 X2 when it first came out and still use that, and it works great. From what I remember, the X2 and V1 were about the same for performance. The V1 has the directional arrows, but who cares about that? I don't care where the Ka band is coming from, I just like to know that it is there.

[bcramer]

are there any companies that sell radar and laser jammers? ignoring that they are illegal

Not that I'm aware of. Also, for a radar jammer to really work there must be a well made, quality IR light in a giant reflecting housing along with some other stuff. Basically, it's impossible to conceal in a car or truck. The only ones I've ever seen work are IRs in big household flashlights.

You will see companies that claim they make a radar jammer, but they don't work. Nor are they legal (as you know). It's really not worth it. It's a felony to be caught one.

[quattro.it]

Wow, interesting posts. My daughter took my V1 and left me with the Escort 8500. I made an excuse that I liked the V1 on my bike better than the Escort to get the V1 back from her. I'm the Dad so I deserve the V1. Get the picture?

[vtracer20]

Passport 8500 X50 vote for me....i have it. But i will tell you, if a cop really wants to catch you speed he will. Like he did for me.. Was traveling 84 in a 65 coming around a corner. The cop was pretty much hidden all the way left in a corner where by the time i saw him i was already caught. Some cops are lazy and just keep their radar guns on and you know where they are from miles away. Some cops are smart and tricky and hide and no matter what you have you will get caught.

[Glassnpowder98]

are there any companies that sell radar and laser jammers? ignoring that they are illegal

My buddy says that his boss uses this (link below) and it works very well. However, I do not know really anything about it. And don't know how legal it is...


http://www.k40.com/home_main.html

[davis449]

are there any companies that sell radar and laser jammers? ignoring that they are illegal

Not only are they illegal, but do the research and you will find that they don't truly exist. There is no such thing as a radar detector\jammer. It's buillshit. Look it up.

[renz609]

I believe that laser jammers are only illegal in some states. There are also 2 kinds of radar jammers(passive and active) which are both illegal. Check this out http://www.radarjammer.com/most-fail/beware.htm

[Brent27]

you are wrong with the 9500i.... with the 9500i if you lockout let's say a K band that may have been a store, the radar will continue scanning for K band and if it sees 2 K bands near a store, it will alert you therefore never missing something that you may already locked out. And if you see 1 K band and 1 Ka band it will say okay since the user has locked out 1 K band, I will alert the user about the 1 Ka band.

And IMO... the Passport 8500 X50 surpasses the Bel rx65 in performance

overall in terms of performance and features I would rate as is:

1. Escort Passport 9500i (due to GPS lockout... well worth it)
2. V1 (simply the best performance)
3. 8500 x50 (best bang for the buck)

actually i am not wrong about the 9500i, stores k signals change all the time they dont stay constant, LEO's have different types of k band guns and run on different signals but within the k band
24.150 GHz ± 100 MHz 24.050 - 24.250 GHz
24.125 GHz ± 100 MHz 24.025 - 24.225 GHz

if the stores falls in the same as the officers the signal will be locked out... Ive locked out the same places door openers more then once, just becareful when locking out signals....



To vito I am located in buffalo but working with a maketing company next month so i will be in rochester all of July if your ever around and want to meet up or see my 9500i in action....

[4RingRook]

Just wondering if you have the V1 is it really worth $400 or do u have something else you like? V1 dislikes & likes.... thanks

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=217393 ....

[Con]

i had an escort 8500. sold it.

got a v1. have had it over 2 years love it.

however recently was driving on LIE in ny, was pulling off an exit, when I see a trooper w/ his head out and a gun in his hand shooting, and my detector didn't go off.

P.S. this thing has saved me many many many times.

[greg@dubaudi]

V1 is the best hands down... sorry I like to know if the cop is in front or back of me....



V1 and a blinder M-20 FTW

[duglas]

buy mine, $300 shipped, it is in the classifieds..

[Brent27]

are there any companies that sell radar and laser jammers? ignoring that they are illegal

yes but they don't work...rocky montain is the biggest rip off company for radar jammers/detectors hell they barely detect !


also K40 isn't what it once was and they make laser jammers but not the best, not even close. I know they maybe built in to a Benz but that don't mean anything if you research test results.



if you want good info go to radardetectors.net good forum or go to http://www.guysoflidar.com they have some real results buy true end users that don't get endorsements........

[Noffy]

when you guys talk about 8500 x2... i'm assuming you are talking about 8500 X50... right?

Correct.


This radar detect in test has been proven to have a long range and more accurate response. However the V1 is very close, their performance is very very close. But the escort is much much cheaper ans since it scores better it is a no brainer. Also when I bought mine the V1 did not have Red LED lighting to match our interiors. Don't know if this is still the case. If you go with the V1 you will be happy with it. I just chose the other to save a few buck on a equally or even better device.

HOwever you have to remember that with Laser speed guns you will be very lucky to get a warning iwth either. Once in a while you will get a detection without actually being pasted by the laser but the laser is such a narrow beam it is very hard to detect. Either way you stil have to use common sense.

[tomasmdiego]

a radar detector is worth it...same price as one ticket for going very faast

[Vito Roma]

yea avoid 2 tickerts say going 75 in a 65 and the $400 paid for itself