Radar Detectors - Recommendation
 

I'm looking to buy one this year, any recommendations?

Valentine V1

I like the Cobra:

Cobra iRadar – Radar/Laser/Safety Camera Detection for Android

It connects to my Smartphone via BT and has worked better than I ever expected. All for less than $70.

V1
Escort Redline
Escort Passport 9500ix

Can't go wrong with any of those. Each has a strength and a weakness, so look into each and make your choice.

Escort Redline & MirrorTap power cord , after lots of research

http://radartest.com/Escort-Redline-review.asp
http://www.mirrortap.com/

Depends where you live and how you drive. Can't go wrong with Escort or V1. I like the GPS red light camera and speed camera capability of the Escort. I have had six Escort models over 25 years. One ticket on September 12, 2001. I would like to try the latest V1.

I have the Escort 8500X50 and the mirror tap with DIY mirror mount.

I have a V1(actually have two) and seem to work pretty good. Had an old one laying around, and for $150, they actually took it on trade for a new one. Something to consider.

I owned three Passports and currently own three V1s. If you decide to go V1 call customer service and buy a refurb/return, they ship within a few days and look brand new for 10% off (or used to). Once you go arrows you never go back :D

Just remember there are a lot of uncover police these days. Drive on I-15 thru Salt Lake City area at around 15 over and you'll find out quick.

:iagree:
Around here they are all driving Tahoes or Chargers and Fusions. Im used to looking for Crown Vics:willy:

I bought a used Beltronics RX-65 Pro on ebay for less than half what a new one cost and it seems fine for mostly rural interstate driving.
If I were buying new I would probably get the Redline.

Escort 9500ix is the best!! I love mine!!

Escort.

I have the V1 and have no complaints.

:iagree: I have one in every vehicle and have for years. The more you ride with it and learn it the more you'll like it.

Possibly a bit more involved, but I love the Escort Passport 9500ci. :thumbs:

V1. Two saves today on my 290 mile ride down the coast hiway! Has saved me tons of money over the years on my motorcycles and in the Vette.

I have 2 8500 X50s and they work very well. I got the Redline when it came out and that is what I use in the Vert...it works so well that sometimes it just seems unfair.:D:D

I've been researching this for a couple of weeks. The consensus I have come away with is
Valentine for open Highway
Escort 9500 ix for city/ suburb

The idea is this. The escort learns to block the false signals and thus is more quiet around populated areas. Downside for Escort is that it is possible to miss a legit signal of a police radar who may be in close proximity to the known false signal.
The Valentine is not as sophisticated in blocking unwanted signals. The idea is that you should be cautious when any signal is present. However, Because of that, some may get tired of hearing the continuous signals pointed out by the Valentine or and therefore turn it off thus losing the use altogether.

On the open highway where there is not that many false signals from automatic doors, the Valentine's sensitivity and the arrows makes it a top notch detector. The arrows are a plus in helping to determine if the trooper is in front of you or sneaking up behind. It also tells you how many signals are there. The Escort doesn't give you this info

Neither is perfect. Both have their strengths and weaknesses. I would typically use one on road trips which leads me more towards the Valentine. But then the next day, I wonder if I really need those arrows and wonder if I should go with the Escort because it is quieter and would be less apt to get on my nerves in places like I-495 around DC.

Each has their proponents. But as one poster has said, you probably can't go wrong with either the Valentine or Escort

:iagree:Had mine since they came out and I like the lack of false returns that I get:rock:

I have a V1 that I move from vehicle to vehicle. It is great. When I bought the ZR1 it had an escort 9500ci already in it. It has a lot of bells and whistles that are cool, but the V1 has much better range out on the open road. If you are worried about red light cams by the excort, if you are worried about getting hit doing 80+ down the highway, get the V1.

Another vote for the Valentine 1..
Had mine for about 3 years.. Zero issues - It just works!

:iagree:

I have Escort 8500 x50, good one, but I ab-so-lu-te-ly freaking hate not knowing WHERE the signal comes from. Will definitely upgrade to V1 as soon as find good deal on one...

I just got the V1 on a trade in my old one was like 11 years old and cost me about 285 trade in.. Im just now trying to learn how to use it...

I jsut wish I could block out the false signals in town..

ole Radar Roy is an excellent site for reviews and information...

http://www.radardetector.org/

HUH no review of the V1

I have the K40 with laser jammer and it seems to work very well

First off, yes, Radar Roy is the best, read his reviews and he is very good at returning e-mails. Like anything else, do your research, and you'll quickly become an expert.

I recently got the 9500ix, as I do a lot of city driving and it has a good GPS lockout feature (false alarms go away after 3 hits) but less detection distance than the Redline, which is better for highway.

However, I found that I did not like having a portable sit in the car, or having to pull it out, did not want to mount it where a LEO (or thief) could see it, and portables are less effective (for laser) the higher you mount them, so a mirror mount is out.

I wanted the best, and a stealthy mount, so I am going to return the ix and go with a remotely mounted unit. Portables cannot compete with the performance of remotely mounted models, but the latter are over twice the cost. :eek:

I'm going with the Bel STi r Plus, which is identical to the 9500ci but without Escort's mediocre laser shifters (I am going with a different laser jammer). It is Roy's top rated unit, and combines better warning distance than the Redline with the good GPS features of the 9500ix.

I'm going to add the Dashtronix unit to view alerts in the DIC and HUD, so total stealthy mount (I'm going to mount the display and controller in the ashtray).

The good news is Escort and its authorized retailers like Best Buy tend to give 30-day returns, so you can see if you like them. I am so glad I was able to try the 9500ix out, and can return it.

Just set it to full Logic mode, with a capital L showing. The 'non scratchy' tones almost disappear completely. All other tones (I describe them as scratchy sounding) are K, Ka or Laser, (police radar). No more garage door signals or burglar alarms.

Interesting. Never heard of the Redline. Is the Redline superior to the 9500ix?

Redline has superior warning distance, but no GPS like 9500ix, so no false alert lockouts. So Redline best for highway, 9500ix for city.

9500ci/Bel STi r Plus best of both worlds FTW! :rock:

escort 9500ix and blinder m27 are almost unbeatable period.

My 9500xi saved me for the 1000 time last night. I have one in all of my cars.

Passport and V1 are both excellent products.

I prefer the V1 because the arrows are unsurpassed for identifying threats in unknown territory.

More and more our state LEO's are using moving radar (Ka band) on the freeways and knowing if they are up ahead or coming from behind is very useful information.

For GPS based alerts, like traffic cams, I use an app. (Trapster) running on my Nav/Smartphone.

You can also program in a reduction in sensitivity to typical false alarm-type (X & K) signals in the V1.

And if you install the very cool Dashtronix interface that displays the warnings in the HUD, you can program the detector to stay muted when driving below a pre-set speed. Very helpful in quieting the detector when driving past/stopped near shopping malls/etc.

I used a Valentine V1 for a very long time before I switched to the 9500ix. Even though the sensitivity and the range of V1 and Redline are very good, I just can't stand radar detectors that beep all the time anymore. 9500ix quickly learns the false alarms and mutes them. You have no idea how much of a relief it is during your daily commute. It is always quiet unless there is a cop. Besides, when it beeps on a familiar road, you know it must be an unusual situation (cop radar?), so you respect the detector's beeps a lot more.

You can easily learn how by going to their site and reading up on it or asking for a manual.You can basically "shut off" the x band if it's not used around your area and if you leave the detector on the "BIG L" It will also reduce false alarms.I forget the procedure.There was also a video of somebody doing the procedure on here a few years back.Maybe you can find it in the search function. V1 here too.I could give a flying crap about red light cameras since speeding and running red lights around town is not something I do.On the highway,I prefer to know how many and where they are as opposed to the position of any particular satellite and I certainly don't need it to tell me where I'm going since I already know how to get there! V1 ALL THE WAY.

I agree with the and get the Blendmount from Southerncarparts, a great vendor on this site as well. I love the ability to get updates to the detector via online and the GPS functions as well.

V1 with blendmount, highly recommended!

and if you wanna really go stealth, one of the vendors here can fix it to where your radar alerts show up on your HUD. Now thats cool!

Beltronics STi R Plus if you are doing a remote mount. You are able to segment bands for quicker response than most other Escort models.
V1 if you are doing a windshield mount. You can add custom sweeps to make it even faster and add Savy to make it quiet around town.
Good luck

I have the manual but it doesnt say much about dealing with the false readings... Im going to try the L m ode today.. see how that works..
Cause it goes crazy at my work.. I guess its all the sensors around our building..

Here is a link to one of their threads.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-c...-your-hud.html

BIG L not little l.Look on Valentine's site.I think there is info there on turning off the x band. Click this link and I think that's what you're looking for..

Yeah ill be checking the site tonight.. I have it on the Big L.....Thanks..

Exactly.

Redline is like the V1 in terms of range, and although you can't block out via GPS like the 9500ix it's far less annoying in the city than a V1 (the auto-mute function is nice).

Of course on all detectors I recommend disabling the X-Band as it's 99.999% useless for detecting cop radar.

V-1 bought 2 of them. 1 for each car.
I have noticed one problem of late and that's the Laser warning going off with no LEO around.
I have used these since 2005.
I suspect it could be these new cars with LED lights?:lurk:
I have it in (L)ogic mode to prevent falses.

V1 still has everyone beat with laser sensitivity, LED third brake lights set them off sometimes and just about every Infinity with laser guided cruise control will set it off- after scanning for LEOs I look for an Infinity.

That's what I thought. Thank you for that info:thumbs:
I have heard but I don't know if it is true that Chev. Trailblazer (LED"S?) sets off V-1 on laser.:lurk:
I wonder if Valentine One has any fixes for this or an updated version to combat that.

I've used Escorts for years with no complaints (or tickets). I currently have 2 8500X50's and and a 9500IX in my vehicles.

Got 2 Valentine V1's

Bottom line IMO.... if you like false alarms all the time get the V1 if you don't then get the Escort 9500ix!

:iagree:

Have had my V1 for a long time and used to save my behind on a regular basis when I drove a bit more "spirited". Haven't looked at Escorts etc since then so no idea how they compare nowadays, but let me describe a couple of situations I encountered with the V1.

Was in an M3 coming 50+mph over a hill in a 30/35mph zone when the laser signal went off and I hit that brake pedal like there was no tomorrow (had never heard it before and boy does it get your attention). Then saw the lady LEO standing down the hill with the gun and she hit me a second time, must have been trying to confirm first reading or get a good read if my sudden braking threw off the first attempt, either way she let me go as I had slowed down enough. Laser is not foolproof (with any detector) as they can just wait and hit you when it's too late to react, but I've had other occasions where a car in front of me was hit and the detector went off, giving me advance warning.

Another time, cruising on an interstate in NC, my V1 goes off (k-band), I slow down and sure enough there's a cruiser sitting by the side of the road a bit ahead. After passing it I keep getting the warnings off the V1, but all the sudden my arrow changed from pointing back to forward, and sure enough there's a 2nd trap around the next bend/hill. Those directional arrows can be a ticket saver!

Re: false warnings, I don't get too many but I don't drive in the city much. Not an issue for me, I'd rather err on the cautious side.

In big "L" mode you can auto mute the V1 for up to 20 seconds.
I would also not overlook V1's Savy option.

Thanks for all of your input.

Fvoelling, this has been my experience as well with the V1, works great on the highway and doesn't bother me in the city. I leave it in a (all) mode all the time as I want to do all of the filtering ;)

My Passport 8500x50s were pretty good (although not as solid of a build as the V1, more apparent when you take one apart to fix the shields and check the capacitors) until they started to develop the laser false issue, which has been attributed to the shields coming loose and/or bad capacitors. I think since BEL and Escort are the same company this was also an issue with those detectors.

http://www.radardetector.net/forums/...eleration.html

Don't get falses which is why it's in Logic Mode.

as the other person on the other end of the radar detector, the biggest thing you need to do is learn how to read it correctly. Ive seen every type of radar detector our there and have heard many people say "it didnt go off". Most of us are using laser these days and they are not steady on where it would give you a constant reading. They operate in short bursts where the detector will light up then go right off, many people perceive this as a false reading when it really isnt. Ill observe a car then activate the lidar, by the time the beam transmits, hits your car and returns, its too late. The human reaction time along with the time it takes the detector to alert to the laser makes it almost impossible to defeat laser with a detector. Even with my radar which I keep on constant when im moving, using the rear antenna to get people coming up behind me, people are just not looking for my tahoe and think that police are always hiding in the median or a ramp etc. Ignorance usually owns those people because they are not just paying attention. We are using the new suv interceptors now that are unmarked and have the old man wheel covers on them and its unbelievable what the guys are getting people speeding at.

Of course I dont condone speeding, but lets be real, no one is doing the speed limit. And there are bone head cops (yes, I know a few) that will write people for 5 over. I personally give people 20-25 over on the highway which I think is fair; and even at that, Im only waiting a few seconds before I get a 40 over...........

What is instant-on radar?:lurk:

well its just a mode on the radar. You have the ability to stay in "hold" then activate the radar when you make your observation that the vehicle was speeding. Difference between radar and lidar, is that radar is slower and you as a driver with a detector have a better chance to correct your speed before I get a reading. Lidar, as of now, is not a steady on means of detection. You depress the trigger then let go, where radar you can have steady on, or stay in hold so you are not transmitting. When I run lidar, I obviously keep the radar off so its not transmitting and people cant detect that im there. The bigger difference is where you are traveling; for me, theres a big concrete wall in between vehicles traveling towards me, so the method I use the most when moving is rear mode approach. People are just not thinking that im ahead of them, watching them approach my squad..........

and then just to make things interesting, I also use vascar which transmits nothing, it just a time distance formula...........

just to clarify as almost everybody I know seems to think it's perfectly ok to follow a cop car when it's speeding along, you can and do pull people over for speeding from behind?

yes, id say 90% of my speed enforcement is from people approaching the rear of my squad.......and like I said, im a realist, I do 15-20 over on the highway, I dont write people for doing the same........

Thanks for the candor :)

I gave up [habitual] speeding years ago, too much trouble.

But occasionally, on a clear road, I like getting a little frosty; and now with the Vette I think a detector is in order.

Let me ask: Do officers get angry about people with detectors? (in general)

gOT A cITATION for excessive speed and on cite was radar however I never did get any radar signals?:lurk: I know which type of radar is used in that jurisdiction and had it programmed. I wouldn't think the LEO would falsely put radar on cite if it wasn't true (He didn't show me speed) but I am not going to contest if he used radar or not since my detector didn't go off.

I personally do not, they are not illegal in Illinois unless you are in a commercial motor vehicle.............although I do find it humerous when i stop someone for speeding and they have one, but forgot to turn it on...................:rofl:

:lurk:

LOL!

I've spoken to a good number of officers, and I think the thing we 'normal' citizens forget is that you guys are people too :)

Never met a cop who didn't admit to speeding himself, haha.

Good stuff.

Too bad there are true maniacs out there with no regard for others safety ... It would be nice to have an autobahn in the US. Our population would need another ~10 IQ avg. before I can see that happening :hide:

Nothing is fool proof. Speed long enough and you will get a ticket.
I try to stay within 10 of the speed limit but just like anyone else, I sometimes find myself going faster. The detector helps me to take the edge off and on those occasions that I do go faster, I have a back up measure.

Got a ticket years ago, had the cruise on 57 at 3AM, no one on the roads. The speed limit went from 55 to 45 for a short bit than back up to 55. You guessed it, I got the ticket when the speed limit dropped. That's when I thought about purchasing my first detector.

now now! dont be spreading the word that there are normal cops out there!!!!:willy:

its madness on our highways around chicago, people have no problem blowing my doors off in a marked squad......

:iagree: GPS easy updates can't go wrong

Round here there are more and more police driving Tahoes and they are not all black. Also lots of Chargers and Ford Taurus cruisers. Its just hard for me to spot them after so many years of Crown Vics:thumbs:

Sometimes I get a "Laser Detected" on my Beltronics RX-65 Pro and there is no police anywhere around. I have wondered if it was someones laser jammer or something.

Only problem with the Blendmount (other than it is $129 for a freaking mount! :eek:) is raising your detector to mirror height can supposedly lower its effectiveness WRT laser, since the laser beam is so small (~18" diameter @ 500') and typically aimed at the license plate or lights. Of course, if you don't have laser jammers, alerts are irrelevant anyway; it just gives you a little advanced notice that you are getting a ticket. :lol:

Just ordered a Dashtronix today (got my shipping notice as I was typing this, :lol:), as well as a STir Plus. :thumbs:

Can't believe I am spending all this money on this. :crazy2:

Funny, people say detectors are of limited use when LEO's have instant-on, but that assumes they haven't instant-on'd anyone else behind (or ahead of) you. :D

I wonder, when LEO's are doing their traffic enforcement thing, do they even consider detectors (and employ tactics to defeat them), or do they just assume the vast majority of people don't have them and don't worry about detectors?

Supposedly false laser hits can be parking sensors, rain sensors in windshields, toll booths, some headlights (MBZ), RF fields or noisy DC power in your own car, etc.

probably just coincidence, but everytime I bought a radar detector back in the day, within days I had a speeding ticket. Now I just do the speed limit or slightly over.

I really think when people see a quick flash on the radar detector, where it goes right off, as a faulty reading when its really whatever we are using going from hold back into operate mode. I personally dont look for radar detectors and its the opposite, it seems like everyone has one. I would think departments that are smaller in size and slower in call volume, officers may look for them more and sport an attitude about them.

What I really like doing, is when its dark out and I come up behind someone with a radar detector and I can see it sitting on the windshield. Ill turn the antenna on and off and watch the radar detector go bezerk and the driver keeps increasing and decreasing their speed! I know, its mean, buts its funny as hell.........

Revenuer!:D...and with my V1 I can tell if you're in front or behind me.

That is funny. Evil, but funny. http://serve.mysmiley.net/evilgrin/evilgrin.gif

Most laser blockers don't block most of the Lidars. You need Laser Interceptor (a UK company as far as I know) to block most laser guns, and it's pretty expensive. If I were you, I wouldn't trust that Bell concealed system. I actually used to have one; it did not block laser in at least on instance ;)

Yeah, going to add jammers soon (already around $2K :eek:). The Blinders now outperform even the vaunted LI's, for a better price. My immediate concern is CHP's KA band radar on FWY's at night. :yesnod:

I went with the Bel STir Plus over the Escort 9500ci (same company, same unit) because Escort's shifters are kinda sucky and the Bel comes without Escort's crappy jammers.

Valentine One has saved me from about 40 tickets...nuff said!

All others want to be like Valentine One.

lol! I actually write more warnings than I do tickets, im a big fan of running peoples abstracts and seeing what their driving record is.....thankfully my department doesnt push us to write tickets......

im telling you, its the funniest $hit in the world watching the detector light up like the 4th of july.....

theres a member on here who has a yellow zr1 I think and he has something installed on the vet and his escalade......

:lurk::bigears

Escort Passport 9500ix has saved me SEVERAL tickets already paid for itself! under $500 on amazon with free shipping.

I'm leaning towards the Escort Passport 9500ix blue.

same one I have, looks great in the vette.

I would highly suggest this type of detector then; I think I remember seeing ads of these in the corvette mag. Front and rear is all you need, you cannot obtain speeds on vehicles traveling perpendicular to where the radar beam is transmitting anyway, so the side indicators on the V1 is pretty much useless........

:iagree: The arrows work great! :thumbs:

Not quite..........

The arrows pointing toward the side indicate alerts you can ignore, otherwise it's just an unknown beep/light.

And if there is an alert ahead, it will change from front, to side, to rear as you pass, even if you can't see where it's coming from.

This is too much information for some, fortunately there are other good options.

:cheers:

Doesn't matter.

This time next year whatever you buy will be obsolete.

BTW, you can't really buy a "V1". By now it's about a V1,999,234...and every time they upgrade it, they want to charge you a fortune to upgrade yours.

You end up with a bunch of detectors if you get the others other than the V-1 which is upgradable. I don't know what the latest version is but last time I checked mine were up to date and I bought mine in 2005. They must have done some upgrades since then? I will have to drop by their website to see.

I bought Escort 9500IX w/ Escort Live as my first radar detector, have had it for about 2 months. Work great and has saved me a few times.

:iagree:
The updates/changes were slower than you'd think. I am actually surprised that Valentine did not come up with a GPS-supported product. Perhaps it would have a marginally less sensitivity due to having GPS circuits onboard causing a bit of interference, but I would sure love to have a V1 with directional arrows and no false-beeps every day during every damn commute. As is, I think 9500ix is the best all-around solution.

By the way, Escort also does get updates to its firmware every now and then (again not frequent like is the case with Valentine). It also has monthly updates for the traffic cameras/misc. database, but it is not free after the first 3 months.

:iagree:

Sure. You can upgrade it. For almost the price of a new one.

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Valentine is the only one have!

ah, so the side arrow indicates that the squad is passing from one direction to another? Not too shabby!!!!!!!!

This kind of sums it up:

http://www.laserveil.com/valentine-one-review

And if you have the later version (v1.8 and up) I think it's only ~$99 to upgrade, not the cost of a new detector ;) If you have something older than v1.8, the larger V1 model, it costs maybe double that but they essentially give you a new detector.

I have the latest version Valentine One Current Version Watch: v3.892:thumbs:

I read that whole article. He barely mentions the benefits of GPS-enabled radar detectors and their natural ability to almost completely eliminate the false alarms (at least on your favorite routes). Guys, hearing the beep 1.2 seconds before getting clocked vs. 1 second before getting clocked does not mean anything if it takes half a second for you to trust that 'beep'. When I hear 9500ix beep, I don't even think about it; I know there MUST be something unusual. I wish there were a GPS-enabled detector with arrows (Valentine V1g; g for GPS, anyone? Hello Mr. Valentine?) since I also love the arrows, but since I have to choose one, I'd definitely go with the GPS-enabled next generation radar detectors.