steelymatt

iTrader: (1)

This is how I feel too. The V1 was just too ugly. The Passport is fantastic and has been well worth the money.

PhatMax

I have a passport 8500 which has saved my butt at least two times in the last two days. I drive in the Atlanta area and also do business related trips out to Birmingham and places east such as Athens. I 20 and GA316 are roads that it is quite easy to go fast on and the cops just love them as revenue producers.

However it is my Mark 1 Mod 1 eyeball that has saved me from most tickets. Most people have their heads rammed squarely up their collective asses and are not observant. I look as far ahead as possible for police and also people driving ahead of me slamming on their brakes for no apparent reason. Or oncoming traffic bottled up behind a single car (a cop).

In GA and Alabama the cops have learned to not be lazy and leave their radar emitting until they see a possible target, which means if you are the only car around, it does not matter if you have a million dollar radar warning pod from an F-18, you are nailed.

Unless you are completely lucky all the laser detector does is inform you why you are about to get a ticket. Almost ALL bike cops in my area have radar. They are MUCH smaller then a car and park in difficult to see places and snipe your *** when you least expect it.

I use a radar detector as a back-up to my instinct and eyes. My father still thinks that they are a "license to speed" but all they are is insurance.

I personally think if you want a V1 buy it, if you want an 8500, buy it. Nothing is infallible and either way you are being a capitalist and supporting the country by spending money. The two things that swung me to the 8500 were the $ and the ability to process and display 8 seperate radar signals at one time. I love it when a cop is near a CVS and I can see the CVS auto-door AND the cop.

happy exceeding the limit!

KCMichaelM

Here here... I agree wholeheartedly with this... You can't rely 100% on the detector to help you, it is still only for given instances, if you're alone and the cop has instant-on, you're dead anyways!

Although, V1 does 8 at a time too

Maximax2

Ice, thanks for doing the in-depth research. There's one thing that you're forgetting though (or perhaps don't agree with); both detectors are good enough that the difference is negligible.

For example, I typically get radar warnings on my 8500 about 3/4 of a mile away (sometimes longer). If the V1 gives me 5/6th of a mile, and I don't know that it would, there's no practical difference because both are giving more than enough time to slow down. Ditto for instant on, if there's traffic there'll be a hit within that timeframe, and if you're on a deserted highway you're screwed anyway.

On the laser side, it's very hard to believe that any detector's going to give you a warning unless a) you're very, very lucky and beam bounces off the poor bastard in front of you, or b) the LIDAR is actually aimed at YOU, in which case you're screwed.

So the one thing I'd like from the V1 is the arrows, but otherwise there doesn't seem to be a real reason to switch...

jjames

?????? i have an 8500, i can only display k ka x and laser.

PhatMax

I can't remember how to set it, but there are several display modes. They are all in the manual. I have mine set to display my voltage while on, and when it gets hit it displays the radar signals with the letter and a vertical bar

mikelly

Any of you who believes in this crap might as well start donating money to the
courts. Laser jammers and laser detectors don't work. The anti-photoradar does
have some promise. I've been using escort radar for many years and it have saved
me countless of money. The couple times I was in the court I've beaten it because
I am a radar expert. You will never win in a court against laser guns. IMO you
can't go wrong with either V1 or Passport. They both will protect you against
radar but against laser forget it. You're toast. Good luck in getting either one.

Mike

WaarrEagle

iTrader: (1)

My thoughts on the subject:
2 of my friends bought radar detectors - one bought a V1 and one bought an 8500. I sat there and talked **** about the V1 being so expensive and said that the Passport was just as good. Turns out the friend with the 8500 bought a V1 and I bought his Passport. Then I realized how much I wanted a V1 after seeing it in action and I sold the 8500 on e-Bay to buy a V1. Now out of my close friends, 6 of us have V1's - no Passports to be seen. I agree with IceY2K1 that the MT test is BS. Has anyone on here sold their V1 to buy a Passport? I doubt it.

mike_bresnahan

autoweek is doing a radar detector test over the next few months.
http://www.autoweek.com/article.cms?articleId=100602
I'll try to remember to post their results.
I haven't had a detector in 20 years but am a bit concerned about the new push for revenue collection through speeding tickets by some departments. What used to be a minor fine is now a financial risk, especially when you drive a yellow car with flames.

mikelly

Personally I could careless who won. My Passport8500 has protected me many times. Use what radar you can afford. The BOTTOM LINE is how you react to the alerts on the radar detector that's going to prevent you from getting a ticket.

I have a friend who uses a cobra radar detector. He's been using the same model for
the past 8 years and never once receive a ticket. We know that the cobra sucks but
you couldn't tell him this. It all comes down to how you react to the cops radar gun. Don't believe the magazine. Go with someone else's experience with the product. If you feel the product is the best, go with it and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Mike

irish44j

iTrader: (38)

this is an un-winnable discussion, guys. Unless one was to put all the top detectors in their car ALL AT THE SAME time and then do a "study" on which goes off first/accurately/no falses/etc...who's to tell "which is better"

so enough arguing about one vs. another. Why not just say what YOUR particular detector does (bands, arrows, beeps, etc..), how well it works (great, good, ok, sux, etc..), if it looks "pretty" on your dash, etc etc etc and not worry about what the other guy's is doing...it's like the "which RSB is better" argument - it's all subjective and varies according to which name brand you like, which one looks nice, which one is more effective, etc....

this isn't a competition. As far as I know, none of you work either for Escort OR for Valentine, so why all the bitterness!

Why can't we be friends....

Zero Deuce SE

Because that would mean we'd have to live in peace and harmony. Utopia is very elusive.

irish44j

iTrader: (38)

careful, or I'll hit the new "report bad post" button.....

Pearltt

I have the Bel 975R built in radar and I think its pretty damn good. It has antenna, control panel and 2 laser detecters (which are useless). But I pick up cops far in advance in front and behind (as long as they are not using impulse radar) because if they are, I don't car what kind of radar detector you have " your F'ed ". Another good thing about this radar is you can update the software on the radar system to keep up with the police..






Here you can notice the antenna embeded in the front grill..

ClayKY

Well having owned a V1 for many years, I sold my V1.8 and bought the "new" XL Passport. Within a week I sold the new Passport and bought another V1.

† ErV †

Resurrecting a topic that is over 8 months old without a decent reason will only bring back the old "my v1 is bar none ur all suxorz i r donter carer wat ur gonnaz says bout i cuz ma v1 is roxor" vs "my pazpord iz de king yo fur lez den yo paids for yur V1 d00d" type argument that leads nowhere.

Better start a new topic so that at least we can comment on the current test being conducted by autoweek...

Pearltt

What's with the "ALI G"....LOL

Zero Deuce SE

LOL We can be friends Irish. It doesn't matter which brand detector we use or don't use. Step away from the button.