Simple question... What is the best radar/laser detector out there?

 

Valentine Radar Detectors . Use anything else and you're just fooling yourself. Certainly not the least expensive detector on the market, but by far the most reliable, and certainly cheaper than a lawyer and insurance points!

 

Is it better then the Passport 8500?

 

Yes, it is the best on the market currently. I owned the Passport for about 2 months before selling it and have since purchased the Valentine One. There is no comparison in their abilities. Much, much less falsing from the V1 and the range along with the directional notification can't be beat.

 

radar detector available anymore. I was convinced that I would need to spend $400 to get the best detector - the V1. Then I found the test of high-end radar detectors at RadarTest.com. In this test, the V1 placed a distant 3rd behind the Passport 8500 and the Bel 980. What most impressed me was the performance of the Passport and Bel in the all-important Ka band of police radar. Take a look and decide for yourself. I was able to pick up (just yesterday) a Bel 985 off eBay at $245. That's a very significant discount off the V1's $400 pricetag.

FWIW,

Scott Buchanan
2K SE (manual)

 

An opposing view as written by Car and Driver magazine:
Radar Test

 

Epinions.com. This is a review of the Bel 980 by someone on the "other side" who has no monetary interest due to advertisers. You may have noticed how many full back cover ads Valentine Research has bought over the years. I have no doubt this type of expenditure contributes to review outcomes offered by "car" magazines.

Scott Buchanan
2K SE (manual)

 

I think that they were testing the old version 1.7 Valentine in that comparison. They have since come out with a newer one (version 1.8)that is smaller and far superior to the Bel and Passport.
IMO at least.

 

FloMax is correct. Be sure that if you are going to purchase the Valetine, that you get the 1.8 Version. The 1.7 Version is the one that was tested at Radartest.com or whatever the website is. Personally I own the Passport and must say that it is a good detector. Whether or not it is the best is not my concern. It's what I have and it has saved my butt on serveral different occasions.

 

I have the Bel 950 and it works xcelllent, once you get used to it.

 

The bel 980 rated #1 in the industry

http://www.beltronics.com/detectors.htm

 

I have the passport 8500, and love it, it has saved me from 2 tickets already, after i got my speeding ticket(I bought the passport 8500)

 

I have this one and it has saved my butt 5 times already

 

I have a V1 and a Bell 980 and have run the two of them side by side and tend to agree with C&D's evaluation yet I think either one will do the job. I like the arrows on the V1 and the size of the 980. The Bell can be had for ~$220 at www.smilephotovideo.com if that is a factor. I use the V1 hardwired above the mirror on the Max and the 980 above the visor on the Chevy. They can't be easily seen in either case. I can send pics if you like?

 

I agree with you 100%. I've had my V1 for about 4 years now and it is worth every single penny!

The most worth-while feature has got to be the arrows and bogey counter. They tell you which direction the radar/laser is coming from and HOW MANY are aimed at you!

The Front AND Rear Radar and Laser detectors make the system almost like the ones you would use on the license plate brackets, but the V1 is portable.

Everyone who sits in my car notices the V1 right away. They notice it even more when we're cruising on the highway and it tells me that there's two contacts ahead, both using different radar types. I just said "watch this." As we pass the first cop, there's one arrow pointing behind and, guess what, another still pointing ahead! It was a trap!

Normal radar detectors would have left you feeling confident after passing the first cop but I knew to keep my speed down until the other one was well behind us.

His exact words were "that... is... awesome. I was going to tell my parents to buy me a digital camera for my birthday but now I want a Valentine1!"

It has saved me lots and lots of money in both tickets and insurance. Don't skimp on Radar detectors.

 

Pics would be appreciated

 

I have my old Passport 5000. It works well but i'm not sure if it holds up well with the other detectors. What I like about it is that its LCD and can tell you how many signals are around you. Saved me plenty except for laser. My friend was driving while we got pegged with Laser..no early warning with that or Instant On... I always wanted to put mine up with a V1 or a Passport 8500 and see if it will pick up the same signals at the same time...i might splurge on a 8500 since i will be traveling to work now..

Andy

 

My hands down winner is the Valentine One. I'd NEVER trade it, no matter what "independent reviews" say.

Do a search for lots of opinions and stories.

 

haha ok rated #1 in the industry, by who bel? , here's the best advice i can give, if you cant afford v1 SAVE UR $ FOR ONE, dont settle

 

i u wanna save money and get something that kinda works get some 20dollar thing that beeps from radioshack.. but if u want a reliable radar detector get the V1...

 

YEP, V1 ALL THE WAY , THE NEWEST VERSION, MUST ORDER FROM VALENTINE DIRECTLY,

I love mine, get updates each time one comes out for like $100 each time.

Saved me over 30 times, my BEL 740i I had 3 years ago saved me lots of times, but lots of falsies and I get used to the stores/shops doors, while the V1 tells me # of radars.

One day I went by the save alot and the usual K band appeared on the V1 so I igonored it, but then I saw 2 K bands one straight ahead and one to the right, so I slowed down, and right behind the Save Alot sat a row of Police crusiers!!, I waved Hi to them and an officer kinda snarled at me

 

Yep. I read both the epinions article and the radartest.com article before buying my Bel 980. The Bel 980 kicks **** and I love it. I don't need the direction arrows on the V1.

 

Your checkbook.

BuddyWh

 

sometimes i feel i do need those arrows cuz i really don't know where the police is

 

The V1 is better simply because of the directional information it gives you. I have a valentine 1 and its freakin awesome. I know approximately where the speedtrap/cop is at and I don't need to freak out when I detect Ka.
I don't know about the Passport or the Bel NOW, but when I was looking last summer, they would just tell the signal strength and what signal and maybe how many signals (can't remember)... If you get a passport 8500, you could spend around $100 more and get a V1 (Ultimate Electronics and Best Buy price). If you want a lot of features that you probably wouldn't use and you don't want to spend a lot of money, the Bel or the Passport would be fine. If you have $400, then the V1 is the way to go. If you don't hyave $400, then save up and get the V1.

 

I have a Passport 8500.. my experience is that it is an excellent detector (I've used a friends V1 as well) .. with a good feature set and good range. I will admit that I do appreciate the directional arrows on the V1.

I'm sticking with the 8500 for now as it's done very well for me.. until recently when I didn't connect it and got my first ticket in years.

As everyone else has said.. if you have the extra $100.. get the V1.

 

i got the escort passport SR1 and i think it sucks for how much money i spent on it. looks sweet and cops dont notice it but its not as good at picking up radar.

 

V1 is great. I bought a Bel ~$300. Took it back in a few days. Some detectors do have a precieved longer range. but, V1 gives much more information. The construction is also much better. On a highway, open road going very fast the bel, and others are fine(still second to V1). The odds are that any cop you encounter will be in front of you, so direction isn't an issue, just hope it's not a speed trap with two or three others just after the one you pass

 

Don't get started on speed traps I just got a speeding ticket in a speed trap. 89 in a 70 and that's slowing down. I needed a radar detector I am getting the bel 980.

 

Has anyone used a Uniden BearTracker BCT-7 or similar? It's a scanner that monitors police/fire/weather..etc frequencies.. but also has the ability to sense the mobile extenders used by highway police.

I haven't checked under the dash yet, but on my 2k SE there is a blank button space to the lower left of the steering wheel which may fit it.

Might be worth $190 to add just a bit more alert. Then again.. I could just have a love of toys. =]

- Bryan

 

Not sure what model, but a friend of mine installed some Uniden scanner. It was pretty cool. I'm not too sure how much warning it will give you, since you pick up a ton of garbage signals too. It is a neat toy though, especially when you can hear what the cop is saying about some jack@ss he's pulled over.

 

I don't think it's a total waste, but I haven't used it in 2 years. There were times when I would pass a cop and it did nothing. In theory, it will give you a 3-5 mile radius. I'm going on a trip soon, so I will test it (again) soon!!!

 

I can imagine.. as I looked in my rearview mirror.. the cop was using a nice new shiny Nextel i90c ..

Let me know how it fares on your next trip... BTW.. where did you/are you mounting it?

 

I clip it on my visor, next to my V1. it's just a bit larger than the V1.

The full name of the device is Uniden BCT-12, it's good for more than just cops, it has news & instant weather alert...