Any suggestions on a particular brand of radar detectors?

I used to use one many years ago and it was pretty handy back when it was only radar. With this new fangled K-band and Ka-band laser are there any detectors that are truly worth buying?

Anyone ever had their butts saved by one of these things?

 

I use Passport 8500 and it is a great detector. Saved me many times and range and sensitivity are just incredible. The other good one is Valentine 1 but it's more expensive for the same performance.

Do not pay much attention to LASER-detection features. Manufacturers make them to attract customers, but you won't find anybody who was saved from LASER. It's too fast, too accurate and too narrow beam to even set your detector off if not aimed directly at detector. On top of that LASER doesn't produce reflections. The good new is the cop has to actually aim it at you very precise. So if you have a good reaction and paying attention you'll see cop before he can aim and get a reading.

 

Uh oh!

Brace yourselves for the inevitably impending V1 vs 8500 debate.

 

I actually own both ( received V1 as a gift). I have used them both and find no differences in range / sensitivity. I prefer the warnings from 8500 over the V1, however the V1 does tell you the direction from which the radar is coming, which is not in and of it self benficial....W/ the 8500 you get same detection without directional signals so you are going to slow down anyway.

I have definitely been saved multiple times by each. They are both well worth the price, though the V1 is more expensive by about $100 which is why I shied away from purchasing it initially. You can't go wrong with the 8500 or the V1.

 

8500 here... no tickets yet...

knock on wood

 

.

 

here are the results of the car and driver tests between various detectors over the past few years and then this past years.

 

and then this past years

 

8500 Series is what I have and yes It has saved my *** on laser. The cops use it alot around here. Only reason that I did not purchase the V1 was it was the fact I borrowed a 8500 series from a friend and loved how well it worked.

 

Can you elaborate on that? Cop did read you with laser, and didn't bother to stop you? Since laser is an instant devise, if you had a detection - cop got a reading of your speed...
I only once had an experience with laser, and luckely I saw the cop first. So when my I got LASER message on my 8500, I was in speed limit. Otherwise he'd have me. With radar ones best chanse is to catch reflections before cop shoot at you. With laser there is no such chanse - it's either on you or you don't detect it. That's how I understand it after lots of research.

Ah, and those car&driver charts are biased. Every different test shows different results, depends who doing it. So don't trust anything. My 8500 detected cop moving opposite direction about 2 minutes before we met on my last trip to Boston. That's about 4.5 miles assuming 140mph combined speed. Good enough test for me.

 

Just went to passport's page and found out that most magazins actually say that 8500 if 1st!

http://www.escortradar.com/8500.htm

 

Agreed

I'm going to go lock myself in my basement, and let this one blow over like tornado season in Alabama

 

I'd recommended spending the extra money and buying a V1. The 8500 is slim and sleek but the V1 has directional arrows which I love. Yes, it did save my **** the other night for the first time from a $200 ticket!

 

Yes, V1 had directional arrows. They are mostly useless, since if I have a threat I slow down anyway, as most reasonable people would do I bet. Nice sales trick though.

Instead of arrows, passport (in expert mode) will give you really usefull information as number, strength of each, and band of each source. V1 can't give so detailed information.

let's check it... here 8500 shows you that there is
1) 2 Ka threats present, both full strength (height of a line next to the band)
2) 2 K threats present, both full strength
3) 4 X threats present, all full strength...
that's an unlikely scenario, but 4 to 6 threats together are not something unusual.



now try to figure out what's goin on here:

After spending a minute(!) looking at all that cluttered interface with leds all over the place... I can guess that there is Ka and X threats present... 2 total... one in front one in the rear... one of them is 5/8th strong... which one? No way to tell. What direction is X (non-important) and where is Ka(cop)? No way to tell.
If there is more than two threats, everything became even more confusing...

 

I have both also. I prefer the V1 over the 8500. The V1 directional arrows are very useful and the distinguishing sounds work well. The 8500 is also a good detector and there is no practical distinguishable difference in the actual detection capabilities between these two units. The UI's on each have their own advantages. Since I prefer the V1 and unconsciously trust it more, I have it in the Z and the 8500 in my Jeep.

Oh Yeah, the stronger signal can be determined by the FLASHING arrow and of course the tone. Until you own one and drive with for a while don't even bother...

 

Valentine One; BAH! Get the Bel RX-65.
Before I bought it, I had read several Independent reviews. NOT manufacturers reviews. Of course each manufacturers site is going to say their`s is the best.
One site actually considered the Valentine One the most overrated detector out there. Plus it does not pick up the new POP mode radar, which is being used more and more.
All the reviews I had read said for range consistency, and picking up the new POP mode, the Bel RX-65 beats them all. Valentine One, and 8500
Look up radartest.com for one.

 

Interesting article about the V1 and the person who created it:

http://www.radartest.com/article.asp?articleid=9070

 

Interesting information about POP mode...

http://www.valentine1.com/pop/

So in short if somebody will make some device that always show 100mph speed, and then give it to cops free, they'll start using it to produce tickets....

How about this: sheet of paper with advertisement of insurance company, labeled "paper speed estimator" and speed reading of 100mph hard printed in big font. Produced by insurance company and sent to all cops. With little warning in small print that "paper speed estimator" isn't really accurate and can't be used for citations. With the way things going now, in a short period of time traffic courts will start accept it as legal evidence, since everything cops saying is always right.

 

Interesting that you would mention Radartest.com as my impression of that site was that it's a sales tool for the Bel radar detectors. It doesn't come across as "indepedent" at all.

BTW, I have a Bel detector....

 

The directional arrows are very USEFUL. I was going west on the freeway and heard an alarm. Arrow pointing forward. About ten seconds later I see highway patrol going the other direction. Clear right? WRONG! The arrow did not point backward (as it usually does once it passes) and still pointed forward. About a half a mile ahead ANOTHER patrol car on the side of the road with the radar on. Without the arrows I may have thought it was clear.

This is only one of many examples. I love the V1 and wouldn't trade it for anything. I have had Bel's and Passports but this one is the best to me.