[JJ]

Ok, now let's get a big thread started. Escort 8500 or Valentine V1? Which and why?

I am actually thinking of getting both because they have the 30-day money back guarantee and running them side by side to decide which one.

There is also a laser jammer available made by the same company that makes the laser guns themselves :lol: called Lidatek. My friend with the 400HP RS-T swears by his and tells me it has saved him once or twice.

But the best defense is actually common sense and eyes (get behind a speeder, use them as a decoy! )

Not that I condone going over the legal limit. We are all going to obey the speed-limit, aren't we?

 

[Mad.Maxx.03]

Tough question. I would go with the Valentine because it has the bogey counter on it.

The escort 8500 is cheaper and claims to have done better from testing at www.radartest.com, but that website doesn't load for me so not sure what to make of that.

 

[miked801]

not to sound like an advertisement, but i like the v1 because of the arrows.
also i've been on numerous roadtrips where the guys with v1s always get beeps before the escort guys... of course the most recent such trip was over a year ago, so it doesn't necessarily mean anything now, considering how fast technology changes.

 

[zerepjd]

Is break in truely necessary?

Hey all,

I'm not sure which one I'm going to get. Though I did hear that if you have one on in the state of PA or Va I forget which one, but they'll pull you over an confiscate it. Even if you have it hardwired in to your grill or some other such place. Is there some method of detecting the radar detector? I though that radar detecters were passive systems. Anyone hear anything about this?

Thanks,
Jared

 

[SnowbordrWRX]

Before you get one of these devices, take a look at this article: http://www.escortradar.com/jammer.htm

I skimmed it real quick but here's an excerpt:
"K40 DEFUSER ($199.95). The only active laser jammer available, made by K40 Electronics. The Defuser is a black Lexan license plate frame with an upper section housing a row of infrared emitters behind a smoked plastic lens. Mounted over the front license plate, it's hard-wired to the vehicle ignition and continuously transmits infrared light at 904 nanometers, the police-laser frequency. An LED in the cockpit verifies that the K40 Defuser is operating.

The Defuser takes advantage of the laser's affinity for vertical, reflective, and light-colored surfaces. For this reason, officers are trained to aim first at the front license plate. By placing multiple, powerful emitters exactly where the laser is aimed, K40 says the reflected signal returns so polluted that the laser has difficulty picking out its own signal from the clutter.

There are two major weaknesses in this approach to laser jamming. First, it's useless if your state doesn't issue front plates. Second, it assumes the officer will continue targeting the front plate even when his or her first few attempts fail to produce a speed. Trouble is, at that point most officers will try for a headlight or a bumper instead. We did likewise and found both lasers instantly showed a target speed, Defuser or no."

Not to mention the legality of such devices. Laws vary from state to state, so you'll need to check for that. Also, be wary because alot of these devices claim certain things but the technology they use is useless against radar or laser detectors.

Best thing to do is what I call SBP speeding...Short Bursts of Paranoia speeding...in other words, only speed for short periods of time, and check your rear view mirror constantly in a paranoid fashion, cuz as they say, only the paranoid survive

 

[91TB78]

I dunno..I have been thinking the same thing with detectors. I am leaning towards the V1 b/c of all the personal testimony to how well it works. Of course this could be a personal bias since each one of those owners needs a reason that he/she spent twice the amount of the 8500 on the V1.

I've owned the 7500 and I didn't really like it all that well. So, I thought I would try something new. I do think I will get the remote sensor and mount the detector in a inconspicuous place. As far as state's confiscating radars..doesn't like they could do that, but in places where detectors are illegal..I don't doubt anything. Detectors are passive, so there is no way they can tell you have a detector, unless its on your dash, window, etc. They need to see it.

 

[miked801]

"Is there some method of detecting the radar detector?"

yeah, the cop sees you hit your brakes when he turns his radar gun on.
that's what parking brakes are for...

 

[MKIVSupra]

I bought my V1 almost 5 years ago and it is the best detector I have owned. It detects pretty far away front and rear, miles away if you are out in the middle of nowhere, and you can't beat the arrows. The first time you see those in action you will know what I am talking about. Nothing like detecting 2 or more different sources at the same time and knowing where they are. I have passed 1 cop and the arrows follow him as I pass, but it will still be pointing ahead too. Pretty soon there is the other cop wating to turn off a side road. I pass him and the arrows follow, but wait, it is still pointing ahead... sure enough another cop coming the opposit direction.

 

[hamburger1971]

Is there some method of detecting the radar detector?

Yeah, there's a radar detector-detector. IIRC it detects the superheterodyne circuitry, or something like that. Cops in Virginia use them, and maybe other states.

Jeff

 

[CloNeGTS]

I think I'd like to give the V1 a try. I have a 7500 and it does it's job, but it is set off by other detectors more often than it gets an actual reading.

I believe what the tests say about the 8500, but the 7500 was supposed to be great at the time and it still leaves much to be desired.

BTW.....have there been mechanical updates to the V1 despite the same exterior? Or is it the same technology from when it first came out?

Also, is there a cheaper place to buy one?

 

[4MLA1FN]

North Cali Group Buy

Though I did hear that if you have one on in the state of PA or Va I forget which one, but they'll pull you over an confiscate it.

that's good ole virginia. i haven't used a detector in years. have they improved? i got so tired of the false alarms, and with the advent of "instant-on", all the detector would tell you (back then) is when to pull over.

 

[4MLA1FN]

As far as state's confiscating radars..doesn't like they could do that, but in places where detectors are illegal..I don't doubt anything.

years ago, when states started making detectors illegal, i heard a story about a cop who pulled over a speeder, saw they were illegally using a detector, took the detector and put it under the front wheels and told the guy he could drive off or stay and get a ticket. urban legend? <shrug>

 

[91TB78]

hmm..interesting. Never heard of a cop doing that, but it wouldn't surprise me. As JJ said in an earlier post..being aware of your surroundings and of course use common sense is the best method.

I've been driving for nearly 10 years and not one ticket... (knock on wood) I do think I will be investing in the V1 though...just to be on the safe side and to get my back when I'm not looking. Of course I typically don't speed too often. Things might change once I get back from Germany and I am used to the Autobahn...85 is just about right with traffic and during the summer it is very easy to hit 100+. I hit 135 with our old BMW 535 and 4 friends in the car.. lots of fun, but not something I'm in to.

 

[4MLA1FN]

..being aware of your surroundings and of course use common sense is the best method.

I've been driving for nearly 10 years and not one ticket... (knock on wood)

wow. now that's impressive, especially for a guy. i bet you'll be "deflowered" within a year of getting the sti. i think i average 1 ticket a year (or 1 every 18 months) and i've been driving for 22 years. i figure it's the cost of admission. i speed; i like to speed; though i stay within the limits of myself, my car, the environment, and the other drivers.

 

[MKIVSupra]

One thing not mentioned, the V1 is suppose to be undetectable by radar detector, detectors.

As far as upgrades, the only one I know of is the smaller dimensions. You can send in your V1 and they will upgrade it if anything new does come out. It was $45 to do it when I got mine but I have never looked into it since so I don't know if the price went up or not.

One more thing, some of the radar tests you read about are biased. You can't go wrong with the V1, but if you are kind of nervous spending the cash, get them both and test them out side by side. I think they both have a 30 day guarantee. People that have done this as far as I know end up going with the V1. In fact I think I remember hearing that Escort stopped the 30 day guarantee because of this... that could be an urban legend too though.

Also, other than Ebay, you can only get a V1 right from the company.

 

[91TB78]

..being aware of your surroundings and of course use common sense is the best method.

I've been driving for nearly 10 years and not one ticket... (knock on wood)

wow. now that's impressive, especially for a guy. i bet you'll be "deflowered" within a year of getting the sti. i think i average 1 ticket a year (or 1 every 18 months) and i've been driving for 22 years. i figure it's the cost of admission. i speed; i like to speed; though i stay within the limits of myself, my car, the environment, and the other drivers.

Yeah, that's what I figured. I would get my first either with the STi or when I move back to the states. Being used to driving at much higher speeds here is going to really hurt over in the states. Heck, even on these country roads where I live it is the norm to go from 60-80mph on them..NUTS!!

 

[jbhebert]

From what I've seen, www.radartest.com has been biased against the V1 for years. They just seem to have an unfounded obsession about blasting the V1. I worked with a friend of mine for the last few years who has been doing head to head comparisons of various radar detectors. It's a strange sight indeed to see 6 or 7 detectors across the windshield of a Porsche 930 turbo. For the last 3 years, the V1 has beaten everything hands down as far as early detection, anti falsing, and ergonomics are concerned. In fact, last Sept. he put a 4 year old V1 up against some of the new detectors and it STILL beat them.

Just some food for thought.

 

[mindchatter]

Hey all - just thought I'd add my experience. I have a Passport SR1 and have had it hardwired into my car for a little over a year. I've found it to be indispensable in terms of giving me "heads-up" where I'd normally have gotten tickets. We have a lot of twisty back roads where the speed limit is 25mph - I'm typically at 35-45, depending on conditions. My SR1 will alert me anywhere from 1/10 to 1/4 of a mile of an officer coming towards me with his radar on, and of course for any speed traps up ahead. It does false though, and you have to use some discretion/common sense (i.e. falsing daily at the bank, etc.) in order to discern between the real alerts and the falses. However, having said that - I just got my 1st speeding ticket in 5yrs with it on. Had a cop laser me coming over a crest on the hwy - just had no time to react although the detector shrieked LASER FRT at me. My opine on this is that with the "instant-on" feature the coppers can use and with the use of laser they're a great help, but in no way fool-proof. I did some research on the "laser-jammers" and found them prohibitively expensive (1k and up) and also couldn't find anywhere that they work as well as advertised. Also, from what I know detectors are illegal ONLY in VA and the District of Columbia....but I believe even if it's hardwired you're allowed to have it in those places, so long as it's turned off (pretty sure on this). Having said all that - my head unit and detector will be installed the same day.

 

[jbhebert]

Just another note:

C&D installed the Escort SRX hardwired radar detector in the long term M3 they tested. The tested it against the V1, and in X- and K-band radar, the V1 had 4 times the detection range. On Ka-band, the SRX had 2/3s the detection range of the V1. The only thing the SRX beat the V1 at was lidar, where it had about a 20% advantage.

Here's the kicker: A V1 will run you about $400, whereas the SRX was $1500.

Youch.

 

[MKIVSupra]

Any car, Any Time

One nice thing also about the arrows with the V1, you know when you passed the source, which helps with false alarms... or if a cop decides to hide where you normally get a false reading the counter is nice. I pass an Auto Zone on my way home frome work that sets off my V1 all the time. It tells me there are 2 sources when I pass it. One day I am coming up to it and I get alerted to 1, then 2, then wait a sec, 3 sources... sure enough there was a cop sitting on the other side of the place at the end of the parking lot.