Ok guys. I am about to take the plunge on a Vortech supercharger so its only right if I buy the best (within reason) darn detector out there. I have read all the threads on the V1 and 8500. There seems to be a loyal following for both. I have read article after article, however, you never know nowadays with advertising and sponsorship how unbias those things can be. With that said...here is what I see

V1 - Loyal following....almost at a zaino level. People love the arrows. More expensive unit. I don't like the fact that the V1 still advertises with a 2002 magazine award. Ugly design (i know the reason behind it...just dont like it). Great re-sale value.

8500 X50 - Less expensive. Semi-loyal following. Seems to have gotten just as good, if not better, reviews on newer tests (not the 2002 one that V1 still hangs its hat on).

RX 65 - Gotten as good reviews as the other two. Just not as loyal as a following so I do not know much on this

I believe all are superb units and I know the V1 and 8500 are upgradable. I know the V1 and 8500 have an attachment display. So...am I really paying the extra money for arrows? If so, are the arrows worth it? I mean....don't you seemingly slow down either way?


So...I know I am not the first person with this question...but...I had to raise the debate from the dead.

Please don't bash each other over this question like the other posts. They are all good units but I just wanted to see what you guys thought before I take the plunge....especially those familiar with the V1 and 8500 units

TIA

Jason

 

RX65 would be one to consider as well..

 

Ok..i added it to the list. So...maybe I'll learn about that one too.

 

OK, I guess the biggest arguement for the Arrows is, How do you know when you passed the cop with the 8500. I do have the V1 and I will swear by it. There will be sometimes when the detector will go off and you won't see the cop until after you pass i.e. upper part of a freeway on ramp. with the arrows it will tell you "front, side , then back" A sure sign you have passed the cop and you then can regain your speed. The arrows along with the bogey counter work extremly well with each other. Just my .02 cents so take it for what it's worth. Good luck with whatever descision you make.

 

Only thing I have always wondered about the arrows.. is what if there are more than one cop being picked up on the radar? What do the arrows do then?

 

I sold my 8500 after 3 months and bought a V1... its been 2 years and has saved my azz so many times I dont have enough fingers in my family tree to count.

 

It will flash evertime it detects a new boogey. Along with the counter. The counter will say 2 or more and the arrows will point them out.

 

The 8500 has a display mode that shows a seperate bar per Ka, K, and X band detection. So if there is two K sources and one Ka source, you'll see three bars showing relative strength of the signals. This is better than a simple bogey counter. As for the arrows, is it worth the extra $100+?

 

+1 for V1 i will never go back to anything else... saved my *** again this morning.... =P

 

They've upgraded the escort many times; they have not done much with the v1. The v1 is very pricey and it looks like something you would buy in the 1980's. I like my escort and its kept me ticket free. I'm not convinced the arrows are much more than a novelty. I really don't think the v1 is worth the extra cash.

 

The V1 has the same display...X,K,Ka,and Laser. Each one lights up when they are detected. I guess the only real way to decide which one to own is to buy both test them for less then 30 days then return the lessor one. Everyone has opinions on this and alot of people will tell you mine's better then yours and such, so try both and form your own opinion. I will give you that the V1 is dated in design, but it WORKS. If you have ever disasembled a detector you will se that there are "horns" that take in the radar chatter and technically the larger the horn the better the detection.

 

What if there is more than one cop? Say you have a cop in front or in back at the same time. Which way do you look 1st? Or there is one cop to your left and you look right.....bam your dead.

The arrows are $hit, waste of money. When your alarm goes off you slow down. You don't look and see 1st, that is if your not a idiot.

The expert meter for the 8500x50 is way better. Every test, and I mean every test for March 2002 till the lastest Jun 05 put 8500x50 over top of the V1

V1 claims and does beat the 8500 3 years ago before the x50, yet they still claim that one feb 2002 test which ranked them higher.

That and this guy looks like a retard:

 

Not only does the 8500x50 tell you what it picks up, it also gives you the strength. Not just a blinking light.

 

LOL!!


Thats what I noticed. Hanging on to a ranking thats 3 years old. The remote display for the V1 is nicer than the remote for the X50.

 

They blink rather than just light up.....Whats real good about these arrows is when all directions light up, between a US bank, a traffic light radar, and the cop shooting his radar!!!