radar detector.. which one is the best?
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From: Houston/Dallas, TX
Re: radar detector.. which one is the best?
Yea it will be a LONG time before radar units are completely fased out, if that ever even happens. Like someone mentioned, cops can't drive around lasering people like they can with radar, so they'll keep radar around for this, if nothing else. Not to mention the fact that laser units are very costly, and only bigger cities can afford them.
2003.5 G35 Coupe 6MT Black/Willow
- Texas Tech Mechanical Engineering - Texas Tech Advanced Vehicle Engineering -
2003.5 G35 Coupe 6MT Black/Willow
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From: Bergen County, NJ
Re: radar detector.. which one is the best?
my friend just told me that 'valentine 2' is supposed to come out. i have no details when but he told me to wait for that. i was having the same dilemma on choosing between the valentine and the passport. anyone else hear about the v2?
[ 2004 G35 coupe ] - | 6MT | Black/Black | Premium |
[ 2004 G35 coupe ] - | 6MT | Black/Black | Premium |
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Joined: Jan 2003
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From: Houston/Dallas, TX
Re: radar detector.. which one is the best?
Are you sure your friend knows what he's talking about?
2003.5 G35 Coupe 6MT Black/Willow
- Texas Tech Mechanical Engineering - Texas Tech Advanced Vehicle Engineering -
2003.5 G35 Coupe 6MT Black/Willow
- Texas Tech Mechanical Engineering - Texas Tech Advanced Vehicle Engineering -
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From: Houston/Dallas, TX
Re: radar detector.. which one is the best?
cynicaL102 - I just realized that I sounded like a d**k with that last comment. Didn't mean to come across as rude. I just have no clue where he would've heard that from. My apologies man...
2003.5 G35 Coupe 6MT Black/Willow
- Texas Tech Mechanical Engineering - Texas Tech Advanced Vehicle Engineering -
2003.5 G35 Coupe 6MT Black/Willow
- Texas Tech Mechanical Engineering - Texas Tech Advanced Vehicle Engineering -
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Re: radar detector.. which one is the best?
I didn't read every single post but I did read from a few people stating that Car & Driver rated the V1 higher than the 8500 and was unbiased. This could not be more WRONG! C&D is on Valentine One's payroll, if you did not know this. Please stop using the ridiculously biased C&D review. V1 PAYS C&D to give it ridiculously good numbers. If you did not know this, C&D has their hands in pretty much everybody's back pocket nowadays.
Checkout radartest.com but don't take them too seriously. They are in love with the Passport 8500 and they hate the V1. Normally, they are not biased, but in this case, they are annoyingly biased, but they do give the V1 where credit is due and acknowledge its top-of-the-line sensitivity performance. If you want TRUE statistics, checkout Http://www.speedzones.com/. I'll break down the pros and cons for you all as I have done more research on these two models than you can possibly imagine.
V1 Pros:
-It is a sensitivity monster. It destroys the Passport 8500 in X-band range by a whole mile, but is similar in K and Ka bands.
-Directional arrows are extremely helpful.
-Radar counter is extremely useful.
-Rear radar antenna is a sensitivity monster.
V1 Cons:
-The most expensive windshield-mounted radar, BUT you do get direct wire AND coiled in-case power adapter, among other accessories.
-Wide and thick, makes for a very large-looking unit.
-Absolute chatter box...terrible at eliminating false alarms.
-User interface takes quite a learning curve
-Lacking true POP mode detection.
-Design/layout has barely changed since it first came out.
Passport 8500 Pros:
-Turn it on, leave it on Auto, and it just works. Easy to use/setup.
-Great performance all-around. Superior, consistent protection in all bands, AND supports POP mode with new X50 model.
-Narrow and thin, sleek design (compared to V1, but this is subjective to each user).
-Great at filtering out false alarms.
Cons:
-No bogey counter or directional arrows.
-Very long unit...no big deal since it is length and has a sleek profile, but it is long...significantly longer than the V1.
-No hard-wire/direct-wire cord included, such as V1 (but you do save $100 over the V1).
Overall, I think both radar detectors are definitely worth their salt. I only have one problem with V1. There used to be a page or two on the V1 web site where Mike Valentine would take reviews that favored the Escort Passport 8500 over the V1 and he would just take certain quotes from what the reviewers said and argue them on his web site. Who argues over a review??? And his web site constantly just puts down the Passport 8500, if you read the pages carefully. It is just downright childish and completely unprofessional to see on a company web site. =(
MrElussive
03 G35C 6MT
Checkout radartest.com but don't take them too seriously. They are in love with the Passport 8500 and they hate the V1. Normally, they are not biased, but in this case, they are annoyingly biased, but they do give the V1 where credit is due and acknowledge its top-of-the-line sensitivity performance. If you want TRUE statistics, checkout Http://www.speedzones.com/. I'll break down the pros and cons for you all as I have done more research on these two models than you can possibly imagine.
V1 Pros:
-It is a sensitivity monster. It destroys the Passport 8500 in X-band range by a whole mile, but is similar in K and Ka bands.
-Directional arrows are extremely helpful.
-Radar counter is extremely useful.
-Rear radar antenna is a sensitivity monster.
V1 Cons:
-The most expensive windshield-mounted radar, BUT you do get direct wire AND coiled in-case power adapter, among other accessories.
-Wide and thick, makes for a very large-looking unit.
-Absolute chatter box...terrible at eliminating false alarms.
-User interface takes quite a learning curve
-Lacking true POP mode detection.
-Design/layout has barely changed since it first came out.
Passport 8500 Pros:
-Turn it on, leave it on Auto, and it just works. Easy to use/setup.
-Great performance all-around. Superior, consistent protection in all bands, AND supports POP mode with new X50 model.
-Narrow and thin, sleek design (compared to V1, but this is subjective to each user).
-Great at filtering out false alarms.
Cons:
-No bogey counter or directional arrows.
-Very long unit...no big deal since it is length and has a sleek profile, but it is long...significantly longer than the V1.
-No hard-wire/direct-wire cord included, such as V1 (but you do save $100 over the V1).
Overall, I think both radar detectors are definitely worth their salt. I only have one problem with V1. There used to be a page or two on the V1 web site where Mike Valentine would take reviews that favored the Escort Passport 8500 over the V1 and he would just take certain quotes from what the reviewers said and argue them on his web site. Who argues over a review??? And his web site constantly just puts down the Passport 8500, if you read the pages carefully. It is just downright childish and completely unprofessional to see on a company web site. =(
MrElussive
03 G35C 6MT
Re: radar detector.. which one is the best?
1. I wouldn't worry about X band, it's rarely used by cops and mostly used by automatic doors. I have it turned off completely on my 8500.
2. Although the 8500 doesn't come with a hardwire kit, it does come with a remote display while the V1 is extra.
3. The 8500 has 3 different displays, the default is most basic and only shows signal strength, the 2nd shows X, K, Ka bands and multiple bogeys at the same time with different signal strength levels, the 3rd (and basically useless) shows the actual freq of the radar.
I suspect V1 has a patent on the directional arrows which is why other manufacturers don't implement it. But for me it's not worth the price difference which is why I got the 8500. You can get it for $230 new, which is quite a savings over the V1 which you can only buy direct for MSRP.
2. Although the 8500 doesn't come with a hardwire kit, it does come with a remote display while the V1 is extra.
3. The 8500 has 3 different displays, the default is most basic and only shows signal strength, the 2nd shows X, K, Ka bands and multiple bogeys at the same time with different signal strength levels, the 3rd (and basically useless) shows the actual freq of the radar.
I suspect V1 has a patent on the directional arrows which is why other manufacturers don't implement it. But for me it's not worth the price difference which is why I got the 8500. You can get it for $230 new, which is quite a savings over the V1 which you can only buy direct for MSRP.
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Joined: Sep 2003
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From: Alexandria, Louisiana
Re: radar detector.. which one is the best?
I have a 6 year old V1 & my son has the new 8500. On a recent trip back from Florida we were leading a pack of 100 mph tag-a-longs in Georgia when my V1 went off indicating "1" & the arrow pointed forward ( my son's 8500 went off a second or two later - we compared notes later ). After slowing I saw a Georgia trooper hiding behind an overpass. After clearing this trap my V1 changed it's readout to "2" & the arrows alternated forward & backwards. I obviously knew of the trooper we had passed but what was ahead? My son pulled alongside & waved as if to say "let's go, old man!!" I shook my head "No" & gestured up the road while pointing to my V1. He pointed to his 8500 & over his shoulder but pulled in behind me anyway. I guess one of the trailers got impatient & blew by us. We found him pulled over about a mile ahead by another trooper!! Therein is the value of the arrows & "bogey" counter. Had my son relied on his 8500 ( still had great range ) alone, he would have thought ( incorrectly as we soon discovered ) that it was still indicating the trooper we just passed & NOT the one awaiting. He soon sold his 8500 on eBay & bought a V1 for himself.
Also, I ran the new K40 detector with radar defuser & found it to be .5 miles behind the V1 on X-band & .3 miles on K-band in sensitivity. I allowed a local stereo store to hard-wire it in so it was easy to do a simultanous real world test between the K40 & my Valentine for 2 months. Needless to say the K40 is no longer in my G!!
Bottom line for me - the 8500 is great but the V1 is better!!
BTW - Valentine does offer upgrades to existing units. I went to their website & after entering my registration # discovered that after 6 years, there was only a slight upgrade necessary to bring my detector up to 2004 standards BUT since it revolved around photo-radar ( which is rare in Louisiana right now - cousin's a State Trooper in Baton Rouge's Troop "A" ), even Valentine said it might not be worth it! Nice customer support, IMHO.
Also, I ran the new K40 detector with radar defuser & found it to be .5 miles behind the V1 on X-band & .3 miles on K-band in sensitivity. I allowed a local stereo store to hard-wire it in so it was easy to do a simultanous real world test between the K40 & my Valentine for 2 months. Needless to say the K40 is no longer in my G!!
Bottom line for me - the 8500 is great but the V1 is better!!
BTW - Valentine does offer upgrades to existing units. I went to their website & after entering my registration # discovered that after 6 years, there was only a slight upgrade necessary to bring my detector up to 2004 standards BUT since it revolved around photo-radar ( which is rare in Louisiana right now - cousin's a State Trooper in Baton Rouge's Troop "A" ), even Valentine said it might not be worth it! Nice customer support, IMHO.
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Re: radar detector.. which one is the best?
Re: radar detector.. which one is the best?
i heard that the coppers have a device that lets them track who is using a Radar/laser detector and they will pull you over for the illegal use of it. true? or not? and someone please check on this V2 rumor. omg, if V2 comes out, then that means no more updates for V1. sucks assss.
G35S 6MT / ts ecu / 350z springs & struts / jwt popcharger + z-tube / stillen dual exhaust / 6-wire ground kit / soon: kinetix high flow / ssr intake manifold
G35S 6MT / ts ecu / 350z springs & struts / jwt popcharger + z-tube / stillen dual exhaust / 6-wire ground kit / soon: kinetix high flow / ssr intake manifold
Staff ALUMNI
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 2,369
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From: South Florida
Re: radar detector.. which one is the best?
Both are very good. Each better at somethings than the other. I tested both side by side on a long trip and like I said each does somethings differently than the other. I did a little write up of that real world "test" a while back and posted it in Off Topics for those of you that want to Search for it.[img]/w3timages/icons/smile.gif[/img]
BTW, I have used Passport/Escort products for years and I currently have a 8500 but looking into buying a V1 as well.
Can never have too much protection they say.[img]/w3timages/icons/wink.gif[/img]
Andrew, We Miss and Love You! Peace!
BTW, I have used Passport/Escort products for years and I currently have a 8500 but looking into buying a V1 as well.
Can never have too much protection they say.[img]/w3timages/icons/wink.gif[/img]
Andrew, We Miss and Love You! Peace!
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Re: radar detector.. which one is the best?
The Escort Solo S2(what I have) and the 8500 both have a feature called: VG-2 detector-detector. I believe this prevents emitting a signal that can be picked up by the cops' detectors. Since radar dectectors are legal in my State, I couldn't really tell you how well it worked. Might be worth checking into.