I'm having this dillema.. which one should I buy.. the new Escort 8500 X50 or Valentine one?

Can someone give me some advice.. Thanks

 

V1

 

V1.

Arrows rule!

DG Coupe Prem/Nav/Sport/Aero-In my driveway!

 

Get the 8500 , its cheaper and its better.
read www.radartest.com
The V-1 is outdated, and falses way too much.

 

I have the escort 8500, and I'm happy with it.. I did look at the valentine.. I think you get more bang for your buck with the 8500.. The only thing is that I wish it would tell me where the signal is coming from.. I find myself looking around everywhere when I get the Ka band..

 

Unless someone has both, it's hard to say which one is better. I bought the V1 myself because I've read the Car & Driver review that rated V1 much higher than anything else available, but I've also seen the other report that rated the Escort a little higher. I think you just have to do some research and decide which one is for you. Asking people who only have one or the other isn't really going to help. I can tell you the V1 is good, but I don't know anything about the Escort as far as how well it actually works.

<font color=purple>2004 G35 Coupe Diamond Graphite/Graphite 5AT</font color=purple>
Premium, Nav., 18" Wheels, Z-Xtreme Hyper Grounding Cables,
K&N filter, Clear Corners, 350Z Aluminum Pedals,
Sony Ericsson HCB-30

 

V1! If you want the best radar detector/locator, get Valentine One. Note, I didn't say best for the money; although considering it's only $100 more than the Escort, less than a ticket and associated insurance hike, why take your chances. In addition, the V1 is the only radar LOCATOR vice detector. The arrows give you situational awareness (aka SA) like an AWACS aircraft.

For those who like test data, like I do, check out:
http://www.caranddriver.com/article....rticle_id=1993

http://www.valentineone.com/lab/MikesLabRpt5.asp

 

How does it matter what direction the radar signals are coming from? You have to slow down anyway after the detector goes off. If this is the only factor differentiating V1 from Passport 8500, I would say go with Passport 8500 and save the 100 bucks!

Disclaimer - I have neither.

Coupe CB/Willow/5AT/Prem/Perf Tire & Wheel/Splashguards/Alum Pedals

 

V1 V1 V1 V1 V1 V1 V1 V1 V1 V1 V1 V1 V1 V1 V1 V1 V1 V1 V1 V1 V1 V1 V1 V1 V1 V1 V1 V1 V1 V1 V1 V1 V1 V1 V1 V1 V1 V1 V1 V1 V1 V1 V1 V1 V1 V1 V1 V1 V1 V1 V1 V1 V1 V1
.................................................. .......Any Other Questions?

GOT N20?
CPV35 Driven BY David K, VQ35DEN Tuned By DR CHARLES
...........NismoCPV-35

 

You cant really take the advice from www.radartest.com since they only sell the passport...not the Valentine One. Of course they're going to say negative things about it if it's not part of their product line. You would have to go to an unbiased report like Car & Driver. They rated Valentine One THE ULTIMATE radar detector. People who don't like the Valentine One are just haters.

2004 G35 Coupe Prem / Aero D. Plat/D. Graph

 

wow.. looks like it's a tie for V1 vs Escort..
escort 8500 has already been upgraded (the X50).. but what about V1? any upgrades yet? is there such thing as V2?

 

I am not a hater by any means... I have previously owned three V1's.
It is a great detector, that has not seen an upgrade for two years... OOPs, they did release something new... a case... bet that makes it work better

The 8500 is better ... LOOK at how many UNBIASED publications say so.
http://www.escortradar.com/reviews.htm

I would venture to say that the next V1 will be groundbreaking just as the first one was.... But for now the 8500 is better....
yes lacks the location feature... but whats more important? Range or a and arrow?

 

V1 is better. If you learned something the radartest.com is paid by Escort to make theirs look better. I had a 8500 before my V1, and hands down the V1 is better. And mine doesn't false near as much as my Escort did.

 

The V1 is better again. The latest reviews prove that by Car And driver. Why ruin something with a newer version that is still the best in the market? I would never own anything else after my V1. I have had Bels, and the Escort 8500 and the V1.

 

Before I answer the question, I'd like to say V1 or 8500 you can't go wrong! In all honestly, I say the sensitivity of either is close enough to call a draw. You lose some here and gain some there. Two fine choices. Period.

… now to answer the question:
<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr>

How does it matter what direction the radar signals are coming from?

<hr></blockquote>This one's tough to convince unless you're an extended V1 owner.

Once you grow accustomed to how V1 communicates via arrows, you’ll eventually learn the art of reading ‘in-between’ the arrows (figure of speech). You can not only tell if the threat's in front or behind, but also if it's moving and which way it's traveling towards.

A recent personal testimony:

We were traveling north with a pack on the way to Laguna Seca, Montery CA. The lead guy in a S2000 has a Passport 8500. He signals for a Ka threat, which I also picked up with the V1. He slows the pack down, but after several seconds I noticed the V1 arrow still indicating bogie at 12 o'clock (in front) and strength maintaining at around 3-4 strikes. I then signal for the go ahead to proceed and resume at cruise speed, whilst the leader looking with a puzzled face. I later explained on the phone, it was obvious to me the threat (CHP) was in front of us and traveling in the same direction ... probably .5 mile up. We were picking off the radar signal that reflected off of the vehicle(s) in front of the CHP, which came in sporadically (looks like instant-on). 10 min. later, we passed one of the unsuspecting busted off the side of the highway. Radar detector less … I suspect. *gring*

With the 8500, it would have been tough to known if the threat was actually trailing us while maintaining the same speed and gap (rendering the strength meter useless). A sure ticket if our cruise speed were maintained in that scenario. A wise move would have been to slow down, but for V1 owners ... life carries on as normal

Cheers,


Clint (THX723)