cestmoi

I'm thinking of getting a radar detector, taking advantage of sales (?) that may be going on this weekend (today)... I've been looking at radar detectors from $400+ to $120+ ... No clue what I need to watch out for as reading reviews are too subjective from people as they tend to write one a week or two after owning it; you need to have it for a good several months before you can really write an accurate review (in my opinion) on a product such as this.

I can go months without seeing any highway patrol traps and I drive the highways quite frequently.

Also, one reviewer mentioned that he got an Escort because they hold about 85% of the patents - is this true?

I've checked out the Cobras and they look bulky and huge. I already have a GPS, don't want to put a bulky radar detector on my windshield to block more view!

Any recommendations and why?

925tsx

Valentine 1.
Best detector IMHO

Reach

I believe the only radars to really consider are:

1) Valentine One
2) Escort x50 8500
3) Bel RX65 or RX55

With the V1 probably being the best, but also the most expensive. The top-end escort and those 2 Bel models are also very good, with anything else being far below those top three.

DLTSX6MT

I've been using Valentine1 for years and it has never let me down. Love the arrows and the dual antenna - you have no idea how you're missing out without these unless you use them. It's hypersensitive, though - beeps all the time at everything. Closest competitor is Escort 8500 X50. Fewer false alarms, but less sensitive - pick your poison. Escort has a new GPS enabled 9500i detector that on paper sounds fantastic, and like it would be the answer to all false alarm problems, but I've read that it has been problematic so far.

bhavin3623

escort 8500..idk i like it better than the valentine plus its cheaper

ABPTSX

I just replaced my old radar recently with the Escort x50 8500 Blue. It works pretty well so far, no problems yet and not as many false alarms as my old one.
If money is no object then i would go with the valentine.

Simba91102

Agreed +10; none better (and I have to laugh at Escorts' recent ads disparaging the "arrows"). Can't agree with comments made elsewhere here about false alarms though; I find it to be quite discriminating and better than the Escort (we have one of those in the wife's 07) in both respects.

n3ok318

iTrader: (1)

Get the escort x50 8500. It's the best out there for the buck. v1 and x50 are just about the same when it comes to performane, but for v1, you get the arrows with the cost of double the x50.

I have both but I prefer x50, especially when it's hardwired with a remote button.

CGTSX07

^^agreed with the above. I am sure the valentine is great...but the escort sure isn't far behind and it is a lot cheaper too...

TL_Captain

Got Escort 8500 here. Guess it picked up all speed traps, cuz I haven't been caught once when using this unit. V1 may be good but over price for sure.

slickrab

escort 8500 all the way (blue), never let me down!

davidspalding

I have a Whistler 1788 or something (battery powered, blue display), it's not as discriminating as the higher rated brands, some false positives for sensors and other non-LE devices, but it has identified radar guns a few times. For $100, I get my money's worth.

moda_way

http://www.radartest.com/article.asp?articleid=9090

I think this article puts it best. FYI, the BEL internals are made by Cincinnati Microwave. Last review I read said the 8500 x50 had the best range. Real world test.... Saved me 2x yesterday on my way home from VA (though not used in VA obviously). Already paid for itself. I have the blue to match the interior. Only reason I didn't get the Valentine is because it is too large for me and I didn't need to know where the cop was, just that I needed to slow down.

Worth mentioning, Cincinnati Microwave is right down the road from me and Valentine is located close to where I work, so it came down to asthetics.

Nogard13

These days, with instant-on RADAR and LIDAR, it's impossible to escape being detected. Yes, if there happens to be someone speeding one or two miles ahead of you, and the cop uses his instant-on (assuming the terrain is flat or you're on the top of one of the hills), you MIGHT detect the RADAR (LIDAR is extremely hard to detect unless it's pointed at you!).

I don't trust RADAR detectors anymore. I just use my driving spidey sense and good driving habits (watch the truckers, stay out of the left lane as much as possible, try to drive in a group and never ahead of it, and try to drive a constant 8-10 over the limit with short bursts to pass a few idiots). I usually speed but I seldom get pulled over. The last time I was pulled over was 5 years ago while driving outside Denver on a x-country trip (I was doing 100 in a 65 at 2am on an empty road; got off with a warning).

Simba91102

This is a good point. I've had a cheap detector or 2 in the past and in my opinion, if you can live with what seemed to me to be endless false alarms, they actually work OK. Once you've lived with it for a while, you can often tell the difference between a real alert and frequency pollution. But if you're really serious about driving fast, do it often, and want the best protection available, there's really only one choice. There's no doubt in my mind that the Valentine is in a class of one. It's that detector on top and then everyone else, with the higher end Escort models being the best of the second tier units. I have to assume that those who feel an Escort is the best available have never used a Valentine or haven't used it long enough to realize how superior it is to every other detector out there. Yes, this is my opinion, but I've been using detectors for 30 years; to the point were I'm actually uncomfortable driving without one (kind of feels like driving without my seatbelt on). I've tried to keep up with what's the next best thing and have tried a couple of the newer units along with my V1, but I still think that there nothing out there to compare.

And I'm not really a speed demon; I just hate to participate in what is really a revenue generating scam if I can at all help it (even more so now that the insurance companies have realized how lucrative it can be to use this excuse to reach even deeper into your pocket).

moda_way

I use all of the following:
- my knowledge of where cops will likely sit
- blocking techniques (e.g. use of trucks come over hills or around corners)
- proper use of my Escort 8500 x50 Blue

I have the triple threat to avoid tickets.

2007CGPTSX

Nogard13

Yup, those seem to work well, too. I also use the first two techniques as well as using what I call "Cover." Basically, when I see a car going faster than me, I'll try to stay about 750-1000 feet behind him and go the same speed. That way he gets caught and I can slow down.

Funny story:

I was driving to Reston, Va on the 267 toll road and was going to exit on Hunter Mill Rd (Exit 16, I believe). Anywho, I was about 1 mile from the exit and traffic in both right lanes were slow so I got in the left lane, accelerated, and passed all the slow cars. When I got into the middle lane and was trying to get into the right lane, a Dodge Charger pulls up next to me and I hear a siren (unmarked cop car). After changing to the right lane I looked over to see the cop pointing at the right shoulder (telling me to pull over). I just looked at him and got off on my exit with a big smile. Since he didn't have enough room to maneuver and get over/exit, I actually got away without being pulled over. The cop looked pissed, BTW, but I wasn't really trying to evade him, it was the exit I was going to take anyway.

If I had been pulled over, it would've been the first time in over 5 years. At least my lucky streak is still intact!

hyunk24a2

i use a cobra and in all honesty i think it works just fine. most cops around here use laser anyways so its almost pointless to own a radar/laser detector in georgia. when we took a roadtrip to texas it definatly saved me from a couple tickets however.


anyone want to buy my cobra xr9830? i bought it for 200 lol. 120 obo?

davidspalding

Doesn't work if you're the rear-most speeder, bub. You're the "low-hanging fruit" that a bored officer will pick. I know, I was in a DUI trial (juror) in which the initial pull-over was because the driver was the rear-most in a group of 4-5 speeding cars.

I also use moda_way's #1. I think it's at least as effective as a good RD. Really. If you know that cops will stake out an area going from 65 - 45 - 35, or parking on the entrance ramps looking down on a stretch of road where passing motorists can't see them ... or collaborate with airborne units ... or cruise traffic in an unmarked car (I've seen a lot of pullovers like that in 6ix months around here) ... you can start to spot the cops. I've had 3 PULSE alerts in the last two weeks, and each time I spotted the cruiser. Not so much now I'd guess, but in California back in the day, I could spot a CHP vehicle day or night in my rear view, 90% accurate. They had a specific "shark float" tactic, I called it, for slowly changing lanes without signaling, working their way through traffic. Done real slow and smooth, that you wouldn't notice unless you're watching and tracking headlights behind you.

I saw a new tactic this weekend (maybe only new to me). Three different trooper vehicles parked on the median of a highway (three separate spots), no occupants, same spot, all three days. Just left the cars there. Scarecrows. Zero staffing or overtime pay necessary. Everyone slowing down around those spots, both directions. I dunno why they didn't put a manniquin (Resusci-Annie CPR training doll?) in the driver's seat.

DLTSX6MT

I was in Vermont about 10 or 15 years ago and saw a police cruiser that was on the median between the two opposing direction of highway traffice, turns out it was just an image of a cruiser on a big plywood cutout!

rb1

Excellent advice.

Radar detectors really only offer protection when there is other traffic around, in which case you can use the same traffic to protect yourself (within limits) without a detector.

If the detector picks up LIDAR, usually it goes off when you are caught.

There is also VASCAR which uses no emissions and hence the detector is also useless.

I used to drive with a detector (Passport) and got tickets all the time -- none of them from a radar gun, all VASCAR.

The local enforcement crew has gone almost exclusively to LIDAR.

moda_way

^^I'll go one step further, I've found the best protection is on back roads. If you're the only soul on the highway, good luck. Most cops don't hide with their KA blazing. I primarily am on I-75 in Ohio and I-64 to VA, so I get my most benefit of knowing where the cops are along back roads and it has saved me there too. All I know is State Route 32 in Ohio is a BITCH for cops because you can see for 3 miles in some places and if you don't have warning, you'll be within 1/2 mile and the cops will nail you. I simply don't believe in this mode of revenue generation.

black label

I agree 100%. My experience with cheap radar detectors is that when they go off, you might as well pull over because they already clocked you.

There is no doubt about it that the V1 is more expensive, but the arrows and "bogey counter" have some definite uses. Automatic doors are known to set off radar detectors, they also always work in pairs (one on the inside, one on the outside). If you are in an unfamiliar area and it goes off and reads "6", that's just 3 sets of automatic doors. If it says "7", that 3 sets of automatic doors AND a speed trap. The extra information they give you can be used to determine real threats from false alarms.

The other benefit of the V1 over the offerings from escort is "upgradeability". I can send my 5 year old V1 back to have it upgraded to the latest hardware, if you buy a Escort in 5 years you can buy a new one.

For those who don't know the history, Mike Valentine was the VP of Cincinatti Microwave and helped invent the 1st escort radar detector (back in the 70's), he started Valentine Electronics so he could make a better product.

Nogard13

Huh. I've seen ppl get pulled over ahead of me (people I was using for cover) on three different occasions and I never got pulled over (once in California, once in Washington State, and once in Maryland). That's why I use that tactic of staying just far enough behind the original speeder so that, if a cop spots him and turns on his lights or flips a bitch, I have enough time to see him reacting to the first guy and slow down.

Radar detectors are good when you're speeding but not blazing through traffic, and when there is plenty of traffic to camouflage yourself with.

cestmoi

In another words, radar detectors are useless is what I can sum up from everyone's comments... I'm actually trying to look for a product that combines vehicle navigation + radar detection where it shows on the map where a potential radar trap is and warns you with the same voice that guides you through turning at street X ... why isn't there such a product?!

Wisc Badger

valentine v1 for sure

escort 9500i is pretty nice too

the 8500 is good too

no cobras please... might as well just send the money right to the courthouse for your tickets

cali4tsx

see vid @@
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yU0LAzAsGnM

frank b

I've had my V1 for four years and I picked up an Escort 9500i a few months ago. The gps feature in the Escort is a nice addition to an already competent unit. Both work very well and both are loud enough. I still prefer the V1 because as many say, once you've lived with the arrows, it's hard to do without them.

davidspalding

Good points. I should'a corrected myself to "doesn't always work." I was thinking of a scenario where the officer is behind and pulsing (just saw this last week). In another strategy, where the officer is facing oncoming traffic, and pulsing approaching cars, sitting behind another is probably quite good. For one, in court (some states at least, YMMV), the officer may need to testify that he/she ascertained visually that the car being measured was in fact your car. Laser is more effective for this because it's a very tight beam (usually aimed at the bumper or front grill). RF disperses and widens at distance, so shooting a group of cars at 1000' , an officer would have a hard time testifying beyond reasonable doubt that it was YOUR car and not the one in front of you. (A friend beat a ticket years ago when a car pulled around him on a bend (divided 4-lane hwy), doing 20+ mph over him, and the officer positioned on the other side, facing them, zapped them together coming around the bend. Since my friend was doing nearer the limit, the officer naturally caught up to him first and ticketed him. Lazy bum.)

I know this is pretty good thread drift, but it bears noting that even the bestest, most expensive RD will not prevent tickets, nor does it condone or impart privilege to exceed the lawful speed limit. I'm sure I'll get flamed (again) for making note of this.

davidspalding

Other test sources:

http://www.speedzones.com/
http://www.007radardetectors.com/tests.htm
http://www.007radardetectors.com/avo...ing_ticket.htm

http://www.valentine1.com/moments/archive.asp (great stories ... you can learn from others)

csun2004

I am looking at valentine website: https://store.valentine1.com/store/
The price is $399 + $10 Shipping
I see that they have only one product... is that right? am I looking at the right one?
Please let me know if valentine have other radars and which one should I buy?

Wisc Badger

only make the V1 and it is the best radar on the market IMO


splurge on the travel case and possibly the wired display also... its worth it

davidspalding

Wired remote display is nice, but how do you plug both the RD and the display into the one "not an ashtray" power socket? 2-into-1 adapter? Messy ... and crowds the shifter, maybe (I'm guessing). Anyone actually using both in a TSX? Pics, too, please.

DAYTA

Meh, I wouldn't even bother with the concealed display.

I just hardwired mine right above the left side of my rear view mirror. It fits absolutely perfect. It's far enough from the headliner so that the windshield tint doesn't interfere with its range, which leaves just about 2-3mm of gap between it and my rearview mirror.

Beyond that, you can't even see it from the outside since the windshield tint blocks it from the front view and it's too high up to see it from the side. The only way to see it is if you're in the drivers seat, and it doesn't block your view in any way. IMO, it's the absolute perfect place to put any radar detector .

DLTSX6MT

^ I'm in total agreement. Exact same place my V1 is mounted. Completely invisible from outside the car (can't even see the suction cups on the front windshield from the outside thanks to the tint band), and yet a high and clear view out the front and the back. Far enough away that you can look at it without moving your head or readjusting your eyes too much, and close enough to work the controls without any stretching or moving anything other than your arm. This also puts the speaker just about right at your ear level.

csun2004

^^can you guys post pictures of your V1 mounted.
is $399 the right price? any recommandations where to buy? Thank you

tsx 2 nv

$399 is the correct price...i mounted mine with a 350z rearview mirror mount:


https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...350z+valentine

davidspalding

Just FYI, a radar gun/detector site recommended low on the windshield to optimize laser gun detection (which, once you're tagged, there's nothing you can do). Higher up had no better radar detection, so it's purely an aesthetic/usability/stealth issue.

That said.... I might move my crappy-a** little Whistler 1788 up there .. PITA reaching to clip it on the mount way down at the bottom on my 'shield.

DAYTA

You can only buy V1s directly from the Valentine website (no in-store purchases), and $399 is the price (no working around that).