i was wondering which radar detector most people have here. i was looking to get the valentine one but i can get a good deal on the passport 8500. which radar detector do you guys prefer?

 

DO a search. Im sick of everyone asking about radar detectors. We have about 800,000 threads about the V1 and the 8500.

 

dude if you have nothing to add to the thread dont reply. i can care less if your tired of seeing threads about radar detectors. next time just stfu

 

Well you should know better then post some worthless thread. Piss on.

 

My 8500 will soon be modded into my rearview mirror with indicators in my dash and controls where my power window controls are

Man I need a broken 8500 cadaver (sp?).... :p

 

a few week ago I was @ Costo, just looking around & i came across this radar detector. i'm really happy with it. It covers all radar bands used today, long range. it has already saved me several times. you can either go wirless or can plug it in to 12v. its made by Sensoro, Silver bullet rx7500. The best thing of all is that it was only $84.00. Also as you know with costco i have up to 1 year to take it back, no questions asked. I don't see my self taking it back, because i'm totaly happy with it. Just my 2 cents

 

despite the fact that I am also tired of this repeated topic, I will at least leave a useful post. I have the 8500 and I love it. someone on this forum currently has both the V1 AND 8500 hardwired and on his car. We're still waiting for his results.

 

sorry if my post was un-useful. just trying to add to the conversation, doubt if anyone had my info to share. People seems pretty friggin edgy today. I dont think someone should be jumped on because a topic might have come up before.

 

i love costco!

 

I just ordered my Escort SR7 with Z3 Laser Shifter. I have a few customers that have them and they love them. A lot of user settings. For instance you have the ability to shut off X band cause door openers use X band and in South FLA they do not use X band. Valentine One does not have an automute. Go to Epinons dot com and read some of the reviews almost all of them are good.

 

I'm going with the 8500 X50 one of these days. I have a few Bestbuy gift cards to use and I've been waiting for the BB by me to stock the X50. So naturally, I stopped by there to see if it was in stock (it was) and my gift cards were home....go figure.

 

PS: V1 rules.

 

I realize this horse has been beaten to submission. I own a V1 and I feel the performance is second to none. Sorry 8500 people!

One thing to consider, you can enter your V1 Vin# on their site, and they will run your number to see if there were any enhancements or improvements to your unit.

If there were, you can send your V1 back to them for the latest improvements for a nominal fee.

With this in mind, why would I buy a detector that will be old technology in a year or two and be in the market again for another $300-$400 bucks?

 

V1 V1 V1. "Once you have the arrow you will never go without them again!"

 

i know thats it a repeated topic. if you have something to contribute to the thread then feel free but if you dont then just ignore it, its not gonna kill you if you do or dont. but i see alot of topics that have been talked about before and i just read if i have anything to add i will. i dont know why people have to be such assholes these days.

 

ANDYTRAN, try this out...
http://www.acura-tl.com/forums/showt...adar+detectors

The 8500 has secondary indicators and controls??? this I did not know....

 

If Talking About Radar's Makes Him Mad Dont Ask Him About A Cai.AND HE MIGHT WORK FOR THE POST OFFICE :ar15:

 

I purchased a Passport 8500 about two years ago for about $250. Sold it on ebay a couple of months ago for $200 and bought the new 8500 x50 for $250.

The 8500 and V1 are the top detectors and should be the only consideration. For me the arrows we not worth the extra money.

 

Highly reccomend this review. If you, guys are in radar detectors, read it.

http://www.radarbusters.com/default.asp

 

my 8500 serves it's purpose!

 

i have had both and had both in the car at the same time. i prefered the 8500's features over the v1. it falsed less, both had identical range, but the expert mode on the 8500 is what won me with its abality to show 12 different radar signals and there strength. both are great but the 8500 is my favorite and looks a hell of alot better

 

Have you gotten a quote for an upgrade? Last time I checked it was upwards of $275! I don't thing that's nominal...

 

thanks alot guys. i think im gonna get the passport 8500 x50.

 

you can turn off x band in the V1, you just have to program it to be off, i have the v1 and i turned it off since no cops around my area use x band radars. one other thing.....hamma, VIN stands for vehicle identification number, the v1 doens't have a vin number, but there is a serial number on the bottom and for an upgrade, when a new version of V1 comes out, i'm not gonna send mine back for an upgrade cause yes...it does cost a fortuen, instead i'm just gonna sell it on ebay cause the most you will lose is probablly like 20 bucks since V1's hold their value.

 

My V1 upgrade cost $149

 

Both the Escort and V1 are the cream of the crop. I like everyone else had a tough time justifying the extra expense of the V1. My coworker bought the X50 and I bought the V1. I bought the V1 for the directional arrows and especially the concealed display since I'm in VA. We took a ride looking for cops in Vienna during lunch a couple of times last week. Vienna is loaded with cops running radar. My observations were the following: In straight line performance, both were about equal. The V1 had a slight 1-2 second edge, but both gave rediculous early warnings. The X50 falsed less in the city, but the V1 was definately not annoying at falsing, but the X50 was just a tad better. Around corners, there is no competition. The V1's range and sensetivity was much better. On Rt. 66, the Escort seemed to pick up Ka sooner than the V1, by 1-2 seconds. On the other hand the V1 picked up K band 1-2 seconds faster. The directional arrows of the V1 are simply put amazing. It makes spotting the police much easier when you know where to look. The X50's display is very attractive. Most complain about the V1's size. It's thicker than the X50, but it's also shorter. Last, but not least, rear detection in the V1 is remarably better than the escort x50. On our way back from our last ride, the V1 went off. The X50 was silent. The V1 got stronger and the arrow was pointing towards the rear. The X50 detected the car about 5 seconds after the V1 which doesn't sound like much, but when your there, it feels like an eternity. Both detectors are absolutely fantastic and you can't go wrong with either of them. The V1 is just a more rounded detector. Is it worth the extra money? That's up to each person.

 

... i spend a whole 25$ for a generic... does the job

 

So far, this is what I think...

The V1 is an "amusing" detector to drive with. The arrows are fun to watch, but what I still don't understand is that regardless of where I'm being hit from (front, side, back) it doesn't really matter since I'll be slowing down anyways. IMO, it's rediculous when someone uses the argument that the arrows are a "must". Maybe a V1 veteran can educate me on this, but when you get blasted with the Ka band, the wiser driver will slow down REGARDLESS of where it's comming from. Don't get me wrong, I'd rather have arrows than not, but whether or not its "trully" a must, is still VERY debatable.

Without the arrows, the 8500 edges out the V1 when it comes to daily driving. Maybe it wouldn't matter to those that don't get annoyed by false warnings, but when I'm crossing the bay bridge (Oakland to San Francisco) the V1 just won't shut up. Unlike the 8500, I can easily get 30-40 false warnings (single bar X & K) from my 32 mile commute one way with the V1, whereas I get about 5 false warnings from the 8500.

I realize that aesthetics is subjective, but so far, according to all my passengers (who knows very little about radar detectors & cars in general) feel that the 8500 "looks" better and suprisingly they all think it costs more $$ too. One thing I do admit though is that when it comes to the windshield mounting design, the V1 wins. Unless you plan to modify the 8500, prepare to get more rattles over rough roads (I fixed my unit with a 1 inch square electrical tape to tighten the gap between the metal holder & the unit itself to prevent rattles).

Also...keep in mind that you are only detecting signals like maybe 5% of the time. So, unless your detector is busy reporting false alarms, most of the time it's just sitting there pretty. The one feature that I wish the V1 had was a better display with a feature you can acually use while the detector is not busy detecting. While some might show a digital compass, others show the output voltage of your battery. I for one prefer the voltage meter since if you have a big system, this can actually become very usefull. With it, you can track and monitor the life of your battery if you are ever parked in a secluded spot (with your partner) and judge how long you can either keep your radio or entertainment system on before your battery dies. The 8500 also has a low voltage feature that alarms to tell you when you should turn the engine back on to recharge.

I try to keep my opinions as neutral as possible, and I'll be keeping this setup for a long time, so unlike most of you, I have the best of both worlds. But...IF I HAD TO CHOOSE to purchase ONE detector my vote would go for the X50. Sorry V1 guys.


P.S.
The V1 (v1.7) can detect K bands farther than the 8500.

 

thanks alot edgalang. after reading what people have said i am going to get the passport 8500. i really like the new one with the blue lights. but it cost alot more so we'll have to see.

 

I am always aware of what cars are behind me (cops pacing, etc). When V1 goes off I instanteously glance at the arrows. If it's behind me, I assume it's a source in the opposing lane of traffic. Why?
(1) If it was a stationary cop in my direction I would have seen it as I passed him.
(2) As I said, I always learn who's behind me to look for pacers. And, it's very rare to have a cop driving and radaring at the same time.

Anyhows, I want to be sure everytime I glom the brakes on that I really have to because you are just increasing the chance that some idiot following too close to you will smash into your rear-end. Spontaniously breaking for no apparent reason (to other people) is a dangerous thing...

And, like everyone else, the arrows are just cool

 

agreed

 

 

I am getting the 8500 as soon as i can cash a paycheck....

 

Bel RX-65 - has anyone purchased this one? The radarbusters seemed to like it a whole lot - and its plug in laser shifter is a couple hundred dollars less than Escorts. Years ago I had a Bel product and really liked it - then Escort and V1 took over the seen - maybe Bel is on the comeback

 

Don't count on it... (Bel coming back that is)

 

Bel is now owned by Escort