darkalley

I broke my Valentine (feel out of my hands and hit the driveway). I'm considering the escort since the Valentine is clearly showing its age. Has anyone made the change??

pjonkheer1

You are crazy if you think the Valentine is showing its age. I've had a V1 for about a year now. I would take the V1 over any other radar out there, hands down. Who cares about all the stupid features the other radars come with. The V1 gets the job done everytime and in plenty of time to react to the enemy. Do yourself a favor and spend the $400 and get the V1. I promise you will not be disappointed. Many other TL-Forum members have discussed this topic before. Do a search and see what you find.

NOVAwhiteTypeS

im actually very happy w/ the 8500. i think it has a longer KA and K range than the v1. but the v1 does have rear protection and the arrows. if u check out the cl fourm there are atleast 5 topics w/ v1 vs. 8500. to tell u the truth if I didn't live in va i would of gotten the v1 no questions asked but, I have to conceal mine in va and needed something smaller . also I know someone who got caught w/ a v1 on vg-2 in va. but I've passed numeros cops w/ my escort. sometimes at night Iwas the only one and they still didn't catch my detector.

its up to you. the escort has a 30day trial period so try it out, if you don' tlike it then get the v1.

pjonkheer1

People who get caught using the V1 are doing something wrong. I have read about people getting caught, and I never have in ALL bands. Placement of the detector makes a lot of difference in my mind. Some morons place it on their visor or on the rearview mirror. It has to be close to the dash and square in the middle with a clear view through the back window. I have saved hundreds or even into the thousands with my V1.

nickchop

Don't know a thing about V1 except from what I have read. There was something about it updating it and they would make the thing smaller.

Just got the 8500 and so far it works great. It alerted to a cop coming from the rear at least 3/4 to a mile at night. Gave me plenty of time to slow. Also, I ordered the direct wire. I am going to use the directions provided by djsteve to mount it for a close to "factory" install. It uses the blank button. Here's the thread for more info. In that thread is info to another thread that will show you a pix of it installed.

http://www.acura-tl.com/forum/showth...threadid=20360

Edub-TL

I know the V1 is expensive as hell..
Realistically, are you ever going to use the arrows? If I hear a beep, I'm not going to look at the arrows to see if it's coming from the front or the back.. I'm going to slow my ass down..

how much was the 8500??

$300?

Didn't even think about getting any detector, until I saw that "almost factory" install of the 8500..

imax

Yeh, I'd give Mike Valentine his over inflated $400 price for the V1; NOT! Like Mike Valentine is the only guy out there who knows the ins and outs of radar detection. Gosh, I bet Cincinnati Mircrowave, Passport/Escort, never even bought one of his detectors and went over it with a fine tooth comb. Thanks, but no. I would buy a V1 but I ain't gettin' $crewed. Fair value yes, and that is why I bought the Passport 8500. I had an original Passport for 10 years and it was very well constructed and saved my a$$ plenty of times. I stayed away from the interim Passport products but the 8500 seems to have gotten Cincinnati Mircrowave back at, or near, the top. So, I'll pocket the difference.

If people would lay off of the Valentine Ones at $400 and would let Mike Valentine sit on his stock for a while maybe he'd lower the prices; he is making a killing! Think about it, prices on electronics ALWAYS fall after the initial release of a product ie: vcrs, dvd, camcorders and on and on and on. And with these cheaper prices they also include new features and benefits. So yes I could understand the V1 initially being released at $400 but for 10+ years it has remained at that price and that is rediculous.

Even the Passport 8500 is to high at $299, but I didn't pay that

NBP TL

Hey im happy with my BEL 870.

gohawks63

I agree with the comments I've read regarding the cost of the V1.

When I bought my Passport 4500 eight years ago, my wife's boss told me to buy a V1. I just couldn't justify $400. I still have that Passport and it has paid for itself at least ten times over and I paid half of what the V1 cost. I have not been pulled over once, as a matter of fact, it saved me twice yesterday.

As someone else stated, once I hear it beep, I slow down. I don't need to know how many signals or from what direction.

Rear detection is a gimmick for radar detection since radar coming from behind will bounce off of obstacles ahead of you and cause the detector to go off. Laser is another story, but if your detector is signalling Laser, it's probably too late. Go to http://www.radartest.com/ for an in-depth explanation.

I'm though, very close to upgrading to the 8500.

My wife on the other hand has a Uniden that falses so bad that I catch myself ignoring it. Maybe I'll give her my old one and I'll get the 8500.

AC

Didn't MT or one of those mags do a test on all the radar detectors and had the Escort on top followed by the V1. I'll admit, the V1 saved me a few times. Can't say one way or another how well the Escort works, don't own one.

ExNuke

Personally I think the V1 is well worth the price. It has never let me down. It was a Christmas present, but it was the detector that I wanted. I first learned of the V1 from a friend, and found out that the company has first class customer service (I also live in Cincinnati) My friend drove a Legend and the company modified the power source circuitry to correct for a voltage spike that his car would experience. The modification was free. You can walk into the shop and meet Mike. When my wife had a shipping question and called about it she was put on hold. After a couple of minutes and some "sorry for the delay, we are transfering you to a supervisor" recordings, the next voice was "Hello, sorry for the delay, this is Mike Valentine, can I help you." Try and get that from Escort. I'm not flaming Escort, had one before the V1, but there are several factors in a satisfying purchase.

I also find the directional indicator is a fantastic feature.

Now a couple of questions for both sides. Do any of you have tinted windows, with or without metalic, and did it really affect your detectors performance?

gohawks63

I've always had tinted windows (non-metallic) and have not experienced any problems. My detector sits between the headliner and the rearview mirror (just below the dot matrix and tint). Since RADAR is radio waves it shouldn't be affected by non-metallized tint. I have read that the Laser detection is the only think that may suffer when positioning the detector behind tint (metalized or not)

Cars which contain a metalized windshield will seriously hamper detector range. A few Ford cars (Lincolns and Taurus) had a metalized front windshield that would actually work as a defroster as opposed to defogging. Early GM minivans (Silohette, Lumina, Transport) and the same type of windshield. They were easy to spost as they drove towards you.

edgalang

I have metallic tint all around except for the windshield. This was exactly why I chose the 8500 route, as rear and side detection would be virtually worthless for me. I have mine mounted right on top of the center dash (right behind/top of the light sensor) for low profile driving.

kilroy

I recently bought an Escort 8500. It was a toss up for me - price finally won out. Also, V1's web site said that they weren't doing upgrades due to a parts shortage.

The 8500 is supposed to be "software upgradable". I hoped that this meant I could do it myself. However, there is only an RJ-11 type connector to plug into it ,which supplies power. I am sure that upgrading would require special equipment at the factory.

Edub-TL

I can't tell how many pins are used from the pics, but the RJ-11 can have 4 pins. probably 2 for power, 1 for ground(if even used).. but I bet they can tap into the extra wire and one other one to communicate with it..

But I'm betting that they probably upgrade it by utilizing the radar itself.. similar to how you program one of those universal TV remotes..

nitrous696

How about the Uniden and Cobra radar dectector that only cost like $150 dollars, do they work pretty well?

oblio98

I've had a V1 for a long time, since they came out. I am on my 3rd unit (upgrade/replaced). I always "look" to see where the radar is.

Yes, I believe that the unit should be $300, but if $400 keeps them in business, then it is worth it.

Don't forget, "Mike Valentine" was one of the co-founders of Escort?Passport - Cincinnati Microwave. I had Escorts and Passports before the V1 was introduced.

But, the 8500 looks damn nice. If I had one of those, I'm sure I would be happy. It comes down to a personal decision.

Actaully, the most important thing about speed detection it that the driver PAY ATTENTION. Most of the time, if you pay attention to the road ahead, that coupled with your radar detector will get you out of 90% of speed stops.

It's amazing how many people will not see a cop on the side of the road until they are right on top of them, then thy jam on their brakes, causing the car to "nose down", screaming... "HELLO, ARREST ME!"

:-jon

PaulKCK

My Passport 7500 broke awhile back. Was a no brainer and went with 8500 in my Maxima. Later bought the TL-S and needed another detector, so I wouldn't have to keep switching between cars.
I think the 8500 is a great detector but have come to love the V1. It is nice to see how many radars are in the area and I do like the directional arrows.
Don't think you can go wrong with either, just prefer the V1 after owning both.
FWIW Paul

Mr Hyde

I disagree, with Instant ON aimed right at you if you are the only car in the road and he wasnt clocking anyone ahead of you by the time your detector goes off its too late. If the cop is using Laser, if your detector goes off, just start pulling over, you just got a ticket. I got nailed once with laser as I was rounding a bend. Detector went off as I was coming around the corner, and there he was on the side of the road. Too late. With Radar it saved my butt a few times. And the arrows are the BEST feature of any detector out there. I agree with your opinion as to ideal placement. Thats exactly where I keep mine, low at the center of the dash with a clear unobstructed view to the rear.

gohawks63

My wife currently had a Uniden and it detects radar no problem, but it falses so freakin much that I want to through the thing out the window!!!

gohawks63

Couldn't agree more. I know so many people that think that just because they have a detector, they're safe. You have to get to know how your detector works, always make sure someone is ahead of you (to catch instant on before it's you), and understand if you're alone late at night and decide to speed, you're gambling.

Passport vs. V1? It's a toss-up, but go to www.Motortrend.com for the latest test. I think the Passport edged out the V1.

pjonkheer1

I for one am also a big fan of the directional arrows on the V1. No matter how good your radar is, you are always going to get some form of false alarms. With the arrows, it becomes very easy to deliberate whether or not the source is a true enemy or not. Also, the rear detection works just as well as front detection through my tinted windows.

Indyjenks

I have the Escort SR-1 remote radar unit. Love the performance of it and the fact that it has a rear laser detector. On of the reasons I went remote was the uncluttered interior appearance and the tinted windo controversy.

bricot

Question for those of you that have had your V1's for long time.

Speedlabs indicated that the unit is pretty large compared to other models, but hinted at the fact that they had something new in the works. I emailed them with that question and the reply I got was that they are shipping a unit that is 1" in height, better range, better Ku capability.

Is the 1 inch in height smaller than the units that you purchased?

pjonkheer1

My V1 is about 1" in height. If anything, it's a little less.

Another note on the V1... Out of the radars I've used and seen, the V1 has the best mounting kit of all of them.

They are always improving the capabilities of the V1 in terms of range etc...that is why they are upgradeable. I don't know of any other radars which give you this perk.

bricot

So the current height isn't the 'new' unit that speedlabs alluded to? I wonder what the heck they were alluding to...

1000bpm

I bought both the V-1 and the 8500 within the last 2 months and here are my brief observations:

1) The V-1 falses more than the 8500 does in city driving. Quite a bit more.

2 The V-1's mounting mechanism is superior to the the 8500. The 8500 rattles against the front windshield when going over bumps. No such problem with the V-1. Also the V-1 gives you more mounting options. I also have the separate display and it is really cool.

3) Cosmetically the 8500 is more attractive than the V-1. However I feel much of the criticism levelled against the V-1's cosmetics are exaggerated. I have the "new" unit and it it is barely bigger than the 8500. And the cosmetics grow on you after a while. The V-1 feels to be more substantially built than the the 8500.

4) Sensitivity-wise both are excellent. Haven't done any A-B tests but both units are comparable. They have saved my butt more than a few times in recent weeks. Am planning a road trip over the long weekend, will post a comparison when I get back.

5) For ease of use I have to give the nod to the 8500. Not that the V-1 is complex to program, just that the buttons on the 8500 are more intuitive. Took me 20 seconds to hhok up and attach to the winshield.

Overall I still can't determine a clear favourite. As far as I'm concerned you can't go wrong with either unit. However there is no denying the fact that the V-1 is favoured by driving enthusiasts.

pjonkheer1

I thought the V1 was a cakewalk to setup. Quite simply because there was virtually no setup. You select your Logic mode and it's ready to go. The V1 doesn't even have any buttons on it to get confused by. The knob simply pushes in to make your selections. I guess it's personal preference....

1000bpm,

What logic mode are you using the V1 in? I use full logic in the city and receive very few false alarms.

1000bpm

I forgot to add in my previous post that the directional arrows on the V-1 are a BIG PLUS. If you haven't used them then you probably don't know what you're missing. But once you do, you defintely feel handicapped switching to a detector without them.

pjonkheer1
I use the full logic mode for city driving.

NOVAwhiteTypeS

I had that same problem with the 8500, but I just turned off X band and it rarly falses. I turned off X band because I know our couny cops use K and our state troopers use KA.

fast_daddy_car

Motortrend didn't do their own review, they just referenced someone elses. What is interesting is motortrend shows the picture of the current model (smaller) V1, while the site that did the testing tested the older model!!!

I bought both and tried them. You really have to do this, and it doesn't cost anything. I kept the V1, the 8500 went back.

I can't see why people are complaining about price, you just spent $30,000+ for a car and you are complaining about $100 difference???
The build quality (metal vs plastic), the mounting system (v1 is solid on the windsheild, the 8500 bounced around), and better features. And the V1 is really 2 detectors (front and back radar antenna)

Size wise, the V1 is lighter, and the V1 is smaller. A bit wider but much shorter. The same thickness.

The V1 automatically adjusts its brightness to the ambient light. So as you turn into/away from the sun the display automatically dims/brightens. Same for night.
I liked the dual volume controls better on the V1 over the 8500. If I was pushing bass out the radio, 8500's speaker is not aimed at driver and couldn't hear it sometimes.

I also like the remote display on the V1, complete duplicate of the control panel. I mounted it in the dash, in front of the right gauge cluser over the little green key. I mount the V1 in the tint band, right side of the rear mirror. Out of the way and fully functional.
My tests shown both the V1 and 8500 were unaffected by the tint band on the CL-S.

The arrows are priceless.
With the 8500, you get a beep, where do you look???? You have no idea what is going on! Is the signal coming from the car you just passed, or is it up further? Was it an instant-on blip from the front or rear? How long do I drive slow for until I feel safe? One or two miles as these things do have this kind of range. Was it a patrol car coming onto the highway behind you who just turned off their unit, and are now able to pace you?
Face it, the detector beeps and you still have no clue.

I was pasing a store where I normally get a false, this time it showed 2 sources. (yes, the 8500 also has this feature). As I passed the store, there was the bogey in the parking lot with radar gun aimed at highway. After I passed, the car next to me took off. I was about to, but my V1 now said one source behind me and one source still in front!!!! 2 blocks later the car with the active radar was sitting in a side street, nailed the other car.

When my 8500 got a single blip, I had no idea what was going on.
If the V1 gets a single blip to the front, I know instant on up ahead. In both cases the bogey could be 1-2 miles ahead! If I get a single V1 blip from behind, I know to watch my back, could be a car coming up from behind or a trap I passed or on other side of the road.

You just have to try both.

bricot

Nice reply fast_daddy_car, I am definately leaning toward the V1. Just ordered sways, I'll have to wait a little while...

imax

If ya got the V1 you're gonna justify the $400; don't blame ya. Positive reinforcemnt for wasted $$$$$$

darkalley

Well, I can't make up my mind. I agree that the arrows are great and I may miss them. Which is why I may just stick with the V1. Now, I think I read that the guys who do the test for Motor Trend somehow consult for Escort and Uniden. If this is true there test may not be totally fair. I would love to get the new V1 and try it next to the escort.

PaulKCK

I do not agree that the V1 falses more. In the standard mode it picks up all radar. There are many X-band automatic door openers that set off the V1. Interesting seeing 7 different x-bands in a supermarket parking lot.
On the same stretch with the 8500, it filters out much of the annoying x-band from the door openers.
Altough, I did have another detector in a car directly behind me set of my V1 for about 10 blocks. Who knows, my advice spend the extra $100 and get the V1.

fast_daddy_car

Great move on the sways! I also have them, made a huge difference in handling on my cls, but did not detract from the ride quality at all. I also wend with sways before my detector tests.

TUFF GONG

Haaa, I was gonna post the same thing as I was reading down the thread.
But I think the arrow's are like the Navi to some people, once your used to it, you got to have it. I love my V-1 and I'm sure the 8500 is also a nice piece. But I'll stay with old faithfull. It's been saving my a$$ for over 6 years or so

fast_daddy_car

I don't get this. I bought both the V1 and 8500. I could have went either way. After trying them both for a few weeks, I found that the V1's arrows really work and are a big help. Worth the extra $100 imho. I don't have to justify a bad decision, as I made a well informed decision.

And if you add up the extras the V1 gives where the 8500 charges extra (visor clip, longer cable, hardwire kit), the price difference comes down to more like $60.

Now if I was spending $2k+ on a navi I would rarely use, or $500 on a spoiler I can't see from inside, or $3k+ on nice rims/tires, now we are talking serious cash. If you are complaining about saving $60-100 dollars, you should have thought twice before spending $30k+ on a new car.

For the wife I would go for the 8500, as the arrows would most likely just confuse her

imax

Here is a link to a post on the 8500 at eopinions . . .

http://www.epinions.com/content_30841147012

It is what led me to search online for suppliers, other than Cincinnati Microwave, for the Passport 8500. The posters price referral is 100% correct and I was able to purchase the 8500 directly from someplace other than Cincinnati Microwave and save a nice chunk of change.

There are many objective, well thought out posts on eopinions on botht the V1 and the Passport 8500 but once I saw I could get the 8500 at the refered to price in the post I went with that.

Actually, eopinion reviews on both the V! and 8500 are VERY positive and helpful so read them. I just felt that the two detectors were very close in performance and for $150 savings I went with 8500.

So hey, enjoy your V1, enjoy your 8500 they're both at the top of the heap.

If you want to purchase the Passport 8500 and are curious as to where I got it send me an email

Turboara

imax, thanks for the link, I was about to get a bel 980 b/c I found it for $220, but if I can get an 8500 for about that much I'd rather get that. If you don't mind, where & how much?