I've searched and it seems everyone worships either the Escort 8500 x50 or the Valentine V1. Several websites have the Bel as being better if not as good as the other two. When searching through all the posts, its hard to find anything comparing Bel to the other two and if there is any mention of Bel, it is usually comparing an older model to an older escort and the reigning champ V1. Anyone on ls1tech think the new Bel is any good?

 

Ive used just about all radars they make from the cobras (dont tell anyone ) to wistlers to bells to escorts all the way up to the v1s.

Bells are alright but if you have ever used a V1. Youll know why everyone uses them. Try one out, its the best there is

 

i heard the V1's are hard to program. Or atleast harder than the Bel and Escort.

 

don't forget to use zaino too, the best polish there is!

it's a ***** contest between bel, escort, and v1. they're higher end models are all relatively the same. bel is a little below escort and v1, but not enough to be concerned about.

 

Bel and Escort are the same...in some test Bel comes out first sometimes Escort...
I picked a Bel over the Escort becouse the voice alert.
I picked the Bel over Valentine couse in about a half year ago Valentine did not come with POP detection.... V1 outperformed everything in X band, K band...but those are old bands getting replaced by Ku band where V1 sucked... but since then V1 added POP without public announcement...(they knew that without POP detection soon they can close the business)


http://www.radarbusters.com/support/...mendations.asp
https://ls1tech.com/forums/wiring-stereo-electronics/264145-official-best-radar-detector-comparison-thread.html
http://www.radarbusters.com/
http://speedzones.com/

If you ever buy one get a NEW one from ebay.(best prices)

 

Yeah, the BEL is a good detector, a solid performer. For the same price, I couldn't recommend anything better.

Beltronics is owned by Escort now, and the RX-65 and X-50 supposably share a some internal components. The BEL RX-65 and 8500 X-50 are pretty much the same performance-wise. The operator's manuals are almost the exact same too. There are only a few major differences:

-The X-50's multiple-threat display can display 2 Ka, 2 K, and 4 X band radar sources, the RX-65 can only display one of each (the strongest)
-The RX-65 had Ku band, the X-50 doesn't.
-There has been some recent speculation that the RX-65 is more sensitive to X-band, but that might just be production variation between different units

Right now, I would recommend the RX-65 as a better investment than the X-50.

A radar manufacturer is currently testing out a ptototype of a Ku band radar unit for use in the US. FCC approval could come later this year, and this unit would be available for police. Any detector that doesn't have Ku will be vulnerable. Escort has said that they will have a solution when Ku is released, however X-50 owners will be stuck with sending their units in for a software (and possibly hardware) upgrade, and it would be VERY surprising if this is free. You can probably find the RX-65 cheaper than the X-50...

I own an RX-65 and a Valentine One. My biggest complaint about the RX-65 is the audio alerts. When I am "right on top" of an operating radar unit, I expect a constant tone from the detector. The RX-65 still pauses between beeps and never reaches a constant tone. This makes it more difficult to judge the severity of a threat based on the audio tones. I also don't like the way the tones themselves sound. Not as distinct as other detectors.

Now, as far as the V1 goes, if you've never driven with one, you should definitely try it. It is more expensive than the others, but since it has front and rear antennas, it is like two detectors in one. Really, it is in a class of it's own. However, it might not be a good unit for someone who does a lot of speeding in the city, or who is easily annoyed by false alerts. With the dual antennas, it "falses" from motion sensors etc twice as much as the other detectors. But you can program some of this out. I wouldn't trade my V1 for any other detector, but that is my own personal preference.
I know some of these links were posted already but here's my comments on them too...

Bob "The VEIL Guy" did an extensive real-world review on the three detectors. You can find it here:
http://www.laserveil.com/en/ultimate.../introduction/

Speed Measurement Labs did a test in 2004 (This was before the new V1 version with POP protection):
http://www.speedzones.com

Here's Radar Roy's tests:
http://www.radarbusters.com/support/...ts/Default.asp

If you really want to know more about what people think about these units, stop over on the radardetector.net forums, I'm one of the mods on there:
http://www.radardetector.net/

Jim

 

As far as im concerned V1 and zaino are the best. You can stick with your bel and turtle wax

 

ha! i don't use a bel nor turtle wax, for starters. try visiting a professional detailing website (www.autopia.org) and see what they have to say about zaino - not very much!

 

at 1.5 miles the rx65 reads 2/8 bars, and the x50 reads a full warning (all bars) on Ka band. most people would totally ignore 2 bars, so i'm not sure how you could say the one that detects the most common radar band the LEAST is the better detector of the two...

 

If you about to get a Valentine 1...think again...

 

Do you really trust a personal review made by this guy.........

 

no, he's not a ls1tech zaino user!

 

I'm still on the fence as to what detector to get. User input from this site has me leaning toward the V1 but most of the reviews from the various reference sites have me thinking about the Bel or Escort. Any definitive reasons why i should pick one or the other?

 

it's simple: ls1techers use the products other ls1techers rave about (ex. v1, zaino, etc). there are always many other choices out there, and while ls1techer choices may not be bad in and of themselves, they are not necessarily always the best choices at all.

choose how you want, because i think you'll personally be happy with any of them.

 

Well, all three are so close in performance, you wouldn't go wrong with any of them.

There IS one exception though: rear detection. V1 has dual antennas, and clearly has the advantage here. People would have to be be crazy not to recognise the advantage of having a rear antenna.

Some detectors advertise 360 degree radar protecton, or bi-directional antennas. This is BS. other detectors depend on weak reflections to detect radar from the rear.

People can discount the importance of rear detection all they want, the fact is there is same-lane moving mode radar, it is easy for police to sneak up through traffic and target select vehicles. There are countless other scenarios as well. Many people with other detectors will say "I've never had a problem with rear detection". That is pretty much like saying "I've sped by a cop using a Rocky Mountain Radar jammer and I didn't get a ticket, so it MUST work!" It only takes one time not detecting or detecting too late in order to get a ticket.

However, if you are someone who is easily annoyed by false alerts, then the V1 probably isn't your best choice, as it will have 2X the number of falses as other detectors due to the rear antenna. You would be better off with one of the others (I recommend the RX-65 for reasons stated above)

V1=Enthusiast level detector
BEL & Escort=Probably better for the average user

Just go with your gut. All three detectors provide you with a good level of protection, and like I said, you really wouldn't go wrong with any of them.

Jim

 

I said it is a better investment, and if you are in the market right now, it is.
In a few months, SML will be having another test. They are supposed to be testing a new Ku band radar gun, whether those results will be made public or not, I don't know. This gun might be available to police later this year. I can say for sure that the X50 will NOT alert to that gun at all, and X50 owners will at the least be stuck with sending their unit back for an upgrade. The RX-65 already has Ku (so does V1)...

I'm also not saying that the RX-65 is definitely as sensitive as the X50, I am just saying that IMHO it is far from being conclusive that it isn't. At that range, if one detector is pointed exactly at the radar unit, and the other is a few degrees off, there could be a major difference in the results. The only way to get "exact" results is to test in a lab under controlled conditions. The idea of "mounting the detector in the vehicle and driving towards the radar" is hardly the best way to test. These kinds of tests DO give you a good general idea about performance, but you shouldn't accept the results as the final word. You'll see big differences in range etc depending on the test, and you'll even see some variations in SML's test results between different years.

It would be wise to think twice about ignoring ANY Ka alert, no matter how strong. Usually, Ka = COP. Once in a while you'll get a brief Ka false from the LO of old detctor in another car, but they've done a great job at filtering these kind of falses. A big part of using a detector effectively is proper interpretation of the alerts by the user...

Jim

 

jim - i'm unsure about the bel, but i'm positive the 8500 x50 has rear radar and laser detection.

 

Both the RX-65 and the X50 DO have a rear LIDAR sensor.
But, for radar, it's a different story.

You'll see a lot of detectors advertising such things as "360 degree protection" or "bi-directional antennas" but this is nothing more than marketing hype. Horn antennas are directional by their very nature. The fact is, all detectors except for the Valentine rely on weak "reflections" off of objects to detect radar hitting them from the rear. Any detector can detect -some- radar from the rear, if there are enough reflections.

The last time SML did a -comprehensive- rear radar test, V1 detected Ka at 2 1/2 miles, the most any other detector got was 1/2 mile, pretty big difference there. The only test they've done since then was only at 1/4 mile, and the results only said if the detectors alerted or not.

Honestly, does common sense tell you this is designed to detect rear radar?:




Jim

 

I agree. Ka band is the most common (at least in my area). Why people argue about how bel radars are better then V1s astounds me.

Talk to people that actually have V1s.

 

Well i'm sure the only straight answers i can get are from people who have all of them, not just one.