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Old May 25, 2002 | 10:50 PM
  #1  
Z-Rated's Avatar
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From: Friendswood TX
Default Radars

I went to a local stereo place tonite and was looking at radars. I have heard that everyone likes the V1, but the guys there said it doesnt come close the the 8500. So Is the V1 worth the extra cash? Those guys said that a few mags (they
conveniently forgot the mags) gave the 8500 better ratings. So does anyone run the V1 or the escort 8500? Has anyone ever used both?

Drew
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Old May 26, 2002 | 10:24 AM
  #2  
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rwb
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From: Kansas
Default Re: Radars

Yes, the V1 is worth the extra money. All of the car magazines always compare other radar detectors to the V1.
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Old May 26, 2002 | 07:40 PM
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From: Friendswood,TX
Default Re: Radars

What about the new uniden GPS detector?

New uniden radar detector
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Old May 30, 2002 | 08:56 AM
  #4  
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From: Westminster, MD
Default Re: Radars

Go with the Valentine. It is definitely worth it. I use it to avoid speed traps in Virginia, when I'm forced to travel through it. Spend the extra money and get the remote display, too.
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Old Jun 1, 2002 | 02:28 PM
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From: the third rock from the sun!
Default Re: Radars

Duuude! Spend the money, get the V1. I've had others and they don't compare. I mean in real world comparisons you or I would never know if one picked up a cop 50 or 80 feet closer than the other unless we had both units and a close cop friend. So the best bet there is to look at the magazine comparisons.

As far as I know, pretty much all the detector brands take out ads in the reputable car mags so you can hope that there's no bias there. SO...look at the results and make a decision but let me say this...even if all the brands performed identically, which they don't, and even if the others were a couple of hundred less, I would still buy the V1.

The directional arrows are awesome. You KNOW where the signal(s) are coming from. You KNOW if it's behind you and you're leaving it or it's closing in. You KNOW if it's in front of you and it's leaving you or YOU'RE closing in. You KNOW if it's to either side of you.

At first, it takes a little getting used to, particularly when you get multiple bogeys on different bands. When you realize what radars are being used around your home and which ones are dangerous it's actually fun picking out the cops before they pick you out.

What I did find out is how biased cops are towards sports cars, not that I didn't already know but I've been "instant on'ed" several times out of a line of cars. Hmmm, the truck in front of him looks to be doing 50 in a 55. The car behind him looks to be doing 50 in a 55. I bet that TA is probably doing 70 or so in between them. I'll clock him! <img border="0" title="" alt="[Roll Eyes]" src="images/icons/rolleyes.gif" /> <img border="0" title="" alt="[Mad]" src="gr_images/icons/mad.gif" />

V1 Get it.
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Old Jun 3, 2002 | 12:50 AM
  #6  
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From: Freeland, MD
Default Re: Radars

I have both the V1 and the Escort 8500. While the 8500 is a good detector, the V1 is much better, and the 8500 is not really that close.

Case in point - I leave Friendswood to go to work about 5:00 every morning. There is a jackass Friendswood cop who occasionally sets up with K-band right after a bend in the road on FM528. With the Escort 8500, I pick him up about 1/3rd of a mile away, right before the curve. With the V1, I pick the guy up as I am getting on FM528 out of my neighborhood, almost half a mile further away and at a right angle to the road.

Much of the talk on the Escort 8500 came from the results on radartest.com, which has apparently jacked with the test results since they do not get any dollars from Valentine One. The Car and Driver test was much more accurate, and showed the V1 to be the clear winner. Remember also that a salesman wants to make a sale to you, so the 8500 will get promoted over the V1, which is not sold in stores.
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