Good review's,bogus review's

Price,false alert's,arrows are very miss leading,big,ugly.

I have used the Valentine One now for well over 3 years and all I can say is that I wish I DID NOT spend $400 on it. At first I loved the Valentine One but that was until one day when me and a friend of mying where on a highway and he was useing his Passport 8500 and his 8500 sounded off a Ka band alert and my V1 did not do anything. So Iam thinking that I spent $100 more for my V1 then my friend did on his 8500 so that should mean it should go off before my friends 8500 WRONG it did not pick up that same Ka band alert intell about 2 miles latter. If it was not for my friends 8500 I would have gotten a ticket for sure. There is a lot of BS on the internet and I know it's hard to trust everyone but Iam someone who has been useing detector's for well over 30 year's so it's not like I just opened up the box and said that the V1 is junk. I drive for a living so Iam alway's on the road and that give's me time to run detector test's and the Passport 8500 has been winning all of them. I still have my old V1 it's in my wife's car and she hate's it and we are alway's fighting over who get's to use the 8500 so Iam going to order a second 8500. The Valentine one is a very over rated detector and that is the fact's of life. As for the arrow's on the Valentine one? I say who need's them?. Iam someone who beleave's that when you are drving around you ONLY should keep your eye's on the road not your detector. I mean come off of it.You V1 people are just not to smart if you need to look at your detector everytime it go's off too see where the radar or laser is coming from. The way I see it is that when the Valentine one happy people look at there radar locator to see where the radar or laser is coming from by the time they find out what to do it well already be too late and I will have been slowed down. I know this because I drove with the V1 in my car for OVER 3 year's and everytime it went off I was trying to find out where the cop's are and it was just a big waste of time. The Valentine one fales's more then ANY detector I have ever used over the past 30+ year's.

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I have been useing detector.s for 30+ year's so I have used at least 15 to 20 kind's of them with the most recent being the Escort Passport 8500.

Superior range, directional arrows are awesome and seemed to work very well when I knew where the source of alert was.

Few more false alarms. Missing a few features (automute, easy-detach from windshield mount), and of course--Price.

After reading reviews in Radartest.com, Speedzones.com, and CarandDriver.com, I was thoroughly confused. Radartest accuses CarandDriver of having a bias in favor of Valentine. Valentine accuses Radartest's Craig Peterson of being biased against Valentine. Bottom line, who can you believe? Well I took the advice of Mr. Valentine himself. His website suggests buying a V1 and the Passport 8500 and deciding for yourself. So I did. Obviously I'm not an expert tester nor can I extensively test each radar band, so take this for what its worth. The source of my main test was using a fixed K-radar display gun that our local PD places in various locales around town. This is one of those low powered/low intensity radar guns that displays drivers' speeds as they drive by for their own information. With only one detector on and mounted at a time, I drove toward, past, turned around and drove back from behind the unit and past again. I compared not only these two detectors but also my old Whistler 945. I couldn't measure in feet of response, but rather in seconds. The V1 alerted me at least 3 seconds at 50MPH ahead of the Passport which was at least 4 seconds ahead of the Whistler. The V1 actually picked up the radar from farther away than the Passport in all directions of travel. I repeated this test several times without any significant variation. So what did this isolated test mean to me? Well, assuming V1's K-band sensitivity is slightly better than the Passport's, then that would validate the reports given by Speedzones.com and CarandDriver.com who reported the same findings. How radartest.com ended up with the Passport's K-band sensitivity being greater I don't know. Also, while doing this test with the V1, it began picking up some Ka signal as well. As I merged into another highway the directional arrows went from sideways to behind. Looking back down the other highway I was merging with was a cruiser about 15-20 car lengths back. I don't think I would've located him as quickly even if the Passport is as Ka-sensitive b/c you wouldn't have the arrows to give you the visual clues of where to look first. I let the cruiser pass and fell back until the V1 barely registered a Ka alert (which was contant). I turned it off & powered up the 8500...but got nothing. I gained some ground until the 8500 began barely picking up signal then switched again. The V1 was picking up a moderate signal at that point. This little sidenote off my original test was far less controlled, with other explanations for this discrepency including vehicle blocking or a momentary radar turn-off. However, it felt valid at the time and does seem to fall right in line with the Speedzones.com and CarandDriver.com tests. After driving with both a few weeks, I liked them both quite well. The Passport has some cool features that I personally liked and wished the V1 had. If I wanted the best detector for the money, I would've kept the 8500. However, I kept the V1 b/c my tests, along with the websites mentioned above that I now trust, indicated the V1 to have superior range. It was worth an extra $100 for superior range and those directional arrows. Of course, with the extra sensitivity comes a few extra false alarms but it wasn't significantly worse than the 8500. Plus the arrows help you ignore a few of those falses anyway.

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Head to head vs Escort Passport 8500

can custom program features and disable x band when not used in your area to decrease false alarms. advanced logic really cuts falses too bogy counter is very nice as well as the arrows to let you know where to look for source

false alerts on laser from led and neon lights, but its only when with in 40 ft of source.

I live in south florida where x band is not used at all anymore, most depts use k band and florida hwy patrol uses ka band now so i decided to disable the x band and when i did it made a big difference on false alarms now i just have to worry about when k band goes off to decide if it is real or not. that part is easy, because with the arrows i know where bogy is and the strength tells me if it is real or not. also i pretty much know what the false alarms are and where one the streets. for instanse when i leave my apt on the beach i drive and i know every business on my way that has k band door openers such as walgreens hotels etc. so when i fly down sunrise blvd and it alerts on k band i know when it is real. i was on way to work one morning when a Ft lauderdale cop pulled me over, he did not even have radar in his car but had the nerve to tell me that i was speeding, and i said to him that it was only his opinion and had no proof, he asked me why when he noticed my V1 and said oops i see you know i did not have radar in my car and told me to have a nice day. and the early laser detection also saved me 4 tickets so far when i slowed down the cars beside me zoomed pass and got the ticket, and they had cheap detecters in thiers. I am in love with my Valentine!

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all the others and been disappointed

Arrows are cool

False alarms, Range, picking up radar over hills,price. Over rated.

After reading all the great reviews on the Valentine one I had to go out in buy one and I sure did not get the same results that everyone eles on here is getting. The range on the V1 is very poor compared to my friends Passport 8500. In fact the Passport 8500 would sometimes pick up radar 2 too 4 miles before my Valentine even started to go off. I can not beleave I spent $400 for this radar detector when the Passport 8500 is a $100 less and works much better all the way around. Iam going to sell off the V1 and go out in buy the Passport because Iam looking for the best and the Valentine is not the best. Oh and by the way I have been doing some of my own research and all the experts seem to agree that the Passport 8500 is a much better detector then the V1. I know Iam just one person but I have been talking to some people that know far more about radar detectors then I do and all of them agree that the Valentine is a very over rated detector for what it really is. I must say that the V1 is useless for picking up radar over hills and I know this for a fact of life. Thank god my friend had his 8500 with him or I would have got at least 4 tickets and thats no joke.

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Cobra,Bel,friends Passport 8500

Everything. Directional arrows awsome, strength counter awsome, bogey counter, awsome, windshield mount awsome. Everything.

Having a sticker that says STEAL ME on your windshield. I recommend taking off dash and puttin in glove compartment, better for operation in warm weather too, doesnt melt on dash.

I bought my v1 off ebay. It was a v1.7 with laser, just no 4led for band identification. I've tested countless radar detectors, over the last 2 years. V1 is by far the best one i have ever used. On my way to school, its on Rural route higways, i was coming down this long 1/2km hill, on my way to school, which is about 5.6km away, according to ODO. I was reaching bottom of hill, when v1 went nuts, still going as i raised hill, and started going down other it stopped. Then as i came up it went off again. Went down another hill, off, then up on again. Ka band too BTW. As i was nearing school, i see an unmarked, rcmp police van drive by. he was coming from other side of school. In total combined distances, i estimated, it initially picked up the Ka band, roughly 8-10km away. No lie at all, i swear on my family. This saved me because i was 50 over the speed limit, late for test. My friend who was no more than 1minute behind me, had a passport 8500, and it didnt beep once. And as he was coming up the hill, the cop was going down, and nabbed him. I shouldnt say it didnt go off, it went off, right when the cop passed him, already on his way to turn around. He got slapped with a 230$ ticket + 5 demeritts. Me, my investment saved my A$$ and i couldnt be more happy. I recommend this to everyone. Saves you from a big ticket payed for, 2 small tickets payed for. WEll worth it. Any questions, email me ryder_23@hotmail.com

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(2)bel's, (1) fuzzbuster, (2) cobras

ARROW IS VERY USEFUL!!! Rear radar!

Arrow(I exactly where mall is located) Did I mentinon Price?

I drive HWY 17 everyday speed limit is 50MPH and that drives me nuts. After doing extensive researching, I decided to buy this V1. At first $454 (including concealed kit and shipping) is a lot of money especially economy not being so great but just bought it, since I do drive pretty FAST and if it doesn’t work I was going to return V1 since it comes with 30 days money back. Here is what I’ve noticed: V1 tell you exactly where shopping mall is located in town and it’s annoying driving in the city even though I drive with L logic mode. I’ve muted the volume in the city keep this thing quiet. Yesterday (4/16/2003), I late to my appointment so I was speeding about 70-75MPH this V1 started go off around 85 and 17 meet (if you know the area) so I slowed down and what do know there was a cop 1/4 mile ahead about with radar gun. Thanks to this V1, I guess I will keep the unit since it does its job. Do I recommend it? Well, Yes Is there better unit out there? Passport 8500?

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Bel and Escort

It will let you know where the nearest shopping malls and supermakets are. It will bug the hell out of you.

Do you have a year or so? that is how long it would take for me to tell you.

Well I must say that I have been useing the Valentine one now for a little over 3 years and I cannot see what the big deal is with the arrows?. I had to have a V1 after reading all the great reviews on it and now all I can say is what a bunch of BS. I was drving by a cop and it never even went off. and my friend has some cheap $50 detector in his car and his detector was picking up that same cop I past by from well over a mile away. If thats not anuff I just got a ticket on Friday with the V1 and it never even made a sound so I was thinking that was maybe because she was not useing radar or laser but nope she told me she was useing K band radar and she cloked me with it. Oh the Valentine one will let you know where the shopping malls are and all that. So Iam sitting here thinking that I spent $400 for this big ugly radar detector when it dose not even go off for the real thing. Well as you can see Iam VERY unhappy with the Valentine one. And Iam thinking about maybe just giving up on radar detectors. And it seems to me that Iam not the only person who feels this way.

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None

Arrows / Bogey Counter combo are the key Easy to understand what it's telling you Hardwire kit included (unlike the Passport, an extra $30 there) Simple and effective mounting system

None

I don't know why a bunch of you are complaining about "falses" with your V1. You are running in Advanced Logic mode aren't you? If not, you should...there's no reason not to. I own 2 V1's. The V1, Passport 8500, and Bel 980 will all detect with similar range, but the V1's arrows/bogey counter make all the difference. The V1 quite simply gives you the most information to help you make a decision as what's going on around you. Anybody that says the arrows aren't worth it obviously has never used a V1. And don't complain about price either! If you're smart, it can cost you about $25-35/yr to "rent" your V1. Here's how: buy one, use it a couple years, then Ebay it. You'll end up losing $50-75 over that 2 yr period. Try doing that with another detector. Nothing else holds it's value like a V1. V1 user for life :-)

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Various "cheap" detectors that didn't work worth a squat

For the advantages, the Valentine One has a big display and I like it. Used Valentine detector value is always a high demand and price in second-hand market on ebay. Don’t know why. The Escort does have a better detection in hilly area over the Valentine. The Escort does NOT false due to their improvement over the past ten years in developing a DSP technology. Remember, DSP technology is not new but they improved it over the past years.

I wonder what Mike Valentine doing over the past ten years, uh? Maybe, he is still proud of his work without much improvement needed and I have a feeling that Escort will beat him badly someday. A LCD color display to locate the distances and number of threats, as an optional feature to add on the detector sure will kills Valentine One. Those features will not violate the patent as long as the detector using one antenna. Again, an inexpensive GameBoy Advance SP has a colorful LCD display, I am sure detector will soon following this idea.

I have used Valentine One and Escort 8500. Both detectors have advantages and disadvantages. In fact, I don’t really like both of them, but I have no other choices for driving over the speed limit without one. I reluctantly choose the Valentine One. Let’s talk about the disadvantages first on both detectors. Valentine One false alerts is the main reason that I don’t like to use it as my Valentine. The first generation version 1.7 without the rear laser detection and display radar bands does minimize on false alerts. However, the detectors that manufacture after that period is a different story. The newest version 1.8 is the worst I have seen on false alert compare with the older version. Valentine designs never change over a decade is the second reason that I don’t like. So far, a digital camera with a clear LCD display can sell cheaper than the Valentine One. Valentine is still sticking the Red LED in the box. Many users are happy with the display is big and clear LED and so am I. I expect the conceal display can be a nice three inches color LCD to locate precisely on each radar threat with distances. I bet buyers are happy to add that optional features because it can determine the threat whether is a false off the road or a real threat on the road. Again, today technology a clear LCD is not an expensive toy compare to ten years ago. It is strange that Mike Valentine always stuck with that model without designing another type for the public to choose. For the Escort, I did not use it because the display is too small and no rear protection. (Two disadvantages against one compare with Valentine.) Is it expensive to make a bigger Dot Matrix display? Come on, a cheap digital cameras are equipped with a nice 1.8 inches colorful LCD display and the price is relative the same as the detector. It is difficult for me to see at a glance of what’s going on when I drive fast on the highway. Especially, when you set the detector to tack multiple threats, you have no idea of what it tells you. Of course, if you go to their web, you can see the radar display clearly because the picture is in front of you and it is not the true scale. When I stuck the detector to the windshield, I hardly can see at a glance. In fact, spend more than one second off the road to look at other materials is dangerous when you drive 80mph on highway. Many people said that rear protection is rare and not important. I disagree. If you are in war, will you say a front protection only bulletproof vest is a good enough protection? I doubt it. One shot of bullet coming from the back kills you instantly and ruin your life. It is simple as that. A Ka radar from rear is the weakest detection on the Escort. It is proved from www.speedzone.com Speed Measurement Lab test.

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BEL 645 STi, VRCD radar jammer, Escort 8500, Blinder M-06 laser jammer

Let’s talk about the disadvantages first on both detectors. Valentine One false alerts is the main reason that I don’t like to use it as my Valentine. The first generation version 1.7 without the rear laser detection and display radar bands does minimize on false alerts. However, the detectors that manufacture after that period is a different story. The newest version 1.8 is the worst I have seen on false alert compare with the older version. Valentine designs never change over a decade is the second reason that I don’t like. So far, a digital camera with a clear LCD display can sell cheaper than the Valentine One. Valentine is still sticking the Red LED in the box. Many users are happy with the display is big and clear LED and so am I. I expect the conceal display can be a nice three inches color LCD to locate precisely on each radar threat with distances. I bet buyers are happy to add that optional features because it can determine the threat whether is a false off the road or a real threat on the road. Again, today technology a clear LCD is not an expensive toy compare to ten years ago. It is strange that Mike Valentine always stuck with that model without designing another type for the public to choose. For the Escort, I did not use it because the display is too small and no rear protection. (Two disadvantages against one compare with Valentine.) Is it expensive to make a bigger Dot Matrix display? Come on, a cheap digital cameras are equipped with a nice 1.8 inches col

For the advantages, the Valentine One has a big display and I like it. A used Valentine detector value is always a high demand and price in second-hand market on ebay. Don’t know why. The Escort does have a better detection in hilly area over the Valentine. The Escort does NOT false due to their improvement over the past ten years in developing a DSP technology. Remember, DSP technology is not new but they improved it over the past years. I wonder what Mike Valentine doing over the past ten years, uh? Maybe, he is still proud of his work without much improvement needed and I have a feeling that Escort will beat him badly someday. A LCD color display to locate the distances and number of threats, as an optional feature to add on the detector sure will kills Valentine One. Those features will not violate the patent as long as the detector using one antenna. Again, an inexpensive GameBoy Advance SP has a colorful LCD display, I am sure detector will soon following this idea.

I have used Valentine One and Escort 8500. Both detectors have advantages and disadvantages. In fact, I don’t really like both of them, but I have no other choices for driving over the speed limit without one. I reluctantly choose the Valentine One.

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BEL 645Sti, VRCD active radar jammer, Escort 8500, Blinder M-06 laser jammer.