Excellet at telling you if there are more smokies out there than you think, especially when the radar traps are in relatively short distances apart on highways. "Sees" over hills very well. Solid units; had to send one back for a software glitch when I first got it--VR fixed it at no charge and shipped it back overnight! Great company and support.

Short learning curve regarding the arrows and sounds; newer units have LED''s to tell you the type of radar out there.

I purchased my first unit in 1992 and second unit in 1997. I just sent the 1992 unit in for the "instant upgrade" for $279, which gets me a brand new unit. The only time I have gotten a ticket in the last 9 years was when I did not have the unit in the car--I forgot to move it back to my car I drive to work after a long weekend out of town. These unit are as good as advertised and are a pleasure to use; as the American Express ad says, "Never leave home without it"!

Similar Products Used:

Old Uniden, vintage Passport circa 1985

Very sensitive in detecting X and K bands. Sensitive detection of Ka. Arrows provide a driver with additional information which is something that no other detector can do.

none

I''ve been using this detector since 1996 and haven''t regretted it one bit. At that time, Car and Driver published their radar detector comparison tests and the V1 won hands down. I realize that the most recent reviews from radartest.com and speedzone.com claim that the Escort 8500 is now the winner, but I still encounter many police officers using K band. The arguement that the Ka detection isn''t as good as some of the other detectors is almost a moot point anyway considering that instant-on detection doesn''t do anyone any good if they''re alone on the road. Several people have complained about the false alarms but I would refer them to the old Car and Driver reviews. I''d rather be able to decide for myself that it''s a false alarm and have a sensitive radar detector than a unit that tries to decide for me, often delaying the signal until sometimes it''s too late. I find it very interesting that people find the arrows confusing and complicated. They do exactly what they were meant to do. They provide the driver with additional information for him or her to decide whether or not the signal is a threat or not. According to Dave, an "idiot" would look at the arrows in order to decide whether or not it''s necessary to slow down. On the contrary, I think an "idiot" is someone who feels the need to hit the brakes "ASAP" when the detector goes off, because they aren''t capable of processing the information the V1 provides fast enough, especially considering the amount of warning time the V1 provides in most situations. Also, it''s common sense that the signal strength indicated by tone would be more important if one was in a situation where hitting the brakes "ASAP" was necessary. Over the last 5 years, I''ve enjoyed this detector immensely and will be buying an additional unit for my wife. The arrows aren''t a gimmick and they aren''t there to make decisions for you. You have to use your own intelligence to interpret them. My wife is currently using an Escort Solo and when I''m in her car, I find myself wishing the unit indicated the direction of the signal. I don''t think the ability to interpret the arrows makes me an "idiot". If you''re someone that needs to hit your brakes "ASAP" when the detector goes off or if you''re someone that will find the arrows confusing and have difficulty interpreting them, then this isn''t the detector for y

Similar Products Used:

My 5 years of experience with the V1 have more than made up for the price of the unit. If I didn''t believe in this product, I wouldn''t be purchasing a second unit for another family member.

Range, controls,

Price

I drive over 65K oer year for work and have had many of the name brand detectors and have to say the V1 beats them all hands down in all areas. For those that say they don''t need or can''t figure out the arrows....maybe they shouldn''t be speeding in the first place. I love this detector

Similar Products Used:

Bell 950, Escort 8500

The arrows are awesome. I would never get a detector without them.

None

I have had this detector for a while now and since i got it I have NOT gotten a ticket. It has always given me enough warning to slow down before getting nailed.

Similar Products Used:

None

Excellent hardwiring capability with car's electrical system. Many times has the Ka alert gone off and a mile or two later I see a CHP with somone pulled over.

It is not useful in the city, as there are many sources of radar from like malls, etc.

While some people like to hate this radar detector, it is probably they have the other competitor's detectors. Anyways, the best protection you can get is this detector, but I don't go driving fast just because I have it.

The biggest mistake is to assume ANY radar detector will prevent you from getting a speeding ticket. It is foolish of anyone to think just because this is the best radar detector that it gives you the right to be speeding. If you get the ticket it is not the radar detector's fault, rather, it is the connection between the steering wheel and the seat for not using good judgement.

Similar Products Used:

None

Direction arrow indicator
Bogey Counter
Concealed Display
Incredible range

None

By far this is the best radar detector on the market today. I have compared it to the Bel 980 and Escort 8500. The Bel and Escort are just plain toys with flashing lights compared to the V1. The range is better, you know where the threat is comming from, how many to look for and what threat is the greatest. Mike keep up the good work.

Similar Products Used:

Bel 980
Escort 8500
V1 is just simply better

Directional arrows, bogey counter, independent volume controls

LED brightness in daytime, max alert warning volume barely adequate when radio is up and sunroof is open, price

I have always owned the best radar detectors since the original Escort. By far, the Valentine One is in a class of one compared to the current crop of radar detectors. Sure, it's pricey-but its superior range and the ingeniously designed directional arrows/bogey counter make it worth the price of admission. Get past that first radar gun encounter and this thing will have already paid for itself.

The rear radar antenna makes this radar detector the ONLY detector that offers true 360 degree detection.

Its X/K detection range is as good as my original Passport (which cannot detect Ka band) and the VG-2 invisibility is an added bonus when driving through, say-Virginia, where detectors are banned.

And it's true-when other radar detectors sense radar signal-all they do is beep! This one tells you what general direction the radar signal is coming from! It's like having your own personal AWAC to sniff out radar. Once you appreciate this feature, you'll never own another radar detector without it.

My only real complaint is the LED brightness. My original V1 (I upgraded to the F&R laser and improved X/K detection model) had much better visibility of the display during the day. I had my current V1 sent back to Valentine to improve the LED but the best they could do was to put it in full brightness mode (the dimming feature is disabled). Even in full bright mode it is dim in my opinion. It was explained to me that the new V1's have a different LED than the original V1 and that the old LED cannot be retrofitted, due to the new circuitry.

As to the 2 reviewers who gave it a poor rating-they do not deserve a radar detector this good. Owning this radar detector (or any, for that matter) does not give you automatic immunity from ever getting a speeding ticket again. If you're 20-30+ over the limit-all this (or any) detector can do is perhaps reduce the "mph over the limit" number on the ticket. If you drive consistently 20-30+ over the limit-you WILL (eventually) be caught NO MATTER WHAT detector you own.

What the V1 does offer is unparalleled 360 degree radar/laser detection range, that-combined with a little common sense-will significantly reduce your risk of getting caught speeding.

And if you need any other recommendation-just pick up a copy of any car mag such as C&D, Automobile, MT or R&T. If you look closely at the pictures of a car review or comparison-the detector sitting on their windshield is a V1. If the pros use it-so should you.

Similar Products Used:

original Escort, original Passport, original Valentine 1

Pretty much everything.

Comes with a cheap cigarette-lighter adapter that doesn't have a solid connection (resets the unit once in a while). Definitely go with wiring it directly to the car.

I live in Cincinnati, where Valentine One (and also Cobra, if I'm not mistaken) is located. Went down to the store and skipped the $28 shipping charge, however I paid about the same back in taxes (which I would have had to pay anyway because it was an in-state purchase). I've had a few false alarms with the laser once, but other than that few complaints. Very well thought out, excellent design. I've had the laser detector register when I was the target (fortunately not speeding), but laser detectors in general don't seem that useful because of the accuracy of laser.

Similar Products Used:

N/A

Everything!!

Nothing!!

This is absolutely the best designed and constructed RD on the market. It allows me to determine the direction and number of contacts which in turn gives me total confidence. The "logic" modes do a good job of allowing me or the computer to determine the "threat". The cost is around $400 and purchased direct from Valentine. It may sound expensive, but you definitely get what you pay for!

Similar Products Used:

Escort & Passport

That nothing even comes close in comparison

Your weaknesses are based on your competition. If anyone comes close to making a product as great as the V1 then you can compare weaknesses.

WOW!!!! What else can be said of this unit. I can't get over how great this unit is. I have driven around the last two days finding cops. There are a lot more out there than you think!

When you can take a product out of the box and start using it without having to read the instruction manual you know you have a great product. The V1 makes sense. It's one of those products that you use and say to yourself "Why didn't I think of that".

I have a classic corvette and mainly got this unit because I am constantly being pulled over by cops for little or no reason. I have been pulled over 18 times within the last two years and only one was for speeding (80 in a 70) the rest have been for anything from my licence plate light being out to having my entire car searched for drugs because I had eaten a bagel that morning and had taken the plastic bag and scrunched it up and put it in my ashtray. The latest one was about a week ago when I was driving the speed limit (30mph), I slowly passed a cop coming the other way, he proceeded to flip around and pull me over. He informed me that I didn't have a front licence plate where I kindly informed that I do, after realizing his stupidity he told me to drive safely (which I told him I already was) and let me go. After that incident I decided it was time to start tracking them, thus I bought the V1. I was driving through town and came up on a stop light, the V1 had informed me that a cop was approaching from the rear, as they got closer they pulled up beside me and the V1 was pointing its side arrow right at them, I looked over and smiled and both of them were staring at my V1 shocked that it was pointing right at them, they looked pretty disgusted as they drove off, I guess there not used to being the hunted instead of hunter.

After reading all these reviews I got the impression that the V1 is huge. I received mine and unless they have recently down sized the size of this unit I don't understand what everyone is complaining about. I can guarantee I have the smallest windshield and it takes up no room. If it were any smaller it would be hard to read like the rest of the radar detectors out there. Also, as far as value I think most forget to get even somewhat comparable features with another detector you would have to buy four and mount one on the front windshield, one on the back window and one on each side window. That is the only way to detect location of radar with anything else. Plus, the sensitivity of every other detector is nowhere near that of the V1.

Most others have clearly explained all the other great features of this unit so I will leave it to them. As far as these reviews, Ditto on everything except for the few complaints.

If only every product had a pioneer like Mike Valentine to redesign it, how well the world would work.

Similar Products Used:

There aren't any similar products? It's in a league of it's own!