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DOA

Just arrived DOA...called 800 number...will not overnight me a replacement for my weekend trip. Paid $24.50 for overnight shipping to get it. What a waste. Will take days/week to get replacement. Not good customer service.

Has from my tests, better range of detecton that the V1

Not as good as the V1 in K or X band.

I just got my V1 to compare the two on the 12th of February. I know a little bit about tests and measurments from a college course and I''ve tried my best to honestly judge the two. I''ve spent many hours with fixed and moving radar guns (X band is not used in Utah but the automatic door openers and such behave the same as traffic radar for the most part), and have run the two side by side, seperate sides of the windshield, and seperate from each other. My test thus far has shown me that The V1, so far is better than the Escort in X and K bands. Like I said its not been too scientific but the V1 beats the Escort by a second to 7 or 8 seconds depending on how fast and in what circumstance. The Escort is better than the V1 in Ka band sometimes edging out the V1 by a second or two up to 5 or 6 seconds depending on the speed, gun, and or situation. Both are great detectors. When Looking at the two in direct comparison, I guess the main thing to decide is price, what radar is most dominant in your area, if you like the radar locator feature of the V1, and perhaps the other features and styles that differ between the two. I''m still not sure whether I''ll send the V1 back or keep it or whether I''ll be selling the Escort.

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Uniden RD9: Way back when Cobra Trapshooter Bell 966i Valentine 1 in 1992 upgraded in 1996 Valentine 1 newest version 1.8 two weeks ago.

Better in Ka Band? Cheaper

Lacks in K band. No arrow/directional alerts

I just got the newest version of Valentine One in the mail on the 12th of February. Today is the 26th with a few more days to play and test before making a definite decision. I also own a Passport 8500. I have a little bit of experience with tests and measurements from college courses on my way to a bachelor’s degree. So far I’ve logged about 2000 or more miles and have spent 2 or 3 hours besides on the road testing comparing these two great detectors. To attempt at making things fair and as objective as possible, I’ve run the detectors side by side, separated in different corners of the windshields and switched them back and forth, and I’ve run them alone separately with fixed radar sources. My test are far from scientific but The V1 in my tests consistently beat the Passport in K band detection. Sometimes by a second or two and sometimes by as much as 7 or 8 plus seconds depending on the situation, speed, angle, and other variables. X band testing is a moot point for me as there are no real traffic radar threats in X band in my state. The V1 however seemed to outperform the Escort 8500 consistently on all the automatic door openers, microwaves, etc. which behave no differently than true traffic radar. In Ka band testing, the Passport made up some ground. As the V1 beat up the Passport in K band, the Passport has excelled in Ka band. However, the Ka band test hasn’t been as consistent for me as the K band test. In a fair amount of scenario’s the V1 had a very close (second or less) second place and in one circumstance it actually beat the Passport. I have to believe that it is different brands of radar guns and/or other variables that I haven’t ruled out, kicked up the alert time/sensitivity for the V1 and keeping it close a couple of times in my tests. Laser detection is also to me as about as valuable as an X band test and a moot point as this was impossible to test. I also believe the information that if you receive a laser detection, and you were speeding, you just got a ticket due to the nature of laser and the almost impossible chance if detecting it unless it is pointed at your car. These are both great detectors. I have yet to make a for sure determination of which detector will stay in my vehicles. As of today, I would say if you have the deniero for the V1, have mostly if not all K band (60% of radar guns i

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Uniden RD9, Bel 966, Older 96'' model Valentine 1

Great detector love mine great features auto mode is a joke tho har har stops every false they say not. I have 2 of them I bought one for me and my girlfreind she broke up with me so I took it back from her because she never used it anyways. If anyone wants it email me at Gashog455@hotmail.com Ill sell it cheap like 200 or so its only one month old got the fancy carrying case and everything and I have the reciept to prove it. I would put it on ebay but I don''t have a credit card so it will have to be a money order deal I guess.

Brightness, volume level, tune-ability, more range than other older Passports.

Delay in telling you of some alerts, silver case screams "steal me!", lack of value.

I used this unit for 3 weeks, and wasn''t all that impressed. I drive 13 miles each day to and from work, and so I''ve learned where the cops hang out, and where the false alerts are. I''m sad to say that I only got an alert to a real cop once, so I don''t know how effective it really is at sniffing out bogeys. It''s got some great features, the volume level can be turned up really loud, and the read out is readable even in the brightest sunlight. It''s sensitivity is up a bit over my old Passport 4500, but I found the 8500 to false just as much as it did. I guess maybe I didn''t use it enough to really get a feel for how much more effective it is over my old Passport, but for $300, I didn''t feel it was worth the money. One thing that would really bug me is that it would wait until I was right ontop of a false alert, and then it would blare out that I was being timed by the false. Even though I knew it wasn''t a cop, it sure did scare the sh!t out of me. And what if that false WAS a real cop? I would have been screwed. So I ended up taking it back to Best Buy. FYI- DO NOT buy ANY radar detector from Best Buy if you''re not sure if you''re going to keep it. They charge a 15% restocking fee- and on my $300 detector, that''s $45 I''m out for now reason. So get it somewhere else, NOT Best Buy!!!

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Original Passport, Uniden RD9XL, Passport 4500, Passport 6800, Valentine One.

Incredible range and accuracy against falses.

Color, lack of arrows, weight

I recently purchased the Passport 8500 and have been totally impressed and amazed at how well it blows away my V-1. I wanted to verify the 8500''s performance over my 6 month old V-1, so I had to purchase one. It took awhile to get used to no arrows (I liked Knowing what direction the false calls were coming from). The 8500 blows away the V-1 for distance, at least 3 miles better, mostnotable on ka band. The V-1 falses on every garage door opener, can opener, pacemaker, etc. I think for the money you cannot beat the 8500. Instant On will challenge any detector in any price range, but the 8500 blows away my V-1.

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V-1 BEL 745 BEL Express 3

Programmable features, Expert Meter, multi-function display

kinda big

This was a Christmas gift from my wife. She ended up paying the full price, but Escort does allow for a $30 trade on my old 4500, so I guess I paid $270. AUTO mode works as advertised. I drove with my 4500 set at highway and the 8500 set to auto. Known garbage signals were filtered by the 8500, but I detected true radar sooner than the 4500 in highway mode. Contrary to what I''ve read at some other sites, programming is very easy, and yes there is a bogey counter. It''s the Expert Meter and it works very well. I also agree with a few others here on the fact that the arrows on the V1 are overrated. I don''t care where the signal is coming from. I''m not going to speed until I haven''t detected a signal for a while. I also like the fact that while in Expert Meter and detecting multiple signals, the 8500 shows you the strength of ALL the signals, unlike the V1 that shows you the strength of only the strongest one. Not a big deal, but a nice feature that is overlooked. I was disappointed that for a premium detector, a hardwire kit wasn''t included. Based on all my research, the biggest difference between this and the V1 is the arrows. For a savings of close to $140, comparable or better detection of K & Ka, and better filtering, I can do without the arrows.

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Passport 4500 Passport 6800 (In wife''s car) Uniden (Horrible falsing!) Cobra Old Fox (Remeber those? they had two plastic antennas)

Good long range detection. Ability to run in complete dark mode and use the alert light on the cord. Ability to silence alarm from cord.

I receive ALOT of false alarms on K band when I am nearing motion detectors on doors. This is very annoying, being that this is the most popular radar used by police in the area that I live. I wish there were a way to turn the sensitivity down like you can on the x-band

The best detector that I have owned so far! Comments to other reviews. In reference to this detector not having a bogey counter or directional arrows. Who cares. It doesn''t matter how many units are clocking you and which direction they are coming from. The main thing is that it detects the "enemy" and warns you in time. This detector does this very well! Keep in mind folks, we are not flying fighter jets here and need to know which direction the "sams" are coming from! One other comment. Who cares if a radar is coming from the side, you can only be detected if you are going directly at or away from the radar gun. You cannot be clocked from a 45 degree angle!

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2 previous cordless Solos, Whistler

None

$300. No arrows ala V1. The speaker is a bit weaker than my previous detector.

I had a POS Whistler 1660 before this. The thing broke and I wanted not just any detector, but the best. Narrowed it down to the Bel 980, 8500, and V1. The Bel 980 supposedly falses a lot, plus it lacks a bogey counter. The V1 is still the best with both front and rear detection and directional arrows, but it costs $100 more than the 8500. The 8500 was a clear choice, offering comparable frontal detection range to the V1, "bogey counter" tracking of multiple signals, and easy and comprehensive programming. Set in "Auto" mode it does a great job killing falsing, however I just programmed off X-band and left it in "Highway" max detection, works fine for me that way. The 8500 has lots of cool features, like a headphone jack, radar frequency display, voltage counter, etc...stuff that I don''t really need but they''re cool to play around with. Did I mention it comes with a really cool travel case? This detector has never let me down, saving me many many times, with its excellent detection range. Highly recommended.

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Whistler 1660

Less false alarms, more features, programmable features, software upgradable, included smartcord, smaller, better looking, and $100+ DOLLARS LESS THAN THE V1

None

To all of those deciding between the 8500 and V1 - this is for you. First, I''ve owned both products, the 8500 for over a year, and the V1 for 8 months. Both are very good detectors, but I like the 8500 better. First, the 8500 has significantly fewer fasle alarms - even when the V1 is in full logic mode. Second, I prefer the ExpertMeter of the "bogey counter" because it gives you more detail including band, and signal strength for each signal - very cool. The program options are done very well, and easy to understand. The V1 offers rear radar with arrows. I found this neat, but not really worth the added expense. When driving, the arrows, signal strength meter, and bogey counter all start beeping and flashing. It seems like a pinball machine at times. Some people like, some don''t. It''s certainly a personal preferecne. In terms of rear radar, it''s seems like overkill. The experts seem to say that the number of times you actually seem rear radar is so small, it''s hardly worth even mentioning. I agree. The included smartcord is a great touch, allowing me to mute the unit without touching the detector itself. And, for night driving, I simply put the unit in dark mode, and no one knows I have a detector. The V1 optional display costs another $40 - making the total cost $440+. Upgrades are another story. The V1 has offered upgrades for many years, most of them costing well over $100 each time. The Passport on the otherhand has a built-in processor which can be upgraded if needed. The optional extended warranty covers any software upgrades for 3 years. Again, less expensive and a better way of doing it. Last but not least, the 8500 has won every independant radar detector test done this year. Check out www.radartest.com, and www.speedzones.com, and www.motortrend.com. I found their comments and recommendations to be accurate. All in all, the 8500 has more features, same or better performance, better customer service, less false alarms, for $100+ less

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Bel