Which radar detectors give you the most bang for the buck? Ones that arent particularly expensive but do the job well, easy to use, etc?

 

save your money and get a passport 8500....its worth its weight in gold....can be used in conjunction with laser diffuser zr1 and comes in blue or red display

 

that sucker is $300 for red display and $40 more for blue display. I am going to get soon.

 

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product...pnav=&cat=&s=1

 

i agree, escort passport 8500 is my choice. some people love the velantine one, but when i researched the two i found that the valentine one was slightly more prone to false signals (which was a big thing for me...may not be for you). i also think the valentine one is the most fugly looking thing out there. so, i went with the escort and love it.

but don't waste your time on any laser detection or diffusers. if it broadcasts (such as a diffuser) then it's illegal, and a laser detector pretty much is telling you "you just got a ticket." thankfully, most donut patrols don't yet use laser and are likely not to switch in the near future (cost, training, technical limitations, etc).

but hey, get the best detector you can for the money you have. if you can only spend $200 then do the research on the web and in magazines and get the best you can afford. don't cheap out. a cheap detector is a waste of money.

 

ill go w/ the passport or V1, remember u get what u paid for. And these two are proven to be the best.

 

if you know someone who works at any retail stores you can get it pretty cheap. i got my 8500 x50 a couple weeks ago brand new for $180

 

haha yeah i can get like a $350 radar detector for like $180. Im gonna get one soon..when i get my tC

 

When it came down to get mine, it was between the V1, and the Passport 8500 X50. The V1 is prone to more false alarms, because it is more sensitive. In my case, it isn't much of an issue, and is beneficial to me because I live in a more rural area. If you live in a city, or drive in one a lot, I would probably suggest the Passport, if you live in the country side, or drive in places with a small ammount of radar signals (remember they come from automatic doors at supermarkets, banks, etc.) then I would suggest the V1. I find that the V1's arrows come in handy, but that is a feature that I could possibly live without. Either way, I'd stick to one of these 2 detectors and your good to go.

 

I got mine for $50 bucks at Target... it's certainly no Passport or V1 or whatever, but I have yet to get a ticket and that thing has saved my ___ more times than i can remember... you don't have to go super expensive to get something reliable.

All you want it something to warn you to slow down, that's all.

 

moved....

 

I have had my V1 since 1997 and it has paid for itself many times over. Highly recommended. The price today is EXACTLY the same as what I paid in 1997.

 

i agree, i got a cobra from bestbuy for about $100. all i need is a display of the type of signal its picking up , and an audio alert. who cares about arrows showing you where its coming from, just slow down regardless

 

I've had my V1 sience 1999 you are right it has saved me several times. paying for it self over and over. It's the best radar detector made.

 

I would have to agree the V1 is the best of the best.

As far as laser goes, your best option is a jammer and a V1. The jammer will give you some time to slow down when the V1 goes off. My friend runs this setup in his S4 and I can personally attest to the fact it works very well.

Laser jammers are federally legal since laser falls under FDA regulation and not the FCC. MN, VA, UT, OK, NB, CA, and DC have laws against them though.

 

I've had great luck with my 8500 as well. I also like the fact I can adjust the sensitivity on rarely used X band to help lessen falses.

 

For those of you with the passport 8500, do you guys have any special settings adjusted for yourself? Or recommend some? I have one and I know there are a bunch of the little settings for it but im rather new at the whole radar thing so any help would be appreciated.

 

in CA what exactly can we get that is legal and will save us. I once thought i was racing a camaro and when it was stuck in a slow lane i bolted at 140 ( in my BMW ).i learned the hard way it was an un-marked cop. I just needed some warning and i wouldnt have been caught

 

What sort of price point are you looking at.

 

like they say. you get what you pay for. when i first got my tc i purchased the passport escort 8500 x50 red for 200 brand new because i couldnt afford the valentine. yea the x50 is great for the price but recently i sold it and bought a v1 from the site. 400 bucks. but trust me ITS WELL WORTH IT!! the only thing with the v1 is that you MUST take it off your windshield when parked because leaving it out is like asking for a break-in.