alright guys im looking for the best radar detector, i have looked at the escort and valintine whats your guys thoughts on those......anyone got any ratings others i should look at?

 

Your eyes and knowing the locations of your local radar traps are the best radar detectors.

 

^^+1, Valentine 1, and a radar/laser jammer

 

Valentine for range and simplicity, escort for a little more programming but a little less range. Using a radar jammer is a federal offense while laser "jammers" are very expensive. I have a valentine 1 and it has saved my butt many a time. One might say its payed for itself. Using a radar detector is more a of a learning tool than anything else.

Regardless, you get what you pay for and you'd probably be happy with either of the models you mentioned.

 

What? i didnt know the valentine was a radar jammer what coudl the cop do if he saw it when he pulled me over?

 

I have the escort 8500 and it works great!!

 

Both my parents have the escort 8500 and the love it. It's saved them many times. They've had them for over a year and still no tickets. I think this new radar detector is awesome. https://www.scionlife.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=146703

 

there is plenty of threads on this topic already

 

I had a Bel Cordless a while ago. It was great. Contrary to many's opinions it worked as well as a corded one did.

It had highway and city settings and picked up radar and laser. It also had something known as radar detector-detector sensing capabilities. Apparently some cops have a system that tells them when someone is using a radar detector. This feature would essentially put the unit in a stealth mode that would do all but shut it off. Thus saying cop in the area. It also by the way that the readout worked it would tell you if the cop was behind you or in front of you.

But the best thing about it being cordless was that it was difficult for anyone to tell exactly what it was, and it was easy to remove and throw under your seat if you just happened to get pulled over anyway.

And if you ask what I have now, I don't have one. I'm considering get the kind that is fully installed and hidden ( but they are expensive ).

 

i have a rocky mountain radar/laser detector, radar/laser jammer, radar detector detector. very helpful and effective. jammers r illegal in certain states, but this has an option to turn it off. detectors r illegal in dc and virginia, no choice there.
also, NOT a federal offense, as the jammer has an FCC code that makes it legal to use that frequency.
i have no clue on the ones u mentioned but i've been happy w/ this one. i wish the range was a second better, but i believe that the jammer has worked a couple of times, since laser is a one time thing (i believe) and i have had them shoot me multiple times while slowing down. plus i wasnt going more thatn 10-15 over.

 

Escort 8500 X50 All the way!!! Way better than Valentine! Consistently beats all detectors in every category. Better range and all the goodies. Its nice to have the built in voltmeter too. Helps to know if the battery is getting low for some reason. Anyways I've owned an Escort 8500 and an Escort 8500 X50 and have loved both!!!

 

I have the Escort 8500 Blue, and I love it. Does a great job of picking up on Ka bands; it starts beeping usually 10-20 seconds before the cop is in view, so its definitely been worthwhile. I have it mounted up high next to the rearview.

 

V1 all the way!!

 

Valentine 1

 

V1 will be my next

 

Great websites...
http://www.valentine1.com/home.asp
http://www.radarbusters.com/support/...detector/5.asp
and... http://www.laserveil.com/en/ultimate...ged/equipment/

So, owning, operating, or selling an "active" radar jammer is INDEED a federal offense whereas "passive" jammers are legal but simply DO NOT work.

 

$400 for the Valentine One Radar Detector. That is pretty expensive. I may have to get some more performance mods before I need a Radar Detector. How much is a speeding ticket? $200?

 

how much is increased insurance for the next few years?

 

Valentine 1 all the way. It's $50 more than the blue Passport 8500 x50 - but there is one difference - Valentine allows a big discount to upgrade to a newer radar detector instead of having to throw it out and buy a brand new one like every other radar detector - That $300 Escort doesn't sound like such a killer deal once they come out with the "X51" or whatever is their next one, when you have to spend another $300+ dollars for it, now does it?

The maximum allowable insurance hike in my state is 10%, and even if you paid a measley $100/mo for insurance, over a course of 3yrs, that's $360 increase, not including the cost of the original ticket, court fees, lawyer fees (if you choose to) etc etc.

my insurance is astronomical, so it was a very, very worthwhile purchase. I can't say that it's "saved" me from tickets, because I don't know if I would've gotten one in the first place, but I do have some stories of "close calls" that probably would've been tickets if it weren't for my Valentine 1. I haven't gotten a speeding ticket in 3yrs.