interesting story. my buddy & I were riding sport bikes through colorado mtns. coming down a long hill with visibility 5+ miles. I had passport 8500 he had V1. we were side by side and could see each others radar detectors. my 8500 picked up a signal and continued with a strong signal for 30-45 seconds before the V1 picked it up. we were both amazed at the descrepancy so we kept an eye on them in other situations and the 8500 was just a little quicker than the V1. His v1 had just been upgraded also.

Both good units but for the money I'd go 8500.

 

i own the 8500 the thing simply rocks, it filters much much better falses than the v1, +1 for the escort x50

 

I also say V1. My brother has the X50 Passport and we placed them side-by-side on his windshield and drove for about eight hours on freeways and highways. They alerted at essentially the same times, over and over again. Sensitivity was a wash. Falses were a wash.

But the V1 is bad-*** mil-spec, is upgradable, has simpler controls, has a magnesium case and, best of all, has directional arrows. Even he admitted he wished he'd bought it. It's way nicer to look at than the plastic Escort, and the arrows are much more informative.

BTW, radartest.com is a joke. Car and Driver runs much more scientific tests.

 

I think that the Passport is just *** good, and a bit cheap/better looking.

I think the best is the Beltronics STi Driver. It has the same range and better features over the Passport. Also, it is the only one with the technology to not be detected by radar detector detectors, which police use. Problem is, its overpriced because it is the first and only one with that technology, and if you don't live in Canada or PA (where radar detectors are illegal), than I personally would go with the Passport.

 

i have the escort 8500 x50 and love it.

 

I have about the same story.... but in reverse... lol I guess it all depends

Oh and I believe it was $400 for the V1 when I bought it....
www.v1pop.com
1800-331-3030

 

Link to a used V1 for sale:

http://www.azawd.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2082

 

How sensitive are these detectors? How far away can they detect?

 

V1 all the way! I owned the 8500 for two years and had way too many close calls & stops, plus I hated not knowing where the bogy was coming from, behind, up ahead, off to my right, etc. My V1 appears to have better range than my 8500 did and laser is superior.
I woul'nt buy the 8500 again after having the V1

 

PS,
Side by side testing is NOT recommended by either Passport or Valentine, the units will cause too much interference.
Also the V1 has a feature that the 8500 doesn't. it has a "J" for junk signal emitted from other cheap detectors which will mimick "KA" band on the 8500 & V1, except the V1 will let you know.

 

LOL...that's like asking who makes a better coffee...Folgers or Maxwell House. It's all in personal taste.
I see arrows as pointless while others will swear by them. If I hear my detector go off, I slow down (if I don't know the area), location of cop be damned. It's all common sense and for me that is worth the $150 I saved by buying the 8500 X50.

 

Agreed; it's all a matter of preference, but when my detector goes off, I have a habit of looking around to try to find where it's coming from. If I see it's a CHP way on the other side of the freeway, or behind me, I'll act accordingly. If it's up ahead I'll look for it and wait to pass it. So to me, the arrows provide vital information.

 

thanks for all the advice, im looking into the passport 8500 and the V1, im leaning towards eh V1 however.

 

Good luck. Bottom line: If you want to save some money and get 90% as good a detector as the V1, get the X50/8500. If you are willing to spend a bit more for the best, get the V1. Just my opinion, having used both fairly extensively.

 

If you don't slow down or check your speed every time the unit goes off you're asking for a ticket eventually. except when your in a parking lot or your obviously not speeding. with instant on radar guns sometimes all the radar detector does it tell you that you just got busted.