i use the rx65 pro from Beltronics, there is a guy on e-bay with 100% feedback who offers his own 2 year warranty (e-bay items nullify original warranty) your right if the cop lasers your car your screwed, but if he lasers the car 50 ft in front of you then you will know there's a cop up ahead. don't get a cheap detector because they will be crap (mine was 230$) but what you should know is they go off by motion censored doors (wal-mart, new micky d's, martins) and sometimes they can annoy you it's a good investment though as a $300 speeding ticket can be avoided with 250$

 

or hit with laser and then 300 speeding ticket + 2 points + suspension zr3 shifter or blinder m20 FTW

 

I've had the 8500 X50 since it came out and have yet to receive a ticket from a radar wielding cop. I have gotten tagged once by laser because the cop had a damn good hiding spot. As said earlier, unless you have a laser jammer, there's not much you can do with laser other than be careful around known cop spots. Also, cops using laser need line of sight, so usually if they can see you, you can see them. In the rare event I get a ticket I have a lawyer I go to. 150 bucks and I forget it ever happened. I couldn't justify the extra expense in the Valentine, especially since the comparisons between the V1 and 8500 seem to depend on how the wind is blowing on a particular day. Plus, it's massive and looks like it's from 1974.

 

The Valentine One in independent testing usually beats all the Escorts and Bels.

If you don't like "massive" you should avoid the Escorts and Bels because they are all bigger and weigh more than the Valentine One.

The new Valentine One, 16.20 cu. in., is smaller than the Escort X50, 18.95 cu. in., the Bel RX65, 16.33 cu. in., the Bel STi, 16.33 cu. in. and the Escort 9500i, 21.72 cu. in. The Valentine One is wider because it has 2 antennas and not 1 like every other radar detector, but it is shorter and not as tall which gives you more mounting options.

As far as weight goes,

New Valentine One -> 181.5g (6.40 ounces)
Escort 8500 X50 -> 253.7g (8.95 ounces)
Beltronics RX65 Pro -> 236.6g (8.35 ounces)
Beltronics STi Driver -> 291.6g (10.29 ounces)
Escort 9500i -> 269.2g (9.49 ounces)

The 9500i is the largest in size and the Bel STi Driver is the heaviest. The Valentine One is the smallest and lightest radar detector of the Top 5 radar detectors made today.

 

Haha wanna give us the durability testing on those subjects too? haha jk, but yea i have used the V1 before, its pretty small, and smaller than the 8500 x-50 that i have on the way to my house, but i couldn't afford the V1. I guess the "old" look is due to the V1 being boxy? I personally don't care how well it looks as long as it works...

 

i have the 8500 and V1, i can honestly say the v1 whips the 8500 *** when i have them both on

 

I just moved my Passport 8500 and my sr3 from my Celica into my Evo over the weekend and it doesn't seem to be working like it did in the Celica. My friend's Valentine work fine in his MR though. Could it be something to do with the windshield?

 

I take my 8500 in/out of my car every time i get out for longer than an hour. Extreme temps affect the detector apparently.

 

I don't take mine out of my car, but I put it down on the passenger's side when I'm out of the car. I went through two that I left up in the windshield in less than a year. I've had this one for two years now and it's been fine.

 

i just don't want to take no chances... Also if someone breaks into my car i don't want to give him more things to take... only thing valuable is my headunit.. which only cost like 50$ either way... The less temptations a possible theif has the less likely he'll break in. Also my dad's a cop if i come home to my parent's place and left that in my windsheild he'd flip on me..

 

I learned my lesson quick about leaving them in the windshield. This last one I had been keeping in the glovebox, but its starting to crap out, the voice doesn't work and I'm sure the sensitivity has been affected.

I'm afraid of buying an expensive V1 or 9500i for this reason, but I think I'm ready to step up and stop fooling with the $100-$130 Whistlers I've been using.

I would say you have to take it out of the car, especially if you live in the South if you want it to last more then two years.

 

we have the passport 8500 in our eclipse, and in the city, the x and k bank go off like NUTS even set to city, but on the many drives we take from edmonton to calgary, BOY has that thing saved out a$$ MANY, MANY TIMES. I still hear good things about the Valentine 1 though.