Radar Detector-What's Good?

[Piana]

Not that I'll ever need it, any suggestions?

 

[getbit]

Valentine One...hands down...hardwired for a clean intall.

 

[Neilda]

I use a Passport Escort Solo S2 (which sounds like a hot date).

See - http://www.1radardetector.com/s2.htm

I prefer the cordless (battery) types as they're neater.

However in Europe you are regarded by the Police as being a more serious offender than Jack the Ripper if you're caught with one...

 

[Spirit]

Not that I'll ever need it, any suggestions?

I use the Vaeintine 1 in the GT.
Works great [except when in Kansas coming over a hill and the Trooper is using "Instant On" - got me at 92 in a 70 but wanted to talk about the car and let me go with out even a written warning - he was very cool] OR [in Texas again with the "Instant On" thing - got me at 81 in a 70 also wanted to talk about the car - but gave me a ticket anyway - he was not cool]. Did the Traffic School thing AGAIN to keep it off my record for insurance purposes.
Moral, no radar detecor will save your sorry a$$ if you want to run em hard on the public roads. The long arm of the law will eventually get you. Be prepared to pay if you want to play.
Fred

 

[eshrink]

Mike Valentine co-designed the first Escorts and then formed his own company.

I am not certain what is going on locally. We have three Valentines and none go off and have been pulled twice. Duh, instant on laser certainly, but it should have registered even if too late.

Also we go through zones where they have traps and I can see the guy shooting at me...nada.

My wife talked to Mike Valentine, and he too was curious. These are the latest units. Wondering if they have something new like maybe Klingon Tribble super secret mode.

- doc

 

[Neilda]

"got me at 92 in a 70 but wanted to talk about the car and let me go with out even a written warning"

Fred, have you considered that your heritage paintwork is causing some kind of missread? It's possible you were in fact only doing 70.

Now, had it been a red car..... :lol

 

[Big Carrot]

V1, no contest. Owned every detector under the sun, and I'll never use anything else.

 

[eshrink]

Paul:

With your experience and background in the area, it sounds as though you prefer the newer Escort (or Bel) to the Valentine. Is that your personal preference?

- doc

 

[dbk]

V1 is always recommended as the best, but I stopped using radar detectors a long time ago. I'm one of those people who just gets lulled by the false sense of security a radar detector gives you.

And the only place I get nicked is Ohio. Two 20+ in the past 3 years, because lord knows the cows on the side of the empty ass turnpike need the protection...:bored

 

[Tungsten]

Radar

I have the hardwired Escort in my GT. It also has the laser jamming feature. This is the second one I have owned and it works perfectly. I have been hit with laser on 10 or 12 occasions and it has jammed them so I could slow down. The instant on, non laser, in the hands of well trained police officer will get you every time. No radar detector will help.

You can check on various websites to see what type and how many radar/laser units are being used in your state.

Obviously, everybody has an opinion.

Don

 

[fjpikul]

Escort 8500 - blue, which I'll swear by. Lost my license for 3 months (but got an unlimited temporary) and haven't had a ticket since in 2 years. Almost no laser in my state. Used to be if the police saw you had a detector, no way were you getting out of it. Not the case anymore. They don't care.

The best reason though, is that the blue detector MATCHES MY BLUE NUCLEAR REACTOR LIGHT!

 

[Spirit]

"got me at 92 in a 70 but wanted to talk about the car and let me go with out even a written warning"

Fred, have you considered that your heritage paintwork is causing some kind of missread? It's possible you were in fact only doing 70.

Now, had it been a red car..... :lol

Neil,
For sure I was only doing 70 Officer [in the US, one does not have to testify against oneself, and I am sure not going to incriminate myself in a public domain such as this].
As for RED GTs - HANG EM HIGH, THROW THE BOOK AT EM!!

 

[ENZO BTR]

My Valentine One (which is like my American Express Card, I don't leave the home without it) has actually warned me about laser a few times. One time I was on PCH and a cop fired off at a Toyota Highlander that was several hundred yards ahead of me. The Highlander was right between me and the cop. The laser warning went off, I scanned ahead and saw the Highlander, then looked MUCH farther ahead and saw the tiny profile of a cap car -- partially behind a lifegaurd shack.

Neither the Highlander or I got a ticket, but I was travelling slower as I drove by the shack and would likely have been nailed without the warning.

Beyond laser, the Valentine One is awesome -- but instant on will get you every time, regardless of detector.

 

[KJRGT]

I also run the Escort Solo S2 cordless unit. I know it does not have the horsepower of other units, but here in SoCal, it has given me numerous warnings, well in advance, to slow the girl down.

 

[MDT]

I use the Escort Solo S2 cordless as the cords are way too much hassle. I drive from Havasu to Orange county way to often. Wide open desert two lanes or 4 lane highways. I don't think it has saved me even once. In construction traffic, did not pick up a constant signal from a parked cop car 50 feet away while I was moving 5mph. Right next to it it was maxed out of course. Detectors just slow you down with false alarms.

Cops know the score. They turn on the radar only long enough to nail you.

 

[eshrink]

Mike Valentine addresses the concept of cordless radar detectors on the Valentine One site.

- doc

 

[eshrink]

A good friend is an MSEE for Dept. of Navy and said that Mike is correct about needing to overturn the laws of physics to create a viable battery operated detector. I was an engineering student briefly but do not have the knowledge base to independently determine if Mike is accurate. Perhaps we have a grad. engineer among us who can read his site and comment.

- doc

 

[Awsum GT]

I agree... I have used Valentine 1 for years... saved me many times. I have them is all my cars. Only way to go. It lets you know in advance- front back, and sides where the radar is... and also how many...

 

[TEXAS GT]

.And as you can see from some of the comments from others here, for many folks a cordless detector offers 100% MORE PROTECTION than ANY corded detector, simply because the convenience of the cordless unit means YOU ARE MORE LIKELY TO USE IT.[/url]

I have 100% coverage because I have a V1 mounted in every car I own. Everything else being equal, the directional arrows make the V1 invaluable and the clear winner in my book. It tells where the threat is coming from, (ahead for example would be the forward arrow), when you pass it, (the side arrow) and when it's probably no longer much of a threat, (the rear arrow). It tells you if you are catching up to a moving cop going in the same direction as you are(a slow but consistent beep from the forward arrow) or if the cop is catching up to you from behind (a gradually increasing signal from the rear arrow). All the other detectors, corded or not, just scare you into slowing down and looking in all directions to see if you can find the threat, especially if you're driving properly, (like you stole it!).

No detector is failsafe. You have to interpret the signals as best you can. Experience with your chosen detector is a huge help but the arrows provide much more info to make the right decision. :biggrin

 

[TEXAS GT]

Rather than start a new thread I thought I'd revive this old one. There are a lot of new owners here so this is probably new to some.

Here is a direct quote from Motor Trend Magazine, February 2008 issue, page 46.

"In this line of work driver's license points can rival cholesterol counts, but one device does more to warn a near catatonic driver with 13 hours of fatigue weighing down the accelerator foot of an impending speed trap. Front and rear radar and laser receivers allow the Valentine One Radar Locator with Laser ($400) to identify the direction, frequency type, and signal strength of the threat, then tell you when you're past it. Though no detector can guarantee protection against a sudden direct hit of instant-on radar or lidar, this is quite simply the only detector we feel comfortable trusting."


This is the strongest statement of endorsement I've seen yet from a group of guys who drive long distances at high (mostly illegal) speeds every day, year round. I think it's safe to assume that they have probably tested every brand of detector out there and if they use Valentine One, it must be the best.:thumbsup