I am thinking of getting a radar detector for my dad for Fathers day. What is a good yet affordable one to get?

 

Valentine 1 or nothing

 

I couldn't be happier with my $115 cobra...

 

lol, i threw my girlfriends $115 cobra out the window the other day because it beeps at EVERYTHING! i always thought my belltronics was a damn good radar detector but its nothing compared to the valentine.

 

Not mines......I'd have to say i'm 99.99% satisfied with this product! Warms me of any cops in the area! I woud be happier if it was a little more loud, because when i turn up the tunes, i can't hear it..!!!

 

I would say v1 or bust i have one best mod ever to the car. Its pricey but you can get them off ebay for good prices. i wouldnt bother with a cheap one at all.

 

iv got a valentine. i would reccomend it, great detector.

 

you're lucky then... hers had too many false alarms. i threw it out the window and gave her mine. im gettin a valentine.

 

does the v1 just warn you about radar or does it scramble it also

 

how much in advance will it warn you, does it have to be direct line of sight?

 

deffinately V1, BTW whens fathers day :wallbash:

 

Valentine 1. Its got a mode where it only will beep during what it belives to be actual radar. Valentine 1 is THE BEST radar detector on the market.

Ive been saved by mine quite a few times.

 

So does the Cobra... "IntelliMute" Only beeps if the signal is strong enough.
The new cobra's also wont beep if you are going under a set speed, and apparently it tells this through the cigarette lighter by minute electronic impulses from your spark plugs =D (the new Beltronics Accelerometer SS and RR do this aswell, and can even tell you the RPM you are at and make a little dyno chart lol)
I have 11 bands of radar detection on the cobra, aswell as laser... The cobra has saved me enough times now, and you can tell which cops are running radar (NY highway patrol, from the other side of the highway before we could even tell it was a cop was ringing out "K-A beep beep beep" happened 3 times on the way home from Stang00's place, not that those cops would have come after us, just good to know)
When a cop hits you with a laser the cobra freaks out and yelss "LASER LASER" and plays a loud tune as it is basically already too late.

 

Badfish put it best, if you're not going to get a V1 just don't bother getting a detector, and any website that says V1 isn't the best will also happens to sell OTHER detectors that they claim to be better for the same price. you can only get the Valentine from their website or by calling them directly. i recommend calling them because their customer service is also top notch.

And as far as range goes, if you have it in the proper position you have a really long detection range. Mine can see about 4-5 miles ahead of me, which is plenty of time for you to be aware of the cop and adjust speed before he sees you, and once you learn how it functions real well, you can even use it to get other people tickets like i just did on thursday:https://mustangboards.com/the-lounge...-cavalier.html

 

Oh... wow 4+ miles? Mine could barely see a mile ahead if i had it placed near the roof of my car... it gives me just enough time to hit the brakes, its more like having ESP of whats just about to happen than detecting something 5 miles in advance...

 

yeah dude no joke 4 or 5 miles and mine is right below the tint line. granted i don't live in a completely flat area and if the cop is above you your range is greatly increased. but even on the dead flat freeway i get a 3 mile range easy. maybe you should just upgrade to a V1.

By the way the V1 is the only company that uses a combination of two antennas. Along with the arrows which light up to tell you which direction you're getting radared from. its a much simplified version of the radar they use in fighter jets. if it's good enough for uncle sam it's good enough for me.

 

Yes but ghosty is but a poor high school student (graduating wednesday) and he aint got no dollaz!? :bash:
maybe after i get some more mods done =D

 

I feel you on the low funds thing, but it's still definitely a good investment once you can afford it. When i think of all the tickets i've avoided with my V1, they would have cost me way more than the $400 the V1 was.

 

I have the Escort Passport 8500 x50.. I love it.. works just as good as my friends V1. I also paid a fraction of the cost (employee discount from best buy weeeeeeee)

 

the top of the line escorts are pretty good also, comparable to the V1 as far as range and filtering go, what they do lack is the directionality function, so when the escort driver slows down because they pick up a signal and don't know where it's coming from. the V1 driver keeps going because he knows exactly where it's coming from. Just my .02 but for me the arrows are worth the extra green.

 

this is true.. the V1's do have the arrows, but my friend who has one has slowed down many times because he's had it misread also, I dunno if he's crazy or what

 

I run with the Passport 8500 too. Best investment in the world, I feel naked without it. My friend runs a V1. Both have great features and both are comparable with regards to range and accuracy. I like the directional arrows on the V1 personally, but the Passport had a bunch more options that were better IMO. I have mine in blue which I thought was pretty trick instead of the standard red. The passport also has an instant mute button on the cigarette plug that mutes the detector for that signal that it just picked up. It doesn't permanently mute it, but just mutes it for the current signal. It also prevents you from always having to lean forward and adjust the volume, like on the V1. That little feature in itself is awsome because all of the detectors pick up false signals. I can't remember if the V1 has a signal strength sensor or not but I know the Passport does which is realy helpful. The stronger the signal, the closer the radar, the faster you better slow your a** down! I have been told the rear radar function on the V1 is useless, especially if you are running tint. If a cop is coming from behind you he is sending radar forward which must bounce back anyways so a regular detector will pick it up. I agree with everyone here: Don't go too cheap. You get what you pay for in the radar market. The V1 and Passport are both excellent choices and would trust either one of them. Here is a review of the Bel, Valentine and Escort. Hope it helps! http://www.radartest.com/article.asp?articleID=9090

 

And in case everyone doesn't know this, the Beltronics and Escort brands were recently merged and it's now one company (i can't remember off the top off my head which company bought which) All the detectors for both these brands come from the same plant and have basically the same internals. They are both still high quality detectors though. And I have 5% tint on my back windows and live by the rear antenna, you just gotta mount it right.

P.S. the website in your link which lists beltronics and escort as being the best choices and downplays the V1's features, like most websites which recommend those two brands over V1 they also conveniently have a link which you can buy them from, unlike the V1 which has to be bought from the Valentine company directly. Hmmmm do they recommend the radar detector that people will buy directly from them and profit from or do they reccomend the better detector which won't make them any money? No wonder.

 

I thought it downplayed the V1 a bit too. I think they are all about par for what a detector should be. With the Passport I liked the style. Went well my my DSG!

 

Just hit the button once on the v1 and it quiets down the current signal but still shows others (if there ARE others). The volume is adjustable to where you would like it to be on mute. I have mine audible but quiet when its going crazy like that.

 

im gonna look on ebay for a valentine 1. what should i bid up to considering they are 400 new