I hear you there on the price point thing and the usability aspect due to portability.
I consider a radar detector to be less useful than good heads up smart driving. They can help out but not as often as just being smart. Usually when I speed excessively I am totally paying attention and I really pick my spots. If I am doing 10 to 20 over and my mind is somewhere else I likely will not get my foot off the accelerator in time anyway. Now my Laser Jammer is a whole different story; that thing has just come through several times in a really big way.

 

no kidding.

as i grew older i def not driving like when we were all used to. remember back in the old 6speed days we were doing 160+ on local hwy. that was stupid.

i'd probably invest the money if i were in Canada. heard u guys are totally busted once u got caught.

 

Actually, no, we don't

Stick to facts, why is it you needed to come into a thread- and bring ip Valentine, when NOBODY was talking about valentine? Not the OP, nobod.

You have some theory that the OP's issue was overheating and then used results from a V1 test to support your theory about is Escort issue.

Sell it somewhere else....

 

I have 3 V1s. They are great. I too have received a ticket last year by a laser, with the V1 on I-287. On a really clear day in the tri-state area, I am not sure anything can give you enough time slow down with laser. But the V1s have saved me on MANY more occasions than failing. Nothing is 100% fool proof.

 

I mentioned the Valentine 1. I replaced it with a Passport 9500ix.

 

Valentine 1 has upgraded their units over the past 10 years. And guess what, if you send your old unit in, they upgrade it. I'll take my V1 over a passport any day. I don't see too many threads about their V1's failing due to heat, not to mention complete failure resulting in a ticket. Defend all you want, but this thread is about the failure on the part of the passport's superior up to date technology.

 

1. They are ineffective on license plates.
2. The cop just aims at your windshield. Or bumper. The car is full of laser reflective surfaces.

 

I have a stealth K-40 with front and back detectors and Jammer. I like the start up sequence telling me that the unit is up and running and I do you my fair share of alarms for sure. I talked with the K-40 guys recently. They tell me that the radar guns in use are getting pretty good in TARGETING a small area on the car, like a head light for instance. So if the cop does that, you are in line for a ticket if you are speeding, if you are not wearing a cute mini-skirt - (girls pay attention - that still works) , if it's getting to the end of the month and the cop is behind on his quota. K-40 recommended to me to have actually TWO front facing detectors to cover the complete frontal area.

 

I am so sorry for not talking about what you wanted me to talk about.
Well actually I am not, other people have mentioned the V1 as seen above this post; and this thread, like all threads on this whole forum are about personal opinions. Yours seems to be of the fact that V1's are good detectors; well sorry I just happen to think they are not an overly good detector. The links I provided, from one of the largest most reputable radar testing groups in America, just happens to support that issue as well. They did not just test the V1; they also tested numerous other detectors. It just happens to be the V1’s that fail most consistently after being subjected to high temperatures, plus they repeatedly get beat out in the detection tests by other detectors. The owner of Radar test (Craig Peterson) has written hundreds of articles on the subject, several books; and is a consultant too many different radar detector manufacturers; he is a well respected authority. I referenced his work, not my own,but I gladly gave my own opinion, one that is not uneducated seeing how I have personally sold, tested, used and installed numerous different radar/laser defence products myself. You referred to yourself as a professional and said "we" do not think that about the V1's... So who is the “we” in your statement, are you using that pet mouse in your pocket as your professional again. (OK sorry I can be a tad bit sarcastic, but I am usually fairly funny when I am being such)

Also I did not state that the gentleman who started this thread who had the unit fail was having problems due to overheating; I stated that many radar detectors fail as a result of damage caused by being overheated in the past; this damage renders a radar detector permanently inoperable until the unit is repaired. Basically I stated that this could be a very likely culprit in his problems. -à OK I did bring up early on in this thread that the V1's do have a history of such failures; and the V1’s simple self test features do not pick up on the problem more frequently than not. Even their most recent models released this year still have the same decade old issue. That point was just a FYI add in seeing how the subject of this thread is speed detection; and that Valentine seems to have done a good job of marketing itself to the owners of higher end sports cars even though there product is IMHO inferior. Hey if Valentine does ever make a better product than everyone else I would gladly recommend there detector, just like Escort seems to have done with their new Redline model. That unit just might have to be my new model of recommendation for good long range hi-way detection without GPS interface. The STI driver has been the champion of long range for over 5 years now, it can be dethroned; I am not against it as I will gladly take a better product.

Also I would agree with Cartronic’s; I see many installed units that are poorly done, units are connected into sketchy power points, poorly wired and head units that are in poor locations very often. These poor installs are often done by owners or the numerous stereo shops that sell equipment that they know very little about.

My opinion of laser detectors is not good no matter what the brand; laser detection even if it works usually only lets you know you are getting a ticket. The beam from laser is so focused it is almost imposable to detect unless you are the one who is being targeted. The only thing that works with laser is a good jammer, all of which send an additional beam back to the original sending unit. The license plate covering laser plates are junk, now the photo radar covering plates work brilliantly but in my city you can get an even bigger ticket for using those as the can obscure your plate numbers.

 

I fully agree, two fronts is a huge must. I also think one rear right on top of the plate if possible is the best set up for the back.

 

I'm sure you are aware that right out of the box the 9500ci's laser shifters are turned off and are laser detectors only. You must go into the settings and set them to shiffting. You can test the shifters yourself. Using a infared remote control. In the garage with lights off cover one shifter to test each one individually. Stand back from 4 - 6 feet and start transmitting IR. Using a couple remotes at the same time works great. It takes a bit to get the right direct angle because of the small amount of infared comming out of the remotes but it works. I had a vehicle that I tranfered from one car to the next and with it all powered up the display did not report any malfunctions but I wanted to test the shifters anyways. So after testing one of the shiffters in the front was bad. The repair was $45 each. I actually figured while I was there to just send in both front shifters. You can cut and resolder them back in.....they have no disconnects....they plug in at the brain under the dash......so pulling the entire unit then reinstalling is a pita. When Escort sent them back they did not repair them but replaced them for brand new shifters....cool for just @$45 each. As for some reporting false alarms on X band.....my question is why do you still have it programed on?.....go into the setting and turn it off. X is no longer used unless you live in Ohio or New Jersey.....although I have had one customer swore that he got hit with X band in Georgia. X is the soo old and inacurate.

 

good tips turbo electro.

My falsing happens on lazer only and only when I was getting the tree sunshine strobing affect. It had nothing to do with X-Band.

I will check the lazer jammers once I get it back together.

 

I have been using a V1 for years. I've had my V1 updated a few times. It's not a disposable, planned obsolescence device. I don't scoff at the V1. That's a very broad statement that I disagree with. However, as you said, you're entitled to your opinion.

I'm sorry you got tagged in a 50 going 78. That sucks.

 

Seeing how both work on the very same 904nm frequency I really do not see what one can do about it. I hope not to many more cars will come out with adaptive cruise ststems based on this frequency. I do not get many false alarms on my own blinder system but I have had a few.

 

If you like things that beep a lot, get a V-1. The arrows are nice but the ability to tag and ignore all the x band clutter would be nice to have. I think the V-1 patent on the arrows goes away very soon and Valentine is going to have to start competing with the features on the other high end detectors.