I have yet to find a way to turn off the X Band completely on the V1. This is my only complaint w/the V1 and it's a minor issue compared with the indispensability of the directional arrows.

As for Valentine not paying for the test--shame on you, Mike--I now wonder if you drive around with a Whistler just to save a few $$$.

I hope the $ you saved were worth placing second!

 

Have you tried the reprogramming steps in this link?

http://www.valentine1.com/lab/MikesLabRpt3.asp

Dave

 

Mike from V1 has always only sold them himself. Yeah you may pay an extra $100 but whatever I've seen them work. I won't even buy another detector.
Mike doesn't have to pay the V1 speaks for itself. Unless you've owned one or have seen them work in the real world you can't compare its value. Yeah sure you'll save $100 bucks at first but so what, because that trooper just gave you a ticket for $250... you do the math

V1 all the way.

I have a great story about the V1 in action but I don't feel like typing it all out but the short of it...

I was 1/4 mile away, going down the a hill before going back up the other side of the hill, the V1 went off, and as I came over the hill I still could'nt see the cop but the arrows don't lie, he was hiding in the woods next to a modular garage building company, you could hardly even see him but I knew he was there. And it continued to show he was there for a while with the arrows.

 

I have had the opportunity to run both. They both offer great protection but the saying still stands. "Once you live with the arrows you can never go back". It is so great to know when you have actually past the threat and can stop worrying. Or knowing the threat is way behind you and not way in front. In a lab enviroment the Escort is great for the money. In the real word you will NO regrets with the V1. Plus you can hide the V1 nice and high inside say a visor organizer and place the remote display under the climate controls. No one knows you have a radar, even the thieves. And I also like the auto dimming display. And the window mount is a better design and easier to remove. and... and... and....

 

OK, i'm convinced. where can i get the V1? I don't like to waste money.

 

They only sell direct. And that is how you want to buy one to get the warranty. www.valentineone.com

 

I have a V1 and had an 8500. I prefer the 8500 display and features, except for the lack of directions. During the day, when you can read the V1 display easily (I have the remote) it's nice. At night, the 8500 display was far superior - as you can easily tell which band you are picking up since you see the LED readout, versus a light with an illegible white letter next to it that doesn't reflect so you have to figure out which light it is. I also like the expert mode and the volt meter on the 8500.

If Valentine improved the display and added a few features it would be the ultimate for what I want to use. Right now, they both are excellent in my opinion. You can't go wrong with either one.

 

I've been researching Passport 8500 vs. Valentine, I found this on another forum but I thought it was pretty interesting.

" As for performance, I spent a couple of hours in Escort's factory showroom, and learned a few things:
-Escort produces so many units a year that they don't have the time to economically tune each individual unit. They tune the antenna to the common frequency ranges and send them out. They work fine, but with a good tune, they'll work better.
-As it was explained to me, the police use the three bands, X, K, and Ka. Each of these bands is actually a frequency range, which the radar units transmit within. All radar detectors can pick up frequencies within these bands -even if they are not police radar.
A good antenna tune will allow your unit to descriminate between individual (police) frequencies within these bands. This simultaneously increases sensitivity to police radar, and decreases false alerts.

I was in the showroom to get my 8500 repaired (a loose internal clip caused my detector to unhook itself during hard acceleration). They changed the case in 5 minutes. I had joked that I would like it to work a little better, so the clerk sent the unit to the lab in the back for another 30 minutes.
It came back with a calibration certificate and a new microchip. The techs had taken the time to calibrate my unit to each individual police radar frequency, not just the ranges/bands. The chip was just an upgrade to allow use of the laser "shifter".

Immediately, I noticed a complete lack of false alarms. I also noticed increased range over both moving and stationary radar. I commonly pick up Ka "instant on" speedtraps at over 2 miles range -in any weather. I pick up K band moving radar alerts at 3+ miles -meaning, at 65mph, I don't see the oncoming police car for 1-2 minutes after receiving my first alert.

It's my belief that when Escort sends these units out to be commercially tested, they perform this "hotrod" tune on them to get optimum results. For us consumers, we get the best that they can afford to spend time on -not perfect, but good enough.

I have reccommended that people go out and get the 8500, then send it to Escort (who has fantastic customer service) and say, "it doesn't work as well as my friend's V1...". In two days, you'll have your unit back, 1000x better than it was before.

That being said, my "new" 8500 has outperformed (out ranged) every V1 that I've been near. To the point that during cruises, I have had time to call the lead car (using a V1) and warn him of a speedtrap before his Valentine even sounded it's first alarm."

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Willie Gee
I've been researching Passport 8500 vs. Valentine, I found this on another forum but I thought it was pretty interesting.

 

A good friend of mine who owns an S2000 pointed me to this thread. My name is Richard Truesdell and I am the author of the Motor Trend Radar Test and Buyer