After reading everything I could find about V1, x50, and RX65...
All units are clearly pretty capable. It comes down to features and personal driving patterns and preferences. I have a short commute, do lots of city driving, and often drive on strange roads to other parts of the state for business and vacation travel.
Many sources of info were used. Info from Roy, Veil Guy, and many users was very helpful. In the end, these were the key factors:
1. In CA, I am mainly concerned about Ka, K, and Laser. Only in smaller towns will I be concerned about X. The RX65/x50 are at least comparable to V1, and the possibility of less X sensitivity will not hurt in most cases.
2. The volume and alert distinctiveness of RX65 came through loud and clear in Veil Guy's clips. I like that the RX65 sounds for Ka, K, and Laser are so distinctive from each other. On the x50, Ka and K sound more similar and all sounds seem somewhat muted. Even with lots of background noise in my home I could still identify the tones on the RX65.
3. The threat display on the x50 seems ideal for routine routes, but I am more interested in using the detector for longer trips on strange routes. Here I think the numeric threat display of the RX65 is probably more useful. I won't know how many alerts are normal, but I can see in greater detail which bands are present and how strong they are.
4. The size of RX65 is appealing, and positive comments about its size and ergonomics helped.
5. Beltronics has a promotion where they will pay you for trading in an old detector. I got $60 for my Escort (from 1990 or so) which has only X and K. That's money for nothing... it's obsolete without Ka. It also makes RX65 considerably less expensive than Valentine and a bit less than x50.
6. Bel said that an upgrade (flash) would probably cost the same as a repair ($50-$80), which is reasonable. And, Ku is already built in, unlike the x50.
7. My experience with Escort products is that they go "full alert" too soon. Others may disagree, but I would prefer full alert as you enter immediate proximity to the threat. I don't want full alert for a mile or more. Too much effort to locate the actual threat. Test results show that RX65 goes "full" later compared to x50 and Valentine.
8. Lastly, V1 is no doubt a fabulous detector, but I think in the metro areas I drive the falses would probably drive me nuts.
Bottom line... do your own reseach and pick one that will work for you.