STi MAGNUM vs. VALENTINE 1

[GHott]

Yes, I know...another "vs" thread...but, after reading literally 100's of posts on this forum, searching this forum repeatedly, and reading tons of reviews on-line;I'm still having a hard time deciding on which of the two radar detectors in my thread title is best for MY situation. I know that some detectors are suited to some situations better than others, so here is what I'm working with:

- I currently use an Escort Passport 8500 x50 (Revision 5)....have been using it for 5 years
- I constantly drive in and out of WV, VA (illegal), and MD
- A lot of hills and turns...so "over the hill" and "around a turn" alerts are important
- I will be using this RD every single day
- LEO's around here do not use X band and I have not seen use of Laser
- County LEOs use K band
- State/City LEOs use Ka band (many times they use instant on...especially the troopers)
- Current ride is a 2012 Hyundai Sonata, so the RD will be sitting lower than if I were in a truck or larger SUV
- I will be buying this Radar Detector brand new...either direct from V1 or from Radar Busters site.

As I stated above, I've been using an Escort Passport 8500 x50 for 5 years now...in and out of Virginia every day...and I haven't been pulled over by a LEO running Spectre yet (knock on wood). This fact makes me skeptical as to whether I really NEED the STI Magnum's invisibility. What I think I'm really after in a new RD is superior detection for "off axis encounters"...I guess you would call it. The invisibility would be a very nice plus tho for possibly driving deeper into NOVA (loudon county, etc.)

Questions you might have for me:

Q1.) Why are you upgrading for the 8500 x50?
A2.) It seems that the LEO's in my area are getting very good with Instant On KA guns. The 8500 x50 seems to have a lot of trouble picking these up unless I'm right on top of them and it's already too late (even with traffic in front of me). It's also getting a bit older and the two detectors in my topic title both seem to have superior detection ability over the x50.

Q2.) Why not the Escort Redline?
A2.) It's a bit out of my price range at $100 more. I've read about the poor ramping which is a feature I like. I've also read about the update that is "supposedly" coming...I don't know about waiting on this, if its really coming, cost, etc.

Q3.) Why not buy both and use the 30 day return policy to return the one you don't like?
A3.) I don't have $800+ to tie up for a month in radar detectors...which is why I think the forum is such a useful resource. I've also read that using both at the same time can cause some sensivity issues (not quite confirmed, I know)

In my readings/research, here are the pros/cons I have found for each:

STi Magnum
PROS:
- Excellent off-axis detection (same as the Redline? better than the V1????)
- Invisible to Spectre/RDD's
- Excellent ramp up
- Will possibly get the same update as the Redline???? who knows???
- Good customer service
CONS:
- No rear anttenae...poor performance from behind
- No directional arrows
- Missing some I/O alerts that a V1 might catch
- Mixed reviews on multiple sites...can't figure out if it's more or less sensitive for KA/K or on off-axis tests

Valentine 1
PROS:
- Directional arrows are a big plus
- Great sensitivity in a straight line
- Possibly good off-axis capability?
- Has always been a top detector for...10+ years??
CONS:
- Not invisible
- Customer service is questionable from what I've read
- Questionable off-axis sensitivity when compared to STI Magnum???

Feel free to correct any of the above information for the PROS/CONS. I'm hoping that there are a few members who's situation closely resembles mine and can chime in for which RD they chose.

Thanks for any and all input.

[GHott]

Yay, my thread finally showed up! Took a few days to be "approved" by the mods I guess...but here it is. Hopefully some knowledgeable members here can provide their input.

[fire65]

Go with the Redline and use the Escort payment plan to help with the extra 100 bucks.

[TerragonSix]

With my STi Magnum, I consistently sniff out 35.5 and 34.7 Ka Band C/O RADAR from about three miles out... or more, I'm not really sure. FHP has been in town lately, and they have been using 34.7 I/O... A LOT. Can't wait to catch a video of it this week. I can usually pick them up well in time to slow down though.

The Valentine One can be more reactive against I/O, but it generates many falses, and in VA, your RD is as easily catchable as a prostitute walking into a police station and asking, "Who wants some?" However, the arrows are addicting, and provide more situational awareness.

The Escort Redline, edges out the STi magnum by a hair in terms of range, but the rampup leaves much to be desired. My STi Magnum provides accurate rampup of the strength of the radar in relation to me. The Escort Redline does not have good rampup. Both the Redline and STi Magnum are good in ignoring false alerts, at least better than the Valentine.

The reason I know about these RD's is they were my three choices when I was researching to purchase MY RD! LOL

The Escort Redline and STi Magnum will receive an update from Escort Live! to allow for Band Segmentation. When that happens, they will both be as good as a STiR+ in terms of performance. The Valentine One has used essentially the same platform for twenty years with firmware upgrades.

My choices came down to the Redline and the Sti Magnum. I chose the Magnum because it offered long range, stealth, and excellent rampup, and good off-axis sensistivity in one compact package. While I like the Redline, I didn't see paying $100 more for a Radar Detector with slightly more range, but crappy rampup. If it had good rampup, I would've bit the bullet and bought the Redline.

Here's a video of my STi Magnum, against C/O 34.7 KA, Local PD.



Since this video was taken, I have turned off X band detection. I have no false alerts now, except for one automatic door that's in K band.

BTW, you're data is faulty regarding the STi Magnum not having a rear antenna. It does. But it doesn't seem as sensitive as your front antenna. That's still subjective, my test drive of my Magnum is not complete. But it has been performing great. When I get my LI, I'll have some great fun with FHP.

EDIT: You are right, the STi Magnum does NOT have a rear antenna, it has two front antennas. I'm not editing my post because I made a mistake, so all of you guys can bask in my stupidity.

[GHott]

Wow, thanks for the excellent write-up Terragon. That really helps. The three RD's you mentioned above that you were deciding between for yourself are the same ones I was choosing between. I had automatically ruled out the Redline due to it's poor ramp-up and extra $100 price tag. In reading your comments, it seems like the Magnum is hard to beat for off-axis detection. How is the Magnum, in your experience, for short I/O bursts or quick trigger?

I also have a question regarding the update this is coming for teh STi Magnum for band segmentation. Will that be a free upgrade (where you just maybe pay for shipping both ways), or will you have to pay Beltronics something like $50 or $100 for that upgrade? Or is that still TBD?

[TerragonSix]

The update will only be available, as far as my knowledge, is through Escort Live!

So far, I've had three instances where I/O was being aimed at me (two were the same day, when I was going to and from a store it was a local PD), the other was an FHP cruiser. In all instances, it was 34.7 Ka Stalker RADAR.

The local PD encounter was not off-axis, they were parked in a median in the middle of town. I was alerted about two miles away with a full blast of Ka alert. Made it to the store and went back, he was still there, and I still had plenty of distance between my vehicle and his I/O signal.

The real test happened was with the FHP cruiser. He was running a rear stalker, off-axis, I/O 34.7 Ka. He was tucked away in a gas station, well away from the highway. There wasn't much traffic in front of me, so I didn't get a warning until about a mile, mile and a half. Still would've had plenty of time to slow down, had I been speeding.

Haven't had Q/T on me yet. That's something that isn't really around here, and FHP's version of Q/T is just to simply use LIDAR.

[Digital Dude]

Great vid! However, my Redline must be defective since the ramp-up on mine isn't that much different from the video.

[Vette6893]

Since you are driving in a state that RD's are illegal, I would choose the Redline or STi. V1 is a great choice for other locations. I would want confirmation that BS/RDR is coming to the STi before I bought it. That feature is a deal breaker for me. If it is coming to the STi, the better ramp up and lower cost might trump the Escorts slightly better sensitivity.

[Event Horizon]

When I get my LI, I'll have some great fun with FHP.

Not as much fun as you think. They always know when they're being jammed because they ambush at less than 300 ft. They will easily see your nose dive or brake lights.

Yea you will jam them, but they'll stop you and ticket you for anything.

Speaking from experience, I jammed a douche trooper's Laser Atlanta a while ago while he ambushed me off Axis from 250 feet hidden behind a small break of large bushes in the median and an overpass.
I instinctively nose-dived and tried to JTK from high 80's to 70 but by the time I was there I had passed him so it ended up being a JTG scenario and he start running after me and stopped me.

He claimed he got a jam code and showed me the gun. They believe their "jammer-3" intelligent jammer codes on the LA but they don't know how easily it can be falsely triggered.


He proceed to ticket me with tints. At least I didn't get ticket for speed or moving violation but still, he took his share out of my $116 tint ticket.