I notice that a highly-touted new model from another manufacturer has, silkscreened across the top of it, the words "MAGNESIUM CONSTRUCTION". Very nice, but the V1 has had that all along. (As did the V1's true ancestor, the original Escort.)
This new unit costs about $50 more than the V1 - though it does come with a pretty chrome carrying case, an external speaker, and a remote display power cord. I really don't have a need of that nice case or a remote speaker, but I thought that at least the remote display seemed worthwhile... until I looked at it and saw that it reduces the visual information to lighting an LED when radar is detected -a far cry from the V1's remote display which duplicates everything - including the bogey counter, arrows, band indicator and signal strength LED's. Can those using the other brand's remote display do without the main unit's cool frequency readout? I guess it must not be that important after all. And forget about band indicators or even signal strength, there's only the one LED. Welcome to the 1975 Fuzzbuster...!
I saw mention on the other mfr's site of a 'trade-in program' and I wondered if maybe another company was finally going to do something along the lines of what Valentine does with its upgrade program, but the other brand's "program" is just a limited-time offer where you send them any old detector and they give you $80 off their new model. Nice to get the discount, but it's not a 'program', it's a promo.
The wheels have just come right off the old argument that the V1 is too expensive, now that you can spend half a hundred more than the V1 costs for a unit that includes a bunch of stuff that some people may not want or need - and still is not a V1 by any stretch of the imagination. Even with a far superior remote display, the V1 costs less. As for the remote speaker and the nice case, they're fine if you need them, but I just don't. I think these extras amount to 'selling the sizzle instead of the steak'.
I don't mean to rip the other product - if I wanted to do that I'd mention the specific model. I'm just pointing out how V1 crushes the others, like a grape.
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