Fellas,
I have been debating on which RD I wanted to get, so I did my research through this board, online reviews, youtube videos, etc. I broke down my decision in four categories from most important to least important as shown below:
1. Performance. The #1 (and most obvious reason) of what I wanted out of an RD was performance. Considering the price and reputation of the units, I knew I would get max performance from both. From what I have read and seen on youtube, it's tough to crown a winner, but I think most can agree that if you had to give a #1 and #2 in no particular order for a windshield mount detector, I think the consenus would be Redline and V1. TIE.
2. Price. Now this is where it gets tricky. The Redline is priced $100 more than the V1. However, there is an $80 rebate when returning an old RD. I can find the cheapest one on Ebay for about $6 (shipping included). So you figure about $70 off the Redline. Yet it is mandatory that I have a concealed display (More on that later). So an additional $30 for the Smartcord display unit. This brings the Redline to $460 (500-70+30). The V1 with concealed display AND Remote Audio Adapter is $490 (400+40+50). Although the price edge belongs to Redline, this did not include an Audio Adapter (Do they even make one?). So in this particular area of my decision: TIE.
3. Remote Display. Now I have no intention of leaving my RD out in the open. I have a couple of ideas on how I will keep the RD out of site yet be in a position without compromising performance. That being said, I will rely on the remote display. The information on the V1 remote display blows away what is on the Smartcord. Edge: VALENTINE
4. Sensitivity. It is in this area, that I considered the least important. The reason being is I drive the speed limit in city areas (I live in NJ - NYC metro area), and I will probably have the RD on mute for city driving. I will need my RD for nice open stretches on the highway. From what I gathered, the Redline has picked up fewer falses than the V1. Edge: REDLINE
When weighing my decision, it was the remote display that was the deal breaker for me. I have owned a V1 many moons ago, and I have had a handful of Escorts over the years. There is no comparison when it comes to remote displays. The V1 has the arrows, bogey count, band, strength, etc. The Smartcord is a green light for ON and a red light blinking for an alert. Come on Escort! If Escort had a remote display that mirrored the Redline display, I would have went for it.
Thanks for reading my thread. Feel free to chime in if I may have missed something.
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