Newb from Maine

[radarrob]

welcome

[hockey005]

Maine State police use 34.7 Stalker Ka... Stalker DSR's to be exact.... that pretty much means I would drop the extra 200 and buy a Valentine 1. They also shoot laser from over passes (at least on 95) and have chase cars after the over passes to pull u over

[skidude]

But why spend the extra on a V1 if I have friends who swear by their Bel 965 and do the same type of driving as me? I would love to get a "beginner" unit for a reasonable price and then upgrade later.

[v1user]

But why spend the extra on a V1 if I have friends who swear by their Bel 965 and do the same type of driving as me? I would love to get a "beginner" unit for a reasonable price and then upgrade later.

We can't make you do anything. We can tell you what we would do if in the same situation. Buying a "beginner" unit will eventually cause you to want the high end models. Just buy the best and screw the rest and be done with it. The V1 is much more sensitive than the 965. Redline is also an option at $500.

Well if you want to go cheap buy a refurbished 8500 of fleebay or call Valentine Research and asked for a refurbished V1. It still comes with a one year warranty and is like 40 bucks of.

This is a get what you pay for scenario/hobby/obsession.

Would you skip on airbags in your car? Or buy seat belts that may break?


Radar Detector Tests and Reviews by Guys of LIDAR - Radar Detector Test 2009

[snoopyc4]

But why spend the extra on a V1 if I have friends who swear by their Bel 965 and do the same type of driving as me?

There are some people who swear by their low mounted Cobra radar detector (which suck BTW). That doesn't mean they are right or that you should listen to them. Like it was mentioned before, you get what you pay for. IMO you shouldn't buy a low end RD when you can afford something better; you want to equip yourself with the best RD you can afford. However, no one here can stop you from making the decision to go cheap. If that is what you want to do, then at least get a decent, cheap RD such as the Bel 955:

Beltronics Vector 955 Radar Detector - Radar Detectors at Radar Busters

Or the refurb Escort 8500 off eBay.

[skidude]

I like the look of this refurbished escort 8500 on ebay, it fits my price, and if I want to upgrade, then I didn't spend a fortune on it. I'm still not sure if my long-term solution is going to be a portable unit, or a remote mount unit. For now I have two cars, and it would be nice to move the unit from one car to another.

Any reason not to go with this one, besides that it isn't the top of the line? I would love a V1, really I would (I've liked them since I drove my boss' car with one about 4 years ago), but I just can't afford it right now. The turbo Miata NEEDS new sneakers.

[snoopyc4]

Any reason not to go with this one, besides that it isn't the top of the line?

No. The refurb 8500 is a solid performer on all radar bands.

[skidude]

One last question before I click the buy button:

Is the refurb 8500, or a used 8500 X50 a better purchase?

[snoopyc4]

One last question before I click the buy button:

Is the refurb 8500, or a used 8500 X50 a better purchase?

Refurb 8500. If there happens to be anything wrong with the refurb 8500, you get a one year warranty. You don't get that with a used X50. Plus, many here believe the radar antenna platform used by the refurb 8500 (S7) is the better than the radar antenna platform used by the X50 (M4).

Here are some videos of the refurb 8500 in action:

http://www.radardetector.net/forums/...rt-8500-a.html

http://www.radardetector.net/forums/...0-34-7-co.html

[skidude]

Perfect, Thanks for the info guys! I've been a member of this forum for about 5 hours now, and already I've learned a TON!

Great site, I will be sticking around and learning a lot more.