What to purchase? V1 vs. BEL RX65 vs. Escort Passport 8500 X50

[jcoren1]

Hi everyone,

So I am new to this forum and actually have never had a radar detector before. I am from NY and drive a Hummer H2 SUT (so I am not exactly cruising at 100mph all over town) but I do take long trips to and from school and recently got pulled over going 83 in a 65, something that easily would have been prevented with a detector - And cost me $280.

So my question is which one? From what I read the three I listed above are the best in the price range I am looking to spend, which is $300-$400. I am sure that people have asked this question many times before but which one; the V1, the BEL RX65, or the Passport 8500XI, do you think would be the best for me. I pretty much do long highway drives once or twice a month and then am on back roads the rest of the time. I don't plan on using it in areas with tons of shopping centers around. I do need it to be functional coming from NYC to Long Island as well which may take a little more interference.

Any warranties, customer service, etc. that are better on one of the devices than the other?

Also, is there any laws that you guys know of in NY about using a radar detector? I haven't found anything stating it was illegal but not sure.

Any input would truly be appreciated.

Thanks!

Jared

[jcoren1]

Oh, And school is in Upstate NY. Been reading some posts and it seems like different areas may have different equipment, making one radar detector better than the next for specific places. So pretty much will only be in the state of NY, NJ and Pennsylvania (what I travel though to go up there). Thanks all.

Jared

[snoopyc4]

Valentine One. Best RD for the highway where there aren't many false alerts. Radar detectors are legal in NJ, NY, and PA.

[Woodscolby]

Just saw your topic. I would recommend the Valentine One. It has the best detection range of any detector you listed and the arrows definitely add to it. Valentine Research is not a company known for excellent customer service but they make a great product which more than makes up for it. Escort and Beltronics are the same company and from all my experiences with them, have excellent customer service. The V1 is a bit chatty in the city but if you can learn where the falses are you will begin to mute the alerts immediately without having to think about it.

[Lucky225]

Valentine One. Best RD for the highway where there aren't many false alerts. Radar detectors are legal in NJ, NY, and PA.

...And 46 other States, it's easier just to say where they are banned:

Washington DC, Virginia, Military Bases and commercial vehicles.

[jcoren1]

Is it worth it to spend more and get something better? I would be willing to spend $450 or so if another product in that range is that much better. Like the STI Driver or something? Or the Passport 9500i?

[snoopyc4]

Is it worth it to spend more and get something better? I would be willing to spend $450 or so if another product in that range is that much better. Like the STI Driver or something? Or the Passport 9500i?

Nope. IMO V1 > STi. With the V1, you get the arrows which tell you exactly where the radar source is coming from. Also, I disagree with what was stated about V1's customer service. I think VR has great CS. My dealings with VR have all gone smoothly. When I sent my 813 in for a tune, I called a couple of times and their representative on the phone was nice to me every time and kept me updated on my V1.

[Woodscolby]

Unless you frequently travel through Virginia, DC, or military bases spending the money on the STI is not necessary. The only advantage the STI has over the V1 is that it is completely invisible to all Radar Detector Detectors. The V1 still has better range for less. If you wanted to go for an undetectable remote mount radar detector with the best range money can buy, you can still find the discontinued Beltronics STI-R from authorized Beltronics dealers on the internet for around $550.

[The Chariot]

Search on this site about V1 customer service, don't take mine or anyone else's word for it since you can't judge customer service based on any single person's experience, or what they've heard. It should be apparent if there are issues or not. I suggest you include the word "lady" in the search.

[Z1NONLY]

The V1 is better at detecting radar than the RX65 or 8500. But you will need x band for NJ driving and leaving that on will inrease falses on any of the three you listed.

If you want a detector for the highway, the V1 is the best of the three, but if you have to spend a lot of time in cities and keep x-band on, you may want to look into a GPS detector like the 9500ix.