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Re: V1 purchase, now buyers remorse?
Zombie = Fanboy?
I live in NJ and as I am told X band is used a lot here so programming the detector would be a no go?
I live like literally 2 miles from Manhattan so most of my driving is done in the metro areas. I've owned in the past lesser radar detectors cobra and uniden comes to my mind and both were garbage compared to the standards back in the 90's.. I've owned one escort passport ( don't remember the model number ) but it was the best detector I've used to date and this was back in 1996 but was stolen in a break-in in my car.
Since then I have not bought another radar detector and fortunately I have not ever been ticketed for speeding.. ( isn't this awesome?? no radar detectors and I don't know how many saves :) )
Recently, I've taken delivery on a special ordered 2010 BMW 535i ( previous car was a new 2007 BMW 525i ) and going from 0-60 is no joke FAST... with little effort. So to insure that I would keep my clean record of no speeding tickets I decided to do some research and purchase the best detector available in the market, and this led me to V1 and Escort Passport 9500ix. From asking questions on the BMW forums people talked about the arrows on the V1 and how crucial they were.. I asked what was the big deal about the arrows and only thing they could answer was " it tells you where the cops or threats are". Fine.. thats a pretty cool gadget, but when I normally get an alert on my radar detector my first reaction would be to slow down.. and not care about where the threat is until I stop getting alerts. Anyway after some more reading I was told the V1 cries wolf quite frequently but the arrows are invaluable and you will not understand until you experience it so I took the advice of all the V1 owners and purchased one. The day I purchased it is when I stumbled upon this community so I read up on the V1 a little bit more. Expecting to get some friendly advice, instead I got a few arses cracking jokes and insults to me. :)
However, I also got some good friendly advices as well.
As I mentioned before I have a good 500+ miles road trip coming up this Friday from NJ to NC ( I realize driving in DC and VA I need to turn off my detector and store it in my glove box ) and thats when I will actually care to test this detector for once and for all to see if I want to keep it or return it for something else.
I did not know about the programming of V1 but I didn't want to mess with that..
IMO, a product that cost $399 should work excellent right out the box, some may or may not agree.. but I don't care cause I just feel that anyone that likes to insult & patronize others especially to new members joining these forums really need to get a life. I don't spend my most of my time reading about radar detectors.. I rather read up about my BMW :)
Thanks to everyone who have given me good advices, I will take it from here.
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Re: V1 purchase, now buyers remorse?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
BMW Guy
Zombie = Fanboy?
I live in NJ and as I am told X band is used a lot here so programming the detector would be a no go?
I live like literally 2 miles from Manhattan so most of my driving is done in the metro areas. I've owned in the past lesser radar detectors cobra and uniden comes to my mind and both were garbage compared to the standards back in the 90's.. I've owned one escort passport ( don't remember the model number ) but it was the best detector I've used to date and this was back in 1996 but was stolen in a break-in in my car.
Since then I have not bought another radar detector and fortunately I have not ever been ticketed for speeding.. ( isn't this awesome?? no radar detectors and I don't know how many saves :) )
Recently, I've taken delivery on a special ordered 2010 BMW 535i ( previous car was a new 2007 BMW 525i ) and going from 0-60 is no joke FAST... with little effort. So to insure that I would keep my clean record of no speeding tickets I decided to do some research and purchase the best detector available in the market, and this led me to V1 and Escort Passport 9500ix. From asking questions on the BMW forums people talked about the arrows on the V1 and how crucial they were.. I asked what was the big deal about the arrows and only thing they could answer was " it tells you where the cops or threats are". Fine.. thats a pretty cool gadget, but when I normally get an alert on my radar detector my first reaction would be to slow down.. and not care about where the threat is until I stop getting alerts. Anyway after some more reading I was told the V1 cries wolf quite frequently but the arrows are invaluable and you will not understand until you experience it so I took the advice of all the V1 owners and purchased one. The day I purchased it is when I stumbled upon this community so I read up on the V1 a little bit more. Expecting to get some friendly advice, instead I got a few arses cracking jokes and insults to me. :)
However, I also got some good friendly advices as well.
As I mentioned before I have a good 500+ miles road trip coming up this Friday from NJ to NC ( I realize driving in DC and VA I need to turn off my detector and store it in my glove box ) and thats when I will actually care to test this detector for once and for all to see if I want to keep it or return it for something else.
I did not know about the programming of V1 but I didn't want to mess with that..
IMO, a product that cost $399 should work excellent right out the box, some may or may not agree.. but I don't care cause I just feel that anyone that likes to insult & patronize others especially to new members joining these forums really need to get a life. I don't spend my most of my time reading about radar detectors.. I rather read up about my BMW :)
Thanks to everyone who have given me good advices, I will take it from here.
Zombies are the few hardcore V1 fans that think there is nothing better than Valentine no matter what and generally dislike the 9500 series of radar detectors.
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Re: V1 purchase, now buyers remorse?
Here's the bottom line, folks:Sensitive
Quiet
Safe
Pick two, because that is all you can have in any given detector.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by
Stealth Stalker
Here's the bottom line, folks:
Sensitive
Quiet
Safe
Pick two, because that is all you can have in any given detector.
The V1 is a remarkable piece of technology
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Re: V1 purchase, now buyers remorse?
-
Re: V1 purchase, now buyers remorse?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Stealth Stalker
Here's the bottom line, folks:
Sensitive
Quiet
Safe
Pick two, because that is all you can have in any given detector.
Well put! :thumb2:
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Re: V1 purchase, now buyers remorse?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
noTe
Quote:
Originally Posted by
bigalinwv
noTe is not just a zombie, he is a completely classless clueless zombie, devoid of any thought other than V1 V1 V1 V1 V1.
I own 2 9500is, 2 X50s (red & blue), a Pro78SE, an XTR-690, an STi Driver, and A V1.8.
Your are completely entitled to your opinion, don't react to noTe, I am sure you've seen and dealt with people like him before.:mad:
Even most zombies will understand your post, the V1 is "chatty" and there is no way around it. Sensitive, but chatty.
How am I a zombie? I just buy the best products period. V1 always has had the best detection overall with radar and laser in GOL tests.
"Chatty" means it is actually detecting radar. Ya know, what is what RADAR DETECTORS do. All of these newbies are all pussy hurt because their radar detector actually works better than they thought but all they do is come here and complain about it.
It doesn't matter what radar detector or filters you use. You will always have a radar detector find radar that is not related to law enforcement. If you want to speed and get away with it, you have to listen to false alerts along with real alerts. I would rather hear 10 false alerts, than miss 1 real alert due to some kind of filter blocking. That is all it takes.
Common sense for the lose!
Ignorance is bliss.
Then you HAVE to be the most blissful person on this forum......hands down.
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Re: V1 purchase, now buyers remorse?
The personal attacks will NOT continue.
Move on or move out.
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Re: V1 purchase, now buyers remorse?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
djrams80
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Stealth Stalker
Here's the bottom line, folks:
Sensitive
Quiet
Safe
Pick two, because that is all you can have in any given detector.
Well put! :thumb2:
It still puzzles me why people think that there will be one detector that is perfect for everyone in everyway.It's IMPOSSIBLE!!!!!!
Well put Stealth..
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Re: V1 purchase, now buyers remorse?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
mrcllusb
Quote:
Originally Posted by
djrams80
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Stealth Stalker
Here's the bottom line, folks:
Sensitive
Quiet
Safe
Pick two, because that is all you can have in any given detector.
Well put! :thumb2:
It still puzzles me why people think that there will be one detector that is perfect for everyone in everyway.It's IMPOSSIBLE!!!!!!
Well put Stealth..
Why does it puzzle you? I hope that you do realize there are people out there (including myself) in the world that doesn't have nearly the knowledge about radar detectors most of you guys have.
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Re: V1 purchase, now buyers remorse?
The knowledge part i understand.It's after we have given someone like yourself all the knowledge we possibly could,people still want to argue..
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Re: V1 purchase, now buyers remorse?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
mrcllusb
The knowledge part i understand.It's after we have given someone like yourself all the knowledge we possibly could,people still want to argue..
Exactly! There are many here that are completely baffled why anyone would ever any RD, besides the one they love. I completely understand why some prefer the V1 over the 9500ix and others prefer the 9500ix over the V1, yet the rivalry continues. :dontknow:
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Re: V1 purchase, now buyers remorse?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
BMW Guy
Why does it puzzle you?
The fact that he used the term "every" twice in one sentence is usually a pretty good indication that it is false, lol. No one car is perfect for EVERYone in EVERY way, so I would agree that it is unlikely that any one RD could be either, wouldn't you agree?
You say you did a lot of research before buying. Did you not find anyone who had anything negative to say about how chatty the V1 is? Anytime I see this discussion on any forum of any kind, it seems to come up pretty quickly.
The V1 does work excellent right out of the box. It may not be doing what you personally expected it to do, but then again, a lot of people aren't happy with their BMW until after they modify it either. Does that mean that the BMW sucks? Of course not. It just means that the world turns on personal preference, and to each his own.
As for the arrows, if you have not yet realised their potential, then you honestly have not spent enough time driving with it to do so. Did any of your pre-purchase research include reading the V1 website? There are multiple examples there of how the arrows work for you that make it pretty clear. You say you don't care where the threat is because you just slam on the brakes anyhow. That's a false alert! Why slam on your brakes for an alert that is of no threat to you? If you know where it is, you know if it is a threat to you or not. Isn't the point of an RD to facilitate speeding? If so, then slowing down for a cop a mile behind you on a divided highway is worse than a false alert from the liquor store across from your house, when you're not even driving at the time anyhow, isn't it?
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Re: V1 purchase, now buyers remorse?
I think a big problem is that folks don't realize exactly how much radar is out there until they get a detector...
Driving by strip malls we're bombarded with radio waves and RD's just pick it up...
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Re: V1 purchase, now buyers remorse?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
srtga
I think a big problem is that folks don't realize exactly how much radar is out there until they get a detector...
Driving by strip malls we're bombarded with radio waves and RD's just pick it up...
If radar causes cancer then we're screwed. :D
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Re: V1 purchase, now buyers remorse?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
srtga
I think a big problem is that folks don't realize exactly how much radar is out there until they get a detector...
That is an excellent point! I suppose that, even if you hear people talking about annoying false alerts, you can't really put that into any kind of context until you experience it for yourself. Heck, I got a buttload of false alerts on my old x-band Fuzzbuster back in the early 1980s. This is certainly nothing new. But with two more bands and four times the sensitivity these days, it's definitely a lot worse.
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Re: V1 purchase, now buyers remorse?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Freebird
Quote:
Originally Posted by
noTe
Quote:
Originally Posted by
brettzo
A very small amount of LEOs actually use X band today.
Wrong... the entire Ohio Highway Patrol uses X band.
Wrong, only a few of the cars have x-band, not the entire Ohio Highway Patrol.
Well I guess the entire state has a "few" cars since I've encountered X band in every major city in Ohio. :rolleyes:
Quote:
Originally Posted by
djrams80
Quote:
Originally Posted by
mrcllusb
The knowledge part i understand.It's after we have given someone like yourself all the knowledge we possibly could,people still want to argue..
Exactly! There are many here that are completely baffled why anyone would ever any RD, besides the one they love. I completely understand why some prefer the V1 over the 9500ix and others prefer the 9500ix over the V1, yet the rivalry continues. :dontknow:
The problem is people spending over $350 for a device they do no research about what-so-ever.
Also, to me there is no rivalry. If the 9500ix didn't have that stupid filter crap on it I might buy it. I tell my friends all the time the two best detectors on the market are the V1 and the 9500ix ALL THE TIME. So stop saying I'm a damn V1 zombie. It's like saying hicks are John Deer zombies. I think the entire term is just retarded.
Anything I buy for my car, I do research on. Radar detectors, laser jammers, sway bars, coilovers, window tint, car alarms, exhausts, etc. I buy whatever I feel is the best at the current time.
Sorry, little tipsy right nw too
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Re: V1 purchase, now buyers remorse?
I haven't ever used a 9500ix, and I'm sure it's a great detector, but the arrows seal the deal for me. If you use a V1 long enough, you will get instances were you will be like damn, I'm glad I have arrows. One of those instances happend again for me early this morning (1 am). I took a right turn at a 4 way intersection and there was a cop stopped to the left of me waiting to go straight ( putting him behind me) Anyhow I'm about 150 yards ahead of him, and I can see he's now driving behind me. I go around a bend and start picking up some faint KA band. I look and see that there is foward facing arrow. I stop at a light, and sure enough, about a min and a half later I see another patrol car comming at me running KA.
If I was using another detector, I may have thought that it was the cop running radar behind me trying to catch people comming at him, and I wouldn't have thought anything of the signal getting stronger as I knew he would have been comming up behind me, which could have bad consequences depending on the situation.
My take on the whole 9500ix vs. V1 debate (which this is what this thread is pretty much about, because it's the only "quite" detector.) Is that if you don't do a whole lot of real speeding (WOT pulls) and want to just have something there to give you a heads up, the 9500ix is the one for you. If you do real speeding where you need the most sensitivity and awareness that a Dash mount unit can give, V1. Trust me, when your booking at 130+ mph and you hear that thing chirp, you want to know exactly where it's comming from.
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Re: A Brief Aside
Quote:
Originally Posted by
swarga
All we need now is for RadarKid to jump into the fray. :lol:
you called?
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Re: V1 purchase, now buyers remorse?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Stealth Stalker
You say you did a lot of research before buying. Did you not find anyone who had anything negative to say about how chatty the V1 is? Anytime I see this discussion on any forum of any kind, it seems to come up pretty quickly.
I did do research on both the V1 and the passport. However, it wasn't as extensive as I researched my recent car purchase.
I asked a few people who have the V1 and or owned a V1 in the past about their experiences ( not here but on other forums ). I did browse this forum a bit, did a few searches. Finally, the the members at my other forum have told me once I got the arrows I would understand that V1 would be superior even though the V1 would pick up more false threats. So I purchased it to see for myself. Although I did research my purchase, it doesn't guarantee that I know exactly what I am buying. Is this my fault? absolutely..
So I have had it for a week now and not impressed.. I didn't think it would pick up this many false alerts. Perhaps my idea of a radar detector is different from other V1 owners? Or maybe the area where I live is just loaded with radio waves everywhere.
I assumed that the technology had advanced a little further since the 1990s and we would now have detectors that don't pick up SO MANY false threats.. I guess the passport is actually what I am looking for in this regards. I do like the arrows pointing out where the false threats or real threats are located, and I found out recently to me that its not important since as I said if I hear an alert on a detector I'm going to react.
Just to let you know, I'm not upset or angry. Just dissapointed.
Quote:
As for the arrows, if you have not yet realised their potential, then you honestly have not spent enough time driving with it to do so. Did any of your pre-purchase research include reading the V1 website? There are multiple examples there of how the arrows work for you that make it pretty clear. You say you don't care where the threat is because you just slam on the brakes anyhow. That's a false alert! Why slam on your brakes for an alert that is of no threat to you? If you know where it is, you know if it is a threat to you or not. Isn't the point of an RD to facilitate speeding? If so, then slowing down for a cop a mile behind you on a divided highway is worse than a false alert from the liquor store across from your house, when you're not even driving at the time anyhow, isn't it?
I've read the V1 website and found the examples of how an arrow would be useful. Of all those examples, I found only one to be actually useful and thats pointing the arrows for multiple bogeys. However, this is kinda pointless to me because like I already said, if I hear an alert, I would slow down.. ( not slam on my brakes, as you put it ) just slow down to the speed limit. On the passport if it filters out false alerts better than the V1 then I wouldn't have to worry too much. And if the Passport blocks out a real threat like some of you claim that it might, then it would be the same as if I was driving without a detector :) And I've done for the past 10 years with no tickets.
Bottom line, I will give this detector a full 30 day try and in the end if I still feel that its not what I wanted, I can always return it. My first week with the V1 so far has been bleh.. But as I said before, the real test comes when I take my road trip on I95 south for 500 miles.
Thanks for everyones comments here.
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Re: V1 purchase, now buyers remorse?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
languy99
do what I do, keep the V1 for the highway and enjoy it for what it is. Use a lesser detector for the city, the beltronics 955 is cheap and still does great at detecting real police cars while not being so sensitive that it goes off all of the time. ;)
Best advice I have seen yet. I agree 100%:thumb2:
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Re: A Brief Aside
Quote:
Originally Posted by
RadarKid
Quote:
Originally Posted by
swarga
All we need now is for RadarKid to jump into the fray. :lol:
you called?
:ciao::lol::lol::victory:
-
Re: A Brief Aside
Quote:
Originally Posted by
partsfreak
Quote:
Originally Posted by
RadarKid
Quote:
Originally Posted by
swarga
All we need now is for RadarKid to jump into the fray. :lol:
you called?
:ciao::lol::lol::victory:
:cool:
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Re: V1 purchase, now buyers remorse?
Well is sounds like you made up your mind up. The V1 isn't for everyone. It doesn't sound like you really speed that much, so having bkazing sensitivity and awareness of the arrows is probably more than you need. The V1 is pretty much for people who know what they're doing and need what it can offer. Not everyone can handle it, that's why there's the 9500ix, it's almost as good at detecting and isn't as chatty.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
BMW Guy
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Stealth Stalker
You say you did a lot of research before buying. Did you not find anyone who had anything negative to say about how chatty the V1 is? Anytime I see this discussion on any forum of any kind, it seems to come up pretty quickly.
I did do research on both the V1 and the passport. However, it wasn't as extensive as I researched my recent car purchase.
I asked a few people who have the V1 and or owned a V1 in the past about their experiences ( not here but on other forums ). I did browse this forum a bit, did a few searches. Finally, the the members at my other forum have told me once I got the arrows I would understand that V1 would be superior even though the V1 would pick up more false threats. So I purchased it to see for myself. Although I did research my purchase, it doesn't guarantee that I know exactly what I am buying. Is this my fault? absolutely..
So I have had it for a week now and not impressed.. I didn't think it would pick up this many false alerts. Perhaps my idea of a radar detector is different from other V1 owners? Or maybe the area where I live is just loaded with radio waves everywhere.
I assumed that the technology had advanced a little further since the 1990s and we would now have detectors that don't pick up SO MANY false threats.. I guess the passport is actually what I am looking for in this regards. I do like the arrows pointing out where the false threats or real threats are located, and I found out recently to me that its not important since as I said if I hear an alert on a detector I'm going to react.
Just to let you know, I'm not upset or angry. Just dissapointed.
Quote:
As for the arrows, if you have not yet realised their potential, then you honestly have not spent enough time driving with it to do so. Did any of your pre-purchase research include reading the V1 website? There are multiple examples there of how the arrows work for you that make it pretty clear. You say you don't care where the threat is because you just slam on the brakes anyhow. That's a false alert! Why slam on your brakes for an alert that is of no threat to you? If you know where it is, you know if it is a threat to you or not. Isn't the point of an RD to facilitate speeding? If so, then slowing down for a cop a mile behind you on a divided highway is worse than a false alert from the liquor store across from your house, when you're not even driving at the time anyhow, isn't it?
I've read the V1 website and found the examples of how an arrow would be useful. Of all those examples, I found only one to be actually useful and thats pointing the arrows for multiple bogeys. However, this is kinda pointless to me because like I already said, if I hear an alert, I would slow down..
( not slam on my brakes, as you put it ) just slow down to the speed limit. On the passport if it filters out false alerts better than the V1 then I wouldn't have to worry too much. And if the Passport blocks out a real threat like some of you claim that it might, then it would be the same as if I was driving without a detector :) And I've done for the past 10 years with no tickets.
Bottom line, I will give this detector a full 30 day try and in the end if I still feel that its not what I wanted, I can always return it. My first week with the V1 so far has been bleh.. But as I said before, the real test comes when I take my road trip on I95 south for 500 miles.
Thanks for everyones comments here.
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Re: V1 purchase, now buyers remorse?
That's cool. I would never suggest that any one detector is for everyone, any more than I would suggest one car is for everyone. False alerts are annoying, without a doubt. I don't know if you have considered the Cheetah that I suggested or not, but it makes all the difference in the tolerability level of V1 false alerts. With it, you'd never hear that liquor store again, without losing the unique benefits of the V1.
The arrows certainly aren't always essential, especially in the city. But on the open highway, they are worth their weight in gold. Of course, I did not mean "slam" literally about your brakes, but the point is that if you slow down for something you didn't need to slow down for, that is a false alert, even if it was really a cop. A cop who is not a threat is a false alert. And with the V1, that is one kind of false alert that I rarely have to worry about. With any other radar detector, that cop running constant K band a mile behind me is going to drive me crazy with a steadily beeping 3 bar signal for miles before I finally realise I probably don't have to worry about him. And even then, I'm going to be nervous about it because I won't know if a second K band signal is now ahead of me.
Driving down the highway a few weeks ago, I got Ka up ahead of me. First win is knowing that it is ahead of me, not behind or beside me, and not a threat. Then I top a hill and see the red and blue lights of a trooper with someone pulled over and figure I'm safe, right? Wrong! Because with the V1 I saw that there were two Ka bogeys. Second win was knowing the first trooper's partner was right on the other shoulder, still clocking people!
Just saying, you have to do some real road trips, and not just your normal daily commute to realise the potential of the V1 or any other detector.
I dunno, maybe you don't want that much interaction with your detector, and just want to plug-and-play it. That's cool. I'm not a car guy. You're not a detector guy. Different strokes. Nothing wrong with that. But if you want the perfect balance of sensitivity, reactivity, situational awareness, and quietness, there simply is no better solution than a V1/Cheetah combination set-up. Before you give up on it, I would like to suggest that you read my review of this set-up at this link to see if it might meet your needs.
Whatever you choose, best of luck! At least you can say you tried everything.
-
Re: V1 purchase, now buyers remorse?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Red Turbo Tegg
Well is sounds like you made up your mind up. The V1 isn't for everyone. It doesn't sound like you really speed that much, so having bkazing sensitivity and awareness of the arrows is probably more than you need. The V1 is pretty much for people who know what they're doing and need what it can offer. Not everyone can handle it, that's why there's the 9500ix, it's almost as good at detecting and isn't as chatty.
I don't know what you consider speeding, but I tend to do 15 - 30 miles over the limit and have continued to drive this way even without a detector and I have not received one ticket. I guess one lucky bastage... :)
However, I only speed on highways, interstates, freeways, etc. On local roads I tend drive the limit or below since there are too many pedestrians walking around where I live. The NJ turnpike has a speed limit of 55 and I do about 70 - 80 mph and have done this without any issues. What I normally do is follow faster car and let him/her be my detector :) I do this with long distance drives without a detector.
The purpose of getting a new, good detector is to keep me alert and more aware when there are cops around with radar & lasers. I don't expect to be immune to getting a ticket by having a radar detector in my car. But as I said, I will give the V1 a month of test drives before I make my final decision.
-
Re: V1 purchase, now buyers remorse?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Stealth Stalker
That's cool. I would never suggest that any one detector is for everyone, any more than I would suggest one car is for everyone. False alerts are annoying, without a doubt. I don't know if you have considered the Cheetah that I suggested or not, but it makes all the difference in the tolerability level of V1 false alerts. With it, you'd never hear that liquor store again, without losing the unique benefits of the V1.
The arrows certainly aren't always essential, especially in the city. But on the open highway, they are worth their weight in gold. Of course, I did not mean "slam" literally about your brakes, but the point is that if you slow down for something you didn't need to slow down for, that is a false alert, even if it was really a cop. A cop who is not a threat is a false alert. And with the V1, that is one kind of false alert that I rarely have to worry about. With any other radar detector, that cop running constant K band a mile behind me is going to drive me crazy with a steadily beeping 3 bar signal for miles before I finally realise I probably don't have to worry about him. And even then, I'm going to be nervous about it because I won't know if a second K band signal is now ahead of me.
Driving down the highway a few weeks ago, I got Ka up ahead of me. First win is knowing that it is ahead of me, not behind or beside me, and not a threat. Then I top a hill and see the red and blue lights of a trooper with someone pulled over and figure I'm safe, right? Wrong! Because with the V1 I saw that there were two Ka bogeys. Second win was knowing the first trooper's partner was right on the other shoulder, still clocking people!
Just saying, you have to do some real road trips, and not just your normal daily commute to realise the potential of the V1 or any other detector.
I dunno, maybe you don't want that much interaction with your detector, and just want to plug-and-play it. That's cool. I'm not a car guy. You're not a detector guy. Different strokes. Nothing wrong with that. But if you want the perfect balance of sensitivity, reactivity, situational awareness, and quietness, there simply is no better solution than a V1/Cheetah combination set-up. Before you give up on it, I would like to suggest that you read my review of this set-up at
this link to see if it might meet your needs.
Whatever you choose, best of luck! At least you can say you tried everything.
Thanks for your great advice Stealth. I appreciate the above post and this was actually what I was expecting to read from you :) :thumb2:
I've never heard of the cheetah that your referring to but I will take a look at it and see. As I said earlier I have a great road trip coming up this Friday and I plan to use this baby and test it out.. If the V1 works great, then I will probably pick up a passport 9500ix and use this on local roads / daily drives and plug in the V1 for long distance drives. :)
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Re: V1 purchase, now buyers remorse?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
BMW Guy
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Red Turbo Tegg
Well is sounds like you made up your mind up. The V1 isn't for everyone. It doesn't sound like you really speed that much, so having bkazing sensitivity and awareness of the arrows is probably more than you need. The V1 is pretty much for people who know what they're doing and need what it can offer. Not everyone can handle it, that's why there's the 9500ix, it's almost as good at detecting and isn't as chatty.
I don't know what you consider speeding, but I tend to do 15 - 30 miles over the limit and have continued to drive this way even without a detector and I have not received one ticket. I guess one lucky bastage... :)
However, I only speed on highways, interstates, freeways, etc. On local roads I tend drive the limit or below since there are too many pedestrians walking around where I live. The NJ turnpike has a speed limit of 55 and I do about 70 - 80 mph and have done this without any issues. What I normally do is follow faster car and let him/her be my detector :) I do this with long distance drives without a detector.
The purpose of getting a new, good detector is to keep me alert and more aware when there are cops around with radar & lasers. I don't expect to be immune to getting a ticket by having a radar detector in my car. But as I said, I will give the V1 a month of test drives before I make my final decision.
I'm talking 120+ mph where every little bit of detecting power is needed, and arrows can be the deciding factor in slowing down or to keep trucking to find an exit ramp. Although the V1 only has a slight detection edge over the 9500ix, every little bit is needed at those speeds. As I said, for the kind of speeding you do, and if the V1 is bothering you, then I would deffinatly try the 9500ix. Whichever one you choose you'll be ok.
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Re: V1 purchase, now buyers remorse?
Yeah, two miles of detection range sounds awesome until you're going 120. Then you realise that you cover that two miles every minute, and that's not a lot of reaction time. Suddenly, 2.3 miles sounds even better, lol.
If you're hyperspeeding, you need both a V1 and a 9500ci or STi-R.
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Re: V1 purchase, now buyers remorse?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Stealth Stalker
Yeah, two miles of detection range sounds awesome until you're going 120. Then you realise that you cover that two miles every minute, and that's not a lot of reaction time. Suddenly, 2.3 miles sounds even better, lol.
If you're hyperspeeding, you need both a V1 and a 9500ci or STi-R.
Looks like you know what I'm talking about! LOL. :D
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Re: V1 purchase, now buyers remorse?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
BMW Guy
So last Tuesday I picked up a new Valentine one, hooked it up and was finally happy to have one of the best Radar detectors available.
As soon as I was driving around, I heard several X bands go off, ok so it picks up a fair amount of automatic doors and other radio waves.
So I read my manual and decided for driving in the city I should keep the detector on "L" mode. It didn't help filter out all the stupid alerts. In front of my house there is a wine/liquor store with automatic doors and every single time I drive past it, it goes off.
Using the detector daily and as of today, I am really getting annoyed with so many false alarms on this thing. Basically, I feel that the V1 is no better than the other cheap detectors except that it detects the alerts earlier.
When I was deciding to buy this I researched both the escort 9500ix and V1 and according to lots of people the arrows are worth getting the V1. And the other features on the passport may be good to have but the arrows trump them.
I'm not so sure about that.. having a detector that filters out automatic doors and other non threats would be a big plus for me.
So anyway here I am thinking to myself this is the reason why I never had a radar detectors in the past 10 years due to the annoyance of the beeps that I got from the cheaper $100 detectors and thinking about returning the V1 and purchasing the passport. However, I have yet to use the V1 on a highway except for my short commute that only lasts for 10 minutes on the turnpike. I have a road trip coming up from NJ to NC this Friday and thats when I guess I will find out if I want to keep the V1 or not. If the V1 goes off every few minutes due to false alerts, I think I will just unplug it and put it in the glove box until I return back home to ship it back to Valentine one in Ohio.
The reason for this post is I wanted to share my fustrations and ask you guys if there is something I am doing wrong or if the mode I selected is incorrect?
Any advice?
BMW Guy,
Good post. You got a new RD and IMO are asking valid questions. All devices take some time to learn and get used to using. And there are all kinds of RD with various specifications and features available. Some people will declare the RD that they use is the best. Maybe so. But I say, pick what you need / want.
What I did when I decided to get serious about RD was to look at where and how I drive and what I drive. I gathered a lot of information, more about the where and how and what, than RD specifications and ratings. To me, the first thing you need to know is what factors are going to affect all of this. Then I started looking at RD and trying to make decisions. The V1 was among the many RD that I ruled out when I started looking for higher end RD. I actually chose two different RD, one for in town and one for on the road. I use a 9500ix in town and an XTR695SE on the road. I don't consider either one of them toys, they are serious RD. And they work for me, where I drive, how I drive. I am sure there are those that disagree with my choice, but it is the choice I made and it works for me.
I think you can return the V1 within 30 days of purchase if you decide it is not for you. I hear the V1 is a good RD. I only looked at it, never really used it. I have a friend that has one and after looking at his in operation and listening to what he had to say, I ruled it out. But it works for him and he is happy with it.
Good luck. I hope you find the right RD for you.
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Re: V1 purchase, now buyers remorse?
You do have a quality RD just take the time to program it and give it some time, I do think once you get used to it you will be impressed. I do agree if you leave the valentine 1 in factory mode while traveling inside the city you might get annoyed fairly quick with all the alerts. So please take the advice of the forum and reprogram your valentine to suit your needs.
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Re: V1 purchase, now buyers remorse?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
BMW Guy
Fantastic!
I ask for help and advice and I get insulted even by a moderator.
Thanks MetalFlame and others with helpful tips.
Your right, that is not what is supposed to happen here and is no need for it.
The reason you are annoyed is because it was a false and you were not speeding. I too share those frustrations when I am in a place with a lot of automated doors. But those areas I am rarely speeding to the point I would be pulled over. And in those situations I completely mute the sound and just use the arrows.
When I get up on the highway or start mashing the gas, I have learned to simultaniously reach for the volume.
Oh, another thing, I have found the remote head is very helpful because the mute button is very soft and easy to press without reaching way up on the windshield to hit it.
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Re: V1 purchase, now buyers remorse?
Jmccam is right. Don't look on somebodys else opinion. If you don't like just return it.
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Re: V1 purchase, now buyers remorse?
Quote:
Absolutely not true. I've been running this setup for over a year and have noticed absolutely no interference between them. There is absolutely no way my 9500ci, with it's zero emission M3 radar antenna, is interfering with my V1. If anything, it would be the other way around, the V1 interfering with the 9500ci. Even Michael B said you could safely run a Belscort remote and a windshield mounted RD. My guess would be that he probably knows alot more than you do about radar detectors.
That may be true but I had a XTR695 on my friends motorcycle behind me interfere with my V1. Only once but there wasn't any other explanation for it. Especially since his XTR695 alerted normally.
Makes me think that there could be interference.
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Re: V1 purchase, now buyers remorse?
I think you guys could have been a little nicer.
I bought the v1 and did research on it before i bought it and was also annoyed by all the false alarms from a top of the line detector that i paid a lot of money for.
I just bought the 9500ix and that detector is MUCH quieter and that is of more importance to me than arrows. Now when it goes off i actually slow down instead of figuring its just garage door openers or another false alarm while driving around the city.
Enjoy the beamer and get the 9500ix.
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Re: V1 purchase, now buyers remorse?
lol have fun driving around with your 9500ix locking out cops...
Ok that was a bit rash. I know you cant stand false alerts but at least with me I have to be the one to filter out the results. I trust RDs enough until the filtering aspect comes into play.
Good luck with whatever unit you decide to invest your money into.
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Re: V1 purchase, now buyers remorse?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
FastLane
annoyed by all the false alarms from a top of the line detector that i paid a lot of money for.
A top of the line RADAR detector that detects ALL RADAR? OMG are you serious?!!? :rolleyes:
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Re: V1 purchase, now buyers remorse?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
FastLane
I think you guys could have been a little nicer.
I bought the v1 and did research on it before i bought it and was also annoyed by all the false alarms from a top of the line detector that i paid a lot of money for.
I just bought the 9500ix and that detector is MUCH quieter and that is of more importance to me than arrows. Now when it goes off i actually slow down instead of figuring its just garage door openers or another false alarm while driving around the city.
Enjoy the beamer and get the 9500ix.
What were your programming options like?
I drive through the city with many falses and my programming options mute almost everything, and I've NEVER missed a real threat. If I do have to hit the button, it takes care of all the falses in that area untill I leave it, but that only ever happens if I'm stuck at a light or am really close to the source. A quiet detector isn't as important to me as situational awareness and detecting power.
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Re: V1 purchase, now buyers remorse?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
FastLane
I think you guys could have been a little nicer.
I bought the v1 and did research on it before i bought it and was also annoyed by all the false alarms from a top of the line detector that i paid a lot of money for.
I just bought the 9500ix and that detector is MUCH quieter and that is of more importance to me than arrows. Now when it goes off i actually slow down instead of figuring its just garage door openers or another false alarm while driving around the city.
Enjoy the beamer and get the 9500ix.
I think you've figured which detector is better for you. If you are deciding between the 9500ix and the V1 and arrows are of less importance than is quieter detector then you have pretty well answered your own question.
