Final and decisive word on V1 vs Escort radar detectors

[bigboyhf]

I did an extensive side by side comparison of the Valentine 1 and the Escort 8500.

The ergonomics of both units were good. The V1 has a problem with the windshield mount not releasing well so you have to undo the suction cups to remove and hide the unit when parked. The Escort windshield mount is excellent, but you have to bend the metal bar to adjust to your windshield. You only have to do this once though and the release mechanism is first class...easy. I often will pop it off and slip it in my pocket so I can leave my convertible top down without worrying that it will be stolen.

Volume of both were excellent. I like the Automute feature on the Escort which lowers the warning sound after a few seconds so you don't go crazy with beeps and braps. The V1 requires you to manually press mute.

The V1 has direction arrows. I found these often very confusing. Radar bounces all over the place and I often had arrows pointing in all directions at once. Both units require you to become familiar with the pattern of warning signals to verify real threats vs false alarms. I almost always can tell where radar signals are coming from with the Escort using pattern recognition. Even when I had the V1 telling me where it was coming from, I responded no differently than had I been using the Escort....I slow down until the radar source stops.

Speaking of false alarms. The V1 falsed approximately 10 to 1 to the Escort. I had one strip of road where the V1 did not stop beeping for at least 2 or three miles....all falses! It did somewhat better on the logic modes, but still much worse than Escort. Escort has an Auto mode which automatically sets filter to city or highway and this mode reduces falses to nearly zero. When you get a warning, its usually the cops (except x band...some falses here and there). The bogey counter was more of a distraction than a help on the V1. The Escort has "expert meter" which can also track up to 8 radar signals and show the strength of them all. On the V1, the strength of only the strongest signal is shown.

The band is prominently displayed and lighted on the Escort, but the V1 only lights a dot next to the printed band on the front. At night, you can't see this and have to rely on the different audio tones, which are sometimes confusing, especially in the case of the V1 when a new audio alert anounces all the multiple bogeys (usually all false alerts!)

Escort trounces the V1 in instant on Ka band when the V1 is set to full logic (which I had to use due to the constant falses). The other bands are maybe slightly less sensitive than the V1, but x is almost always false, and K is also often a door opener. The fact that the V1 falses so much, it desensitized me to the point that if a real radar threat occured I would probably ignore it until it was too late!

Both units have good programability, but you need the manual for both. I like the Smart Cord for the Escort much more than the remote for the V1. On the V1 you can't have both giving alerts at the same time, where on the Escort you can have them both or just the remote.

The Escort is a hundred dollars less ($140 if you include the remote on the V1, the remote is included with the Escort). That is a lot of cash, which if the V1 was so significantly better then the Escort would have been worth it. But the way I see it, the Escort is the better product. The only way I might recommend the V1 over the Escort is if you do 100% rural, highway driving, in an area where x band is still in use.

The Car and Driver report did not take many of these issues into account in their scoring. I have seen other reports and they all use different measuring techniques and scoring. The V1 may indeed be slightly more sensitive than the others, including the Escort, but at a very high price with falsing. The Escort may have a slightly lesser range, however it is more than adequate for most purposes. You can't forget that there are instances where you will get a ticket with any detector! There are planes clocking you overhead. There are clock type VASCAR units that do not emit radar and there are new radar devices that are supposedly unable to be detected by radar detectors!! Laser detection is virtually useless on all the detectors. You may have a 1 in 5 chance in detecting laser before its too late....maybe...

For those of you who love your V1, I would recommend keeping what you have. Its a good radar detector if you are used to it. If you are thinking of buying one, don't go by any one or the many reports out there which places one over the other. There are about as many who rate V1 higher as there are that rate Escort higher. For me, I rate the Escort higher based upon the above findings and not just on the slight differences in radar sensitivity. I packed up my V1 and sent it back yesterday. I don't think I would use this detector if you gave it to me for free!...(IMHO) I'm heading to Best Buy tonight to pick up my second Escort 8500. I will probably be giving one to each of my son's for their birthdays coming up in the next few months as well. As long as I am still the guy who pays for their speeding tickets, I figure its a good investment......

H

[Guess My Name]

What ya gonna do with your V1? You willing to sell at a bargain?

Great review though.

I wonder how the escort can distinguish between door openers and a police radar for the in city mode AKA false alerts?

Drive safe!

[Short Cut]

Sounds like all you need to do is program the V1 to block out X band which isn't difficult. Around here X band is not a threat and like you said it's always a false alarm. The arrows take some getting used to but this comes after a short time and when it picks up radar from the rear and saves you a ticket it will seem much much cooler.

Riding motorcycles in groups with both V1s and Escorts 8000s the V1s picked up the radar first every time even when the Escort was routinely on the lead bike.

I don't mind paying a little more for the best.

[Brad]

Nice review. Thanks. The falses are what would bug me the most and stop me from using it around town. Do you just get "used to it" or can you adjust it so it doesn't false a high percentage of the time?

I have been pretty lucky and have gotten away with "flying low" while on highway trips but have been caught twice for small speeding tickets in the city which I have paid to have fixed by the lawyers. It's time I get a detector.

[bigboyhf]

The V1 went back for the 30 day money back guarantee. I'm glad that I tried it, so that I know that I have the right detector for my purposes.

The V1 probably does have greater sensitivity when in highway mode than the Escort. (Which is why Car and Driver rates it better) My problem was that I had to keep the V1 in Full Logic mode which greatly decreases its performance relative to the Escort in Auto mode. Even on a highway, if the V1 gives you 2 miles notice and the Escort 1.2 miles notice, that is both more than enough time to take action. So my feeling is that the V1 is overkill and the result is the oversensitivity and constant falsing (especially in an urban area).

I have no idea how Escort manages its Auto mode so well, but all the other articles I read also mentioned how great that mode works. The only time I take it out of Auto is on a long Turnpike trip. Even then, Auto is probably fine since it really only adjusts sensitivity to X band which is in little use around here.

If the Escort had arrows, that might make it a little better, so long as they accurately pointed to the radar source. But my reaction to an alert would be pretty much the same as if I had knowlege of where the radar was coming from....as long as it's picking up radar, I am slowing down, whether it is showing from the front, side or back. There is some confusion about the Escort's ability to pick up radar from the rear. It does alert to radar coming up from the rear due the the radar being reflected. It may not be as sensitive as the rear antenna for the V1, but getting shot from the rear is much less common, and even so, you usually have much more time to react because it is coming from a police car that is gradually coming up on you as opposed to the quick reaction needed for a frontal attack. I have picked up radar coming up from the rear in plenty of time to slow down.

Escort also has a new laser defeating device ($500!!) which is an active type jammer. It's on the Escortradar.com site and they say it integrates with the 8500. I personally don't think Lidar is used much if at all in Florida so I am willing to take my chances with laser. I think the greatest risk outside of radar on Florida's highways are from airplanes clocking you on a quarter mile stretch. There are white lines painted across the road at quarter mile intervals and I know more than a few people who have gotten nailed that way. I guess having a convertible or a sun roof is a good idea! And driving at night defeats that threat.

The bottom line is that none of the radar detectors on the market are foolproof and none of them have all of the "perfect" engineering that a "dream" detector could have. But for me, the Escort comes closer to that mark than the V1.

H

[Guess My Name]

I hear most laser jammers do not work very well.

Laser is a threat here as I have seen many troopers aiming the gun in my direction but alas I knew they were there already or could see them.

THose FLa airplanes really suck! I consider it cheating and just a way to generate revenue of getting speeders they do nothing for safety.

I still like the noise of a radar detector going off though!

[gmblack3]

Sorry but I have to shot holes in some of your report

"The V1 has a problem with the windshield mount not releasing well so you have to undo the suction cups to remove and hide the unit when parked."

I have never had a problem removing my V1 from its mount. I do it 4 days a week when I drive my 540 to work. With 1 hand I can hold down on the top of the unit and remove it. Its very easy!

"The V1 requires you to manually press mute."

I'll agree with you on this one.


"The V1 has direction arrows. I found these often very confusing. Radar bounces all over the place and I often had arrows pointing in all directions at once. Both units require you to become familiar with the pattern of warning signals to verify real threats vs false alarms. I almost always can tell where radar signals are coming from with the Escort using pattern recognition. Even when I had the V1 telling me where it was coming from, I responded no differently than had I been using the Escort....I slow down until the radar source stops."

I have no problems with the arrows. The only time that they change is when you are going around the radar. Front, side and then rear. Mine does not point in all directions at once. If you get more than one arrow, say one front and one rear which ever one is flashing is the biggest threat.

"Speaking of false alarms. The V1 falsed approximately 10 to 1 to the Escort. I had one strip of road where the V1 did not stop beeping for at least 2 or three miles....all falses!"

You can turn off the X band on the V1:

http://www.valentine1.com/lab/MikesLabRpt3.asp


"The bogey counter was more of a distraction than a help on the V1. The Escort has "expert meter" which can also track up to 8 radar signals and show the strength of them all. On the V1, the strength of only the strongest signal is shown."

So the V1 tells you with a large # how many bogeys are out there and that is a distraction I don't know about you but all I'm concerned with is the strongest radar source out there. Its telling me that there are 2,3,4 bogeys and the arrows tells me by flashing in which direction the strongest signal is. I see that you dont have arrows on the 8500, You can track up to eight radars at one time but you don't know where they are coming from or going.

"I like the Smart Cord for the Escort much more than the remote for the V1. On the V1 you can't have both giving alerts at the same time, where on the Escort you can have them both or just the remote."

I don't have the remote for the V1, If I did it would be so that others would not follow me by seeing the light from my detector. I see no use in having both of them on at the same time.

"Laser detection is virtually useless on all the detectors. You may have a 1 in 5 chance in detecting laser before its too late....maybe"

If you can't see the cop with laser and he clocks you with laser you are done. I have had a few times where cops will clock 3-4 cars ahead of me with laser and with the V1 I will pick that up. I have plenty of time to slow down. It has the widest laser range by far of any detector. It also has a rear laser antenna.

To futher explain the V1 features and why its made that way click on this link and go to the next demo by clicking on the arrow at the bottom of each page:

http://www.valentine1.com/home.asp

Who are you going to trust to do your radar tests? Some guy who has a grudge against the V1 because they would not hire him:

http://www.valentine1.com/lab/V1Hater.asp

BTW is your real name Craig Peterson? I just woner because most of your points are the same BS that he has been spinning for years.

[Dr. Jones]

Does anyone outside of Colorado have laws allowing photo radar vans? Talk about just a way to make money. These vans just sit on the side of the street, clocking every car that runs by taking pictures of the plates. I've yet to be caught by one but i know it's just a matter of time. I wonder if either of those dectors work against those. Those are by far the worst threat here in co.

Funny story... i went to an imports car club event a month or so ago in colorado springs... there were around 50 of us.. lots of supras, civics, RX-7, s2000, some integras, and even a ferarri 360 modena (guess that's an import) we went crusing which was TONS of fun...a huge convoy of like 30+ sweet cars. well.. the point... we drove under a bridge right by a photo radar van.... that thing was flashing like a strobe light. I've yet to get my ticket for that (if it even got me... i managed to slow down some)

[puterbum]

Originally posted by gmblack3
BTW is your real name Craig Peterson? I just woner because most of your points are the same BS that he has been spinning for years.

You know, I viewed your post as credible up until that last tasteless remark.

[bigboyhf]

I have read about 10 different reviews of Escort vs V1. I think it was a toss-up depending on which article you read. Thats why I went ahead and did my own testing. Believe me when I tell you that I was hoping that the V1 would be better than the Escort! I do want the latest and the greatest and the small difference in price was not a major consideration. I would love to have arrows that give me more information than I get with the Escort. I would love to have increased sensitivity without increased false alarms. I don't think that the Escort is perfect, but comparing the two for myself, I found specific difficulties with the V1 that turned me off to it.

Both companies make claims about their products and I would expect them to claim that theirs is better than the competition. Most of the claims from both companies are true, but in the real world (at least in my world), I came to my own conclusions about what was relevant and what was hype....

Like I said before, if you have a V1 and like it, great! If you live in an area with few false sources, then the V1 might edge out the Escort. The report that I gave was completely unbiased. Take it or leave it........

Sincerely,
Craig P

[geekysteve]

I must admit, I felt a little sorrow when I read your review, BB! I love my V1 to death, and as my buddy Mr. Heston would say, "you'll have to pry my (V1) from my cold dead hands!"

I too, have never had a problem with releasing the unit from the holder - it slips right out when I press down on the top of the clip and slide the unit out.

False alarms - believe it or not, but you learn how to quickly determine if it's real or false. I prefer knowing exactly what's around me, and then making my own determination if the signal is valid or not. The arrow flashes in the direction of the strongest signal and the sound mimics the strongest signal too.

Oh well, just little things that you learn how to use/understand after a while. I'd compare it to the Klasse vs. Zaino vs. BlackFire "wars". You learn the nuances of each product and you find one that works best for you. Glad to hear you like the Escort - I've often thought about purchasing one too!

I feel dumb bragging about this, but - two nights ago, I had to "run" to Branson to deliver my mother-in-law's prescriptions (which she forgot at our house while visiting last week). Branson is 163 miles from my house (by way of Springfield, MO). I fired up the BMW, warmed up the V1 and headed off. (catch that?)

163 miles, 1 hour 44 minutes. Average speed = 93.1 MPH...I encountered two cops with laser, and was given enough warning to slow to a respectable speed. On the trip home, I took a different route (more twisty, but only 99.1 miles) - Average speed = 75.0 MPH, 1 hour 19 minutes. Even more interesting was that my average MPG after the trip was 25.3! I love that little 2.8L. These figures are from the little BMW trip-puter, so don't know how accurate they are (suppose I could do the math, eh?)

Not that I condone excessive speeding, but when I do, the V1 has always been there to save me!

[Guess My Name]

Good post geeky.

I guess you have made you choice and are happy BB which is great.

I have not had a problem removing the V1 from the mount as I do it every night. I guess it works itself in after a while plus the 303 I applied to the bracket may act as a lube.

My speed story:

I went from New Orleans to Fort Meyers Florida. 800 miles and I did it in 10 hours including stops for gas and pulling an empty boat trailer. I did this in my old Tahoe. Do not ask about gas mileage as it was about 14mpg. I had to make 3 stops for gas and maybe hit 2 other rest stops to expel the coffee. There was construction on I-10 in Alabama and Florida.

The V1 worked like a champ. In florida near gainsville is where all the laser cops were.

PS on the way back pulling a loaded U-haul trailer (the biggest they have) I did it in 11 hours.

PSS could not let geeky have the last post!