Getting a Valentine One radar detector is an excellent choice and has been a popular device for many years and for good reason too. The arrows are an innovative feature that is simply not found elsewhere which offers maximum protection. These will let you know exactly where a potential threat might be whether it is directly in front of you, behind or to the sides.
This is beneficial for many reasons as you can start to slow your vehicle down when the detector spots an X, K or Ka band that is being used by a local enforcement agency. This will give you a good advantage as getting a speeding ticket is simply not worth it. Getting a point on your record can also increase your monthly insurance premium which can easily result in hundreds of dollars per year.
image from: amazon
The Valentine One has often times been called the best radar detector but there are other brands on the market which are just as effective and that cost much less. These include the Escort Passport 8500 and the BEL 980 among others that are also a great alternative. While they do not have the arrows, they are much more sensitive so that you know to immediately slow down below the speed limit.
One of the biggest issues that are facing many detector manufacturers is that law enforcement agencies are starting to upgrade their technology. For example, some agencies are starting to make use of smart radar guns which make use of DSP (digital signal processing). This makes it even harder for even the top rated radar detectors to alert you in time to slow down before a police officer gets your speed.
These new radar guns use a low frequency so they are much harder to detect and the Ka band is much wider so the radar detector needs to work twice as hard. Fortunately, many of the new detectors that are coming out these days are able to keep up this evolution in technology. They are able to search the entire band for signals and some even have pop radar features implemented in it.
However, this isn’t to say that all car radar detectors will make you invincible and give you a license to speed through your favorite road. There are still those detectors that often give false alerts or are simply not powerful enough to scan the entire band. With that said, the following are Valentine One radar detector reviews in addition to others based on information that was gathered through research.
This is perhaps the most popular model from V1 and for good reason too as it does absolutely everything you need it to. It makes use of twin antennas that are located in the front and rear for maximum sensitivity and to precisely locate any radar threats. This particular model includes the windshield mount and is able to detect which direction a threat is coming from.
The biggest benefit with this particular Valentine One radar detector is that there are always updates that get released. There are models all the back from 1992 that are still able to keep up with more modern ones as you can easily send in your old one to be updated. This means that you won’t have to buy new car radar detectors if the one you have ever gets out of date.
This particular model has always appeared on top 10 lists of some of the best radar detectors available on the market and it’s not difficult to see why. It has excellent reception which is extremely useful so that you can slow your vehicle down should you be slightly over the speed limit. One of the biggest problems with this detector is that there are other brands that are entering into this market full force with better and more innovative features.
Buyer’s Guide and Our Top Picks
The Escort Passport 8500 is one of those detectors that compete very well with the V1 and some users have rated this better. In fact, the 8500 can detect those radar guns that make use of pop technology which operates at low frequency so they are harder to detect. However, the extreme sensitivity of this detector is able to easily read this so you get an early warning of when to slow down.
This one is actually very much comparable to the Solo S2 but includes a power cord whereas the S2 is a cordless detector. The 8500 is very straightforward to use and you can literally just get started using the factory settings so that you can immediately drive away. This particular device also makes use of twin antennas so it can tell you whether a potential threat is coming from the front or back.
Best of all, you won’t need to adjust the settings whether you are driving on a highway or a city as the Auto Mode regulates the sensitivity for you. It is able to read the X, K and even the super wide Ka bands so you can ensure that you are well protected. However, keep in mind that these devices are never guaranteed so you still need to drive with caution wherever you go.
BEL 980 radar detector
This is another popular car radar detector that ranks fairly well and competes with the Valentine one detector while costing a great deal less. The high resolution LED display is very easy to read and the voice alerts are crystal clear so you know exactly what message is being relayed. There are also 7 programmable features which are much more compared to others in the market.
With the BEL 980, you also have the ability to allow only individual bands to be detected which is useful to limit false alarms but you’ll need to know which bands to deactivate. The visual alert system is very comprehensive and the messages are easily interpreted. In some tests, it was able to detect a Ka digital radar gun at 7.6 miles out which is more than double of the Valentine One.
These reviews of the both the Escort Passport 8500 and the BEL 980 radar detectors is not to say that the Valentine 1 is no good. This is simply to give you more options to choose from so you are not limited in what you may want to purchase. These devices are fairly expensive so you may want to consider getting discount radar detectors by shopping at online retail stores or auction sites.
When you buy a detector for sale, just ensure that you read the manual ahead of time before using it and that you make use of the mount. Most radars these days can also detect lasers but you should ensure that it has these features anyway. Car radar detectors are simply a must have even if you don’t speed very often as it can come in handy during long distant drives.