anyone use a v1 radar

thoughts? comments? just got a 550 with a hard wire for a v1 and considering buying the unit since the care tempts me to push it all the time!!

 

Yes, I swear by V1, its saved me $1000s in tickets & probably some jail time

its an excellent investment

 

x 10000000 My V1 rules , best there is period.

 

i have a V1, and as far as i've experienced, nothing compares. the arrows are actually very helpful. Mine is hardwired as well, but i still keep the cigarette adapter, in case I go in a friend's car, or use someone else's car. I feel naked without it.

here's a video where I was driving in the middle of the night, going well over the posted limit on the fwy, and it picked up Ka band..slowed to posted limit...and you'll see how far away I was able to pick up CHP before I actually passed them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtHQzN3yT6k



and just a random video while i was driving the camry the other day..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCCTkNOCzTI



guysoflidar also did some tests, and the V1 always came out on top of all teh sensitivity tests.

 

I use Valentine One, and I gave one to my wife, and also to my son.

Not inexpensive, but worth it.

 

I have a clean record, mostly due to the V1. If you want to speed, you need one of these, or multiple driver's licenses.

Art

 

I use a V1 in both cars I drive. Very sensitive--has saved me numerous times.

Bad news is it goes off on every commercial automatic door opener in town, so less useful there. But on the open road, it works well.

Have never used another type, so cannot comment on relative merits against its competition.

 

You can program the V1 so it does not signal x band alerts which is usually the false alerts anyway. Also, updated models are not as bad on the falses.

 

OMG, I was about to go buy one of these. never used one in any of my cars but felt like getting one..... UNTIL I saw that video posted above!!! What an annoying piece of ****!!!!!!!!!!! that is the most ridiculous, confusing thing ever. arrows going all over the place, obviously inaccuracte unless he had cops in front of him, behind him and along side of him. That noise is enough to make me throw it out the window, I mean, beep and tell me then shut the F up! It beeps for 3 minute whenever radar is around? Just plain stupid.

 

It flashes and beeps in order to get your attention.

Once aware of the presence of radar, push in the volume knob: that mutes the tones, but the light flashes.

It really is a good design, once you are used to it.

 

I cant explain what was going on with his detector for the first 1:20, but after that I would say he was approaching radar pointed at the oncoming traffic based on the short sudden alert with the arrow forward and the much longer stronger alert with the arrow in reverse. That is the beauty of the VI. You know from the arrows when you are past the radar and no longer have to worry about the alert.

 

ditto!

+1

 

+2

A nice feature about the V1 is you can also have them upgraded so they stay current with technology without having to buy a new one every two years or so.

 

I bought a total of 4 V1 so far and at the moment I have 2 V1 in 2 vehicles and one Escort 9500 for my daily ride.
If I had to buy another radar detector I would go for the V1 again and not for the Escort.
The V1 is more intuitive and the arrows actually help a lot to understand better what is going on around you.
You can also keep them updated by sending them in to get the latest software.

 

I use the V1 and the Escort with GPS daily (seperate cars). The V1 is more sensitive and can be a bit of a nuisance in town. Wish it had a mute like the Escort. The GPS on the escort has not been of much use. It's supposed to remember the location of false alarms. But he damn thing talks too much. "GPS signal found", "GPS signal lost", "k band", "Do you want to lock out this signal?", "Lock out signal stored", "Lock out signal unlocked". Yackity-yak. It's loud and there's no way to mute or quiet the voice. I'll take the V1 even with the false alarms.

 

I have used one for 14 years. I moved up back then from a Passport and before that the Escort.

The V1 is the best out there. Just TRY and live without those arrows once you get used to them...

 

He speaks the truth. I swear by mine.

 

Hardwired V1's in everything we have. Upgrade regularly, usually in pairs. Been using them since inception, tried all brands and run them together, V1 wins real-world.
Used Passport and Escort 30 years ago-I found an Escort record album demo the other day. My first Escort had a 4 digit serial number and a non-removable plug.
Still have a aircraft transponder detector from ages ago, works well for air enforcement. Used to use scanners as well, but now everything is digital, really not very easy/useful.
You're very very wrong about the arrows, and you can program the unit extensively. Unmarked traps use one car early, then second car in a mile or 2. Arrows show you this. Only time I ever got nailed was when my wife turned down the volume in the Superamerica with top down, and I heard/saw it too late.
Mount it as high as you can, by center mirror on R. Cheaper than buying a judge.
Obey all posted limits

 

I would never own anything other than a V1.

 

The Valentine One is the best at detecting radar and lidar.

http://guysoflidar.com/august-2007/radar-detector-test.html

http://www.laserveil.com/laser-detector-performance/

http://www.laserveil.com/laser-detectors/tests-reviews-comparisons/charts-by-radar-detector/

http://www.laserveil.com/laser-detectors/tests-reviews-comparisons/charts-by-police-laser-gun/

http://www.laserveil.com/laser-detectors/tests-reviews-comparisons/tables-by-radar-detector/

http://www.laserveil.com/laser-detectors/tests-reviews-comparisons/tables-by-police-laser-gun/

 

this radar is the best and has saved me numerous times.
the arrows are a lifesaver and help to show where the signal is coming from. also helps when there are multiple radars (ie. speed traps)
the different sounds are great so you can focus on driving and only get worried when you hear the Ka. the others (store security, etc.) can be tuned out if desired.

 

Thanks for all of the info.. My V1 just arrived yesterday. Looking forward to getting some good use out of it!!

 

Brent Vino?

 

Not only is the detector itself the best, their customer service is amazing.

I owned mine for almost 4 yeas before it started acting up on me. I called Valentine and gave them my product serial number, which was tied into my name. They knew when I bought it, etc. just from the serial number. They informed me that there was an update available, and mine was out of the factory warranty. If I sent it in for the update, that would fix the problem.

I sent it first thing Monday morning by FedEx overnight. I included the name of the person that I spoke to on the phone, a description of the issues I was having, and my credit card number for the update. I received it back Wednesday morning. Inside was my updated Valentine, and a note from the person that I spoke to describing what they did. They found that my defect was something they hadn't seen before, so they simply updated it under the factory warranty, that was expired for almost three years, and sent it back overnight. That means that they received it, diagnosed it, updated it, and shipped it all in the same day. All that, and they did it for free simply because it was an error they hadn't seen before.

An experience like that has made me a customer for life, I was absolutely blown away by the whole experience.

 

Mine works fine - the arrows are very helpful once you get used to them, particularly in odd situations like a cop catching up to you on a highway: mostly from behind with spurts of front from overpasses and semi-trailers.

Scottie