[iKING]

Hi what's the best radar detector available in the US market? Is Escort Solo S2 good? appreciate your help, thanks!

Iking
BMW 530i Sports/Premium Package

[StevenT]

Check out this comparative review of various radar detectors.
http://www.radarbusters.com/support/...05/Default.asp

Conclusion of test:
http://www.radarbusters.com/support/...mendations.asp

Based on my personal experience, I would highly recommend the Escort 8500. I know a lot of people of this forum also seem to recommend Valentine 1.

Good luck.
StevenT

[bobnaz]

I never got more tickets than when I had a detector. Probably false sense of security. Personally I find other peoples brake lights and looking way ahead my best detector. IMHO. Maybe I will try one again though.

ValentineOne. Hands down. Go here> http://www.valentine1.com/

You may also want to look into the SteathOne which integrates the ValentineOne's output onto your NAV screen. However it probably won't be available for the E90 for a few more months.

Go here> http://www.jaricdesign.com/products.htm

[blackE90]

sometimes it helps just to drive safe and staying in the pack

as long as you're not driving stupid, in my experience, most police officers are lenient

but if you must ;-) i've heard nothing but good things about the valentine 1.

[AW330i]

I love my valentine one like its my child! It has saved me so many times, but I dont just rely on it I am always aware of whats around me keeping an eye out for the spots where cops all ways use pop and so on...

[Jesse Wilson]

I did the research about two months ago and ended up picking up the Escort Passport 8500 X50. It is just as good as the Valentine most catagories and there are a few catagories in which the V1 is better and a few that the Escort is better. So mostly a wash except for the rear because the V1 as a seperate antenna for rear and front. The cost and styling is what made the descision for me. The V1 is $400 and I picked up the Escort for $200 from the Sharper Image. I love the fact that there is a mute button on the cigarette adapter, it allows me to simply reach down and press it instead of reaching half way up the windshield. I recently used it on a trip to California for the SDCC and it will detect radar and police cars up 10 miles away, no joke. It's also comes in a cool blue display or red.

Well, that's my suggestion.

Jesse

[e90fanatic]

the best radar has got to be the Valentine One. Accurate and it tells you direction, plus for us, we have the Stealth One to go with our bimmers. BTW, if anybody is looking for one, I'm selling mine on ebay as I got a new one as a gift.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=5805972924

[agrusczak]

The Valentine One doesn't detect POP3 and Ku band. Granted, Ku band isn't used in the USA, but could it be? Check out the Beltronics Pro RX65. The only thing it doesn't have is arrow indicators, but it does detect radar from behind the vehicle. I don't need the indicators - when the detector goes off (and it rarely falses), I slow down.

[StevenT]

This thread piqued my interest in radar detectors and I've been doing some more online searching. Found another decent comparrison review of the Bel RX65, Passport 8500 and Valentine One here:

http://www.radartest.com/article.asp?articleid=9090

In summary, the review ranked the three detectors as follows:

Best overall performance -- BEL Pro RX65
Best instant-on performance -- Escort Passport 8500 X50
Best POP-mode performance -- BEL Pro RX65
Best windshield mount -- Valentine One
Best visual displays -- BEL Pro RX65
Best audible alerts -- Escort Passport 8500 X50
Best laser performance -- Valentine One
Best price/performance ratio -- Escort Passport 8500 X50

Read and make your own decision.
StevenT

[StevenT]

Originally Posted by agrusczak

The Valentine One doesn't detect POP3 and Ku band. Granted, Ku band isn't used in the USA, but could it be? Check out the Beltronics Pro RX65. The only thing it doesn't have is arrow indicators, but it does detect radar from behind the vehicle. I don't need the indicators - when the detector goes off (and it rarely falses), I slow down.

The use of Ku band in radar guns has been approved in the US, and radar gun manufacturers are supposed to be introducing/selling Ku band-capable radar guns in the US next year. The industry has been predicting a large increase in radar detector sales next year as everyone goes out to replace their existing detector with one that is Ku band capable. The Bel is definitely Ku capable. I don't know about the 8500 or valentine.

[bmwboy29]

I have always had the best luck with BEL products!

[scottz5]

V1

[MonacoBlueNJ]

Originally Posted by StevenT

The use of Ku band in radar guns has been approved in the US, and radar gun manufacturers are supposed to be introducing/selling Ku band-capable radar guns in the US next year. The industry has been predicting a large increase in radar detector sales next year as everyone goes out to replace their existing detector with one that is Ku band capable. The Bel is definitely Ku capable. I don't know about the 8500 or valentine.

The V1 is upgradable when new bands come out.

[tima]

The Valentine One doesn't detect POP3 and Ku band.

hmmm....

This thread at radardetector.net seems to suggest there is no such thing as POP3 - at least with regard to radar ... e-mail protocol is another story.

While the V1 does not come with Ku band support turned on, this link tells how to program the V1 for Ku band. Flip a few switches - looks simple.

Seems to be a lot of interesting info at radardetectors.net. The Beltronics Pro RX65, Escort Passport 8500 X50, and Valentine 1 seem to be today's top models, and each has its fans. Iirc Beltronics bought Escort so those may be the same units under different marketing.

I've used a V1 across several bimmers and my experience with it has been 100% positive - that translates to Zero Tickets. (knock on burl). It is a sturdy little device that is easy to mount and hardwire into the car. The directional arrows are very helpful and I think it would be hard for me to adapt back to an RD without them. I also like the fact that Valentine will upgrade my unit (send me a brand new one) for a reasonable cost - I see it as a lifetime purchase - or until technology overwhelms it. That said each of the three units mentioned have something going for 'em. Do your homework to gauge what will work best for you!

Keep in mind that several of the sites that post RD tests and reviews also sell them. caveat emptor!
.

[jlr]

I have a 4 year old V1 and love it. The arrows mean everything !
Not to mention the great performance.

[ben1364]

Valentine V-1 if you are serious about identifying threats. I suggest that you take what you read at radartest.com and radarbusters.com with a box of salt. Both companies depend on advertising...

[tirtaps]

My future e90 330d will have Active Cruise Control. I'm sure with software approrpriate, it can detect radars. What do you think of it ? Have you heard anything about this ?

[tima]

I thought active cruise control sensed other cars - perhaps using radar - I don't think thats the same thing as sensing radar in use, which is what a radar detetector does. Generally the rule for radar detection is to mount the detector higher up - the active cruise 'dome' is below the license plate, isn't it?

[Meatnog]

Originally Posted by ben1364

Valentine V-1 if you are serious about identifying threats. I suggest that you take what you read at radartest.com and radarbusters.com with a box of salt. Both companies depend on advertising...

No offense to you directly, but this attitude is one of the things that most annoys me. Just because you need ads, just because you sell products, does not mean you are incapable of giving unbiased opinions nor does it mean that you will sway towards your advertisers. Ads come and go, a site's integrity is far more long lasting.

Radarbusters even reviews products they don't sell and haven't ever had ads for (Your Valentine. for instance), and gives them good ratings when appropriate.

I have absolutely nothing but the utmost respect and belief of integrity from radarbusters. Especially since they show all their test results and how they confirmed them. They also listen to 'reader input' and adjust tests accordingly to best suit 'real world' environements.

To go back to my first paragraph, a site will actually get MORE ads and MORE revenue if they can prove they're unbiased than biased. It means they'll get more viewers. More hits = more value to the advertisers. More value = More revenue for the site. IE: It is in their own best interest to be unbiased, not the reverse.

[SCA]

The V1 is the best! Upgradeable too! I upgraded mine last spring for $65.00.

[Jesse Wilson]

I couldn't get myself to spend the extra $200 to buy the V1 so I just ordered another X50. I have a blue one that I have been using for the past few months and it seems to do a good job so I bought a red one and will give the blue to my wife. The red should look much better with the interior. I also bought the hardwire kit and will be doing that as well.


Jesse