rpolin

I went through the search feature and after almost an hour, I got frustrated reading outdated stuff so I decided to post this with a Poll and hopefully it will help other as well.

I would like to purchase a radar detector for my Pcar but I NEED one that is portable so that I can move it between the various cars that I have. Yes, its super annoying to always have to put it on the windshield and I'm sure it pisses off cops when they see it as you pass them by but a hard wired system just isn't in the cards right now, especially for the cost of over a $1k.

From what I have read, talking only about Portable Models, it appears that everyone seems to either love the Escort 8500, Escort 9500 or the Valentine1 but before I part with $500, I want to try and get a decent consensus.

Last but not least, if I decided to go with a hard wired system, which I highly doubt, can anybody recommend a solid shop in Fairfield County, CT?

dotframe

We are a V1 family. Couldn't live without them. My wife, brother, sister-in-law, mom, and dad all use them religiously.

I'm sure the Escorts are really nice but I have no reason to switch. V1 has been good to me and they last forever!

C4CRNA

V1

pterfloth

I'm quite happy with my Escort 8500. Has saved me many, many times.

Sneaky Pete

I have a Escort Solo 3. No cords and it works great. Truely portable.

Marc Gelefsky

Happy v1 user here

Liceman

V1 is my choice. I leave a cradle suction-cupped to the windshield in both my cars, so all I have to do is slide out the detector when I want to transfer it.

VGM911

Have also used Escort Solo models for years...never a ticket, always reliable. I use the supplied winshield visor clip, rather than the suction cups on the winshield.

Keep in mind that detectors do not replace common sense and situational awareness. Good luck!

chsu74

V1

Dennis C

The answer depends on where you live. Where I live, the city uses radar to monitor traffic speeds. It's K-band radar, and it is used in varying time intervals depending on the time of day. As a result, there isn't a consistent K-band signal every time you drive by a radar unit. Sometimes it's there, sometimes it's not. This traffic monitoring system renders the V1 useless. It sends up so many false alarms, you never trust it. There's not a way to deal with this issue with a V1.

Escort and BEL are the only detectors that offer something called TSR. TSR is a filter that prevents the unit from giving false alarms in this situation. I've got a BEL RX-65 Driver with this feature enabled, and it's wonderful. New Escort models have it too.

I have nothing against V1. I'm sure they are great. I just can't use them. Also - the arrows don't do much for me. If it alerts me to the presence of radar, I'm slowing down, no matter which way the arrow points.

roadsession

So I'm a V1 user. And it's been great.
But now all the cops in MA, CT, NY use laser. By the time you get a warning they've already clocked you.
So now I just watch my speed and mirrors.

frisbee91

Where I live, there are just too many door openers, security systems, etc. that give false alarms. Without the GPS filtering, the thing would be beeping constantly, which I hate. GPS was a must-have for me, so I have the Escort 9500ix

GTS Jay

How about this for a compromise? You can probably do it with any of the portables but I'm biased to the V1 as I've had mine for 8 years and it still works and looks like it's brand new... Get the detector of your choice and buy a hard-wire kit and mount for each car. No, the the type of hard-wire where the detector receivers sit behind the grill, just the kit that allows you to connect it up, say, to your dome light and run the wire out the front of the headliner. Very easy DIY in most cases. With my V1 mounted above the rear view mirror you can barely see it from the outside unless you're really looking for it. This way all you have to do is move the unit itself between vehicles, you'll have no wires hanging down over your dash, and the unit doesn't have to sit in the middle of the windshield where everyone can see it. I think the V1 parts are very reasonably priced...

SSST

I have the 9500ix hardwired and tucked up above the rear view mirror where it sees well but is difficult to see from outside the car. I can also move it between vehicles.

Went back and forth between the 9500ix and the V1. Both are excellent detectors, but the GPS filtering and auto sensitivity based on speed out weighed the directional indicators on the V1.

So far I think I made the right choice. It sees a long way, and the filtering works very well. Very few false alarms.

logray

Used to be a Escort guy, the 8500 was a little better at long range bogey detection on a wide open highway.

But the V1's accuracy and ability to tell me where it's coming from (and bogey count) fars outweighs the range capability of the Escort.