Valentine One Radar Detector by Valentine
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Our Price: $499.95 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $469.00 (click here) Category: Car Audio or Theater See more digital camera details and other models |
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Digital camera reviews of Valentine One Radar Detector
Digital camera Review: Cheaper and more reliable than bribing a judge
Summary: 4 Stars
Pro: Phenomenal range. Direction arrows. Bogey counter. Actual laser detection, not just a laser-already-got-you signal. These all turn out to be way more useful than you think once you start using it.
Cons: Some LED brake lights now set off false Laser alarms. The markings on the unit are all silkscreened on and can't be read at night. The only way to tell X, K, and Ka from one another at night is by memorizing the different alert sounds. Some folks customize theirs with different color LEDs for each alert. The small volume and mute knobs aren't as good as other detector's solutions.
Not a Pro or a Con: No real false-alarm filtering. It reports everything it sees and lets you decide. It just adjusts how it reports the least-likely signals so they don't bug you as much, and the level and loudness of the alerts is adjustable. Wannabe fighter pilots probably think this is cool. For the rest of us it gets annoying after a while. Where I live, I can just ignore everything except Ka and Laser.
In short, this is really the only unit on the market worth the money. It delivers what you're paying for in spades, and you can live with its ergonomics in return.
As a side note, the reason you'd buy it here at twice the factory price is if you live in a country where the factory doesn't sell/ship. There are a lot of those, apparently. Otherwise, get it factory direct.
Digital camera Review: Excellent Detector
Summary: 5 Stars
I own three of these units- that alone should give a good indication of how I feel about them. There are other detectors with similar range, and some may even exceed the range of the V1. But the directional arrows found on the V1 are an unbeatable feature. Once you have gotten used to knowing where a threat is coming from it is impossible to live with a detector that doesn't provide this information. Combined with the "bogey counter" the information provided by the detector in an easy-to-use format is first-rate. It becomes very easy to gauge the threat level of a signal, and also becomes easy to locate traps placed in close proximity to each other or known false signals.
As for cons, the V1 is probably due for a major update- with fixed-location cameras and speed traps coming on-line, a GPS option with tagging will become a necessity. Other manufacturers have already embraced GPS, and V1 will have to follow suit. For me at least, the capabilities of the V1 still make it a more practical unit for the time being, and it's performance on highways is unmatched. If you're in the market for a detector with an excellent blend of features and performance, this is it. But buy it direct for $399.
Digital camera Review: Forget the rest.. this is all you'll ever need
Summary: 5 Stars
I've had the Valentine 1 with 1.8 software for about 5 years now and I don't drive anywhere without it. I've used this detector to drive cross country and for daily commute. It would probably have paid for itself about 5 times right now and that's not an exagerration. It takes out the guessing game out of the radar detection, and even with Ka triggers, it gives you ample time for you to react even when you're doing 60 and sometimes 80 MPH.
It had advanced filter that removed at least 85% of false alerts and when it "blaps" you know it's the real deal. Countless times it saved me from costly tickets and prevented those many sleepless nights waiting for the inevitable court dats; not to mention making "the" day a whole personal/vacation day off from work.
Many times, I received an alert for the direction, especially when the trooper is shooting Ka from the opposite side of the highway. And many times, it will tell you if they are stealthly following you from behind the traffic.
Initial cost was overwhelming at first but once you realize the potential and what it can actually to, you will never regret spending that money. If you're in the market for a radar detection, I would stronly urge you to spend the extra money and invest in the Valentine 1 instead of the Passport 9500iX - you'll be glad you did.
Digital camera Review: Good Range but display could use some modernization
Summary: 3 Stars
This detector has great range. I use a solo s2 most of the time and the valentine for longer trips. The valentine has incredible range in comparison to the solo. It is very sensitive and picks up just about everything which is what you would expect with a unit of in this price range.
What I do not like about it is the very cheap looking arrow displays (love the fact that it detects radar location though). This thing lights up like a Christmas tree particularly at night. For a unit that is priced at a premium the display could be a little more high tech. The arrows look like just red lenses with light bulbs stuck behind them and are of a size that even a sight impaired person would have no problem seeing from 20 feet away. Some high quality LEDs that dim down would be a major improvement. I know a remote display is available but for the cost the units display could be improved tremendously. There have been great advances in LED technology over the years and the valentine is still stuck in the 90's. If it were not for the Christmas tree effect from the directional lights lighting up I would give this 5 stars. Modernizing the display of this unit so its not such and attention grabber for others outside of your own vehicle would be a tremendous improvement. That is one of the main reasons i dont use it everyday.
I have owned many detectors over the years starting with the original escort which had a very sensitive display to light conditions as well as a range that would still be impressive decades later.
update 4/1/11 - Purchased the escort redline a number of months back and sold the valentine. The Redline has better range and the display and features are way ahead of the Valentine. Unless your a die hard Valentine fan the Redline IMO is a much better unit for the money. The range on the redline is in a word unreal. I use it with the display on expert mode with auto-mute. Its very impressive.
Digital camera Review: Great product
Summary: 5 Stars
This our 3rd purchase of a valentine radar. I love using it and can't remember how many times it saved me from a ticket.