v1 or bel rx65? hear me out...
 

So, my old radar detector caught on fire the other day and i need a new one. Both the V1 and Rx65 look good expecially with the $299 price of the bel.

I guess my question is, is the V1 really worth the money? I'd like to save the $100 to put towards something else. But i just dont want any buyers remorse and if the V1 is that much better and the false alarms arent annoying then i might fork out the cash. I hear everyone say on this site that the V1 is the way to go. It makes me wonder if thats the way to go if money is not an option.

I have read some mixed reviews about how the v1 is "outdated" and there are too many false alarms. I'm not sure if they are referring to the lack of GPS??? Most of the reviews i can find are several years old as well.

I normally speed but not too fast(usually) and i used to slow down when my $100 cobra(8 yrs old btw) would get K band reading so id rather not take my chances.

I need to get one soon, I still havent adjusted to not having one and have several close calls so far.....

Beltronics BEL RX65 Radar Detector - Radar Detectors at Radar Busters

and

Valentine One radar and laser detectors

watch these videos... they help compare

YouTube - SpeedTrapHunter's Channel

I would consider the Escort Redline too.

Also Rx65 RED is at amazon now for like $240. I run with a rx65, mostly cause I am just not smart enough/rich enough to understand all teh V1 firmware updates etc, and from what I remember (at least in a past firmware) V1 is awesome at X band, which I rarely encounter outside NJ.

Lastly, I'm in VA, and with teh RX65 I can whip the detector down like a bolt of lightning. V1 takes a little more time.

all that said, and the flame war that might erupt, buy a V1 :P

I used to own a v1 and I have a vector 995 which is the same power as the rx without the gps. It works great and I paid about 250 for mine. If u can get gps for only $50 more. Go with the bell. I like the arrows on the v1 but the chirp frequency helps me more than the arrows ever did. You get about an extra half mile on the v1 with warnings but the bell still reacts to cops up to a mile away depending on certain variables. Laser detection is awesome on both. So they are both pretty powerful. I find I get the same amount of falsies from either radar. Maybe the gps will help with the falsies. Then you can come back on and give a review??. Lol

omg, again? :shakes head:

For around town on a daily basis I use the Escort Passport 9500ci. For road trips less than 3 hours I use the Escort Passport 9500 and my V1. If I am going to Chicago from MD which I do every 3rd weekend then I use my Escort, V1 and my Garmin nüvi® 3790LMTGPS with all the false alarms already flagged in the GPS so I know that I can ignore them.

I have found the V1 works better on the highway in identifiying the threat from long distance or when there are small hills in the distance like when I'm driving through Ohio, but around town or or on roads with curves I find both my Escort and V1 are both similar but the V1 is nice since I can tell where the threat is.

:icon18:

I love my V1, but have never used the Bel to be able to compare. The arrows help out a ton...it makes the LEO much easier to spot. As far as the false alarms, you do get used to them, but if it bothers you, you're able to turn off any of the bands.

I read somewhere that the new version of the V1 is going to have GPS, but haven't seen when it's coming out. The great thing about Valentine is that you can send it back and get it updated whenever you would like (for a small fee). I'm not sure if other companies offer that or not.

A V1 and a GPS with Trapster loaded on it makes trips much faster. (The Trapster helps with false alarms also.) I'm just hoping that trapster makes something that will work on the Nissan navigation...otherwise I will have to keep using my Garmin.

When I initially was researching radar detectors, I also was stuck between the V1 and the RX65. I ended up with the RX65 because it was much cheaper, performed just as well if not better than the V1 in tests, and has not let me down. The directional indicators on the V1 is cool but I couldn't justify spending more at the time just for that feature.

Since i live in Houston, I do a lot of highway driving but not a lot of "open highway" driving. If that makes any sense.....

I do like to option "never to have to buy a new radar detector" that V1 offers, but i wonder if that will be the case when it comes with GPS?

hmmm..... is it worth the extra $100?

OMG, how fast were you going, anyway? :icon14:

I used a faulty plug and it fried it, shocked me, then continued to smoke til i threw it out the window.

how about Stealth?

I would like to mount whichever i get as out of site as possible. Which one would be more stealth? I think with the v1, they make a concealed display but the detector would still be in sight, right?

Yes, it would still be in sight even with a concealed display. However, I don't think stealth is really that much of an issue. They're both tiny enough that you wouldn't notice it unless you were looking for it. Hard wiring so that the cigarette lighter adapter isn't dangling around definitely helps.
I did a V1 concealed display setup in my Lexus IS250, maybe you can get an idea of what it looks like from the thread I created on it. But, I'm sure that someone has also done it on their Z. The main benefit to using a concealed display is to move the red lights out of clear view and down to somewhere only the driver could see it.

You may want to consider the Escort 950ix. It is more expensive, but has some amazing features. Its detection range is only slightly shorter than the redline. It has built-in GPS that does two things: 1. It ignores stationary radar like speed signs, automatic doors, etc. You can set it to ignore a signal manually, or it will do it automatically after about 2 passes of that location. That means my ride to work is slient even though there is a radar sign and a k band door opener along the way. 2. When it detects a valid signal, it displays not only the band (k, ka, lasar, etc.) but also your speed at the exact instant you were measured. It uses GPS for this. The speed it calculates is at least as accurate as the police device. It keeps the speed on the display for a few seconds. Nice to know when you argue with the cop. I had the device hard wired through the mirror and use a mount I found on Amazon that mounts it just below the mirror. Very neat and professional.

i think ive set my price limit $399. Still really cant decide