Recommend any particular radar detector?

[paid2play]

Picking up my Hatchback sport with manual transmission next week and after driving a jeep wrangler for the last 6 years, its going to feel like a Lamborghini. I'm sure I'm going to be exceeding the posted speed limit quite often. And I cant wait!! That being said I know I will end up buying a radar detector but really have never owned one before. Looks like the prices of these things can range from $99-$1200....anyone have a brand they like or have experience with? Thanks in advance!

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[fightermav]

I think im going to go with the Escort Max 360, seems like a really good value for the price.

 

[Draken187]

I think im going to go with the Escort Max 360, seems like a really good value for the price.

If you want the best ur gonna have to find a used valentine with the right software on it..

 

[Dretlaw]

Valentine1 is what I have. Love those arrow indicators! Updatable should new features come out.

 

[syncro87]

I did some cursory research on radar detectors a while back. From what I could gather, there are two schools of thought. School one says that with today's radar and police tech, they are a waste of time and money. School two says the Valentine One is the only one worth investing any money on.

My two cents is, there is probably some truth to #1, but if I did buy a detector, it would be Valentine One...or nothing.

These days, I just keep my speed within 6-7 mph of posted, and I have no problems. I don't bother with a detector any more, I have better things to spend money on, like my kiddo's 529 plan or taxes or paying the car note off early. I mean, unless you're driving 500 miles, slowing down two or three miles an hour over the course of a drive results in a negligible time loss. Say, for instance, I drive 5 mph faster over my 25 mile commute. How much time did I really save myself? Not enough to matter on that short of a trip, and certainly not enough to make it worth possibly spending $$$ on a ticket.

But I digress.

 

[quadna71]

I have the Cobra iRad-500 for our cars. There is an accompanying app that allows you to connect your phone to the detector via bluetooth which in effect turns the phone into the display. You can then put the detector into full dark so there so you don't even notice it's up in the window. Helpful for when you have to mount it in such a way that you can't see the display clearly. Also, when used in conjunction with your phone's app, it steadily updates any red light camera and construction zone locations so that you have the best information available all the time.

http://www.cobra.com/products/cobra-iradar/irad-500

 

[derbo904]

V1 is what I installed in my previous vehicle. A lot of new cars now use lidar and k-band for safety features so it tends to blow up the detector if not configured correctly.

 

[darkness975]

Picking up my Hatchback sport with manual transmission next week and after driving a jeep wrangler for the last 6 years, its going to feel like a Lamborghini. I'm sure I'm going to be exceeding the posted speed limit quite often. And I cant wait!! That being said I know I will end up buying a radar detector but really have never owned one before. Looks like the prices of these things can range from $99-$1200....anyone have a brand they like or have experience with? Thanks in advance!

Beltronics Pro 200

 

[darkness975]

I did some cursory research on radar detectors a while back. From what I could gather, there are two schools of thought. School one says that with today's radar and police tech, they are a waste of time and money. School two says the Valentine One is the only one worth investing any money on.

My two cents is, there is probably some truth to #1, but if I did buy a detector, it would be Valentine One...or nothing.

These days, I just keep my speed within 6-7 mph of posted, and I have no problems. I don't bother with a detector any more, I have better things to spend money on, like my kiddo's 529 plan or taxes or paying the car note off early. I mean, unless you're driving 500 miles, slowing down two or three miles an hour over the course of a drive results in a negligible time loss. Say, for instance, I drive 5 mph faster over my 25 mile commute. How much time did I really save myself? Not enough to matter on that short of a trip, and certainly not enough to make it worth possibly spending $$$ on a ticket.

But I digress.

I have one but it's mostly for a hobby, just like my several police scanners and such. I'm not speeding fast enough to actually be concerned about a Ticket; like you said there are other things worth being concerned about.

 

[5inn]

V1 is what I installed in my previous vehicle. A lot of new cars now use lidar and k-band for safety features so it tends to blow up the detector if not configured correctly.

You can also get the firmware updated by sending to Valentine. They're getting better about sorting our radar cruise and BSM from their detector.

 

[derbo904]

You can also get the firmware updated by sending to Valentine. They're getting better about sorting our radar cruise and BSM from their detector.

Yup! It's about $250 for the firmware update. I haven't needed to use it though. I turned off all bands except KA and LIDAR so it's less noisy.

 

[5inn]

Yup! It's about $250 for the firmware update. I haven't needed to use it though. I turned off all bands except KA and LIDAR so it's less noisy.

That's pricey. I believe sometimes it's cheaper, depending on how many revisions you're behind.

Since the V1 seems to hold its value so well, it might be better to sell yours and purchase a refurbished one from Valentine 1. The refurb seems to be the cheapest way to get one. That's how I bought mine, I believe for 10% off MSRP.

 

[derbo904]

That's pricey. I believe sometimes it's cheaper, depending on how many revisions you're behind.

Since the V1 seems to hold its value so well, it might be better to sell yours and purchase a refurbished one from Valentine 1. The refurb seems to be the cheapest way to get one. That's how I bought mine, I believe for 10% off MSRP.

That's a good idea. Yea the V1 been with me for years and way behind now. I think just NOT speeding would fit better. That might be hard considering I just bought a 2011 M3 sedan..lol

 

[Micah]

I have had an escort Max for years. $399 new back in 2013, they sell used for around $250 and up. Works great. Firmware updates are easy to perform with a USB cable. Better range than V1 per several reviews. I like the smartphone companion app as it greatly increases the visibilty and usability of the detector. No need to touch buttons on the detector as everything can be adjusted in the app. I keep an old phone on the dash dedicated to the escort app. My current phone tethers wifi to both that phone and the car, in addition to connecting for android auto.

 

[neteng101]

I've had a V1 from like 2001 till now... upgraded it maybe 3 times - with the latest update it doesn't false a lot but I do keep the volume muted and rely on visual alerts only.

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