Signed up for Driver's Ed; need radar detector
 

I enrolled in driver's education yesterday after receiving a "Certificate of High Performance"... 91 in a 65 but the CA Highway patrolman changed it to "80+"... he thought I wasn't driving recklessly and liked my car. Good thing he didn't clock me before I crested the rise @ 120+ :-)

Now I'm thinking I need a radar detector.

Recommendations?

the V-1 is considered the best

I looked at the Valentine V1 and the Escort Redline (there is a newer one out now...Max) and bought the redline...same performance (consumer reports) but worked in the heat (live in Az) whereas the V1 fried a few circuits when left in the sun and lost it's K band capability.

Beltronics magnum has saved me enough times to pay for itself many times over. Undetectable to radar detector detectors if you need that feature. I think the top end detectors will provide like protection. You will still have to drive smart. I went back and forth with redline,magnum and V1 but settled on the magnum, it has been great.

What you going to do against Laser guns?
Bob

I've been detectorless for 30 years but am ready to use again. If they have laser guns or whatever then I expect that I will need to be caught. I'll take that risk and be prudent which has been adequate for me for a long time.

Does California have issues with radar detectors in the car? How about Oregon and Washington state?

I think all states except for one or two back east don't have legislation against detectors. Canada is another story. I think only BC, Alberta and possibly Saskatchewan allow them.

I call them "fast driving awards". I enthusiastically recommend the V1. It's fantastic - I think it's the best protection you can buy.

I don't care for fast driving in traffic or passing cars at a large differential speed which is why I have chosen to drive without protection; it keeps me respectful of others sharing the roadway.

If an open stretch appears and I am in the mood then it is difficult to avoid the song my siren sings. Better a curvy section where cops don't tend to watch as much and the driving is more entertaining.

Sounds like the V1 gets a large percentage of happy user votes.

In the old day, if you got a speeding ticket below a certain speed, you went to traffic school and the ticket was waiver. You could even go to advanced traffic school. Now, you pay for the ticket, pay the Republic of CA for the previlege of taking traffic school and the pay for traffic school.

Like Paul, I don't car for driving way above the flow of freeway traffic nor on two-lane blacktop (too many bikes and animals). But I do have V1s in all our cars - just for a bit of added awareness.

Like Paul, I don't car for driving way above the flow of freeway traffic nor on two-lane blacktop (too many bikes and animals). But I do have V1s in all our cars - just for a bit of added awareness.[/QUOTE]

+4-one for each car

Escort passport with gps. You can block stray door opener signals and download weekly red light camera locations I love it it works great.

+1 on the escort. the gps tells you where all the red light and speed cameras are as well, i saw a advertisement that they have a new unit out as well in the past few months.

i have an slightly older beltronics and i am very happy with it. 993 or 996 is the model, can't remember off the top of my head.

I don't use one for in-town driving. Just on interstate trips and back road drives. I have a Passport 8500. Works great.

Honestly, I don't think you will find much difference to either Valentine, Bel or Escort products. They are all excellent with generally more than enough range for most attentive drivers. They all have high sensitivity. Its how you use one that is the difference in performance. If you are in the middle of nowhere and you ignore that initial blip you might pay.

I've had an escort for easily 10 years. Has saved countless tickets and always works. I do not speed in town, so I primarily use it on trips down to CA on I-5. The CHP likes to trap the downhill grade right as you enter the state from the north " welcome to California...."
-C

If you get the V1 be sure to get the wireless connection, you can control it, black it out, and get all your warnings on your smartphone.. another point to the V1, any V1 can be upgraded to the latest standard, i'm sending both of mine in (9 years old!) to upgrade to ESP so I can play with the new wireless app-toy... :D

iPHONE-V1connection LE

How do all you V1 users deal with all the false signals? On the open roadbitbis great, but go near any shopping area and the thing goes nuts. Really annoying...

What mode do you run it in? I think I run in "L", or advanced logic. Explained here - http://www.valentine1.com/v1info/pdf/manual_2012/Pg16-18_ControlsFunctions.pdf

I had a couple of Escort 8500, both of which gave up the ghost while mounted on my bike in a protective case- the last one shorted out after we got caught in one of these "storm of the century" in Northern Oregon this past August. As I was on a trip I could not get a replacement Escort but I found a Beltronic that works just as well. Many tickets averted while traveling cross country.:D
The car currently has a V1 and I love the directional indications of where the threats are coming from (is it coming my way or is leading or trailing me?).
These are high quality detectors and I could not go wrong with either. The Beltronic was $199 and no sales tax (great to travel through Oregon), the Escort were in the low $300 range, and the V1 was $400.
For cars I noted that the suction cups on the V1 are of much better quality than the Escort ones, and I have yet to have the unit fall off the windshield on a cold or hot day whereas it was a common occurrence with the Escort.

Upgrade it. All the traffic camera signals went away.
Also turn the sound way down on the band that picks up all the auto door openers.

I've used a V1 for years. It's been terrific. And no problems with fried circuits, knock wood. As noted, any of the good ones will save you their purchase price many times over.

I have the Escort 8500 and my friend has the V1. We did a test and installed them both when we went on a trip. They literally went off at the same time in most situations.

I personally like the warning sound of the Escort and think the V1 is a little more annoying. The Escort has a unique sound for KA band, which is what the CHP use. It's a clicking sound and is able to be heard over any music I'm playing and has saved me probably hundreds of times over the years. My only ticket is when I drove the other car without radar - 40 in a school zone. My only complaint on the Escort is that the suction cups suck. I've had to replace several times.

Escort RedLine + SmartCord Live

I used to be a huge V1 fan but the RedLine seems to be the most sensitive detector on the market. I have not seen the data in the new Max unit.

The SmartCord connects your detector to a real-time network of other Escort users via the data connection and an app you install on your smartphone. The smartphone connects to the detector using bluetooth. As other drivers detect radar/laser ahead of you, you will be instantly notified. The concept is calling "crowd sourcing". It's like having a bunch of distributed detectors all linked together, acting as one.

Driving around Atlanta, it is highly useful. When I look at the app in map mode it is crazy seeing all the alerts in the greater Atlanta area.

We have some absurd speed traps around here and when we go to the beach there are a ton of podunk towns that are in the traffic revenue business.

I have the direct wire version in the 911 and the cig lighter plug version that I move around to the other cars.

As far as laser goes, the RedLine picks it up remarkably well. I rarely encounter LEOs using laser, but when I do the SmartCord Live app usually tells me about it way before I get there. The few times I've been tagged with laser it gave me a split second chance to slow down. If you're really worried about laser, the ZR1 shifter is what a lot of people do. Friend of mine bought the whole 9500ci package for his Audi ($1500!) and still got a ticket. Detector never went off. Cop paced him.

No matter what, it still comes down to driving responsibly. All the technology in the world trying to make things idiot proof only accomplishes one thing. It makes better idiots.

imo, a major consideration is where you intend to use the radar detector -- I live in denver and have an urban commute against traffic (live in the city and commute to the 'burbs) -- my escort passport 9500ix is perfect for me because its gps feature learned and blocked out the half dozen or so false positives on my commute on its second use. So, while it may arguably be a bit less sensitive than others out there, the combination of peace and quiet and peace of mind is ideal for me. As an added bonus, I've set its display to show my targa's voltage while it's on, keeping me tuned into my alternator's health (it can also be set to show speed, etc.) no regrets!

OTOH, since the gps needs to "learn" the bogies by driving by them first, the gps could be of limited usefullness if your primary use is road trips to a variety of places on a variety of roads.

Just FYI... the RedLine + the app lets you get the best of both worlds. Higher sensitivity and you get GPS lockout for false positives.