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 $350.00 (click here) Category: Car Audio or Theater See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Valentine One Radar Detector
Customer Review: A good radar detector, BUT...
Summary: 2 Stars
Let me first start by saying that I have used many different detectors over the years and consider myself an expert in the field. The Valentine One is a great radar detector - no question about it.
Pros:
-Long range detection
-Arrows pointing in the direction of the radar source
-Multiple bands detected at the same time
-Works in Europe, depending on the firmware version (although if you get caught having one of those in most EU countries prepare for a serious fine)
Cons:
-Doesn't give you the option of showing you the actual radar frequency that it's detecting and with its front and back sensor it many times will detect the same frequency twice (because radar bounces off of objects) and list it as two separate radar sources.
-Doesn't detect inductive loop systems. It's a system which consists of two wires buried beneath the road surface and a computer that calculates the speed between the two wires (usually with a camera waiting not far away). V1 doesn't stand a chance against those threats.
-WAY too many false alarms. This is a big one because you either have to reduce its sensitivity level (which is what most people do, but doesn't that defy the purpose or at least remove the advantage that this detector has over cheaper detectors?) or you end up ignoring the vast majority of alerts. And prepare to have A LOT of false alarms!
-The directional arrows are a mixed blessing because as your detector goes off, instead of concentrating on the road (what a concept!) you're looking at the arrows, trying to figure out if the threat is real or not.
-Doesn't protect you against against red light cameras (okay, that in and of itself is not a deal breaker and I'm not encouraging anyone to run red lights).
-Limited protection against speed cameras due to the positioning of their radar, which basically offers you very little advance notice, if any.
-Goes off even at low speed or if you're stuck in traffic (unlike some of the smarter GPS-enabled detectors - read below to find out more about that).
-You have to mail your detector to Valentine and pay them to update the firmware on it about once a year just to keep it up-to-date (with Escort, you simply plug your detector into your computer... and all the firmware updates are free!)
-Terrible customer service.
In conclusion, if you have the money and want good protection, get a Valentine One. BUT...IF you want THE BEST detector on the market (which doesn't have ANY of the problems listed above and has ALL the advantages listed, with the exception of the directional arrows) and if you have the extra $100, get the Escort 9500ix. It will blow your mind. The Valentine One was the best detector for years. But because they had the main advantage (at the time), the directional arrows, I think they became complacent and didn't work hard enough to find the next big thing that would revolutionize radar detectors. Of course, I'm speaking of GPS technology. GPS has made the Valentine One's directional arrows obsolete because now that false alarms have been completely eliminated on the 9500ix, if it goes off you KNOW it's a threat, regardless of where it's coming from. I know that some of the hardcore fans of Valentine One will have a hard time accepting the fact that Valentine no longer is number one (if you had spent $399 on a detector, would you be able to stay objective?).
Once again, the Valentine is a GREAT detector and you will probably love it if you decide to purchase it. But you get what you pay for...and if you want the BEST protection available, spend the extra money and get the Escort 9500ix. You won't regret it. It has a ton of other features, such as auto-volume control, which means it "listens" to the noise in the car and automatically adjusts the volume of the alerts. Also, because the 9500ix is GPS-enabled it knows exactly how fast you're going at any given time. So the faster you drive the further down the road it "looks" for radars, progressively increasing/decreasing its sensitivity as needed, further reducing false alarms. How cool is that? This thing is light years ahead of most detectors in my view. Sorry, V1 :(
Customer Review: Had One Forever, Buying One for the Mrs.
Summary: 5 Stars
I've had a Valentine 1 since the early 90's. Over the years, it has been upgraded and has consistently been a top performer. Since those early days, these new V1s offer laser, a reinforced power cord (fixing a former Con), slightly modified/improved interface (see Pros) and new detection capabilities for instant-on radar.
Pro:
+Incredible detection range that always amazes my passengers... consistently voted #1 in the rankings in laser and radar tests, usually only dinged for price (see Cons) or styling. (Are they serious? Who care's if it's boxy?)
+Able to track multiple targets at one time (9), which at first sounds silly, but it helps you filter threats
+Able to tell that you've passed a target. Signal in front will shift to side lights and then to rear helping you ID where the signal is
+Is he behind me? Front AND rear detectors (and matching light indicators) I think makes this detector one-of-a-kind
+Black color (unit, mounts and cables) blends into your dash and does not reflect as much light and glare as its shiny counterparts. I can't believe the competition has gone with the shiny titanium styling... silly!
+The longer power cord (four feet?) looks like a "phone cord" and is reinforced nicely, a vast improvement over the early V1 cords
+Also has pieces for hardwiring the unit, but I suspect you'll need to buy wire and an installer (not a typical do it yourselfer project)
+The glass mount (with spare suction cups) is just awesome! After 15 years, the design is still unbeaten!
+Variable volume and mute settings, with one-touch mute
+Display will show a "J" when a signal is determined to be "junk", a false-alarm. When you get the "J" your V1 is telling you that it is retracting the warning from this signal.
+LEDs are arranged vertically, laser ("L") is on top, Ka next, then K, and last X, representing threats ranked from lowest (top LED) to highest probability (bottom LED) of a false alarm
+You can buy spare pieces on-line (an extra cost, but reasonably priced)
+Lights are not overly bright at night... still very visible but not distracting either
+3 sensitivity settings: "all bogeys", "logic" and "advanced logic". Advanced logic filters the most for those who hate false alarms.
+Loudest volume setting is very loud, softest is off, with a nearly limitless number of levels in between. Mute can be any volume that you choose and does not necessarily have to be off
Con:
-Display has one LED for each type of radar detected (laser, Ka, X, and K) but they're all the same color
-EZPass (automatic electronic toll payment) sets off the laser warning, and the unit goes nuts (again the laser warning is intense). Also, laser can be triggered by close proximity (15' in my experience) of the tail lights to certain American-made cars when they hit their brakes (confirmed by the manual).
-Price... ouch
-Visor mount is not very good (too tight) on thicker sun visors, however the glass mount (see pros) is the best ever!
-L, Ka, X, and K next to their LEDs is stenciled on... at night it's hard to tell for instance if Ka is being located or X. There's no good reference and the letters are not illuminated, nor are LEDs color-coded
Neutral:
>Optional concealed display that plugs into the cigarette lighter (must be purchased separately)
>Detectors aren't legal in some states/areas
>Some claim that's it's boxy styling is a turn off, but come on, it's all about having the best detection!
>The shorter power cord (two feet?) is a coiled power cord... Not a con since they supply another, longer cord (see pro section)
Bottom line: Highly recommended/don't leave home without it. I liked mine so much that I have just bought another one for my
wife.
Customer Review: A++ on INDIANA highways
Summary: 5 Stars
This detector is top of the line. Detects ISP (Indiana State Police) from long distances(mostly Ka). Distinguishes from Ka, K, X, and Laser bands. Most city/county LEOS use the k band (although I have detected Ka from Fisher, IN PD), and the valentine one is there as your friend telling you not only that there is a LEO (law enforcement officer), but whether the leo is in front or behind you. This detector also tells you how many different signals it is detecting. This helps when filtering out junk signals driving your normal routine. Instead of the 4 bogey count you get going past your local CVS, on this day you get a 5 bogey count. Right away you know something is off and slow down. Sure enough, there's a LEO sitting in guise of a junk "k" sliding door signal. That fifth signal was the law dog and you knew that because you were use to a 4 bogey count. I'll give you one more example of how legitimate this detector can be. Most ISP cars have Ka, but don't you dare ignore an X band detection. I was in Morgan county south of Indy when an X reading came up. I thought, "I've yet to see a LEO with x radar these days!" Well low and behold, just as I was rounding the corner on SR 67 southbound, North of Martinsville, here comes a county sheriff heading the other direction running x radar. I almost ignored the signal as junk. Then I slowed to be cautious. Saved my bacon from the local PD. Never take any detection lightly. You aren't going to beat all speed traps, but with this detector you get awareness of police presence, and which direction it's coming from.
The only down side: if you drive at night it's hard to distinguish the lights from which signal is detected(all detected radar signals display in red). There is a distinctive sound for each signal, Ka, K, X, and laser are all slightly different. However, if you are driving with the music loud you will not be sure which signal is being detected. This is big in Indiana because it helps you to know what threat is lurking nearby. (Ka is ISP 90% of the time, while K is local city/county.) Not too big of a deal. It would be nice if they color coded the lights differently for each signal.
Customer 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.
Customer Review: Rock-solid performer
Summary: 5 Stars
First, if you're looking for a radar detector that provides red light camera and speed camera warnings, then this is not the unit for you. Same goes for updatable GPS databases of known false-positives.
This is definitely a device for the purist - a top-notch radar and laser detector, nothing else.
Yes, you will get false-positives, but after using it for a week or so you will be able to quickly, or immediately, identify them (based on band, strength, and location). If you have an IQ higher than that of a dain bramaged chimpanzee, this should come naturally. Personally speaking, I *like* the high false-positive rate as it ensures that I'm seeing/hearing everything out there, as it allows me to pass my own judgment and act accordingly.
I've been using the same unit since 1999 (an older model with front-only laser detection) and could not be happier. The only tickets I've gotten have been due to (a) having the volume turned all the way down, or (b) not having it with me. My old, outdated V1 served me exceptionally well, but was finally sent in for an upgrade yesterday. I think 11 years is a pretty fantastic run.
My only complaint about the Valentine One is the absence of a relatively simple but useful feature: emergency vehicle detection. Having a warning of an approaching ambulance would be nice purely for the sake of added situational awareness. Then again, the transmitters that emergency vehicles must use to allow this feature to work have been out of production since 1998, so this is somewhat of a moot point.