Radar/Laser Detectors?

Valentine 1 and Escort 8500 are probably your two best choices.

I tried a V1 and didn't really care for it - it falsed constantly on laser and was awfully large.

I run an Escort 8500 in my Z28, and it has saved my butt on numerous occasions. I'm not a terrible speeder, but in a car like a Z or a Mustang 10 over will often get you nailed...

Nothing will make you invincible, but a good detector will offer you some protection at least...

Countermeasures

Escort 8500 x50

Are we going to have a weekly "Radar detector" thread?

Stangnet shoud add a search button or something

I will repost my information on Ticket Prevention again. I too hope people will begin to use the search button more often. It is becoming quite annoying to have to repost this information every week or so.

Please read the following thoroughly for a concise, NEARLY bulletproof, ticket prevention strategy:

After reading the myraid of threads about people being rammed by the State for speeding, I thought I'd post a thread for anyone interested in fighting fire with FIRE! In this thread, I've included steps you need to take to PREVENT a cop from ever having a chance to clock you. I've also included honest ticket prevention links that took me weeks to find after dredging through thousands of commercially biased sites. I think everyone who enjoys their '05 and doesn't want to pay THOUSANDS of dollars for a momentary twitch of the accelerator should take these four steps to greatly minimize your chances of getting ticketed:

1. Get a GOOD radar detector. I recommend the Esocrt Passport 8500 X50 or the Valentine 1.

2. Get a GOOD laser jammer. A laser detector is USELESS. Once your detector goes off, YOU'VE BEEN CLOCKED. I recommend the Blinder Extreme, although even MORE effective jammers may be coming out very soon, such as Antilaser.

3. Purchase PROVEN laser countermeasures such as VEIL (applied to your headlights), and for those of us with front license plates, Lasershield. With a good laser jammer and these laser countermeasures, laser guns are useless against you unless you're 100 - 150 feet from the cop! (they usually clock you at 2800 feet)

4. BE VIGILANT! If you're speeding safely, check your mirrors periodically. Remember, there is no defense against VASCAR (averaging your speed between two points of reference) except for purchasing a scanner!

I've followed these four steps and I have a perfect record. I've gotten lots of dirty looks from cops, though.

Some links for everyone here to check out:

Speedzones.com - The REAL DEAL For Unbiased Radar Detector & Laser Jammer Reviews!

Radardetector.net - The Best Radar Detector/Laser Jammer Forum on the Net! TONS of Information!

This is a Great Place To Buy Your Ticket Prevention Equipment!

A Site That Uncovers Ticket Prevention Scam Artists That Sell COMPLETELY Ineffective Products Like the Phazer II! Definitely Check This One Out!

Rocky Mountain Radar - THE BIGGEST SCAM ARTISTS IN THE TICKET PREVENTION INDUSTRY! STAY AWAY FROM THIS SITE! PHAZER II IS A SCAM!

jbyrd423 said:

Just curious to see what you guys think are the best ones, seeing as I just got my first ticket and I havent had the car for 2 weeks yet. I like the valentine because of the front and rear detectors but dont know if I wanna spend 375 for a detector

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To help you out in your decision, I'll tell you some facts about the Valentine 1 and the Escort Passport 8500 X50. You can also double check my statements with the links I provided to you in my previous post.

The V1 and Escort are pretty evenly matched. Both have excellent front/rear RADAR detection, with the Escort X50 edging out with better radar detection range/sensitivity and bulletproof POP Mode detection. In case you didn't know, POP Mode is a mode featured on some radar guns that is an "instant-on," extremely short burst of radar. This mode is meant to give a rough estimate of the speed of the targeted vehicle. An officer is not allowed BY LAW to give out tickets while the radar gun is in this mode, as it can be wildly inaccurate (its been known to clock stationary rocks at 60 MPH). It is merely there to help an officer determine if your speed is worth switching over to the radar gun's more accurate (if calibrated properly) regular mode, lock onto you, and clock you. HOWEVER, whether or not an officer gives you a ticket while the gun is in POP Mode comes down to your word against the officer's in a court of law, and we all know who'd going to win THAT battle.

POP Mode is harder to detect as it is an extremely short burst of radar (around 10 milliseconds), yet its detection can be the crucial factor between you getting nailed for a 100 MPH ticket and having a few seconds to slow down and avoid a ticket. The Escort X50 consistently detects POP Mode, although it will false once in awhile (not really that annoying, in my opinion). The V1, however, does miss POP Mode burst about 20% - 25% of the time. Check www.speedzones.com to confirm those details.

Some people find the V1's inferior POP Mode detection a turn off, but you should also know that POP Mode is not very common right now, although it is a growing threat.

Onto LASER detection. Simply put, the V1 is significantly superior to the Escort X50 in laser detection. This would be great, if not for one thing: as I stated in my previous post, laser detection is basically USELESS. IF you want to fend off laser, see my previous post. If you get a laser hit on your detector, 99% of the time you've been already clocked. There's always the chance that the car next to you is getting hit and you're picking up the laser "splatter," but that unfortunately, is an extremely rare occurrence.

Onto appearance. The Escort is sleeker, slimmer, and has completely "Dark Mode" for discreet night driving so an officer trailing you does not know you have a detector and clocks you by simply pacing you. The V1 is bulkier, but has their trademark directional arrows to give you a rough idea of where the threat is coming from. The V1's alert is also a little louder than the Escort, which can be of help if you're blasting the radio. It does not offer a dark mode, however. Some prefer the V1's directional arrows, some prefer the Escort's dark mode.

The final category: Pricing. The Escort is cheaper than the V1, however the V1's cost is justified by the increased laser sensitivity. The extra laser nodes is what makes it cost more.

So the question is really this: What do you value more? Superior radar detection or superior laser detection? Do you think you'll prefer the V1's directional arrows over the Escort's Dark Mode? Do you like the bulkier look of the V1 or the slimmer look of the Escort?

These detectors are so evenly matched, it basically comes down to a question of personal taste. Whatever you decide on, you can be sure that either of these detectors are EXCELLENT and at the top of the radar/laser detector heap. Good hunting.

GOLDENPONY said:

Escort 8500 x50

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this is what i have.

3. Purchase PROVEN laser countermeasures such as VEIL (applied to your headlights), and for those of us with front license plates, Lasershield. With a good laser jammer and these laser countermeasures, laser guns are useless against you unless you're 100 - 150 feet from the cop! (they usually clock you at 2800 feet)

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You're saying that police clock you from well over a half mile away? At that distance you're barely more than a dot, and unless they have a scope on their laser gun I don't know how they could pick you out from the other cars around you.

Owner1

I'd say the valentine, it saved my butt not a week ago. The arrows tell you where to start looking, and once you have them, you'll love them. I got a warning that a radar was coming up behind me. I slowed down a little till I figured out what it was. As the signal got stronger, I slowed way down, about 30 seconds later I got passed by the source the arrows told me as they passed that those two Audi wagons were the source,(very popular here in Germany). They had someone else nailed a couple miles up the road. Could have been me if it weren't for the Valentine

Some good info over on http://www.radardetector.net/

My personal belief is that both the X50 and the V1 are very very close to each other in performance and you can't go wrong with either. I run a V1 because I like the arrows and the looks of the unit better.

I understand the appeal of the V1's arrows, but regardless of which arrow is blinking, isn't the driver's reaction going to be the same - to slow down? And since the usefulness of laser detection is questionable..seems to me the Escort could be considered the better choice, based on price.

Speed Limit - 100% proven

spectre30075 said:

And since the usefulness of laser detection is questionable..seems to me the Escort could be considered the better choice, based on price.

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It's more than questionable... laser detection is 99.9% useless. Laser is light. Light = instant. Instant + detector = ticket notifier. Laser + passive countermeasures + laser jammer = immunity until you are are 0 - 75 ft from the laser gun.

As for the doubt on how far away a cop can clock you with laser, just check out some of the videos they have on radardetector.net. Some laser gun do have a magnified sight, although you really don't need that. As long as you have a pretty steady hand or a tripod (they use those as well), it's fairly simple to clock a target at 2800+ feet.

OBleedingMe said:

2. Get a GOOD laser jammer. A laser detector is USELESS. Once your detector goes off, YOU'VE BEEN CLOCKED. I recommend the Blinder Extreme, although even MORE effective jammers may be coming out very soon, such as Antilaser.

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Thats not always true,,, Most of the time my detector goes off its from a cop either couple of miles in front of me or behind me,, I usually slow down and then see the cop coming towards me,,, so they dont have you have it LOCKED on you in order for the detector to go off,,, as long as they have it on and clocking someone else most detectors do go off... However youre in bad luck if they turn their radar gun on just 1/2 mile away from you , then they got your speed already when your detector goes off,,,,

peace

RisingForce said:

Thats not always true,,, Most of the time my detector goes off its from a cop either couple of miles in front of me or behind me

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His statement was in relation to LASER detectors, not RADAR detectors

Generally speaking, if your laser alert goes off, you're probably nailed already.

jfischer said:

His statement was in relation to LASER detectors, not RADAR detectors

Generally speaking, if your laser alert goes off, you're probably nailed already.

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oh ok! Thanks for clearyfing that

As for the arrows on the V1 though, If it's in front of or behind you, then you normally slow down. But if it's on the side, no need to worry. It also helps you know when you pass the source, or when there are multiple speed traps in one area. For instance you pass one group of cops on the side of the road but your escort is still beeping. You figure you're safe and right over the next hill you get nailed. The V1 will tell you if you're coming up on an area with multiple traps set up. Plus with valentines policy of upgrades( you don't have to buy a new detector just send yours in for upgrading) I think the V1 is the best protection for the money. Just my .02 cents

Militarymustang said:

Plus with valentines policy of upgrades( you don't have to buy a new detector just send yours in for upgrading) I think the V1 is the best protection for the money. Just my .02 cents

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Just to be fair (I probably should have included this in my comparison post), Escort and Valentine BOTH offer software upgrades, not just Valentine.

I use VEIL and Blinder M-20 exteme that I got from http://www.eurojammer.com they work well! Vroom Vroom!