Best Radar/Laser Detector

From your opinon or from others, what would you say the best R/L Detector would be? I live in south florida if that counts for anything, so i don't know what our police have. But I was looking at the whistlers, but heard from a magazine article that they are junk, but this was another company. I have already looked at speedzone. If you have any ideas please respond, I won't be doing ALOT of speeding but just incase. I just wanna know where they ALL are.

BEST from what i've heard/read/seen is prolyl valentine 1. that's up there at least.

well i asked a cop last night and they are legal, so why does everyone try to hide them when they get pulled over?

Passports, cobras,valentine are all good. Alot of people try to hide them becuase cops do not like them. Also I'm pretty sure they are not legal everywhere.

Ive heard they pretty much eliminate your chances of getting a warning

What about the escort 8500 xr50? I've seen the ads, but is is as good as they say it is?

I have experience with both of the following radars, and highly recomend them. However they are not for people on a budget:

Valentine 1:
$300 new. 360 degree detect. 3 mile radius. Arrows pointing to cop direction. Track multiple cops at once w/o display changing.

Rocky Mountain Radar RMR-C450:
$350 new. 360 degree detect. 180 degree scramble*. 3 mile radius. Track multiple cops but changes display. 100% active laser scrambler, passive K, KA, X band scrambler. A tad bit slower then the V1, however scrambling feature is nice, and it has better POP radar detection.

*The scrambling feature makes this radar illegal in about 15 states. It is not in IL (As i own one, and have checked local laws). Only the laser scrambler is active, the rest are passive. They do not stop the cop from seeing your speed, rather cut the distance in which he can get an accurate reading.

Both are great and it just depends on what you need.

For more information on the Rocky Mountain Radar, including what states it is illegal in, see www.rockymountainradar.com
For more information on the Valentine One, visit www.valentine1.com

well im not really on a budget, based on the fact i'd rather spend 200-300 bucks on a radar than paying the goverment 180 bucks+- each ticket.

We think alike. I would really consider one of those.
There are also detectors that actually place a unit under each of your bumpers, and then a display in your dash. But the price is like 900+ w/ installation. Not worth it there. However if your budget was aiming in that direction I can do a search and find you some decent ones.

well i heard in an ad that the valentine one was a good one because it said which direction. but now i read an ad for the x50, and it seemed to be a good value. I mean im gonna be really pissed if i spend 300 bucks and still get a ticket cuz it didnt work. I mean i asked a cop the other day. and he said some bs like o by the time the detector goes off we've already got you. but aren't they supposed to follow the 1/4 mile rule? and most detectors go atleast 1 mile.

So seriously whats the chance hes gonna point it at you over a mile away, and not someone else closer?

Well thats where the problem with radars arises. Ideally a cop would drive 24/7 with his radar on, but in fact most dont even turn it on until they have a target. Both the V1 and RMR claim very fast scanning, I believe the RMR advertises a faster time. But think about it this way, your driving 20-25 over on the highway, state patrol (with radar off) pulls behind you. He is following you (you dont notice) at your same speed. Now he knows how fast your going. He has you. He flips on his radar and yours go's off. By the time the detect cycles, picks it up, displays it, and you react to it, from his distance he has you. Even if, you slow when he turns on his radar, he has you by judgement. RMR has a 1 year ticket rebate where they will pay your tickets for one year if your radar was on. However, they will only pay a ticket based on radar or laser (99% of tickets) But if they catch you by judgement, it is not the radar's fault.

Whistler's aren't the greatest, Cobra's flat out suck, The best is the Valentine 1 but they are expensive. If you are looking for something a little cheaper and almost as good, go with a high end Bel. I've had mine pick up a cop 2 miles away once, although, thats very rare and doesn't happen often. A lot of detectors pick up on other dectectors but mine doesn't. The most important thing to remember is to not get to cocky because you have one. I got picked off doing 73 in a 55 because he was parked and triggering people. It has saved my ass countless times so I'm not bitching. As fas as hiding them goes, the cops do notice if you have one and in Michigan they are legal but the cop noted that I had one right on the ticket in case I tried to fight it.

they are legal but the cop noted that I had one right on the ticket in case I tried to fight it.
Nothing like good ol' loss of rights. Id push to fight that on constitutional values. They are not illegal in your area, however marked on a violation. Whats next, a ticket that labels your car as a Turbo? Will a ticket say something like "Doing 55 in a 25 with performance exhaust, headers, intake, and turbo?" When have cops gone to far?
As for bel, I have heard there products are good for this price, but might not compare to higher end models.

flsurf....I'm going to second what pewter said...I've had a radar detector for years and it has saved me tons of times...but at least 5 of the 10 times I've been pulled over I had it in my car...it helps, but doesn't make you invincible.

well i kno but i will probably mostly use my eyes for them because around here you can see them up ahead. and thanks high rev, i never thought of that. i just would like to have one, like you all said to get less. but some how my friends drive 100 mph+ on I-95 and the turnpike for like 10 min and never get caught.

Well I've passed cops on I-95 doing 95 and they never seem to care, ever. And as far as speeds over 100 for long periods of time that is a combo of
A) balls
B) knowing the area and cop spots
C) awareness

but you will get caught eventually...it is just a matter of time(I speed everywhere, and on the highway I cruise at over 100mph for hours at a time) and I have gotten pulled over plenty of times for it, but considering all the cops I've seen in all the years I've been driving, my odds have been fairly good. I definantly recommend a good radar detector, as there are plenty of towns out there that's main revenue is speeding tickets...I've never stopped in those towns, so I don't think I should have to support them financially. So I recommend anyway of beating the system, radar detectors help. But I can't stress this enough, even if it saves you a thousand times in a row...it will eventually fail and you will get spotted and depending on your negotiation skills, you might get a ticket.

If your really want to beat the system, get a detecter and scanner...good stuff.
:P

As for speeds of over 100...very common on expressways near me, however as soon as my radar goes off, you almost notice about 1/2 of the speeders have a radar too and slow..

i was gonna buy a scanner a few months ago, but figured it wasnt worth it and i wouldnt use it to its 160$ price tag

Id say having a scanner is more for fun, I mean if you hear your plates or mentions of your car over the scanner, your already busted :X

I have experience with both of the following radars, and highly recomend them. However they are not for people on a budget:

Valentine 1:
$300 new. 360 degree detect. 3 mile radius. Arrows pointing to cop direction. Track multiple cops at once w/o display changing.

Rocky Mountain Radar RMR-C450:
$350 new. 360 degree detect. 180 degree scramble*. 3 mile radius. Track multiple cops but changes display. 100% active laser scrambler, passive K, KA, X band scrambler. A tad bit slower then the V1, however scrambling feature is nice, and it has better POP radar detection.

*The scrambling feature makes this radar illegal in about 15 states. It is not in IL (As i own one, and have checked local laws). Only the laser scrambler is active, the rest are passive. They do not stop the cop from seeing your speed, rather cut the distance in which he can get an accurate reading.

Both are great and it just depends on what you need.

What do you mean it depends on what you need? If cops are using lasers to measure speed whouldn't it be good to have a laser scrambler? I'm thinking the Rocky Mountain Radar RMR-C450 is better based on that. The Valentine is just faster? By a slipt second? That doesn't matter too much does it?

Where is this I-95?

I got busted in kentucky on I-70 on my way to florida, radar detector in plain view and I did try to brake when I was the cop, shitty thing is my detector never went off so I'm guessing he did it by judgement or cobra detectors suk which is why I didnt hide it but I still got off with a warning... 95 in 65
I dont think a cop will write you a ticket just because of your detector, you'll get a ticket based on your attitude, and if you hide it when you get lit up.

Actually I got pulled over after a cop saw my detector, with a grin on his face he told me I wasnt wearing a seatbelt when I clearly was...I got a warning for the seatbelt, only because i didnt have my insurance card and he gave me a ticket for that.
As for the RMR vs. Valentine:
Fastest: Valentine (barely)
Distance: Tie
Jamming: RMR (only radar that does all bands and Laser)
Screams out "Steal me" in a window: Valentine.
THE V1 is very recodnized and often stolen. The RMR looks like a cheap radar, (not very flashy, no arrows) however packs a good punch.

it seems like ive seen this somewhere and already posted this so if youve read this already my bad. anywho...i like the escort passport 8500.

i've got a Bel RX65 on the way and i chose it cause i reckon it has a slight edge on the escort 8500 x50, and is about equal to the V-1, it's newer and more user friendly than the V-1 and it picks up pop's a lot better, has less false alerts, is easy to install (no external aerial) and is harder to detect for VG-2RDD which lots of cops have... even though here it's legal.

Jamming is nice.....but illegal in most of the country. Here's a little endorsement I like......

http://flinger.ath.cx/F1/gallery/displayimage.php?album=2&pos=5

Take a look whats next to the sun visor.....if a V1 is good enough for a McLaren F1.....

KEEP IN MIND THE F1 is like 10 years old now.... the V-1 has been round a long time... eventually something was gonna be better than it... as far as radar goes the last 10 years have seen a LOT of changes... the electronics need to keep up with it...

in other words.... they used 286's and 386's when they developed the Mclaren... you want to use one now?

but the v-1 is still in the top 3....

The F-1 is old....but it can be updated. McLaren Cars Ltd. is happy to add in new tech like GPS into the cars when they come in for repairs. In the same aspect, if someone could afford an F1, the could EASILY afford to pull out the V-1 and replace it with any detector they wanted.

The F-1 is old....but it can be updated. McLaren Cars Ltd. is happy to add in new tech like GPS into the cars when they come in for repairs. In the same aspect, if someone could afford an F1, the could EASILY afford to pull out the V-1 and replace it with any detector they wanted.
I dont think they came with those stock...

i'm not saying the f1 is old... it's still insane... but car technology doesn't increase at the speed electronics does... and no that wasn't std fitment, i forget who owns that car and when it was built, but it WAS like 10 years ago... radar has changed in that time...

That's formerly Mario Andretti's F1....#28. "Stock" is a realtive term with F-1s, customers can get all kinds of options if they ask for them.

All I was saying is that if there was a MUCH better radar system available, the owner could easily afford to retrofit the new one in.

but when was the photo taken? i reckon it was before the RX65 and the 8500 X50 were released. but they aren't that much better that its worth changing. they are however good enough to not make it worth buying a new v-1 now.

I took that picture myself in early August.

ok now i'm jealous!