whats the best radar systems out there?
post pics or whatever, im looking to get one also.

I have the passport 8500, best you can buy in a store (Best Buy.) I think the Valentine 1 and the $450 mail order passport are better.

Depends what you are looking for. Valentine is outstanding, but not the standout it was a few years ago, the competition has narrowed to performance gap. Top of the line Bel like the 975 & 985 do a great job.

http://www.radartest.com/

I have had my Valentine 1 for the past 4 years and it is still the only one I would use. I have tried others but they did not do such a great job in my opinion. I would have to say my trusty V1 is the one that I would recommend.

The V1 has directional arrows to tell you were the radar is so you can watch while it tracks a false alarm and watch out while you track a real target coming down the road. Worth the $$$ especialy in Nj where the insurance rates are crazy.

You might want to hold off on buying a radar detector if they are illegal in your area. An Australian company just came out with a new radar detector detector called Spectre or Stalcar that picks up ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING out there including the V1 and the passport 8500. I myself have the 8500 and it works great, but I think I may have to put it into retirement since the cops up here in Ontario Canada (where RD's are illegal) are able to pick RD users off like fish in a barrel now.Even RD's that are immune to VG-2 are picked up by this new RDD....Many of my friends have had their V1's confiscated because of this new toy that the cops around here (and Texas) have at their disposal. The cops simply track the RD user for a few miles, and then nab them when they get close to them.

According to the guys that test detectors every year (i forget the URL), there are only a couple of detectors that have managed to evade detection by Spectre.... I think they are by Cobra and another company I cannot remember right now. I do know though that the range of these RD's is not all that great though....but then, protection is better than no protection right?

If they are legal where you live, then disregard what I said above.

I have a K40, Im real happy with it, they even say that they will pay your tickets if you use there radar dectector!

Escort Passport 8500 and Bel890 and 990 are all supposedly pretty good.

The Valentine is an oldie and now looks somewhat outclassed (and pricey), but not to be totally ruled out -it has a bogey counter (great name) which could be useful -I think the Escort has something similar. Don't be swayed by the direction indicators though, they're a gimmick. Radar reflects off of other vehicles, roadsigns and buildings and is only effective when fired within a few degrees of the direction of vehicle travel (i.e firing from the side doesn't work). This makes the benefit of direction indicators dubious at best.

I have a Bel Express 936. It works fine and has saved my bacon on a number of occasions. While not quite as good as the top line Passport 8500 or Bel 990s, it's also about 2/3rds the price.

My advice: Spend at least 200 bucks, below this price point, performance seems to deteriorate rapidly. Stick with V1, Escort Passport or Bel brands. Don't use it in Canada or in DC or Virginia, they're illegal. Do not expect it to save your bacon from lasers. If the laser detector goes off, the ticket's 90% certain in the mail already.

Cheers
Al

I have passport 8500 for like 4-5 month now and I'm very happy with it. Just like any other radar very annoying in the city.

I've had a V1 since they came out in 92 (I think it was) and I've sent it back 3X since then to be upgraded, which is another good thing amoung many to get one. For Lidar there is always this:

http://www.radar-detectors-radardetectors.com/

V-1 Rules
I have had a radar detector of some kind for the last 15 years. Tried all the brands mentioned and the Valentine is the best I have ever used.
Incredible.
Totally worth the extra $.
It works and works well.

http://caranddriver.com/xp/Caranddriver/features/2002/february/200202_feature_detectors.xml?keywords=radar%20dete ctor

That is the Car and Driver Test from Feb 2002. V1 was the clear winner.

There's a pretty interesting article on Radartest.com which MAY go some way to explaining why the Valentine 1 aced the Car and Driver test.

http://www.radartest.com/article.asp?articleID=6500

It seems pretty vitriolic and there is clearly some bad blood between the writer and Mike Valentine. That said, I'd be sceptical of any test where one manufacturer has ties with the publication performing the test.

Escort had a few things to say about the C&D test as well

http://www.escortradar.com/cdnotes.htm

It could just be sour grapes, but they do point out a couple of discrepancies.

Radartest.com claims to be independent, has a large number of tests online, as well as some intelligently written articles. Until Consumer Reports does a Radar Detector test, Radartest.com looks like a good place to go for objective information.

At the end of the day though, unless you're getting really serious and buying a specialised remote radar detector (these are installed into your vehicle and cost upto about 2000bucks, they also provide you with your best hope of beating laser detectors), you're likely to be happy with any of Bel, Escort or Valentine's mid to upper range removable models, remember, any of those is going to be a lot better than nothing at all.


Alun

Valentine is the best if you have the $$$.

i just got my bel 960 bout 3 wks ago. its awesome. actually, from what i've read and heard, there is pretty much no difference between the 960 and the 985...i believe is the model. the 985 just have more user pre sets plus the 960 actually scores higher in some of the tests.

The valentine One is absolutely amazing. Personally, i this is the only brand i have used, but i have never gotten a ticket. My dad, and brother also have them, and have never gotten a ticket. My brother drives a BMW 530i with nitrous oxide, and my dad drives a shelby cobra(weekends). I drive my subie. I recommend the V1 to anybody.

All I have to say is Valentine One