ZaphodForty2

Thanks for the extra info. Upon review of the C&D test that I posted (http://www.caranddriver.com/article....rticle_id=1993) the results are pretty tight between the 8500 & the V1, more so than I first thought. Tough call, but if it's true about the tech of the V1 being a decade old, I think I'm leaning towards the 8500. Still, I find it hard to believe that Valentine has sat back and just let their flagship product age for that amount of time without and kind of R&D. Anything out there in print about the age of the V1?

DriftinS14

I dont know where you guys see tests where the V1 blows the 8500 away. I have only seen one review where they rated the V1 over the 8500 and that was the Car and Driver one where they didnt produce any numbers, they just rated it becuase they liked the Directional arrows (which are nice) better.

Read this Review:

http://www.radartest.com/article.asp?articleid=1064

It shows actual numbers down to the feet and how they performed the tests. The only thing that got blown away was the V1.

DriftinS14

There have been updates to the V1, but the technology hasnt changed, they have just streamlined the casing. All and all anytime I drive anywhere with someone else that is using a detector my 8500 makes theres look silly. I am VERY happy with its performance. In my 20 mile commute to school I get NOT one false alarm, of course I have X band turned off, but I know when that thing lights up a K or KA band to stand on the brakes.

UNKLESKELETOR

check this out. 4 years ago i was ttest driving a prelude. i knew the guys at the dealership and they insisted i take it home. i wasn't going to buy it but figured i'd have some fun with it. i stopped by my brothers house and picked him up to go tear the car up for a while. we get to this 4 lane road going to the country and only one car in sight. a suburban. i floor it and dump it into gear. when the car reached about 120 i let up on it, but in the mirror i see something comin up fast, the suburban with a light on the dash. turns out it was the deputy sheriff of redneckville. they had guns drawn and 8 more cars came from a nearby station blocking all four lanes of traffic. the speed limit was 45 and i was pretty sure i was going to jail. but fortunately, the deputy sheriff just happened to be this guy i used to hook up with free stuff at this pool store i worked at. i guess he felt he owed me one so the spit flew as they yelled at me for 5 min. and gave me a ticket for excessive speed, $ 78. i love that story.

ZaphodForty2

Thanks for all the advice everyone - here's one last bit to seal the deal. My boss, the branch manager of my office, loooooves fast cars. He may be over-compensating for something, but the man has a Corvette C5, a Viper RT-10, an Audi S8 and, most recently, a Ferrari 348 TS in his stable (all stock). And he drives them. Fast. When I asked, he stated that the 8500 makes it into any car he is driving, and his old (more than 6 years old) Valentine stays in the junk drawer at home. He said the V1 let him down at high speeds more than once, and the 8500 provides much better advance warning at speed. He has tried other units, including the in-dash with front/rear sensor unit (I forget the manufacturer), but the 8500 is by far the most accurate and reliable.

All the reviews I have read now seem to point to the 8500, and even the ones that make the V1 the winner are by such a close margin that the decision must have been made by flipping a coin. Maybe with the $$ I save on the detector, I can put a few more HP under the hood someday.

BlueWRX2004

i just got a ticket three weeks ago i was doing 116 mph on 55!! the cop didnt arrest me! he just gave me speeding ticket and i had to go to court this monday i went to court and they gave me 1 year supervision, 8 hours traffic safety school and $750 for the ticket!!!! this realy sucks, and the judge said if i will get one more ticket in a year they will suspend my license for now im driving only speed limit )))))

ZIZZIZ

iTrader: (2)

pulled over 12 times in the last 1.5 years. only 2 tickets. go me!

GottaREX

Actually they passed a law here in Connecticut that if you go over 80 mph, cops can't continue the pursuit. I guess they'd have to find another way to get you somehow but I've never tried this too scared to find out.

Ed

iTrader: (6)

Not that bad??????