Passport 8500 or V1

[M.Piedlourde]

Originally posted by sub9lulu
i did some search already

i think this is like everybody has their own opinion ....

Heh, yeah, I've noticed that too. People who own the V1 will tell you that's best. People who have the 8500 will tell you it's the one to get.

Notice that trend?

The Passport 8500 and the Valentine V1 are both considered to be near the top of the ranks when it comes to detection ability. I'd consider them to be about equal in that regard. If you look hard enough, you'll find lots of comparisons that have one or the other coming out on top. The Passport will win in some tests, the V1 will win in others. The bottom line is that both of them are superior radar detectors that will pick up the police WAY before they pick up you. I hate it when people trot out figures and say things like, "Well, the 8500 picked up the cop at 3.6 miles! The V1 picked it up at 3.2, so the 8500 is superior, obviously!!" Uh, ok, but BOTH detectors picked up the signal long before a cop could get a bead on you, and isn't that the point?

One thing that the V1 has going for it, though, are the directional arrows. It can tell you which direction the radar signal is coming from, which many V1 owners swear by. The Passport is $100 less than the V1, but doesn't have those arrows.

FWIW, I've got an 8500. Works great. Saved my butt many a time. If I had to buy again, I'd probably ante up and get the V1, because it'd be nice to see which direction the cop is coming from.