Which one Valentine 1, Bel RX 65, and Escort X50?

T

twopu

New member
I'm stuck between the same 3: Valentine 1, Bel RX 65, and Escort X50. When it comes down to it they are all great and will do the job. So I guess I'm just looking for the best bang for the buck. I really don't want to spend the extra money for the V1, but I know you die hard V1 fans love the arrows. My feeling is once it beeps I'm going to slow down and start observing my surroundings (ex. braking tail lights). I don't know what bands cops use in South Jersey so if you know that will help in my decision making. I want one with the least amount of false alarms and best detection for my area. I've read all the reviews online and they keep going back and forth among the 3. Your personal experience would be helpful in my decision making.

Thanks
 
The X50 gets my vote. :up After my wife was popped three times in as many months I researched online and went with the X50. The only thing that bothers me so far is the school buses in my area emit a signal in the K band and I work close to the bus yard. Of course that's not the detectors fault.
 
Did you spend the extra money for the blue leds? Also, do you get a lot false alarms in highway mode?
 
twopu said:
Did you spend the extra money for the blue leds? Also, do you get a lot false alarms in highway mode?
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1. No, the lighting in my car is red.

2. I usually leave it in auto mode. When I'm on the hwy I get no false alarms.
 
The police in Joy-zee use all bands including X. The X50 is better if you're doing a lot of in-town driving. The V1 is superior on laser if that is an immediate concern. The V1's arrows are priceless once you've lived with them. The X50, purchased new on eBay, is a superb value.



I'd have a very tough time saying one is better than the other - - both have unique attributes.



YMMV



(FWIW, we are told a new X50 replacement will be introduced this month.)
 
Where did you hear that they were coming out with a newer model? I'd like to read up on what they plan on adding.
 
I have the Bel RX-65 and I'm extremely pleased with it. I'm NOT going to rant & rave that it's the best, blah, blah, blah. I can say that it is an excellent unit (by my standards) and, with a little research, can be had for considerably less money than the other two. I especially like the voice feature, it is extremely clear and doesn't sound like robocop.
 
I had a TOL BEL and I didn't care for it; I didn't like the mount and I felt that it was TOO sensitive. It would pick up radar signals from parallel- and cross-highways. I stopped using it over a year ago.



My dad & my wife pitched in and got me a V1 for Christmas, with the remote display, and WOW. Once you've seen the arrows and numbers, it's all over. I have the display mounted low on the dash, by the radio at the bottom of the instrument stack.



Case in point: I was driving on the cross-valley Monday night, going a bit over the flow of traffic, maybe 70-75. I know where all the building alarms are, but as I passed a familiar one (indicated by a side arrow), instead of 1 bogey the V1 showed 2; one to the side and one behind me. I slowed down, passed the factory, and the side bogey went away, but the rear one got stronger and stronger, and finally it was full strength and screaming; I looked in my rear view and there was an unmarked car tracking me. By then I was about 5 mph over, but I was also on a regular commute where cars were flying past. I guess he had me culled out and was waiting for me to speed up to the rest of traffic, which was going about 15 over (70 in a 55). He tracked me for about 2 miles at 60, and then he finally pulled off to wait for another target. If I'd have had the BEL I would have never registered the second bogey hiding in the signal of the first, and I wouldn't have slowed down. And I wouldn't have known that the full strength signal was tracking me from behind.



I wasn't a V1 believer before. But I am now. Having had both it and the BEL, I much prefer the V1. The BEL was actually a nuisance; the V1 is a sentinel.



A V1 will never be obsolete, btw; each unit from the very first one is fully upgradeable to the most recent specs.





Tom
 
I have a Passport 8500 (not the X50 version) and I loved it for about two years. Recently (last 6 months or so) it has been giving me false laser signals. The worst part is that I always have the volume at MAX. When that laser alert goes off, it really puts me in a bad mood. I know that it's just another false alarm, and that annoying, piercing sound is just awful. I wouldn't mind it one bit if it were a real signal, but I know for sure that I don't pick up 4, 5, 6, or more laser signals in one day, driving to and from a small city. I've gotten laser signals in my parking lot, on roads of all types, in my parents' driveway (in a small neighborhood away from any major roads), and it frequently goes off when I floor the gas pedal. And come on, my car doesn't do all that much when you floor it. :lol



I'm getting a V1 next.
 
twopu said:
Where did you hear that they were coming out with a newer model? I'd like to read up on what they plan on adding.
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I've only seen the filing with the FCC and the proposed release date. I can assure you they protect all info...there's nothing to be seen at this time.
 
tom p. said:
I've only seen the filing with the FCC and the proposed release date. I can assure you they protect all info...there's nothing to be seen at this time.
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Its probably the same as the new BEL STI as Bel and Escort have merged. The RX65 and X50 are pretty similar.
 
FWIW the RX-65 also alerts you to multiple targets, it's saved my keister more than once. No directional arrows like the Valentine though.
 
RTexasF said:
FWIW the RX-65 also alerts you to multiple targets, it's saved my keister more than once. No directional arrows like the Valentine though.
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That's good to know. My BEL was the older model, the 980. I'm all in favor of ALL of them being great.





Tom
 
Every time I start leaning one way some one post and pushing me back another. I find it interesting that V1 owners have very few complaints about them. The one complaint seems to be false alarms. Other than that they love them. There are MANY more reviews about the X50 avg. 4.5 out of 5 stars. However, the FEW with complaints hate their X50 and want to buy the V1. There seems to be a small following of the RX65 with many positive reviews. I just don't know if I want/need to hear what signal my radar detected. If it goes off I slow down.



Do you guys have this much trouble deciding or is it just me?



How does the Bel notify you of multiple bogeys?



How do you guys mount them? I hate packing everything up everytime I get out of my car. I have managed to hide everything so if someone were to walk by my car and look in they would not see anything tempting to take. However, with the radar needing to be mounted on the window I see no other option but to take it down everytime.



Thanks again for all the help!!!
 
Check out Bel's website, they have a trade-in program. I got a $60 credit for having an old Bel to send them when I bought my RX55 around Christmas. I'm pleased with the RX55, even though it will false in town. This one was in my price range, so I'm not saying go buy this one. It might be worth looking into buying and old one on ebay and having it as a trade-in. They offered up to an $80 credit for certain models.
 
My biggest complaint about the BEL 980 was the awful windshield mount. Maybe they've changed that. The one on my unit had a single screw that tightened the angle at which the detector sat. the screw would constantly loosen as I was driving and the detector would droop, or in extreme cases fall off the windshield.





Tom
 
Well after additional research I'm leaning towards the V1 even though I didn't want to spend the extra money. I found this information on another forum which helps justify the extra money.



>>Other detectors have almost on par preformance with the v1, but some people cant justify the extra 100 bucks for the rear antenna and the arrows.<<



"Well, an extra 100 bucks for : rear antenna, the invaluable locating arrows, the bogey counter, the best laser detection, upgrades which are either free or very low priced, repairs if needed on any unit no matter when made for a very low price... (I coulda had my 1992 V1 repaired for $40 to new specs - not all that shabby - but instead I took the $125 trade-in on it towards a brand new V1. Try that with ANY of the lesser 'detectors'. ) And it's made in the USA. That's worth something too.



The best unit, the best protection, the best value, and it's made in the US. Find the extra $100 and buy the V1; you'll get that money back over and over again."



Any thoughts?
 
I've had a V1 for a long time, a Passport before that, and an original Escort before that. I don't know what you are talking about with the falsing on the V1, as mentioned, all detectors false on real radars signals from automatic door openers and intrusion alarms. The V1 has intelligent filtering (maybe the others do now as well), and I even have it on the most-filtered setting now that I traded mine in on the latest version. Oh...maybe you were talking about laser falsing...THAT is a bit of a pain...a lot of the CHMSL's on the SUV's and the LED rear lighting becoming more prevalent set the laser detector off.



The other thing is the mounting; I liked the visor clip on my Passport much better and it would go on either the top or the bottom. I hate the suction cup mounts, they always fall off at the wrong time, and are so difficult to install/remove quickly, like if you want to take it down for security reasons.



EDIT: PS I do love my V1, but it IS really expensive.
 
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