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Built in Radar (behind grill) which is better?

Old Nov 30, 2006 | 10:24 PM
  #1  
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Built in Radar (behind grill) which is better?

Which is better for built in (hidden, behind grill etc)

K40 bluetooth with laser defuser
Valentine
SR7
SRX75?

One wrench is recommending the valentine, but they want an insane amount to install. The other swears by the K40. The K40 is kind of appealing because the bluetooth design makes installation cleaner.

I do have an RX65 which works very well, but I don't want a visible radar detector.
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Old Nov 30, 2006 | 11:40 PM
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Kleemann CLK 43K
K40 calibre, you cannot turn off a particular band if you have drones in your area.
Valentino, I don't know that they have a fully concealed unit.
SRX and SR7, they are the same as Bel RX75.

I would suggest RX75, they are the same as SR7 except they have voice warnings with their plus package. They are cheaper too.
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Old Dec 1, 2006 | 09:04 AM
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I have the clibre in my CLK55 - love it. Nice installation. Very stealth. Decent features. I do with there was a way to turn off some X band - and I would also like a status indicator light - to show the system is on.
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Old Dec 1, 2006 | 01:46 PM
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I use Bel RX75 Plus. Saved me many times.
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Old Dec 1, 2006 | 08:18 PM
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where did you mount the RX75 display?
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Old Dec 1, 2006 | 08:58 PM
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I'm getting the K40 front and rear w/laser defuser installed in my E on Wednesday. The place that's installing it only does high-end stuff. They sell most of the hard-wired radar detectorsf and EVERY one of the employees there has the K40 Calibre, if that means anything. I'll update....

Oh, I have the non-bluetooth model (K40-2000). The only difference is instead of the wireless remote, I'll have a control module with volume/city/hwy knob. Of course, the install is different since it's wired and not bluetooth, but I'm not installing it so it's all the same to me.

Last edited by Benz-O-Rama; Dec 1, 2006 at 09:03 PM.
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Old Dec 1, 2006 | 10:29 PM
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where did you mount the RX75 display?
The RX75 display is installed in the ashtray. Since I only smoke my tires, the ashtray was not being used for anything else.
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Old Dec 6, 2006 | 09:19 PM
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Here's how my K40 install went


https://mbworld.org/forums/showthrea...11#post1874911
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Old Dec 6, 2006 | 11:38 PM
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k40 radar systems all the way, they are by far some of the best units out there. I have an extra k40 un-2000 Front and rear radar system with laser defuser. It was in a cl500 for a year and the car was only driven 5k miles the whole time since it was installed and i just swapped it out for the new bluetooth version. If your interested let me know im sure we could work something out.

Last edited by clk22; Dec 6, 2006 at 11:41 PM.
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Old Dec 7, 2006 | 01:13 PM
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Ive wondered about the K40, if it lived up to the hype. Sounds like it does
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Old Dec 11, 2006 | 02:57 AM
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K40 is crap and nobody has any reviews that show that it beat a single top rated detector like the Valentine One.
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Old Dec 11, 2006 | 01:02 PM
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Originally Posted by RaDaRkInG
K40 is crap and nobody has any reviews that show that it beat a single top rated detector like the Valentine One.
So, have you had both products? Ever tested them personally? Do you have any data to backup your claims? Just wondering is all.

With a quick google, I got this straight from radartest.com

Has some good and bad about the K40.


When we squared off against radar we found no gaps in the K40's performance envelope. In X-band Highway mode and against K- and Ka-band radar its detection range was within feet of that of the BEL RX75 Plus and Escort SR7. It had only five feet less X-band City range than the top-ranked Escort SR7 and almost double that of the BEL Pro RX65.

Not surprisingly, the K40's rear radar antenna added significantly to its detection range of radar coming from behind, about three times that of the BEL and Escort on K and Ka bands and an extra 3,000-odd feet on X band Highway. But while that may be good for bragging rights, the almost incalculably tiny threat posed by radar from behind largely makes this a non-issue on detectors with this much sensitivity.
K40 DefuserPlus contains laser detector/jammer module that can be removed from the plate cover for more low-profile mounting options. Our test car was equipped with two units to more closely approximate the configuration of the BEL model.

The 2000P's only performance shortcoming is in laser detection and jamming. The DefuserPlus receiver/jammer module mounts above the license plate and can be defeated if the laser is aimed higher, toward a headlight or elsewhere away from the plate. This applies to both receiver and jammer. The former had the least field of view of the bunch and in our last jammer test it was outwitted by both of the latest laser guns.

We're encouraged that the 2000 platform has been significantly improved since our last remote test to include a K40 entry. False alarms have sharply decreased in comparison to its forebear and it now has stellar radar sensitivity as well. But the market has changed during the meantime and when compared to its sophisticated new competition, the K40's abbreviated list of features, weak laser performance and hefty price tag suggest that a buyer's market for high-end remote detectors is at hand

Last edited by Benz-O-Rama; Dec 11, 2006 at 01:07 PM.
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Old Dec 11, 2006 | 01:06 PM
  #13  
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Guys

Head to head K40 vs Passport 8500 X50 .... both on SL55's ... both driving down the same road, with the K40 AHEAD of the X50 by about 500 feet.

The X50 picks up the signal first allowing for more reaction time.
One time it picked it up and the K40 had a lag of about 20 seconds ...

I trust my X50 more
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Old Dec 11, 2006 | 01:15 PM
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Originally Posted by RaDaRkInG
K40 is crap and nobody has any reviews that show that it beat a single top rated detector like the Valentine One.
You know.....

I just looked at your 36 other posts and in 95% of them you bash "the other guy's" radar detector. And in all of them you claim the Valentine One as the second coming of Christ.

Just an observation....
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Old Dec 11, 2006 | 01:19 PM
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Originally Posted by Mrdredd
Guys

Head to head K40 vs Passport 8500 X50 .... both on SL55's ... both driving down the same road, with the K40 AHEAD of the X50 by about 500 feet.

The X50 picks up the signal first allowing for more reaction time.
One time it picked it up and the K40 had a lag of about 20 seconds ...

I trust my X50 more

At least I respect this opinion. He has real world data.


When I got my k40 installed, I also had an X50. On the ride home from the shop that installed it there was a radar trap on 270N in Maryland. They both went off at the EXACT same time but the k40's rear sensor stayed active for much, MUCH longer for obvious reasons.

I loved the X50 for the short time I had it. I just wanted the stealth look with laser jammer. X50 doesn't jam laser.
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Old Dec 11, 2006 | 01:54 PM
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All radarking does is say negative comments about any other radar except V1. Like benz-o-rama said radar king thinks the V1 is the best thing on the world.
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Old Dec 11, 2006 | 05:10 PM
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I have had both K40 and V1. My problem with the K40 was not that it was not sensitive or had any real significant range difference over the V1. It was that it went off so much when there was no radar that I began to ignore it and then ended up with a ticket. The V1 did not false nearly as much. Just my opinion based on my own experience, but I prefer the V1. It's only downside IMHO is that does not have the stealth install of the SR7 or the K40. If that is what you are looking for then the K40 is a nice solution.
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Old Dec 11, 2006 | 06:03 PM
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Originally Posted by jm55
I have had both K40 and V1. My problem with the K40 was not that it was not sensitive or had any real significant range difference over the V1. It was that it went off so much when there was no radar that I began to ignore it and then ended up with a ticket. The V1 did not false nearly as much. Just my opinion based on my own experience, but I prefer the V1. It's only downside IMHO is that does not have the stealth install of the SR7 or the K40. If that is what you are looking for then the K40 is a nice solution.
Just curious...

Did you have the latest and greatest version of the K40, the Calibre? I talked to K40 and they did acknowledge the fact that their older generation units did have a tendancy to false a bunch. Their newest stuff, however, is getting pretty good reviews. Even the new generation, non-Calibre, like the K2000 are very good.

For example, on my way to and from to work I have to pass a truck weigh station. My Passport X50 falsed (X-Band) at this spot 100% of the time while my K40 breezes right by without a chirp. I do get some falses on K-Band stuff though. There are many shopping centers in my area that are using K-Band for something. I'm guessing the alarm systems, but I'm not sure. Both the Passport and K40 go nuts when I'm in the parking lots of these places.

Anyway, I'm sure you can't go wrong with either the V1, X50, or the K40. I was interested in the stealth look and the laser jammer which none of the portable units can offer.
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Old Dec 11, 2006 | 09:48 PM
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I've had the V1 for about 4 years now, so it was an older K40. I have just been reluctant to try them again because the price is pretty high and if they false a lot again, it's too late to change your mind after you already have it installed. I have been pretty happy with the V1.
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Old Dec 11, 2006 | 11:14 PM
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k40 is cooler, but v1, is the only way to go.
Nathan
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Old Dec 12, 2006 | 12:04 AM
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i also have trhe v1 i was speeding back from about 25 miles in to pa going back to nyc i made the trip in 43 min. the distance is a little under 100. so you do the math. the radar detector WORKS. its my first one and the sensitivity gets annoying in the city but on the open road it cant be beat. my 2 cents
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Old Dec 12, 2006 | 10:03 AM
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Oh,

I'm sure the V1 is great, nobody is debating that. But to say the K40 is crap is just not true. I'm not bashing the V1 at all, as a matter of fact, I used to own one back in the day when they first came out. And I loved my Passport 8500 X50. I thought it was better than the V1, actually. But I was mainly interested in the K40's laser jammer and the totally stealth and cool as **** install. There is not a portable unit on the planet that can jam laser, as far as I know.
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Old Dec 27, 2006 | 11:23 AM
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had my calibre for 5k now. Great unit. I have not experience with what the jamming capabilies are - no real world way to test - but the unit with the stealth install is nice. Does it false? Sure - so does my wife's X50. To me that the difference comes down to knowing the detector and having experieince driving with one.

D-
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Old Jan 1, 2007 | 10:50 AM
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i live off 270...god i wish the *******s would use radar more. after exit 16 down to the spur is nothing but laser. when it rains ive seen a few Ka using LEO but it seems they just leave in the rain usually. (except for that nasty spot south on 270 from fredneck before you get to father hurley.)

after a lot of research i went a different route, but mainly due to virginia being illegal and only laser where i live. i went with the STI...completely invisible to specter RDD, even specter 3. For laser...the Blinder M20 and laser veil across the front. it's saved me 3 times in a year and i jammed a cop's LIDAR gun in rockville 3 times...after the third pass he gave me the finger, but it was sort of a smirking finger.

just my 2 cents
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Old Jan 1, 2007 | 12:30 PM
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The radar falsing around shopping centers is usually the automatic doors going into the grocery store. Just fyi
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