I'm planning a trip down to cali and was thinking about getting a radar detector but there is soo many kinds out there. Does anyone here have any experience with them and what is a good one to get (~$250 preferably)


Thank you,

 

For years I've heard the Valentine One was the gold standard but that might be a bit more expensive than $250.

 

Yes. Had one for years. Haven't been stopped for years. Arrows and bogey counter are priceless!

 

I hae used a Valentine One for 20 plus years it works great but remember laser still beats all the radar detectors. I have used an Escort, I purchased one for my wife it works well. You can go to http://www.radarbusters.com and read their reviews and then go to https://store.valentine1.com and read about theirs.

If you do mostly highway the Valentine signals much further away than any other detector. It's a tool there is no guarantte that you won't get a ticket, but it does help.

Nelson

 

Also OP keep in mind, police do have the ability to detect you are using a detector and pull you over anyway, some detectors are better than others at avoiding this or letting you know the device is being detected. In some States they will require you to forfeit the device (not sure if Cali is one of those States), just things to keep in mind.

Some people believe that radar detectors are the 1 stop solution to going as fast as you want but in reality it is merely a tool and must be used in conjunction with common sense.

 

Escort was my first radar bought it from my parents that used if for 6 years then I had it 6 years was amazing till it died. Now I have a top of the line cobra not Walmart style and love it works just as good as the escort did at half the price.

 

Radar Detectors...I never own a car without one.

#1...CA does NOT restrict the user of radar detectors unlike some states.
The states to watch out for is...Virginia and Washington D.C.
If you are a trucker/commercial driver, then that expands to Illinois, New York & New Jersey as well.

#2 IN GENERAL...any detector within the $300+ range is suitable for MOST drivers. Don't worry, your $250 budget still buys a $300 detector since I'm talking about MSRP, not street price.

#3 A radar detector will not protect you what so ever. That is what jammers are for...but if you get caught with one, it's a misdemeanor, not just some "fine". A radar detector will however give you better situational awareness, and for the sole driver without a team to help him/her, that is the best thing you can have and still stay "legal".

#4 Never under any circumstances speed when it physically "doesn't make sense". This includes blind corners, peaks of hills/valleys...and since we're at it might as well thrown in city/urban environments.

A radar detector is simply a guide, to not get caught by EASY traps of say...highway patrol clocking anyone doing over 85 on I5 (which on normal times is EVERYONE).

My Experience...
I've owned 3 major brands...
Escort, Valentine, and Beltronics (the others are not worth mentioning).

Of the 3...Beltronics usually wins in terms of "VALUE".
* Valentine currently has a monopoly on the directional arrows, but as soon as their patent wears out, this will show up on others as well.
* Escort...similar to Beltronics (technically they are the same company now), but with more features. However with features come with more $$$ and heavier weight.

Of the 3, I still own Escorts and Bels (other family members/friends still rock the V1 though). Valentine is great, but at the time of ownership (10+ years), it falsed waaay to much. For a FIRST TIME BUYER, I don't necessarily recommend a V1 since it'll be overwhelming. You'll definitely like it for the arrows, but you'll probably rarely speed since the V1 will constantly bombard you with info. (You might as well turn off all bands other than Ka if you decide to go with a V1).

Now to answer your question OP....Knowing what I know now....and given $250 to spend...I would probably get a Beltronics Pro 300.

It wont have arrows, and it wont be as fancy as an Escort with GPS...but at the end of the day, it'll get the job done. FYI...This is the unit I have for my wife's DD. She don't need directional arrows, nor would she know what to do with it even if she had them. All she knows is if the detector goes off, to make sure she's at LEAST within 15 MPH of the limit.

Of course as a disclaimer, my wife, nor myself or any of my family members/friends speed. We all just have detectors for those "just in case" moments and like to simply exercise our rights as CA drivers for having one.

 

I'm also considering getting a detector, and came across this one on sale today. Might be what you're looking for.

 

Thats a perfectly good one as well. I had the 8500 in the past and it served me well. HOWEVER....the same radar horn can be found in the Beltronics version, which is both shorter and lighter than the 8500.

 

I have the Escort 8500 regular one; not even the X50, and it works great at detecting the fuzz. I've never receieved a ticket or been pulled over..

This could also be because I've only been driving for 3 years lol.

 

i have a valentine one radar for sale if you are interested pm me

 

Valentine one hands down

 

How much

 

Escort Redline, higher than your budget but when it comes to radars you don't want to settle for anything but the best.

 

The V1 is a great detector, But I would say either Redline or 9500ix

 

have V1 hardwired in both my Benz; they are around 400 however........

 

What a great quote!

I have been researching and researching and researching...

I think Valentine One may be the way to go for me.

Anyone using the Valentine One app and can comment on it?

 

Had Escort Passport 9500ix (Great for city especially)
But I after 6 months I wanted more aggressive and sold it, got the Redline now.
V1 and Redline are known as the best longest range Windshield Mount Radars for years now.
I opted for Redline since I am familiar with Escort and the great forum, help and config to Xtreme Range don't feel like paying $99 to update V1 whenever they have a firmware but others like V1 without upgrading it.