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Rating: - Had One Forever, Buying One for the Mrs.
I've had a Valentine 1 since the early 90's. Over the years, it has been upgraded and has consistently been a top performer. Since those early days, these new V1s offer laser, a reinforced power cord (fixing a former Con), slightly modified/improved interface (see Pros) and new detection capabilities for instant-on radar.

Pro:
-Incredible detection range that always amazes my passengers... consistently voted #1 in the rankings in laser and radar tests, usually only dinged for price (see Cons) or styling. (Are they serious? Who care's if it's boxy?)
-Able to track multiple targets at one time (9), which at first sounds silly, but it helps you filter threats. With other detectors you may think "I must have passed him by now" while with V1 you'll see that you've transitioned from 2 overlapping signals, one may be false one may be real.
-Able to tell that you've passed a target. Signal in front will shift to side lights and then to rear helping you ID where the signal is.
-Is he behind me? Front AND rear detectors I think makes this detector a one of a kind. Often gives you plenty of time to move over for him. Rear indicator light is super handy.
-Black color (unit, mounts and cables) blends into your dash and does not reflect as much light and glare as its shiny counterparts. I can't believe the competition has gone with the shiny titanium styling... silly!
-The longer power cord (four feet?) looks like a "phone cord" and is reinforced nicely, a vast improvement over the early V1 cords
-The shorter power cord (two feet?) is a coiled power cord... it is springy and has less slack than the longer cord supplied
-Also has pieces for hardwiring the unit, but I suspect you'll need to buy wire and an installer (not a typical do it yourselfer project)
-Comes with a mediocre visor mount, however the glass mount (with spare suction cups) is just awesome! After 15 years, the design is still unbeaten!
-Variable volume and mute settings, with one-touch mute (press once to switch from full volume to your preset muted volume). When new distinct threat is detected, audio alert is restored to full volume.
-Optional concealed display that plugs into the cigarette lighter (must be purchased separately)
-Display has one LED for each type of radar detected (laser, Ka, X, and K) supplementing the different audio beeps for each type (laser also has an additional visual warning as these are almost never false alarms and give you the least reaction time)
-Display will show a "J" when a signal is determined to be "junk", a false-alarm. When you get the "J" your V1 is telling you that it is retracting the warning from this signal.
-LEDs are arranged vertically, laser ("L") is on top, Ka next, then K, and last X, representing threats ranked from lowest (top LED) to highest probability (bottom LED) of a false alarm
-Nice muting feature that allows you to preset mute volume... Will return to full volume if muted and a new signal is detected
-You can buy spare pieces on-line (an extra cost, but reasonably priced)
-Lights are not overly bright at night... still very visible but not distracting either
-3 sensitivity settings: "all bogeys", "logic" and "advanced logic". Advanced logic filters the most for those who hate false alarms.
-Loudest setting is very loud, softest is off, with a nearly limitless number of levels in between. Mute can be any volume that you choose and does not necessarily have to be off

Con:
-EZPass (automatic electronic toll payment) sets off the laser warning, and the unit goes nuts (again the laser warning is intense). Also, laser can be triggered by close proximity (15' in my experience) of the tail lights to certain American-made cars when they hit their brakes (confirmed by the manual).
-Price... ouch
-Detectors aren't legal in some states/areas
-Some claim that's it's boxy styling is a turn off, but come on, it's all about having the best detection!
-Visor mount is not very good (too tight) on thicker sun visors
-L, Ka, X, and K next to their LEDs is stenciled on... at night it's hard to tell for instance if Ka is being located or X. There's no good reference and the letters are not illuminated.

Bottom line: Highly recommended/don't leave home without it. I liked mine so much that I have just bought another one for my wife.

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Rating: - it can't get any better
i did about 3 weeks of research and more thinking than i should have put into a radar detector purchase...but after using this unit...it was well worth it...there isnt a single thing i would change about this unit...it tells you where the signal is coming from...which has saved me SOOOO MANY TIMES...it tells you what band, how many signals, and it even detects Ku and POP...this might be the most expensive radar detector, but until you own one...you can't truly comprehend how vastly superior it is to all other brands and models,... my V1 has paid for its self many times over...esp on my road trip to and from nashville (i live in the harrisburg, pa area)...most people i know arent willing to pay the price for this unit...but the thing is...you can buy a crappy cheaper detector...and then in a couple years when new technology comes out you have to buy a new one...and so on and so forth...before you know it...you've spent more than you ever planned on...with the V1...if theres new technology...you send it in for an upgrade...the upgrade for the models that are one model older than mine is $85...which is cheaper than even the best low priced detectors....so how is this not worth it???

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Rating: - Peerless performance
I've had a Valentine One for four years and am preparing to order another one for our second car, since I've just had the first one hard-wired into our new one. The hands-down "winningest" features are the arrow system to tell you where the radars are and the "bogey counter" that tells you how many different signals the V1 is receiving. My wife is very impressed that the V1 can see so far down the road and over hills. Some reviews snipe at the V1's boxy styling. I didn't buy it to make a fashion statement. I bought it for its unmatched performance. There is a very nifty option: a small lightweight plastic block called a "concealed display" that has the direction lights, type-of-radar lights, and a mute on/off button. I velcro-mount it to my steering wheel column near the dash, so I don't have to look up to see what's going on (my V1 is near the roofline). Think about how much a ticket would cost, adding in risk of an insurance premium increase. The V1 is the way to go. Recommend that if you hard-wire the unit, you have the tech leave the in-line fuse exposed or at least easy-to-access.

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Rating: - I've tested all the top models...this is the hands-down winner
For years Valentine had Escort and the others completely trounced. Finally, with the X50, Escort came close to Valentine in some respects. Their new GPS detector the 9500i is also based on the 8500 X50 model. The thing is, Valentine keeps a commanding lead in four respects:
1. Yes, Escort now equals Valentine on K and Ka (but not X band); however, Valentine responds much better to instant on.
2. Valentine's laser detection is insanely good. No one comes close...and that's what you need with laser, because it is very hard to "spot."
3. Because of patent considerations, Escort can't have front and rear antennae on their unit and tell you what direction the radar is coming from. This is actually a VERY useful feature...and the rear antenna lets you know when a mobile instant on unit is creeping up behind you.
4. Valentine detects instant-on POP radar nearly 100% of the time. Escort just plain doesn't see it half the time.
I've driven with one since the mid 1990s, and never received a ticket while using it. It's the best investment you can make in driving peace of mind.

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Rating: - V1 is the top choice
I have had the V1 for going on 6 years now and I would rate it 5 of 5. The only thing that could use some revising is the styling, but the performance is better than ANYTHING out there, including the Passport 8500. The f*ing thing POINTS in the direction where the radar is detected! Jigga WHAT!