Valentine One

For the earliest possible warning that a radar gun looms nearby, experts have traditionally recommended the Valentine One -- until now. The Escort Passport 9500ix (*Est. $525) has finally caught up to the Valentine One's long-range radar detection in SpeedZones.com's authoritative tests, and the Escort will also warn you about upcoming speed and red-light cameras -- something the Valentine One cannot do. The Escort also cuts down on false alarms, users' major complaint about the Valentine One. However, people who own a Valentine One radar detector often say they wouldn't want anything else. They like that it won't become obsolete, because the company offers continual upgrades, and they swear by the Valentine One's dual front-and-rear antennas and unique directional arrows that show whether a radar or laser signal is coming from ahead or behind.

The objective, expert test data presented at SpeedZones.com and GuysOfLidar.com show how the Valentine One measures up against other radar detectors -- but the recent SpeedZones.com test includes the latest detectors, while the older GuysOfLidar.com test does not. A lengthy written review at LaserVeil.com is accompanied by a video review, and both are based on testing. 007RadarDetectors.com clearly ranks radar detectors according to their capabilities, but test methods are not clearly stated. The Valentine One has accumulated a large number of user reviews at Epinions.com, where it is a favorite of consumers.