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Valentine One

*Est. $500

Reviewed September 2009
Valentine One

pros
  • Very sensitive
  • Arrows show whether threat is behind or ahead
  • Can be continually upgraded
cons
  • False alarms
  • Expensive
  • No speed/red-light camera warnings
 
 
Where to Buy
 
 
 
5 star:
(12)
4 star:
(1)
3 star:
(0)
2 star:
(1)
1 star:
(3)

Average Customer Review

(17 customer reviews)

for $474.99

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1 Year's Use and No tickets. Not disappointed. Would have paid the cost with first speeding ticket, November 9, 2009
Great product. Never been pulled over for speeding with Valentine One. Currently stealth installed on my 540i which is supercharged. Very satisfied! I would credit it for my lack of contact with law enforcement since I've been daily driving 400 hp. Bought it direct and paid $400 for it. Why pay a middle man 175% of price?
Valentine sucks- dont buy this POS, September 18, 2009
Valentine sent me a new/refirbished factory unit- arrived DOA- I offered to pay the difference for a new unit- Refused- Ripped me off for 2 shipping charges- 67.00. Refused to allow me to speak with the owner. These people are POISON. Go to hell Valentine. Dont ever do business with these crooks- Their stuff is garbage and they DO NOT stand behind it.
Great product but buy it direct from Mike (Valentine) himself, July 20, 2009
This is the industry standard, hands down best performer - just butt ugly. [...]
Mr. Valentine was apparently one of the wizards at Cincinnati Microwave that created the original Escort radar detector back in the day...
Arrows are a huge help! , April 9, 2009

Anyone that does any research on radar/laser detectors knows two things, a cheap one is worthless, and the Valentine V1 is always listed in as a top 2 detectors. Some people complain that it is over sensitive, but you can just switch it to Advanced Logic Mode (big L on the screen) and it will be quiet enough. This thing is super sensitive on the highway and can give you a solid 2 miles of warning if the officer has the gun on. Arrows help a ton in the city and it will tell you the direct of the strongest signal as well as the other signals simultaneously.

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Cheaper and more reliable than bribing a judge, March 18, 2009

Pro: Phenomenal range. Direction arrows. Bogey counter. Actual laser detection, not just a laser-already-got-you signal. These all turn out to be way more useful than you think once you start using it. Cons: Some LED brake lights now set off false Laser alarms. The markings on the unit are all silkscreened on and can't be read at night. The only way to tell X, K, and Ka from one another at night is by memorizing the different alert sounds. Some folks customize theirs with different color LEDs for each alert. The small volume and mute knobs aren't as good as other detector's solutions. Not a Pro or a Con: No real false-alarm filtering. It reports everything it sees and lets you decide. It just adjusts how it reports the least-likely signals so they don't bug you as much, and the level and loudness of the alerts is adjustable. Wannabe fighter pilots probably think this is cool. For the rest of us it gets annoying after a while. Where I live, I can just ignore everything except Ka and Laser. In short, this is really the only unit on the market worth the money. It delivers what you're paying for in spades, and you can live with its ergonomics in return. As a side note, the reason you'd buy it here at twice the factory price is if you live in a country where the factory doesn't sell/ship. There are a lot of those, apparently. Otherwise, get it factory direct.

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Where To Buy

Our Sources

1. SpeedZones

As usual, the Valentine One detects radar better than most other models in SpeedZones.com's expert tests. However, it doesn't warn drivers about speed/red-light cameras -- and experts here say that new feature is vital.

Review: Annual Radar Detector Test 2009-2010, Editors of SpeedZones.com

2. Guys of Lidar

Tests here are designed to simulate real-world radar detection; for example, detectors are tested on their ability to detect radar when a police car is hiding around a curve. The results for each test are presented in charts, with detectors ranked according to their performance. The Valentine One lands at the top in every category.

Review: Radar Detector Test, Editors of GuysOfLidar.com, Aug. 17-19, 2007

3. Laserveil.com

"The Veil Guy" sells his laser light-absorbing spray for cars on this retail site, and he also reviews radar detectors. Here, he discusses one of his favorite radar detectors, the Valentine One, in a lengthy written review and accompanying video review.

Review: Valentine One Review: Tribute to the V1, the Porsche 911 of Radar Detectors, "The Veil Guy", Updated Aug. 3, 2009

4. 007 Radardetectors.com

This retail site ranks radar detectors according to their performance in a dozen categories. The site states that the rankings are based on driving experience, but there is little documentation about how the tests are conducted. The Valentine One earns the highest overall score.

Review: 2009 Radar Detector Reviews and Tests, Editors of 007RadarDetectors.com

5. Epinions.com

The Valentine One radar detector is a favorite among consumers here. It maintains an average of 4.5 stars (out of five), with 140 reviews posted.

Review: Valentine One V1 Radar Detector, Contributors to Epinions.com

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