[RandomHero]

My update: Like I mentioned I received the Red Led Version. Everyone apparently received the basic power chord instead of the $30 smart cord it should have come with.

Mine also seemed to have issues:
-On startup it would turn itself on twice as if it wasn't getting a solid power supply
-The sound alerts were extremely quiet. You could barely hear the alerts with the A/C on full blast and no music. I had an old Bel RX55 that was much much louder.
-The K/KA alerts only acted like POP radar was being used. It would go from no alert to a full alert instantaneously. After the cop passed by me the alert would slowly scale down the correct way. Again, I do know the difference between a normal alert and a POP alert (instant on radar).

Long story short, I sent it back. It's a piece of shit. I'm just going to man up and buy a brand new Valentine 1 directly. Live and learn. I'll never buy from Woot again.

[shah269]

>>>>Everyone apparently received the basic power chord instead of the $30 smart cord it should have come with.<<<
I was suppose to get the WHAT!?
NO SHIT!


AAAAHHH FUUUUCK...so you sent your back?
HUH....maybe will do the same?

Honestly I'm such a tard, this is my very first radar unit evet.
No clue what to expect and to know what is good or bad.
Just saw the price and thought it was good.

[Hawkeye]

Originally Posted by shah269

yeah i did and it just randomly beeps and creeps when you are driving along.....two 5 hour trips and not one speed trap? how odd?

What about the sweeps. You need the beeps, the creeps, and the sweeps - otherwise you may have been jammed... with raspberry.

[upstatedoc]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye

What about the sweeps. You need the beeps, the creeps, and the sweeps - otherwise you may have been jammed... with raspberry.

shah can't handle the sweeps let alone the beeps and creeps.

[bbbbmw]

Originally Posted by upstatedoc

that's what she said.

Okay - that wrecked me...

[bbbbmw]

From what I've seen, radar "detectors" only work when they sense the radar waves coming from the cop (a "Smokey", for those who were cognizant from 1972-1979 - no children). By the time your radar detector starts squealing like a frightened pig, and you slam on the brakes (with a loaded gravel truck with Liberian registry behind you), the cop/Smokey already has you pegged. And when he approaches you driver's window, with his hand on his gun (see: Chris Rock -"how not to get you ass kicked by the Police"), and sees the detector, you're absolutely positively getting a ticket. So why would anyone buy one??

[KingOfJericho]

Originally Posted by bbbbmw

From what I've seen, radar "detectors" only work when they sense the radar waves coming from the cop (a "Smokey", for those who were cognizant from 1972-1979 - no children). By the time your radar detector starts squealing like a frightened pig, and you slam on the brakes (with a loaded gravel truck with Liberian registry behind you), the cop/Smokey already has you pegged. And when he approaches you driver's window, with his hand on his gun (see: Chris Rock -"how not to get you ass kicked by the Police"), and sees the detector, you're absolutely positively getting a ticket. So why would anyone buy one??

Well... people by them because your assumption is incorrect. What you describe is correct for laser, but not for radar. Radar just sloppily shoots in a general direction which is why it is easily detectable over hills and around blind turns when it is not aimed at your specific vehicle.

[RandomHero]

Originally Posted by shah269

>>>>Everyone apparently received the basic power chord instead of the $30 smart cord it should have come with.<<<
I was suppose to get the WHAT!?
NO SHIT!


AAAAHHH FUUUUCK...so you sent your back?
HUH....maybe will do the same?

Honestly I'm such a tard, this is my very first radar unit evet.
No clue what to expect and to know what is good or bad.
Just saw the price and thought it was good.

Yes mine is on its way back as we speak.

The price was great and I've had the ability to "test" an 8500 x50 red led and an 8500x50 blue led. I knew what I was buying and how it was "supposed" to work.

With that said, the ones they sent out and especially the one I received has problems. My guess is that they were a batch of bad units that were repaired cheaply. In this situation I got what I paid for: a cheap radar detector at a cheap price.

As far as radar detectors in general: It's not a cop detector, it's a radar detector. It is true that the laser function is almost entirely useless (which is true for pretty much every radar detector). Also, if I cop has the Instant On/Pop radar setup it's ineffective once he hits YOUR car.

However, a good radar detector will detect instant on radar well before you pass the cop. If you're driving on the highway and a cop hits a car in front of you within a mile you should get an alert.

Again, I'm far from an expert but I've used two different 8500 x50 radar detectors in the past and these refurbished units are not up to par.

[shah269]

honestly......i'll be honest.....I'm having some very serious thoughts about buying the thing....dropped $150.......and now i'm not so sure it was a "good" investment?
I guess i'll keep it and use it on rides into NYC and out or on my occasional long business trips down to DC.
so this means it will be living a good 90% of it's life turned off in my arm rest....
Been driving since i was 18, got my first speeding ticket at 36....and i like a little girl freak out and buy the first radar detector i see...how silly is that!

[boostedTIAG335]

Originally Posted by shah269

honestly......i'll be honest.....I'm having some very serious thoughts about buying the thing....dropped $150.......and now i'm not so sure it was a "good" investment?
I guess i'll keep it and use it on rides into NYC and out or on my occasional long business trips down to DC.
so this means it will be living a good 90% of it's life turned off in my arm rest....
Been driving since i was 18, got my first speeding ticket at 36....and i like a little girl freak out and buy the first radar detector i see...how silly is that!

I dropped almost $550 on my 9500ix and haven't thought twice about it. I'll be dropping another $700-1000 on a LI jammer soon. I've already saved more than the price of the two systems combined in tickets and insurance premiums I would have gotten without it.

[Seminole]

Originally Posted by bbbbmw

From what I've seen, radar "detectors" only work when they sense the radar waves coming from the cop (a "Smokey", for those who were cognizant from 1972-1979 - no children). By the time your radar detector starts squealing like a frightened pig, and you slam on the brakes (with a loaded gravel truck with Liberian registry behind you), the cop/Smokey already has you pegged. And when he approaches you driver's window, with his hand on his gun (see: Chris Rock -"how not to get you ass kicked by the Police"), and sees the detector, you're absolutely positively getting a ticket. So why would anyone buy one??

You don't know how a radar detector/ radar works.

[upstatedoc]

Originally Posted by mmahany

Yes mine is on its way back as we speak.

The price was great and I've had the ability to "test" an 8500 x50 red led and an 8500x50 blue led. I knew what I was buying and how it was "supposed" to work.

With that said, the ones they sent out and especially the one I received has problems. My guess is that they were a batch of bad units that were repaired cheaply. In this situation I got what I paid for: a cheap radar detector at a cheap price.

As far as radar detectors in general: It's not a cop detector, it's a radar detector. It is true that the laser function is almost entirely useless (which is true for pretty much every radar detector). Also, if I cop has the Instant On/Pop radar setup it's ineffective once he hits YOUR car.

However, a good radar detector will detect instant on radar well before you pass the cop. If you're driving on the highway and a cop hits a car in front of you within a mile you should get an alert.

Again, I'm far from an expert but I've used two different 8500 x50 radar detectors in the past and these refurbished units are not up to par.

I Bought a new X50 black with a blue display for $340 it is an excellent detector I am actually Giving my V1 a rest for a while.

[shah269]

I think mine is broken or has a brain problem.
Sitting in my garage the thing makes all kind of sounds....all of which are wrong!
I'm going to send it back for a refund.
any ideas as to how hard it is to do this?

[RandomHero]

Originally Posted by upstatedoc

I Bought a new X50 black with a blue display for $340 it is an excellent detector I am actually Giving my V1 a rest for a while.

I'm big on customer service and customer “experience.” Again, I know that even the older x50’s with the gray case are very good radar detectors, but the fact that they even shipped out these units at all greatly upsets me. I’ll probably be going with Valentine on the sole principle that Escort has now pissed me off.
Oddly enough I ended up with my BMW instead of an Infitini M37 based on a similar principle. Infiniti chose not to recall a fuel sender issue that plagued 95% of M45s and my local dealer was terrible as well. Fortunately, I couldn’t be happier with my 335i, but at the time there seemed to be other comparable options within my price range.

[Hawkeye]

When I upgrade/retire my V1 I'll probably get something with a gps but the V1 has easily saved me 3x its price in tickets. Most cops around here just leave their radar on when not shooting laser.