Ok, as someone who owned a 8500, and jumped at the chance to "upgrade" to a valentine 1, I feel the need to post here.
Yes, the Valentine 1 detected SLIGHTLY (and I mean it, only slightly) better than the 8500, but I wouldn't have cared if it detected 10 times better........the thing was annoying as hell, and the display was useless compared to the 8500.
Lets start with the annoying part. It was loud, especially that annoying chirp they're so proud of that pronounces a new signal. Lets say you're going into a parking lot with a bunch of stores. Now, those with detectors will know that they go crazy when you go into a lot like this. No problem, on the 8500, I would hit mute, and it would cut the beeps volume to a very soft "beep beep beep". The V1 would work like this as well.....until it detected another signal, at which point it would BLAST the "BEEEEEEEEP" out again at full volume that it had detected a new signal......then go back to 1/4 volume. Try this in a lot with 7 or 8 signals, and you'll learn to hate the thing real quick. The only way around it was to turn the main volume down when I pulled into a parking lot, and then hope that I remembered to turn it back up when I left.
Now, the display. Lets start with the worst offenders, the arrows......rarely correct. I would say less than 25% of the time they were right. I cannot tell you how often the arrow was pointed as coming from behind me.....only to drive past a cop 50 feet down the road. Now, the display is fine.....for 1 signal. On the 8500, lets say you have 3 signals. It will line them up, show you all 3 signals, what bands they are, and how strong they are. On the V1.....it will tell you "Ok, I'm getting X.....and K". And the number counter will be at 3. It will show you the strength of ONLY the strongest signal. So lets say the X is the strongest, thats what it will be telling you about.....meanwhile, you're getting a K band reading, which is almost definetly a cop, and you have no info about it other than the fact that its there.
Long story short, save your money, get a 8500
Yes, the Valentine 1 detected SLIGHTLY (and I mean it, only slightly) better than the 8500, but I wouldn't have cared if it detected 10 times better........the thing was annoying as hell, and the display was useless compared to the 8500.
Lets start with the annoying part. It was loud, especially that annoying chirp they're so proud of that pronounces a new signal. Lets say you're going into a parking lot with a bunch of stores. Now, those with detectors will know that they go crazy when you go into a lot like this. No problem, on the 8500, I would hit mute, and it would cut the beeps volume to a very soft "beep beep beep". The V1 would work like this as well.....until it detected another signal, at which point it would BLAST the "BEEEEEEEEP" out again at full volume that it had detected a new signal......then go back to 1/4 volume. Try this in a lot with 7 or 8 signals, and you'll learn to hate the thing real quick. The only way around it was to turn the main volume down when I pulled into a parking lot, and then hope that I remembered to turn it back up when I left.
Now, the display. Lets start with the worst offenders, the arrows......rarely correct. I would say less than 25% of the time they were right. I cannot tell you how often the arrow was pointed as coming from behind me.....only to drive past a cop 50 feet down the road. Now, the display is fine.....for 1 signal. On the 8500, lets say you have 3 signals. It will line them up, show you all 3 signals, what bands they are, and how strong they are. On the V1.....it will tell you "Ok, I'm getting X.....and K". And the number counter will be at 3. It will show you the strength of ONLY the strongest signal. So lets say the X is the strongest, thats what it will be telling you about.....meanwhile, you're getting a K band reading, which is almost definetly a cop, and you have no info about it other than the fact that its there.
Long story short, save your money, get a 8500
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