mike-palmer's Full Review: Valentine One V1 Radar Detector
As a long time Passport user (and Escort before that) I’ve had several models from what used to be Cincinnati Microwave. My latest is the Passport 8500 and I’ve had it about two years. A colleague of mine convinced me to try the Valentine One. The early Valentine’s were big and bulky but the were smaller model got my interest peaked. My friend swore by it so. I ordered one the same day along with the remote unit to test for 30 days.
I installed it along side my 8500, though I only used one detector at a time to avoid interference. At first I was overwhelmed by the number of bogies the Valentine reported – 7 at the nearby supermarket strip mall. It sounded like world war three was starting as each door opener was reported. Finally I set the unit on the “Big L” mode (most advanced processing to get rid of false alerts) and switched off X band (no police use this in S. Fla.) and things quieted down “somewhat” but that strip mall still reports 4 bogies. The unit still finds lots of door openers that the Passport seemed to either reject, or at least auto-mutes so they are not so annoying.
Initially I liked the V1 unit – it tucks nicely behind my rear-view mirror and thanks to the blackened windshield at the top the V1 practically invisible from the outside. The remote display is a bit bulky – would be nice if it were about half as thick so it was less obtrusive – but hiding it down low keeps it out of the cops view. The remote unit has the bogie counter, signal strength as a bar meter and four LEDs to show the bogie’s band. In the daylight you can tell which band is which but at night you can’t – all you see is the red LED – but which red LED is it? Sure the warning sound is different, but it would be nice to have a visual reference too – especially when there are multiple bogies. There’s a guy on eBay that modifies the remote unit to have different color LEDs so you can tell what band is active at night – a neat and enterprising idea – pity he can’t modify the V1 to have true auto-mute! (See later!)
In alternating between the V1 and 8500 I noticed the V1 was picking up and alerting me of a lot more bogies – but they were all non-combatants – door openers. Most of my driving is around town and unfortunately the Broward Co. Sheriff has bought a bunch of those “watch your speed” signs that use K band to display your speed. While useful for radar detector testing, they become annoying when they are deployed regularly on the roads you travel. (Anyone have plans for an EMP device that would knock out these babies?) Dealing with the door openers and speed signs is where the V1 falls down. Firstly it seems to find more door openers than the Passport and second there is no auto-mute that is pretty standard on most other detectors including the 8500. Auto mute is supposed to sound the alarm for a few seconds and then automatically mute to a lower (much less annoying) volume. (I call this a “true auto-mute”.) The V1 has what they call an auto-mute capability but it works differently than most people expect – it delays sounding the alarm for a set period or until the signal reaches past 4 lights. IT DOES NOT mute the alarm after a set period – which is what most people seem to want. You must manually press the mute button on the unit (or remote) to mute the volume to the lower level. THIS IS A ROYAL PAIN. Apparently Mike Valentine has decreed that true auto-mute is evil and should not be made available to V1 users. This is BAD.and I can see no rational for it. I realize the loud noise alerts you to the threat, but you start to instinctively reach for the mute button. I’m sure it would become second nature to press the mute button each time the unit sounds which defeats the purpose of not having auto-mute. Since owning the V1 I’ve read lots of reviews of the unit and the lack of true auto-mute is the #1 complaint against the V1. I do not understand why Mike won’t allow such a mode to be incorporated in the V1 – even if he warns about dire consequences of using it. It’s what customers want Mike – give it to them. Note: with true auto-mute when a new threat is registered the alarm should sound on high volume for a new initial period before once again auto-muting. (I believe this is what the 8500 does.)
If most of your driving is on the interstate, the V1 may or may not have better sensitivity and hence may have the edge for earlier detection – you should try this out for yourself. One strength the V1 may hold is the rear protection, but around town I can’t see it being that much help..
The verdict: The V1 is going back to Mike. If it had the “true” auto-mute capability I would have kept it. Without auto-mute the unit is too much of a pain. The 8500 is back on duty.
Note: The fact that I owned the 8500 already did not influence the verdict. I will shortly be buying a second car so I’ll need a new detector for it. Who knows, if the V1 has auto-mute by then, I may try the V1 again.
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