[Tbone98]

What’s the best value, most reliable, radar detector?
Also, are the 2 in 1 dash cam/radar detectors any good?

[SS_Don]

I have an Escort MAXcam 360c and it works great.

[Tbone98]

Originally Posted by SS_Don

I have an Escort MAXcam 360c and it works great.

You clearly missed the “best value” part

[SS_Don]

You get what you pay for. Go cheap, get cheap. Escort is always running some kind of special pricing or bundles.

[Tbone98]

Thank you Sir

[cdrptrks]

Last time I checked Radenso Pro M was the only one that doesn't require a notch filter to prevent false blind spot monitoring (BSM) alerts from major car brands. If a cop happens to be using the same K band frequency as those BSM systems you get no alert! The Pro M only falses to certain Mazdas and Cadillacs but you will get an alert in the previously mentioned situation. Budget radar detectors are kind of pointless because they will probably false to BSM constantly causing you to go crazy or turn off K band completely leaving you with only Ka band alerts.

Even with a good radar detector you should run Waze and ideally Google Maps too because plenty of cops use instant on radar and you will get no alert until you're caught if the cop doesn't hit any cars in front of you while your radar detector is in range. I got hit with instant on in April on an empty highway luckily I wasn't speeding too much and saw an SUV on the side of the road as I crested a hill and quickly slowed down right as the radar detector went off so I didn't get pulled over. Some cops even use laser and laser jammers are $2k+ and illegal. Thankfully I've never been hit with laser since I got my radar detector several years ago.

[MT-SS1LE]

Valentine 1 is what I run. Been using one since the early 90's when they first came out and been saved countless times.

In my truck I run a Uniden R3 which is also excellent, but doesn't have the directional arrows that the V1 has. It's also half the price.

[arpad_m]

I have close to the best value IMO, a Uniden DFR9 that I bought dirt cheap at $199 (at least cheap for a brand unit and not some random ebay junk, heh). Looks exactly like the R3 and has most of its functionality, except it has the phone jack on the correct (ie. the right) side, no wires in my field of vision. Its range is very good, too. No arrows though, it's a single source, non-directional detector. Best of all, it has already paid for itself several times over.

Its little brother, the DFR8 should be even cheaper, the main difference being the lack of GPS and thus the ability to display your speed and remember muted locations such as stationary business radar source.

The only tangible problem with this detector is K band falsing from blind spot monitors and radars in certain other vehicles; at first I adjusted its band sensitivity to the lowest and ran with that setting for a year or two, then most recently I turned off K altogether, no need for it here.

Actually, now that I "earned back" the cost several times, I might be tempted to get an R8 someday, but that's off topic, heh.

[Matt1LE]

I Have a Uniden R7, works awesome. Has a lot of options, settings, sensitivity, band blocking...


This is how I mounted it.. Powers on only when car is running.
https://www.camaro6.com/forums/showthread.php?t=597761


Remember, you get what you pay for.

[cdrptrks]

My default response is to slow down when I get a Ka band alert. My response would be the same if I had an arrow pointing to the direction of the radar source.

I don't personally see the benefit of directional arrows. Maybe it would be helpful if you were actively trying to run from a cop but that's very much not recommend.

It would be nice to have a rear facing horn in addition to the front facing horn but that is typically only available on more expensive detectors and mine can still pick up radar sources close behind me traveling in the same direction even though it only has a front horn.

[Buddy Shagmore]

Valentine One V2. I hang it under the passenger visor when cruising out on the open road. Works great and has direction pointers. You can adjust the volume.

[IrocTodd]

Valentine 1 gen 2 works good for me. I have them mounted on the rear view mirrors of the cars with the blendmount kit and directly wired into the mirror..

[hrpiii]

Originally Posted by IrocTodd

Valentine 1 gen 2 works good for me. I have them mounted on the rear view mirrors of the cars with the blendmount kit and directly wired into the mirror..

I'm running same setup and works great.

[olrocker]

If you want to take your radar detection seriously, don't mess around with anything but Escort or Valentine. End of story. Over the last 25 years I've done car electronics installation on the side and I can tell you Escort and Valentine are the best quality and reliability. Everything else is junk. I have an Escort Max 360C right now but I started out with a Passport 7500 in 1997 and have never gone without a detector since.

A couple of things to keep in mind:

1. LASER jamming is NOT illegal in all jurisdictions. Only in Washington DC and a couple of other states but I do not remember which ones. If you want to spend the roughly $2k for parts and labor installing a hard mounted laser jamming system into your car, it can be worth it especially if you're a lead foot with a high performance car and don't pay attention to the speedometer.

2. RADAR jamming is HIGHLY illegal in every inch of the United States of America. The difference is radar is light and there's no government oversight of the light spectrum on the planet, while radar is radio frequency and that is HIGHLY regulated by the FCC.

3. You can use Waze and all the other apps, but only a good detector can tell you the exact frequency they're using the moment they tag you specifically. That can be helpful in court if you want to challenge anything.