SHOOTOUT: BEL RX65 v. Escort Passport 8500 X50 v. Valentine One

Last updated 8/17/2011

• See the 2011 Escort Passport 8500 X50 mini-review.


• See the 2011 BEL RX65 mini-review.

The query we at Radartest.com get most frequently: What's the best radar detector? Tough question: The first step in formulating a response is to define the term "best". And before we start, are we talking dash-mount, cordless or remote models? Okay, let's focus on dash-mounted (a.k.a. "windshield-mounted") models.

The term "best" to some folks means the most expensive; to others, the highest in sensitivity, the longest in range. To the practical-minded it means best value for the money. But let's assume that bucks are no object and we're talking here about the qualities that really separate class leaders from also-rans: sensitivity, selectivity, features and utility.

For the technically challenged, sensitivity equals detection range, the more the better. Selectivity is the detector's ability to ignore non-police radar signals and remain quiet. Pumping up sensitivity often leads to a drop in selectivity. This generally creates a detector that can hear radar coming from the next county, but one that can't keep its mouth shut when no radar is around. Only superior signal processing, or better yet, a detector using GPS technology, can get a handle on this issue. (The difference is stunning, too. (Read more about the new GPS radar detectors...)

And let's don't forget POP-mode protection to counter the latest headache for the lead-footed, plus resistance to all three frequencies of radar, including digital instant-on Ka-band, whose rapid proliferation and special capabilities make it by far the biggest threat. While we're at it, we may as well include protection from lasers. (For those unconcerned about police lasers, we'd suggest reading up on the issue. You may change your mind.

Who are the front runners? To find out, we separated the field into groups: entries priced above $300 and those priced under three C-notes. The former group is rather exclusive, occupied by three models. So I gathered up the contenders and logged several thousand miles with each in a mix of driving environments ranging from the New York, Boston, Phoenix, Las Vegas and Los Angeles metropolitan areas to wide-open desert interstates. Then my team and I ran them through an extended battery of field tests. That done, I'm back with an answer to that thorny question: What's the world's best radar detector?

There are three candidates: the BEL (Beltronics) Pro RX65 and the Escort Passport 8500 X50 were both introduced in 2004 but received all-new, higher-performance platforms three years later. The other contender is the Valentine One, a 1991 design. Listed alphabetically, here's what I found.

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BEL (Beltronics) Pro RX65
($339.95)

See the latest BEL RX65 mini-review.

The BEL Pro RX65 is the former flagship dash-mount model in BEL's Professional Series of premium detectors. (The top dog now is the Beltronics (BEL) GX65 GPS-enabled unit. Read the BEL (Beltronics) GX65 review.

If you're shopping for the latest Vector-series BEL with very respectable performance but at a lower price, you're looking for the BEL Vector 995. For the same features in an undetectable package, the Beltronics (BEL) STi Driver is available.

In appearance the RX65 is a departure for BEL with its titanium-color body and black switches. Too bad about that color. Attractive though it may be, the light-colored body and white graphics on top generate a reflection in the windshield. The obvious solution is to mount it off-center, away from direct line-of-sight. Another option would be to consider the mostly-black Beltronics BEL Vector 995, a less expensive and under-rated unit in my opinion.

A large red text display dominates the front of the case and is adjustable from full bright to all-dark mode in four steps. For the fashion conscious, for an extra twenty bucks a blue display is available. Auto dimming is a user-selectable menu option.

Four buttons atop the case control power, volume and mode selection. A City button lets the user select from three primary operating modes: Highway, City and AutoScan.

After a few days of sampling this BEL's behavior in a variety of driving environments I settled on AutoScan and found this to be among the quietest BELs I've seen. That's a significant achievement, for until well into the Nineties, high-end BEL models often delivered stellar sensitivity but with a plentiful number of false alarms to boot. With the arrival of the BEL (Beltronics) Pro RX65 and now the BEL Vector 995 (reviewed separately in my test of under-$299 models), those days seem to be past.

The BEL Pro RX65 offers seven user-selectable options, and programming them is far simpler than on earlier BELs. Programming mode is entered by pressing the pair of programming buttons simultaneously for a few seconds. Once entered, one button scrolls through menu items and the second makes the selection.

Like the Valentine One, the Pro RX65 will detect Ku band, a European-only frequency not widely used there but still around. The POP referred to earlier is POP mode, used by a single brand of radar. The MPH BEE III, Enforcer and some Z-Series radars transmit in brief K- or Ka-band bursts too short to be consistently recognized by any radar detector.

Spectre (Stalcar) radar detector detector can sniff out illicit detectors from up to one mile away. The Beltronics (BEL) STi Driver is totally immune to the Australian-made Spectre while the Escort Passport 9500-series and BEL (Beltronics) GX65 are nearly invisible.

I also tested against the VG-2 radar detector detector to verify that, like all high-end detectors today, this one's immune to the VG-2. But not to the Spectre RDD (called Stalcar outside the States), the latest version of which can detect everything save for the remarkable Beltronics (BEL) STi Driver and three Escort models, the Escort Passport 9500ix and Escort Passport 9500ci and the hotrod Escort RedLine. (This is despite claims to RDD immunity by Rocky Mountain Radar, purveyor of magic boxes claimed to both detect and jam all forms of radar and laser.)

The Spectre RDD spotted the BEL RX65 and Escort Passport 8500 X50 from over 1,000 feet away, less than several sub-$300 models but still a substantial distance. (BEL and Escort fans now are offered newer models that not only are far tougher for radar detector detectors to spot but also GPS-enabled, the Escort Passport 9500ix and its sibling, the BEL (Beltronics) GX65.)

The BEL RX65 was the only one of the three with voice alerts which, coupled with the distinctive band ID audio, make threat identification nearly idiot-proof.

Recent reviews of other BEL models: BEL GX65 (GPS) BEL STi Driver BEL Vector 995 BEL Vector 955 BEL Vector 940

On the road, I found the BEL Pro RX65's behavior quite civilized. It has good resistance to false alarms, particularly on the open highway, at least so long as POP mode is deactivated. With POP detection engaged (a user-selected menu option) it tended to issue POP alerts when I seriously doubt there was an MPH Industries radar with POP mode within a thousand miles. Disengaging POP mode reduced this nuisance. It's your call on whether going POP-unprotected is worth the trade-off.

Due to the severe extra demands placed on a detector looking for that elusive POP signal, I've seen this increase in false alarms in every radar detector I've tested, not just Beltronics products. That's why I leave it switched off. (Radar detector manufacturers, with one exception--Valentine--allow users to deactivate POP mode with a couple of button-taps, limiting false alarms.)

In radar sensitivity the BEL RX65 was equal to or better than the others in nearly every test. Only in laser field of view did the Escort Passport 8500 X50 and Valentine One--particularly the latter--show slightly better performance. (If lasers are a headache BEL's ZR4 laser "shifter" is available for $349.95. It connects with one wire and uses the RX65's display.)

The RX65 breaks new ground for BEL, delivering superior performance and a solid array of features. I'll simply call it the tool of choice for the serious road warrior.

Order your BEL (Beltronics) RX65 detector today and get the best deal of the year! Free Same-Day FedEx Shipping

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Escort Passport 8500 X50
($339.95)

The new Escort Passport 8500 X50 replaced the Escort Passport 8500 model I christened "World's Best" when I first tested it in 2001. Among Escort's non-GPS models, the Escort Passport 8500 X50 is notch below the range-topping Escort RedLine ($499). (At the top of the GPS-enabled models is the game-changing Escort Passport 9500ix.)

This same Passport 8500 X50 model with a red display is available for $299. Slip open its black, padded carrying case and the Escort Passport 8500 X50 is easily recognized by its platinum-hued housing. Nice color but it has the same drawback as on the BEL RX65: windshield glare. Most will choose to mount it out of their direct line of sight for that reason.

Controls are minimalist: a thumbwheel switch adjusts power/volume and two multi-function buttons atop the case handle everything else save for manual muting. Signal strength is indicated audibly by beep frequency, visually by a blue bar graph that lights progressively as signal strength rises (the factory-default display; others are available). Band ID is spelled out in the text display and there's an additional warning for POP-mode attacks. The Escort Passport 8500 X50's audible alerts are easily interpreted but the blue display gets mixed reviews. It's trendy but I don't find it as readable under as wide a range of lighting conditions as the red display of the BEL.

Like the BEL, the Escort 8500 X50 has the industry's most intuitive method of setting its user-selectable menu options. City and Auto modes function exactly as do the BEL's and work just as effectively.

The Passport 8500 X50's nine menu options give it an uncommonly wide level of adjustment to suit a driver's tastes. It also has selectable band defeat and seven types of text display, including vehicle electrical system voltage, and three varieties of signal strength meter. It will display up to eight simultaneous signals: four X-band and two each for K and Ka bands. At the same time it will show the relative signal strength of each one, allowing a measured response to the threat.

The Escort Passport 8500 X50 will interface with Escort's ZR4 laser jamming system that links to the Passport 8500 X50 by plugging-in a single wire. That's the easy part. Installing the laser jammers properly and getting them wired will take an experienced installer two-plus hours, at least if he cares about the quality of the installation. One ZR4-equipped, the threat of a laser ambush is dramatically reduced.

The Escort Passport 8500 X50 proved to be a well-mannered driving companion. In Auto mode it was unusually resistant to false alarms, particularly in microwave-saturated city centers. Auto mode decreases sensitivity to achieve this, however, making Highway mode a better choice for open-road work. I leave X-band disabled, knowing that with so few X-band radars remaining in service, the likelihood of encountering one anywhere west of Ohio ranks right up there with getting a call from the pope, inviting me over for pizza and beer.

Recent reviews of other Escort models: Escort Passport 9500ix (GPS) Escort Passport 9500ci (Remote)

Like the other two contenders its radar scores were always within feet of the others' although it bested the V1 more often than I'd expected. And it did well against POP mode as well, ranking a very close second to the others.

When I first tested the Escort Passport 8500 in 2001 I declared it the world's best radar detector. The latest Escort Passport 8500 X50's excellent performance, sophistication, extensive features and civilized manners combine to convince me that I called it right the first time. It's dead equal to the Beltronics (BEL) RX65 in performance, leaving it up to you to decide the dollar value of voice alerts and a blue display.

Order your Escort Passport 8500 X50 detector today and get the best deal of the year! Free Same-Day FedEx Shipping

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Valentine One
($399)

The Valentine One is a familiar face, having been introduced in 1992. It was repackaged in its original housing a number of years ago, making it a bit thinner in profile, but it's otherwise almost identical in appearance.

Other than now being housed in the old case and having received occasional subassembly replacements and some software tweaks--improved Ka-band sensitivity and the addition of Ku band were among the most recent--it has remained largely unchanged since George Bush (not Dubya, we're talking the other George Bush here) spent his last year in the White House. With a detector's lifespan averaging 24 months these days, as the most expensive unit tested, the V1 would have to offer a dazzling array of virtues and world-class performance to make the cut against the more modern contenders in this test.

The V1 is unique in this group in having a metal case rather than the usual plastic, not necessarily the optimal choice in hot southern climates, as I discovered in a more recent test.

A trio of large red directional arrows, a feature dubbed the radar locator, dominates the center of its rectangular face. It's flanked on the left by a large alphanumeric LED display that depicts operating mode and the number of radar signals being received. On the far right is a rear radar antenna and opposite that is the single control knob and concentric lever that operate the unit. The lever controls volume when the unit is muted, the multi-function knob controls power, volume and mode selection, a lot of tasks for one switch. This is the reason why V1 basic mode changes take a leisurely 2.0 seconds, 800 percent longer than the competing models.

Signal strength is depicted by beep frequency and a row of eight red LEDs. Band ID is handled by four more red LEDs stacked vertically. Identical in color and closely spaced, they can be difficult to identify at night, making the audio doubly important for band ID. Audio tones for X-band and laser are excellent but K- and Ka-band are a mite too similar for easy comprehension. Veteran users won't have any trouble but newcomers will need time to learn them.

The V1 windshield mount is among the best I've seen, a snap to adjust or remove and it usually holds the unit rock steady. (Just don't put any strain on the power cord. Any tension upsets the balance and makes the V1 bounce around uncontrollably.) I also liked the telephone-style connector on the power cord, a fail-safe method that has since been adopted by Escort and BEL. Unlike those two, there's no audio jack for an external speaker or earphone. To support one of those items you'll need to shell out an extra $49 for a remote audio module with two output jacks and a volume control knob. You'll also need to find space for the additional module and run extra wires around the cockpit to connect the various pieces.

Features

After spending time with the BEL and Escort models, the lack of features to be found in the V1 is puzzling. Although standard today on $69 models, there's no auto mute, for example, requiring the driver to reach over to a hit the mute button to silence an alert. No problem if you're cruising down Santa Monica Boulevard, but definitely an issue if you're moving at warp speed on a two-lane mountain road at night.

And since V1 owners love to hide the V1 and its laser-bright status and alert lights in a bid to keep them away from prying eyes, reaching the unit sometimes isn't an option. For that you'll need to shell out $39 for a remote display and hard-wiring kit and string the wires around the cockpit. Including the optional $29 carrying case, when equipped similarly to a standard BEL or Escort, the Valentine's all-up price is $516.

Also absent is a text display or voice alerts; there's no tutorial mode to speed up the process of learning the alert systems, no programmable options like alternate audio tones or different visual displays to help tailor the detector to a user's tastes. Nor is there selectable band defeat, the ability to shut off one or more radar bands with a couple of seconds' worth of button-pushing.

V1 zealots complain loudly that the Valentine can indeed be user-programmed, allowing a knowledgeable owner to control various functions by setting virtual "dip switches". First-timers find that the process takes about 20 minutes, including Google research, since there's no mention of the procedure in the manual. (Just as overclocking a PC is possible, manufacturers similarly shun any mention of doing so, in a bid to protect the equipment. With the V1 that omission may be more to protect the distracted driver from himself.)

Valentine trades heavily on this detector's rear radar antenna and I found it gave anywhere from two to three times the detection range of the other units. On the downside, it enabled the Spectre (Stalcar outside the U.S.) radar detector detector to get 311 percent more range on a Valentine One going away than when approaching the RDD, making it a mixed blessing for drivers faced with the radar detector detector.

In urban areas the directional arrows were often hyperactive, alerting to every automatic door opener in the neighborhood with the bogey counter (able to display up to nine simultaneous signals and indicate which is the strongest) frequently warning of three or more simultaneous threats coming from different quadrants of the compass. Many of these were X- and K-band door openers and local oscillators from passing radar detectors.

I tried mounting the V1 atop the dash, my preferred location since it keeps the detector in the line of sight and within easy reach. So positioned, Ka-band radar range to the rear was less than the other two contenders', each of them dash-mounted in exactly the same spot. Still, a mile of range is more than enough in light of the negligible threat posed by radar coming from behind.

With the V1 relocated from its mid-windshield position I also saw the directional arrows become confused, frequently hunting around in response to weak signals. This effect is significantly amplified in town when surrounding vehicles and buildings propagate the signal.

Valentine traditionally has dismissed any criticism of its detector's abbreviated list of features, shrugging it off as inconsequential in comparison to the hot performance. And for many years it had a point--the V1 always walked off with best-in-class X-band and laser sensitivity and often K-band as well. But X-band sensitivity doesn't matter much today; two of the three biggest radar manufacturers stopped making X-band guns except by special order some years back--they list X-band in the catalog only for competitive bidding purposes--and only two state police agencies, Ohio and New Jersey, continue to use it in any quantity. The North Carolina Highway Patrol has disposed of the last of their ancient X-band MPH radars in lieu of modern Ka-band hardware and even New Jersey is making increasing use of Ka band, plus many more lasers.

POP detection has proved to be a mixed blessing. The V1 equaled the BEL in detecting Ka POP mode and slightly edged out the Escort. But it also generated the highest number of false alarms we've witnessed.

The Valentine One is a highly sensitive radar detector--good enough that I declared it the winner of my 2000 Automobile Magazine shootout--but it's no longer top dog by default. The world of radar detection has changed significantly since the V1 was designed in 1991 by engineers Steve Scholl and Clarence Groth. The Apple IIsi also was hot stuff that year but Apple wisely chose not to continue trying to sell the same box. They replaced it with smaller, faster, better models packed with advanced features.

In a sense, the Valentine One seems to be trapped in a time warp. Even the owner manual reflects 1980s thinking, replete with statements such as "X-band [is] most common for moving and stationary [radar]." Excuse me? 48 of the 50 state highway patrols abandoned it decades ago and even one of the remaining two users began a wholesale migration to Ka-band frequency in recent years.

With an increasingly wide gap in the Valentine One's level of sophistication compared to modern designs--not to mention a minimalist feature set, quirky ergonomics, an exceptionally chatty nature and stiff price tag--the competition has clearly passed it by. One in particular, the Escort Passport RedLine, also handily outclassed it in performance in a recent test.

The Valentine One remains an iconic example of the pinnacle of late 20th century technology. However, we're now well into the 21st century and recent advances in technology are impossible to ignore.

Click here for complete test results

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How I Ranked Them, by Categories
Best overall performance Best instant-on performance Best POP-mode performance Best windshield mount Best visual displays Best audible alerts Best laser performance Best price/performance ratio	BEL Pro RX65 Escort Passport 8500 X50 BEL Pro RX65 Valentine One BEL Pro RX65 Escort Passport 8500 X50 Valentine One Escort Passport 8500 X50