Here is what V1 has to say about RADARTEST.COM
"Craig Peterson's December [1995] radar detector comparison test generated more angry letters--and on-line discussion--than anything since the Davis Ferrari/raccoon incident." -- Automobile, March, 1996
The V1 Hater...same old story one more time.
Craig Peterson's detector test in Automobile (February 2001) is completely predictable; he has made a career of denigrating V1, starting in March, 1993, in Car Audio and Electronics when he knocked it for having "dual antennas." On his website (
www.radartest.com) he says he "distrusts" the bogey counter and wants warning on radar only when it's "up ahead." Which makes him the only tester on the planet who thinks the Radar Locator is a bad idea.
V1 operates with a single control knob and concentric lever, just like the volume-and-tone-controls of the traditional American car radio. He hates that too. As another magazine editor told us, V1 "is a box with one knob. What's his problem?"
He ignores V1's features
V1 is the only detector with fully automatic illumination day and night. So it doesn't get credit in his Features chart for having a stone-age manual dimmer. It doesn't get credit for being programmable either, and for having band defeat. For the record, it has both. But these features intentionally have a low profile because--call me crazy--I think very few customers will have their lives made better by downgrading their detector's performance.
He gets measurements wrong
But instead of debating philosophy, let's look at his record on simple facts. Peterson opens his website review of V1 by saying it is "by far the largest and heaviest unit tested..."
On our scale, Passport is heaviest at 8.9 ounces followed by V1 at 8.6 and the BEL at 8.0. Only V1 has a metal case (magnesium), the others are plastic.
Passport is also the longest by a huge margin at 5.29 inches, followed by the BEL at 4.72 inches. V1 is shortest at 4.46 inches, more than a quarter inch shorter than the BEL and nearly an inch shorter than Passport.
In thickness, all are within 0.1 of an inch (V1 is thickest). Only in width is V1 significantly larger than the others, but the difference between them is less than the difference in length.
If he can't get a simple comparison of dimensions right, imagine the reliability of his performance testing. His results are contrary to what I measure in my own lab. How does he test? For example, where does he locate his microphone to measure audio volume? V1's speaker is on the left, aimed toward the driver when mounted in the normal location. BEL speaks away from the driver toward the passenger side, Passport speaks toward the ceiling. I think users will agree V1 is more audible in the recommended mounting locations.
His range tests raise questions about his methods
In the Automobile straightaway/hill test, notice how his results mostly fall into four narrow clusters at 23, 27, 31, and 40. In fact, only three bars are not in those clusters. Look closely. Four of five detectors have the same K-band range. Seven different X-band tests have the same distance of 31; two detectors get exactly the same results for both City and Highway modes (why have both modes if they perform the same?).
Similar clusters occur in his curve test.
Such clustering is what you get when the ups and downs of terrain bring all detectors into line of sight with the radar at a few discrete places on the test course. For a discussion of common testing mistakes, check Radar Detector Tests.
The man behind the byline
Rather than trying to explain Peterson's mysterious results, let me just remind you that his credibility has long been in question. In response to his December, 1995, test, Automobile admitted a flood of "angry letters" which "criticized our selection of the BEL 745Sti Plus as our first-place winner over the Valentine One, which tied for third place. Amidst all the allegations of invalid test methodology and unfairness were suggestions that Peterson showed undue favoritism to the BEL unit because he has consulted for the company."
In the March, 1996, issue, Peterson replied, "Having consulted to every major detector manufacturer, suggestions that BEL received preferential treatment are nonsense."
He's wrong on that point too. He's never been a consultant to Valentine Research, although he's approached us more than once. We declined his advances each time.
