i will say this, ive had both the escort 8500 and the V1 i love my V1 more for 2 reasons....
1. the V1 give u an accurate direction of were the singal is located
2. The V1 is upgradable..for 150 dollars u can upgrade ur V1 u send the unit to them, they send u a whole brand new unit, with all the updated features..that way u dont have to keep buying a new detector when new technology comes out