i have a v1 and it works pretty damn well. i'm pretty darn sure it's about as good as you can get, but as far as bang for the buck, i don't think $400 is the best price vs performance you can get...^^; my main reason in the end for choosing the v1 over the other top-of-the-line detectors was that the v1 can be mounted with a concealed display. i don't want the unit's lights to be easily viewable outside of the vehicle, so i got and mounted the optional concealed display for my v1 and mounted it on my steering column. this was definitely a personal choice thing. if i hadn't gotten the v1, i would have gotten the bel sti.