A buddy of mine with a GT700 996 turbo swears by the Valentine one, and wouldn't go for anything else. He told me its the best one you can get, i was a bit skeptical and decided to research.
I came across the Passport 9500ix, and it had solid reviews. So im confused as to which one to get.
I have no experience with radar detectors, so im asking some of you guys that actually have experience to shed some light on the subject.
Thank you

 

v-1 hands down the best, Ive had escort products they work but the ability to count threatsand directional antennae make the Valentine the winner

 

Ditto!! I own three V1 units and love them.

 

+1

 

Can't beat the front and rear antennas of the V1. I have 2 of them & you can't go wrong with it!

 

V1 ...once you have the arrows, you won't want anything else.

 

My 9500i/V1 comparison review below:

First off, the V1 is a fantastic and ultra-sensitive detector. I've had three of them in the past 10-years. The range is fantastic and it saved me countless times. It does have the arrows, which are great and all, but I found myself not really needing to know where the threat was coming from. What I really wanted was to 1) know the threat was real and 2) slow down to the posted speed limit if it was. The V1 never delivered on the "Is it real part?". It was always barking at me, proud to point me to various non-threatening radar-sources in the city or along the highway. Yes, it saved my *** a lot, but the noisy commute was getting to me.

I purchased a 9500i after reading some favorable reviews online. After one week, I knew this style of detector was right for me. The sensitivity was very equitable to the V1, but it shined because of its built-in GPS feature. I pass by six K-based RADAR Speed Limit signs each way on my commute. With GPS marking, I could easily lock out those specific non-threatening signals. The next time I would pass by, the system would be silent. When approaching one of these "marked" locations, the GPS icon on the display would start to rotate. This was essentially the 9500i saying, "I'm picking up the radar signal, but I'm not "bleeping" because you told me this exact location is not a threat". Simply awesome! The unit is quiet until an unknown threat is detected. When it detects something, it alerts me and I slow down. A few seconds later, I'm usually smiling as I drive by a LEO at the posted speed limit. Simply awesome.

My install photos and discussion here -> https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...or-photos.html

 

From what I've heard from other exotic owners with V-1, is it goes off frequently. It is the most sensitive radar detector out there. Problem is it goes off too much, you can have too many false alarms. Some with the V1 don't take the radar as seriously when it goes off (think the boy that cried wolf). This can be dangerous. If you do your research, the V1 and Escort Passport 9500 are usually the most favored units. I have an Escort Passport 9500ix. It rarely goes off, (it memorizes false alarms and stores them, so it will not go off for many false alarms. It also has a GPS in it and gives alerts for traffic light cameras. I am not the type to run red lights so I don't really care much about this feature. I can say, that since I've had it the Escort has saved me at least 3 times over this past year. One of the bigger problems nowadays is the use of Laser. For laser, you can consider the use of laser deflector plates.

 

The only reason I see the Escort being better than the V1 is the red light camera database. The GPS blocking out signals is kind of useless because what happens when there is a cop sitting in the location that you blocked out?

 

It locks out based on the specific frequency and location. If there is an unknown threat in the same area, it will certainly let you know.

 

Thats pretty cool. My next detector might be an Escort....

 

Thanks for all the info guys, It seems like im leaning towards the 9500ix. I really like the gps feature. Getting false alarms would annoy me most of the time, I just wanna know where the real threats are.
I have one main question about the 9500ix...Does it detect threats coming from behind?

 

Been running a V1 for years..after a bit your mind does the filtering automatically, ie you get to know the different sounds Well.

Jonathan

 

I have been using a v1 for quite a while and wouldn't have it any other way.

Aaron

 

+1

if you've got reasoning and can think, it is extremely easy to filter out false alarms with your brain.

and even moreso than just knowing what sound is what, b/c sometimes there are false alarms on k or ka.....just gotta figure out (through driving/reasoning/thinking) what combination of increasing/decreasing strength of signals is what, and you can even determine if the signal source is moving.

 

I drove from NY to FL with V-1 and got no tickets. It showed every trooper I passed by. I was very impressed, drove more than 1400 miles without any trouble. It's a bit sensitive but at the end always use your senses, troopers always love to hide and use their radars at the last second.

Hope this helps.

 

+1. True; just drove home from a date and I knew exactly when I was approaching those K-band radar signs...my V1 alerted me and the signal is quite clear...and got stronger as I kept approaching...no need to slow down. Of course, I also know that here in FL, it's pretty much either Ka or Laser that I need to worry about anyhow. I love my V1 and my older Passport (not the 9500ix but still don't feel like I NEED any GPS marking marketing b.s. thing ) sits idle in my home-office desk drawer, lol.

 

I have the 9500ix. It saved me countless times...I love it.

 

Seems to me the Valentine 1 radar is top dog according to you guys. But one thing that really attracts me to the 9500ix is it doesn't pick up false alarms, or so i read.
Those the beeping with the V1 get annoying at times?

 

First of all, I think that depending on where you live, not having laser jamming is just going to give you a false sense of security. In Atlanta, most threats are laser. Neither the 9500xi nor the V1 will help you with laser.

Second, I think you need to look at where you drive and what type of driving you do.

I have a 9500ci and around town it is great - no false alarms b/c it has seen them all before. However, in an area that I don't drive regularly, especially highways, the radar feature of my 9500ci is a complete fail. It picks up all the false alarms of a V1, but without the sensitivity to provide adequate warnings for real threats. After driving to NC and back this weekend, I am very close to getting a V1 for my highway trips and just turning the 9500 radar off on highway trips (keeping the laser jamming on).

My guess is that the 9500xi will do better against radar than my 9500ci due to mounting location, but I am still very unimpressed with the Escort's sensitivity to radar. However, along a regular commute and esp. in town, the 9500 w. GPS wins vs. the V1.

 

Has anyone considered the Escort Redline for freeway use? I had a few good saves on my drives from Vegas between LA and St. George.

 

NO WAY!

I hate these threads, because opinions and opinions and opinions...

I have used everything out there, and have done numerous trips without a radar detector and received no speeding tickets going well over 1000 miles, and always speeding... knowing how to speed is the key and surely i do get behind the guy with the radar detector as he is going to get the ticket, you get a trooper that isn't lazy and holds the trigger on a radar gun and you are busted...

further with laser, the V1, and the escort 9500 are just going to validate that you are receiving a ticket... there is no counter measures for it unless you added the ZR4 laser shifters to it or a similar system from K40

I can't believe the arrows are even a consideration, and is a worthless feature. Yes, I have had a V1 in the past, and yes it was updated, and yes, it
did its job,, but there is so much better out there.

The V1 excels by the ability to have a front and rear detection in one unit, it is a patent they have and it is extremely well thought out and designed, especially because there is no interference... but since there is no interference, I am wondering and have yet to test, but how much RF radiation is being emitted into the cabin?, I will look into it one day when I have time.

next comes the 9500, the technology vs the v1, is like comparing an F22 raptor to a Mig 25, both are great capable machines in the hands of the pilot, but technology wins as the raptor is almost invisible to the mig, and can out manuver, or kill it from a greater distance...

The technology on the escort just exceeds that of the V1. so putting aside all differences and opinions along with peoples loyalty to a product, using common sense will tell you that the Escort is better and has more features than the V1

K40 just introduced its new portable, I have been trying that and it works very nice also, though I believe it has slightly more range than both, I think it suffers from the falsing like the V1, but I need some more time with it to come with a real world opinion.

So far I would rank them escort, k40, v1... and those driving with the rocky mountain radar units...... you were conned!

 

jbondox: I agree we are all giving our opinions but it is what a forum is all about. I currently own both detectors (9500ci and V1). I agree that the V1 is too sensitive and I found myself a few times dismissing the alarm as I thought it was not a cop, big mistake. The 9500 is superior technology and the ability to mark spots with GPS is a very nice feature especially when you are in a city with cameras. Sometimes, your mind is somewhere else and being reminded that you are approaching a "dangerous" spot is very valuable. On my last trip (about 700 miles), I took both and after a few hours, I turned off the V1 because it was beeping too much. Sometimes, it would tell me 3 or 4 different bogies on K band. I know it is a different sound for each band but when a fraction of a second makes a difference, you can't afford to wait to hear what kind of sound it gives you.
With the 9500ci, if it beeps, I slow down. Add the GPS feature that turns off unnecessary alarms and it is a clear winner in my book.
jbondox also makes a great point that the biggest ticket suppressant is paying attention to your surrounding and being an active driver.

 

I have two 9500IX, i like them, they are very modern and they are GPS ready. Valentine One is good but obsolete. Definately my suggestion would be 9500IX.

 

Have been using the V1 for many years and it really is a great detector!! Some nice features on the Escort (my very first detector). I really do like the directional functionality and it is very useful. As for false alerts, just hit the mute button if they bother you. Laser Interceptor seems to have a very solid product to add this type of protection......