Valentine 1 Vs. Passport 9500i? (Let's chat)

It sounds like V1 is hands down the best. Are there any negatives compared to other models? What speeding situation would a V1 not help you in?
 
i'm pretty sure i read in a motor trend magazine, that had ads for both the 9500i and the v1, that you can try their product out for a month or so and if you don't like it you can send it back.

http://www.escortradar.com/30day.htm
escort has the 30 day money back

i couldn't find one on v1's though


might as well try it for yourself!
 
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How about when you roll by a Wal-Mart or any other grocery store/convenience store that sets off your radar EVERYDAY. You will get used to it... until there happens to be a cop sitting there and he gets you blowing by 15 over. In this case, I would have already blocked all of those same frequencies out with my 9500i and then when it was going off, I would just know that it was legit. You can even "mark" locations where you see a speed trap... even if their radar is not on at that time, the next time you roll by it will give you a warning... I think it is a mile if you are going over 50 and 1/2 mile if you are going less than that. Can the Valentine "point" to a cop that you know what there before. Even if it is a month later and that thing alerts you wouldn't you rather be safe than sorry. It is great for long drives through multiple states... Marking the HI-PO's for later...

I just don't know if you guys are not wanting to read about this thing or what... there are so many pros that NO other radar has on this thing. I guess it is just too bad it doesn't tell us which direction we are getting screwed from.

I cannot sing its praises enough. Go to the website and become a believer. The GPS feature does so much... when you are going slow, it won't even set the radar off because it knows you are not breaking the law.

Here are 2 quotes and then I will jump off of my rant...
"Speed traps and camera locations are everywhere. It's a stretch of highway where they always sit, or it's a back road that quickly changes from 45 mph to 25 mph within a few hundred feet. You don't always remember, but now your PASSPORT 9500i will. The PASSPORT 9500i's "Mark Location" feature allows you to quickly store a specific location in memory. Simply tap the "Mark" button a couple of times and the 9500i will store this location in memory. The next time you approach this area, the PASSPORT 9500i will provide an alert well in advance to remind you of the potential danger. This specific location reminder could keep you from being ambushed by instant-on radar or laser the next time you approach."​

"The PASSPORT 9500i radar detector can automatically vary its sensitivity based on the speed of your vehicle. At interstate speeds, all radar bands are operating at full sensitivity, providing the best possible performance. At really slow speeds, like parking lots and stop lights, the sensitivity is turned down to almost zero. No more irritating alerts when you are going below the posted speed. The result is real-time on-demand radar protection."​
 
So you just joined yesterday to get a few quick plugs in for Escort and quote from the website?

lol, sounds like the passport is really good, i like the gadgets and all the features it has. Yea arrows are coool, but all the other stuff the 9500i has seems alot better than arrows.
 
How about when you roll by a Wal-Mart or any other grocery store/convenience store that sets off your radar EVERYDAY. You will get used to it... until there happens to be a cop sitting there and he gets you blowing by 15 over. In this case, I would have already blocked all of those same frequencies out with my 9500i and then when it was going off, I would just know that it was legit. You can even "mark" locations where you see a speed trap... even if their radar is not on at that time, the next time you roll by it will give you a warning... I think it is a mile if you are going over 50 and 1/2 mile if you are going less than that. Can the Valentine "point" to a cop that you know what there before. Even if it is a month later and that thing alerts you wouldn't you rather be safe than sorry. It is great for long drives through multiple states... Marking the HI-PO's for later...

I just don't know if you guys are not wanting to read about this thing or what... there are so many pros that NO other radar has on this thing. I guess it is just too bad it doesn't tell us which direction we are getting screwed from.

I cannot sing its praises enough. Go to the website and become a believer. The GPS feature does so much... when you are going slow, it won't even set the radar off because it knows you are not breaking the law.

Here are 2 quotes and then I will jump off of my rant...
"Speed traps and camera locations are everywhere. It's a stretch of highway where they always sit, or it's a back road that quickly changes from 45 mph to 25 mph within a few hundred feet. You don't always remember, but now your PASSPORT 9500i will. The PASSPORT 9500i's "Mark Location" feature allows you to quickly store a specific location in memory. Simply tap the "Mark" button a couple of times and the 9500i will store this location in memory. The next time you approach this area, the PASSPORT 9500i will provide an alert well in advance to remind you of the potential danger. This specific location reminder could keep you from being ambushed by instant-on radar or laser the next time you approach."​

"The PASSPORT 9500i radar detector can automatically vary its sensitivity based on the speed of your vehicle. At interstate speeds, all radar bands are operating at full sensitivity, providing the best possible performance. At really slow speeds, like parking lots and stop lights, the sensitivity is turned down to almost zero. No more irritating alerts when you are going below the posted speed. The result is real-time on-demand radar protection."​

There are big problems with the new Escort 9500i and the majority of people are returning them because of less range than the Valentine One.

http://www.guysoflidar.com/march-2007/radar-detector-test.html

They are locking out signals from door openers and the 9500i is not alerting to cops that shoot radar in that area. Owners of the 9500i are also complaining that signals that they lock out are not staying locked out from the day before. They also say that their Sirius/XM radio is cutting out because of the 9500i and its GPS function.

http://www.radardetector.net/viewtopic.php?t=23027
http://www.radardetector.net/viewtopic.php?t=23178
http://www.radardetector.net/viewtopic.php?t=23183
http://www.radardetector.net/viewtopic.php?t=23036
http://www.radardetector.net/viewtopic.php?t=22800
http://www.radardetector.net/viewtopic.php?t=22900&postdays=0&postorder=asc&sta rt=0
http://www.radardetector.net/viewtopic.php?t=22824
http://www.radardetector.net/viewtopic.php?t=22762

http://www.radardetector.net/viewtopic.php?t=22803

Are you satisfied with your 9500i or returning it?Satisfied with 38% [ 21 ]Returning 61% [ 34 ]Total Votes : 55


Here is a video of the Escort 9500i blocking out police radar because there was a "false" locked out in the same area. This feature does not work as advertised and you could receive a ticket if you use this detector. It is flawed by design and it blocks out all X and K band signals in a 1 square mile area.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dxy7gGG-JlI
 
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When I first saw the GPS feature on the 9500i I was pretty excited. But then I realized that the resolution on most GPS units isn't really all that good and the 9500i would just "blanket" the area that you mark as a false alarm and other threats could sneak into it.

I've had my 8500 X50 for about a year now. I was really happy with it at first, but now I think I need to send it back to get checked because the range seems to really suck. I have X turned off and POP turned on. It seems like it only goes off once I've pointed the detector (and the car) in the direction of the threat. Plus it seems like the threat is well within visual range before it goes off.
 
Granted the V1 is very sensitive, I would rather it be "too" sensitive than not sensitive enough. There are different "beeps" for certain bands and after a while you get used to what's dangerous. I love mine! It's paid for itself numerous times!

HPIM0905.jpg
 
this is a good thread, i always wondered what was better... i really want to pick up a v1 but there not cheap...
 
this is a good thread, i always wondered what was better... i really want to pick up a v1 but there not cheap...

The $399 V1 is still cheaper than the $450 Bel STi and the Escort 9500i which is $450-$500 depending on if you get the red leds or blue leds.
 
i have both the 9500i and v1 and my V1 is the 1st version that came out and it works better than my 9500i... ive got pulled over 4 times in 1 month cause i thought the 9500i was going to be better than my V1 and its not i hook up both next to each other and the old V1 picks up WAY sooner and i like the v1 cause it tells you were the signal comes from but it gets annoying with x and k band..... and is it just me or do u guys every sometimes get a quick flash a laser band when ever u pull up behind a trailblazer or envoy?????
 
i have a 9500i, and i don't seem to have the problems other people are having with it. my only issues are the ramp up (which there is a cure for) and the fact that you can't use the USB cable and edit it's list of GPS coordinates for marking speed traps (which is about to have a cure). I don't use the function where it blocks known false alerts. Its range is better than anything else that i have used, and works well around turns and over hills. in expert mode, it will have this "boogy counter" and will tell you how many of which signal, and the signal strength. pretty sweet. i like it.
 
How about when you roll by a Wal-Mart or any other grocery store/convenience store that sets off your radar EVERYDAY. You will get used to it... until there happens to be a cop sitting there and he gets you blowing by 15 over. In this case, I would have already blocked all of those same frequencies out with my 9500i and then when it was going off, I would just know that it was legit. You can even "mark" locations where you see a speed trap... even if their radar is not on at that time, the next time you roll by it will give you a warning... I think it is a mile if you are going over 50 and 1/2 mile if you are going less than that. Can the Valentine "point" to a cop that you know what there before. Even if it is a month later and that thing alerts you wouldn't you rather be safe than sorry. It is great for long drives through multiple states... Marking the HI-PO's for later...

I just don't know if you guys are not wanting to read about this thing or what... there are so many pros that NO other radar has on this thing. I guess it is just too bad it doesn't tell us which direction we are getting screwed from.

I cannot sing its praises enough. Go to the website and become a believer. The GPS feature does so much... when you are going slow, it won't even set the radar off because it knows you are not breaking the law.

Here are 2 quotes and then I will jump off of my rant...
"Speed traps and camera locations are everywhere. It's a stretch of highway where they always sit, or it's a back road that quickly changes from 45 mph to 25 mph within a few hundred feet. You don't always remember, but now your PASSPORT 9500i will. The PASSPORT 9500i's "Mark Location" feature allows you to quickly store a specific location in memory. Simply tap the "Mark" button a couple of times and the 9500i will store this location in memory. The next time you approach this area, the PASSPORT 9500i will provide an alert well in advance to remind you of the potential danger. This specific location reminder could keep you from being ambushed by instant-on radar or laser the next time you approach."​

"The PASSPORT 9500i radar detector can automatically vary its sensitivity based on the speed of your vehicle. At interstate speeds, all radar bands are operating at full sensitivity, providing the best possible performance. At really slow speeds, like parking lots and stop lights, the sensitivity is turned down to almost zero. No more irritating alerts when you are going below the posted speed. The result is real-time on-demand radar protection."​

It seems to me that the feature you praise as being the most important could be solved if you payed attention. I'll probably sound like a jackass for saying this, but relying on a detector to "remember" where speed traps are is lazy. I know certain spots of road where cops set up speed traps. I generally slow down in these areas. If I see cops parked somewhere tagging cars I generally look for them the next time I pass through the area, I always thought that was just common sense.

Automatic door openers are on a different band than police radar correct? Doesn't the V1 have different pitches for different bands so that you can quickly discern what frequency is tripping the alarm by sound, without taking your eyes off the road to check the scanner?

V1 has the best range and best detection, to me that is all that matters, I think I can get by without a gps locator to mark speed traps, I think I'll just use common sense and pay attention.
 
It seems to me that the feature you praise as being the most important could be solved if you payed attention. I'll probably sound like a jackass for saying this, but relying on a detector to "remember" where speed traps are is lazy. I know certain spots of road where cops set up speed traps. I generally slow down in these areas. If I see cops parked somewhere tagging cars I generally look for them the next time I pass through the area, I always thought that was just common sense.

Automatic door openers are on a different band than police radar correct? Doesn't the V1 have different pitches for different bands so that you can quickly discern what frequency is tripping the alarm by sound, without taking your eyes off the road to check the scanner?

V1 has the best range and best detection, to me that is all that matters, I think I can get by without a gps locator to mark speed traps, I think I'll just use common sense and pay attention.

eh i disagree with you man. i kinda find the arrows pointless, because as long as there is a beep, i'm slowing down. does not matter where he is coming from... and about the speed trap thing, i like it, because sometimes i don't remember all the turn off spots. i dunno about where you are, but there are s*** loads of them on the highways where i live. everytime i see marks where a cop is spinning the tires in dirt to go chase someone, i mark it. everytime i see a cop sitting there with a radar, i mark it. i have asshole drivers to worry about, and i don't mind letting my 9500i do the remembering of speed traps. however, on the roads i travel on very frequently, i know where every trap is in my mind, so the thing isn't as needed. but on my trips going from NJ to upstate NY, there is no way i am going to remember all of those.... and i make this trip about 6 times a year. this thing helps dude.

automatic door openers are on the same bands as police radar, just a different frequency. the key to setting a false alert thingy is making sure there are no cops around. the frequency of door openers (correct me if i'm wrong) are usually different than cop radars. when you are near a door opener, and there are no cops around, you hit the button and the passport stores the frequency, so that if there is a cop there next time, his radar is on a different frequency and you pick him up just like normal. the passport doesn't have different pitches either. some b**** comes on and actually tells me which band is giving me the alert. i think thats cool.

as far as detection goes, having 5 miles of range is not important to me. i'll start slowing down when he is closer, lol... no point in slowing down and hearing annoying beeps when you are still miles away... in my experience, the 9500 has alerted me long before i even see the cop, and i have slowed down by then.

IMO, the GPS function is expensive, but thats what sets it apart, and IMO, makes it way better than the V1. i have mine set up so it tells me vehicle speed too, it is interesting to see how my speedo became less accurate as my tires wore... it is also interesting that my BMW reads ~4MPH faster than what i'm actually doing. cool stuff.
 
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