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

E

Ebruess

Member
:
Cosmic Blue MS3
I am finally deciding to buy a radar...
The age old battle...
Valentine 1 in corner 1....
Passport 9500i in corner 2...
Who wins?

I have never used a radar before and today I stopped by the local car toys to take a in person look (*I'm a online shopper mostly*) and I liked the looks and the concealed display but I can't seem to find anyone with a Valentine 1 to look at. Car Toys has a money back guarantee for 5 days of their Passport 9500i. Anyone try that? Any problems returning?

So, let's talk about first hand impressions of both. Please assist me in my purchase :D
 
the arrows win. always. I have used an x50 8500 for months from a friend, and then had the v1 with the arrows. i could never go back.

mail in upgradability is nice too. you won't be dissapointed. i'll never sell mine.

i paid $230 a year ago for my valentine1.7.
 
When I got my MS3 I bought a V1 to replace my aging 8500. I couldn't stand it, constant falses all the time. After a while you just ignore it. Yes, there is lots of information, but my brain is too busy driving to process it all to decide if it is real or not. I bought a 9500i and it is great! I ran both of them side by side for a couple of weeks and then sold the V1. The 9500i just sits there, and when it has an alert, I pay attention because you can bet it has a very good chance of being real.

By the way, around here there are radar based speed warning signs, radar based freeway speed reporting websites, and other stuff that make detectors pay a lot of attention. Too much noise for me without some sort of suppression that actually works.
 
i have to agree with everyone... the V1 > x50 even though your question was about the 9500i. I have owned/used the 7500 and 8500, but I wish I had the V1. I would trade my 8500 in any day for a V1.

the 9500i might be a bit better than the 8500, but I would rather have the valentine.
 
Debating which Radar detector isn't going to be accurate because there are a lot of factors involved.

-how sensitive
-how accurate
-if cop even has equipment turned on
-$$$

In a way, it's sorta like comparing the MS3 to an STI. They are both fast hatchbacks, but the STI is alot more sophisticated for the extra $20k. NOW...are you ever going to actually end up using the 81 different combination throttle/diff/traction control configurations? Or are you ever going to drive a $40k+ vehicle through disastrous or dangerous weather/enviroments? Probably not, unless that's your career or you just don't really care that much. IMO, the V1 is exactly that. All that radar busting power..but what about those other variables you can't control?

I've had a Passport 8500 since 2004, and when that got stolen, I upgraded to the Passport 8500 x50. Haven't noticed much difference, but it is helpful when needed. Yes, theres false alerts every so often, but anytime I've ever been in an area where there isn't a typical alert and I get one?--it works like a charm.

With the 9500, mainly you can just mark false alarms with GPS. But, as someone else noted, theres alot of other stuff going on in the car, not everyone has the time to notate every false alarm to make their commute less exciting.

With the V1, it's extremely accurate but almost too accurate. When I rode with my buddy and his, it was going off all the time. Like almost a full 2, 3 miles ahead of time and it'd point in that direction. It was completely annoying, and a very large sized unit. In my mind, it's over the top. Nothing is going to stop a cop from utilizing "instant-on" and defeating any radar detector, and you can't always beat Laser either. At the end of the day, if you're driving recklessly, you're gonna get a ticket.

Now, i'm hoping once I get my car next month, I'll be testing my buddy's Passport/Valentine radar rear view mirror mount. Here's an example of it. I believe it should fit on the MS3 just fine as it fits any mirror 3/4" thick.

radarmount7.jpg
 
Rotus8 said:
When I got my MS3 I bought a V1 to replace my aging 8500. I couldn't stand it, constant falses all the time. After a while you just ignore it. Yes, there is lots of information, but my brain is too busy driving to process it all to decide if it is real or not. I bought a 9500i and it is great! I ran both of them side by side for a couple of weeks and then sold the V1. The 9500i just sits there, and when it has an alert, I pay attention because you can bet it has a very good chance of being real.

By the way, around here there are radar based speed warning signs, radar based freeway speed reporting websites, and other stuff that make detectors pay a lot of attention. Too much noise for me without some sort of suppression that actually works.
Click to expand...

The automatic signs down here use K-band and the police generally seem to run Ka. I have my S2 set to filter all X because its' just noise. Does the V1 have an ability to filter?
 
 
Ebruess said:
I have never used a radar before and today I stopped by the local car toys to take a in person look (*I'm a online shopper mostly*) and I liked the looks and the concealed display but I can't seem to find anyone with a Valentine 1 to look at.
Click to expand...

I also have the V1. You will not find it in stores. V1 is only sold through their website.
 
i have the rx65 pro and have had nothing but excellent luck with wouldn't even consider replacing it with anything else
 
ragindark said:
You should dump the Escort Solo S2 and get a V1 because battery operated detectors are weak. Look how poorly the Escort Solo S2 perfomed at the latest independent unibiased radar detector test.

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

This is why battery operated detectors are no good.

http://valentine1.com/cordless/
Click to expand...

Well I really dont want to start an argument here but...

- Dont the results of the tests above look a bit strange? Appox. 1000 - 2000 feet as the best result of a straight on Ka test? I routinely alert on my S2 1/2 mile (or more) before I see the guy with the gun. These results look pretty strange even for the V1.

- They did not run a test with S2 hooked to power. In that configuration I believe it samples more frequently.

- I like the Valentine stuff but I still dont bother with "comparisons" made by one manufacturer against another. Who out there is gonna say the other guy is good?

I'm not arguing the V1 is better. I know it is. But the S2 works a helluva lot better than those results show.
 
Last edited:
2ManyCars said:
Well I really dont want to start an argument here but...

- Dont the results of the tests above look a bit strange? Appox. 1000 - 2000 feet as the best result of a straight on Ka test? I routinely alert on my S2 1/2 mile (or more) before I see the guy with the gun. These results look pretty strange even for the V1.
Click to expand...

You have to read about the testing before you can understand the results.

"For the Straight-Line sensitivity test, we used radar absorbent foam (this was not used for the other tests).

Eccosorb is specially-designed foam which absorbs radar. In this test, the Guys of LIDAR used layers of Eccosorb in front of the radar antennas to reduce the radar signal, or make it weaker.

Why? Because a detector's job is to sniff out weak signals.

The further away you are from the radar, the weaker the signal becomes. Today's high-end radar detectors can detect radar miles and miles away in the right situations. Because of this, radar detector tests commonly use hills, terrain, or other means to reduce the radar signal for test purposes. But every test situation is different, and these methods can sometimes yield sporadic results.

Enter Eccosorb. The Eccosorb allowed us to reduce the radar signal in a highly-controlled manner, and allowed us to test on a straight course under highly controlled conditions. This method of testing also reduced or eliminated some of the unpredictability that occurs with other methods, and yielded highly-repeatable results.

In addition to the Eccosorb in front of the radar, the sides and rear were also surrounded with Eccosorb just for good measure to help prevent any stray radar reflections.

Please remember: what these test results provide is an indication of "relative sensitivity", or how the detectors might compare against themselves or each other. Just like any other radar detector test (foam or not), the absolute distances in the results cannot be applied to any situation other than the specific test conditions.

In this test, just like any other, it's the ratios that matter."
 
Last edited:
2ManyCars said:
They did not run a test with S2 hooked to power. In that configuration I believe it samples more frequently.
Click to expand...

The cord plugged in has almost no effect on the radar detection of the Escort Solo S2.

http://www.radardetector.net/viewto...=0&postorder=asc&highlight=solo+cord&start=15

jimbonzzz said:
OK here it is!
Please remember, this was more of an experiment than an actual test. For a few of the detectors, we did a second run, and the results seemed to be consistent with the first run.

Radar used:
Kustom Golden Eagle, 35.5 GHz.

Results in number of feet from source at which the detector alerted.

Valentine One v3.826
1072 Feet

RX-65 S7 v3.6, USA Mode
788 Feet

Solo S2 w/Cord
433 Feet

Solo S2 No Cord
421 Feet

Whistler 1788 w/Cord
93 Feet

Whistler 1788 No Cord
66 Feet

PNI Silver Bullet RX7600 w/Cord
72 Feet
Click to expand...
 
If you have the money for V1 get it..It's the best available.

If ur like most others..like myself..get the 8500 X50..It works great...I am happy i didn't dump all that money into the v1..as i have more money for other stuff.

In all honesty..i know couple state troopers and local cops..and they all tell me the same thing..I don't drive around w/ my gun on...When i see someone speeding i hit a button and scan the car for it's speed and turn it back off unless i am chasing.

In other words..any detector will only warn u if the cop has his gun on.

-C
 
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