radar detectors

[KKSigs]

The 9500xi is awesome, with weekly updates so you know where all the speed traps and photo cameras are.

[Kev]

Originally Posted by KKSigua

The 9500xi is awesome, with weekly updates so you know where all the speed traps and photo cameras are.

The 9500ci will be even better with stealth install and fully integrated laser shifters.

[doba_s]

Originally Posted by fe3

I bought the V1 and an Escort 8500. Both had a 30-day return policy (at the time, not sure if they do now). After 20 days or so I returned the V1. Too many false alarms for my taste.

V1 detects the radar much faster than Escort 8500 ... There many many topics were people discussed both models.

[doba_s]

Originally Posted by Kev

The 9500ci will be even better with stealth install and fully integrated laser shifters.

Try Laser Interceptor ... works awesome and cheaper than 9500ci ... great combo with V1 !

[JohnnyRoaster]

Originally Posted by doba_s

Try Laser Interceptor ... works awesome and cheaper than 9500ci ... great combo with V1 !

You still lack the intuition of a GPS system. I would prefer being able to teach my car what to ignore and have it learn on it's own. There is also a lot to be said for a system that the average cop is not going to be able to see. Even the best V1 hard wire instal is going to be very obvious to any man in blue. There is also the theft factor of having a $500 bill sitting in your windshield.

[drey]

Thanks for all the advice, guys - I'm leaning toward the passport 9500 based on your comments and various consumer reviews. Also because it seems to be more compact than the V-1 and I will probably place it on top of the dash, right in the middle where it's fairly flat (no navi hump in my car) and will not obscure the windshield AT ALL.

Would like to mount with velcro or a non-skid pad of some kind and maybe some two sided tape to avoid glue or fasteners. Any suggestions on mounting on top of the dashboard?

I'll try to get some picks up in a few days, Johnny R. I think you'll dig the contrast of the JB exterior with the BB interior. When my salesman told me the car was in he was practically drooling over the phone he thought it looked so good.

[J08M3]

Originally Posted by JohnnyRoaster

You still lack the intuition of a GPS system. I would prefer being able to teach my car what to ignore and have it learn on it's own. There is also a lot to be said for a system that the average cop is not going to be able to see. Even the best V1 hard wire instal is going to be very obvious to any man in blue. There is also the theft factor of having a $500 bill sitting in your windshield.

Not illegal to have a radar detector so why worry about a cop seeing it? There is no theft factor if you take it out of your windshield when parked somewhere.

Plus the GPS isn't all that great. If there is traffic in the way (or anything else) of a known false alarm and you don't pick it up until in a slightly different location than usual the GPS won't block the alarm.

[RomanM3]

I've been using K-40 with remotely installed antennas since 2003.I don't have any experience with other radar detectors but I think K-40 is one of the best.

[KKSigs]

Originally Posted by Kev

The 9500ci will be even better with stealth install and fully integrated laser shifters.

True but atleast twice the price

[JohnnyRoaster]

Originally Posted by J08M3

Not illegal to have a radar detector so why worry about a cop seeing it? There is no theft factor if you take it out of your windshield when parked somewhere.

Plus the GPS isn't all that great. If there is traffic in the way (or anything else) of a known false alarm and you don't pick it up until in a slightly different location than usual the GPS won't block the alarm.

Even if you live in a state where they are legal, you may pass through a state where they are not. I am sure you have gone through Connecticut before.

Call me lazy, but I would rather not have to pull my detector down every time I park someplace and then put it back up when I get back in the car.

Any GPS will have trouble getting a signal in an urban environment. It depends on where you do most of your driving.

[Canyon Junkie]

FYI to the Escort GPS crowd:

I wanted to buy one (have a V1 and love it) but the sneaky cops in my town park the speed camera vans in the vicinity of speed signs. Both the vans and the speed signs use the same K-band transmitter. A GPS unit would guarantee a ticket there unless you saw the unmarked van.

They also park the van in a 'NO PARKING' zone. This pisses off the locals.

[rAdzM]

$1600 for that 9500ci WOW!!!

[J08M3]

Originally Posted by JohnnyRoaster

Even if you live in a state where they are legal, you may pass through a state where they are not. I am sure you have gone through Connecticut before.

Call me lazy, but I would rather not have to pull my detector down every time I park someplace and then put it back up when I get back in the car.

Any GPS will have trouble getting a signal in an urban environment. It depends on where you do most of your driving.

they are not illegal in connecticut. They are only illegal in Virginia and Washington DC.

It takes about three seconds to unplug wire and slide V1 out of mounting bracket. You can put it in your glove box and lock it.

[RaDaRkInG]

Originally Posted by drey

Thanks for all the advice, guys - I'm leaning toward the passport 9500 based on your comments and various consumer reviews. Also because it seems to be more compact than the V-1 and I will probably place it on top of the dash, right in the middle where it's fairly flat (no navi hump in my car) and will not obscure the windshield AT ALL.

Would like to mount with velcro or a non-skid pad of some kind and maybe some two sided tape to avoid glue or fasteners. Any suggestions on mounting on top of the dashboard?

I'll try to get some picks up in a few days, Johnny R. I think you'll dig the contrast of the JB exterior with the BB interior. When my salesman told me the car was in he was practically drooling over the phone he thought it looked so good.

Nothing beats the Valentine One in radar and laser detection in the under $500 radar detector category.

http://guysoflidar.com/august-2007/r...ctor-test.html


The Escort 9500i is not more compact than the Valentine One.

Size (from smallest to largest):

Valentine One -> 16.20 cu. in.
Bel RX65 Pro -> 16.33 cu. in.
Bel STi Driver-> 16.33 cu. in.
Escort 8500 X50 -> 18.95 cu. in.
Escort 9500i -> 21.72 cu. in.

Weight (from lightest to heaviest):

Valentine One -> 181.5g (6.40 ounces)
Bel RX65 Pro -> 236.6g (8.35 ounces)
Escort 8500 X50 -> 253.7g (8.95 ounces)
Escort 9500i -> 269.2g (9.49 ounces)
Bel STi Driver -> 291.6g (10.29 ounces)

The Escort 9500i is the largest in size and the Beltronics STi Driver is the heaviest. The Valentine One is the smallest and lightest radar detector of the top five radar detectors made today.

[JohnnyRoaster]

I did not realize that Connecticut had repealed it. I swear there is still a sign on 84 when you cross over from MA. Sorry, my bad.

Don't you think most theifs know what the bracket is for if you leave it suction cupped to your windshield?

[sayemthree]

V1 FTW!!!

[ersin]

There's nothing wrong with either 9500, V1 or STI. All have very good detection capabilities. Here's my take:

9500ci: expensive (4x the cost of V1), includes laser jammer.
9500ix: great little device, not as sensitive as V1 (but close) and more quiet

V1: direction arrows rock, best sensitivity in my experience (but they say that the 9500ci is just as good), best "ramp" up of alerts. The V1 has an upgrade policy, so it is cheaper to trade in for a new one than to go from say an 8500 to 9500. Also, V1 + other laser jammer still less $$ than 9500ci, and that's with a better jammer.

See cheetahusa dot com for a device that adds the GPS features to the V1. V1 + cheetah = more $$ than 9500ix. But the cheetah has other advantages over 9500, like lifetime free database updates, whereas, Escort charges you every year.

STI: use to be the only one to get if you drive in DC or VA, although the 9500's seem to be undetectable now so a toss-up here. Performance is on par with 9500 and V1.

The 8500 and RX65 don't have the performance of the others, but it may be all you need.

K-40: Don't get one.

Rocky Mountain Radar (RMR): Don't get any of these either.

[J08M3]

Originally Posted by PencilGeek

If I understand you correctly, I'm thinking you're not familiar with this feature of the 9500ci/ix. You can either manually mark the false alarm, or let the 9500 auto mark it for you. Auto marking works by passing the location three times and seeing the same signal. Since these signals are omnidirectional in nature, heavy traffic won't block them anyways. So I don't see this as any problem at all...even if it did block the signal once out of many times you passed the same false alarm. Eventually, the 9500 will mark it.

As an owner of the 9500ci, I love it. Wouldn't trade it.

All I can say is after trying it on the Beltronics GX65 most of the time it worked, sometimes it didn't. Heavy traffic definitely blocked it. If I came up to a know false on open road it would be detected far ahead of if I'm right behind a big truck.

[J08M3]

V1 arrows are a must have in my opinion. Just a couple hours ago I was driving home on a three lane highway with moderate traffic. All of a sudden I get a weak Ka signal on my V1. I check my speed and make sure to not be faster than traffic. The signal remains low for a bit of time, then fades, then comes back low. Finally signal is full strength for a second then goes very weak and stays there for a bit. If it had been a false alarm I should've been far past it by now and can usually watch a false move from forward arrow to side to rear arrow. But this signal remained on the rear arrow, after a few minutes of hanging fairly low in strength the signal got stronger until if was full strength. Within a few seconds a cop came flying past in the left lane and my arrows followed him to the side of me and then in front. If I had not had the arrows I probably would've dismissed the alarm as some strange false and never known a cop was sneaking up behind me.

[ColoCane]

Originally Posted by ColoCane

Is it just me, or does it seem that this debate is always evenly split by personal preference between the V1 and the Beltronics/Escort lovers?

I rest my case... seems still pretty evenly split!

Originally Posted by JohnnyRoaster

As far as detectors, I have owned a V1 and a couple of older Passports. The Valentine is a bit more sensitive but will give you way more false alarms. Personally, I like the GPS enabled units so you can lock out something on your daily commute. I am going with the Passport 9500ci when my M3 gets back to the States. It is pricey but totally stealth. I am going to hide the controls in the ash tray.

There are a few threads on this and I'm leaning towards the 9500ci. My observations:

1. I live in a metro area and a false every 1/2 mile or so is going to drive me nuts! I appreciate the V1's sensitivity, but I think some sort of filter is in order.

2. Speed cams are becoming quite prevalent here.

3. GPS feature is very nice and from what I understand, the 9500ci CAN discern between an old false signal from a store and a new signal from a cop in the parking lot.

4. Currently, I have a radar detector clipped to the windshield. While easy enough to take on an off, doing a lot of in-town driving (15-20 min. or less), it does become a hassle stowing and unstowing it each time. I know the one time I get lazy and don't mount it, that'll be when I get tagged.

Just some thoughts. Comments?

JohnnyRoaster, do you have any shot of a 9500ci set-up in the ash tray? I like that set-up. Easy to conceal.

Also, someone just told me that laser jammers are now illegal in Colorado. Is that true?

Thanks.

[ColoCane]

Originally Posted by J08M3

V1 arrows are a must have in my opinion. Just a couple hours ago I was driving home on a three lane highway with moderate traffic. All of a sudden I get a weak Ka signal on my V1. I check my speed and make sure to not be faster than traffic. The signal remains low for a bit of time, then fades, then comes back low. Finally signal is full strength for a second then goes very weak and stays there for a bit. If it had been a false alarm I should've been far past it by now and can usually watch a false move from forward arrow to side to rear arrow. But this signal remained on the rear arrow, after a few minutes of hanging fairly low in strength the signal got stronger until if was full strength. Within a few seconds a cop came flying past in the left lane and my arrows followed him to the side of me and then in front. If I had not had the arrows I probably would've dismissed the alarm as some strange false and never known a cop was sneaking up behind me.

Good point, J08M3, but at the same time, I do that now with my old Bel. If I have a faint signal that doesn't gain strength, I slow to track it. If it gains, it's in front of me or hard charging behind me. If stays consistent, but faint (i.e.; pacing me), I know it has to be behind me as I'm not overtaking it. So i'll take it steady and watch from him to come up...

Guess the arrows are in my head.

[SHADY1]

I have a V1 and Laser interceptor installed on my M3 and I love the combo. On my wife car she has a BEL STi driver and the blinder M25 that combo works really good to plus she has veal on the head lights and a laser shield on the front license. both combo's save me plenty of times you can't go wrong with any of these combo's if you trying to save money
just my .02