[The Nerd]

Okay, I am interested in a new "plug n play" radar detector in the $400-450 range. I have narrowed it down to two choices....the Valentine One and the Escort Passport 9500ix. Here are the pros and cons to each:

Valentine One
-Has updated software (called K-Fighter/Junk Band) that filters unwanted false k and ka band alarms caused by lane departure/distance control tech in newer cars like Audi, BMW, Hyundai, and Buick Enclaves (to name a few). PRO

-Though dated in it's design/aesthetics, Valentine One is still a quality radar detector that offers the bonus of direction of signal. PRO

-Valentine One does NOT offer GPS technology that allows the detector to "learn" where false alarm k and ka band spots are. CON


Passport 9500ix
-Does not have software to filter unwanted k and ka band false alarms caused by other cars' lane departure/distance control tech. This is annoying when you're stuck behind an Audi (or whatever) for miles on a highway while your detector continues to go off and on falsely. CON

-Newer design/aesthetics with more features such as built in redlight and speed camera warnings. PRO

-The Passport DOES have GPS capability that allows it to "learn" where common k and ka false alarms are. PRO


In the end, the two most important features are filtering out unwanted lane departure/distance control false alarms from other cars (Valentine One has this)....and....the GPS "learning" false alarm spots tech (Passport has this). Quite frankly, I'm surprised that the Passport (supposedly the leader in radar technology) doesn't have the tech to weed out the false alarms from other cars even though the "dated" Valentine One does. Am I missing anything?

By all means, if you have another option in that price range that is the same quality and solves both of my requests....I'm all ears.

[dehshizknight]

I just purchased a brand new Valentine 1 with Savvy and Android Bluetooth module. You can get GPS lockouts among other features (band segmentation, manual lockouts, low speed muting, etc.) with a free third-party Android app called YaV1. This doesn't necessarily make it plug-n-play but will significantly increase the performance of the detector and limit false alerts. I will say just running it in the factory setting, I have only encountered a few false alerts in the X band from automatic door openers (most people turn this band off for this reason as law enforcement typically won't use radar equipment of this band) so I believe the Junk-K filtering is working.

If you do want to get an Escort product, I would recommend against the 9500ix and instead purchase the newer Passport MAX for a completely plug-n-play system. It supposedly does a good job of filtering out false alerts from blind spot monitoring systems but I haven't tried the detector personally to be able to tell you a personal experience with it.

I will say one reason I went with the Valentine 1, despite not having the feature set of the Passport MAX, is the company's level of support in upgrading the V1 to the latest specs which still keeps it one of the highest performing radar detectors on the market. It seems in Escort land, you buy their newest detector and it's outdated in less than a year's time. Had I bought the 9500ix, it would have been replaced soon after by the Passport MAX. Had I bought the Passport MAX, it would have soon been replaced by the MAX2 (only difference is it had Bluetooth). Now, Escort just announced the MAX360 which supposedly adds arrows similar to the V1. With the Valentine 1, I know that I can upgrade my device whenever new technology comes out (apparently their is a new model coming out soon; maybe a V2?) For me, the V1 has the arrows now, which are an invaluable feature, and I can get the GPS lockouts with YaV1 plus I know I can send my detector in for updates and upgrades as they are released for significantly less than what a new detector would cost.

Both are really great detectors and it will ultimately come down to what you want from the detectors and how you want it.

[The Nerd]

Originally Posted by dehshizknight

I just purchased a brand new Valentine 1 with Savvy and Android Bluetooth module. You can get GPS lockouts among other features (band segmentation, manual lockouts, low speed muting, etc.) with a free third-party Android app called YaV1. This doesn't necessarily make it plug-n-play but will significantly increase the performance of the detector and limit false alerts. I will say just running it in the factory setting, I have only encountered a few false alerts in the X band from automatic door openers (most people turn this band off for this reason as law enforcement typically won't use radar equipment of this band) so I believe the Junk-K filtering is working.

If you do want to get an Escort product, I would recommend against the 9500ix and instead purchase the newer Passport MAX for a completely plug-n-play system. It supposedly does a good job of filtering out false alerts from blind spot monitoring systems but I haven't tried the detector personally to be able to tell you a personal experience with it.

I will say one reason I went with the Valentine 1, despite not having the feature set of the Passport MAX, is the company's level of support in upgrading the V1 to the latest specs which still keeps it one of the highest performing radar detectors on the market. It seems in Escort land, you buy their newest detector and it's outdated in less than a year's time. Had I bought the 9500ix, it would have been replaced soon after by the Passport MAX. Had I bought the Passport MAX, it would have soon been replaced by the MAX2 (only difference is it had Bluetooth). Now, Escort just announced the MAX360 which supposedly adds arrows similar to the V1. With the Valentine 1, I know that I can upgrade my device whenever new technology comes out (apparently their is a new model coming out soon; maybe a V2?) For me, the V1 has the arrows now, which are an invaluable feature, and I can get the GPS lockouts with YaV1 plus I know I can send my detector in for updates and upgrades as they are released for significantly less than what a new detector would cost.

Both are really great detectors and it will ultimately come down to what you want from the detectors and how you want it.

Thanks....I really appreciate the time you took to answer. Very valuable info!

I actually just ordered the Passport Max2 off Amazon for $473....should be on my doorstep when I get home from work.

[Jay757]

Not an option you mentioned but I have the Escort Redline. I bought it in 2012 and haven't had a ticket since.

[DanHazelrigg]

Second on the Escort Redline. I have had a few detectors and none have performed as good as my redline.

Optimize the settings and you will get very few false but you do have the best all-out distance performance of any detector.

Pair this with running Waze on your smartphone, you can't beat that pairing! Plus the redline is invisible to radar detector detection (only matter in a single state but makes you feel cool).

[dehshizknight]

Originally Posted by DanHazelrigg

Second on the Escort Redline. I have had a few detectors and none have performed as good as my redline.

Optimize the settings and you will get very few false but you do have the best all-out distance performance of any detector.

Pair this with running Waze on your smartphone, you can't beat that pairing! Plus the redline is invisible to radar detector detection (only matter in a single state but makes you feel cool).

Ah, yes the Redline is an amazing detector with unparalleled range and performance. I would have mentioned it but, like he mentioned, he wanted a plug-n-play detector. I haven't tried one personally but I'm glad to hear that the falses have been cut down to very few. I may pick one up in the near future for highway trips but for city and occasional highway driving, I love my V1.

[DanHazelrigg]

Originally Posted by dehshizknight

Ah, yes the Redline is an amazing detector with unparalleled range and performance. I would have mentioned it but, like he mentioned, he wanted a plug-n-play detector. I haven't tried one personally but I'm glad to hear that the falses have been cut down to very few. I may pick one up in the near future for highway trips but for city and occasional highway driving, I love my V1.

The Redline is plug and play. You don't have to change any settings but if you choose to, it will make it better. This is standard on about all detectors. Plus you can change the settings in 2 minutes. There are great videos and websites to show you DIY methods for making an awesome detector even better.

Just an FYI - I just got an email from Escort stating they have a big product announcement slated for tomorrow. Maybe you want to hang tight to see what it is but I bet it's another Max 2 with arrows as mentioned above...

[The Nerd]

Originally Posted by DanHazelrigg

The Redline is plug and play. You don't have to change any settings but if you choose to, it will make it better. This is standard on about all detectors. Plus you can change the settings in 2 minutes. There are great videos and websites to show you DIY methods for making an awesome detector even better.

Just an FYI - I just got an email from Escort stating they have a big product announcement slated for tomorrow. Maybe you want to hang tight to see what it is but I bet it's another Max 2 with arrows as mentioned above...

Thx again for the info. I already have my Max2 and love it....glad I made the purchase. Regarding the possibility of a newer version with arrows....I'm guessing it'll be retail price ($600), so I suppose I'm personally ok with my "older" Max2 since I got it for $473 on Amazon.

[DocB]

I have a 9500xi and it works extremely well with very few false positive alarms.

[rextilleon]

By the way, Escort Live is pretty useless. Combine your detector with Waze for the best all around protection.

[The Nerd]

Originally Posted by rextilleon

By the way, Escort Live is pretty useless. Combine your detector with Waze for the best all around protection.

I agree, that's what I've been doing....Waze plus my Escort Max2.

[tunes]

i had a v1 for 10 years....updated it every few years but now live in a state with the traffic radar thing and switched to a 9500ix....love it but do miss my arrows

[The Nerd]

Originally Posted by tunes

i had a v1 for 10 years....updated it every few years but now live in a state with the traffic radar thing and switched to a 9500ix....love it but do miss my arrows

Out of curiosity, what's the big deal with the arrows? I mean, if you're driving down the road or highway....isn't 99% of police radar (or laser) coming at you from in front of you? The only exception would be a cop hiding on an entrance ramp shooting radar forward, but again, unless the cop turns it on instantly after you've already passed him (in which case, he probably "got" you anyway), you're still going to be getting bounced radar waves ahead of time before you get to the hidden cop. No?