What to buy: 9500ix vs. Valentine1

[KYDRIVER_1]

Im in the same boat i cant decide which one to get, these are the 2 im looking into as well. The only difference is i live in Lexington KY for school but when i drive home 2 hrs south its all hwy with lots of hills and curves on the way where i do most of my speeding. I dont mind a few falses but i dont really know if i fully understand how much the V1 really falses.

[V1 on the go]

If your driving is lots of hills and curves, then I would recommend the V1 for you for just that little bit of more sensitivity. Dont belive all the fuss about V1 being that noisy. I actually taught the same way before I bought the v1 and tryed it myself and was shocked how quiet it was. There are ways to queit down the v1

[KYDRIVER_1]

If your driving is lots of hills and curves, then I would recommend the V1 for you for just that little bit of more sensitivity. Dont belive all the fuss about V1 being that noisy. I actually taught the same way before I bought the v1 and tryed it myself and was shocked how quiet it was. There are ways to queit down the v1

I really like the Idea of the having the arrows as well as it being a tried and true device whereas the 9500 seems to still be working out some kinks. I also dont think there are any RLC in Lexington and the police here use just k, ka and laser and i hear the V1 has the best laser sensitivity.

[V1 on the go]

I really like the Idea of the having the arrows as well as it being a tried and true device whereas the 9500 seems to still be working out some kinks. I also dont think there are any RLC in Lexington and the police here use just k, ka and laser and i hear the V1 has the best laser sensitivity.

There you go, you like the arrows and no use of RLC in you arear. I think that the v1 is for you. I agree the v1 does have the best laser sensitivity. But I really wouldnt rely on it so much. The best thing for Laser would be a Laser Jammer. But you are right, ot of all the detectors out there, the V1 has the best Laser sensitivity.

[djrams80]

If your driving is lots of hills and curves, then I would recommend the V1 for you for just that little bit of more sensitivity. Dont belive all the fuss about V1 being that noisy. I actually taught the same way before I bought the v1 and tryed it myself and was shocked how quiet it was. There are ways to queit down the v1

This is a personality thing. Some people dont mind false alerts and some people hate them. There are lots of forum members here that swear their V1 is not too noisy. The beeps don't bother them at all.

My girl on the other hand absolutely hates my V1, and I mean despises it, because it's too noisy. She hated my SRX for the same reason. She totally cannot understand why it has to goes off for every store in town. She always says, what's all the drama? On the other hand, she loves my 9500ix and has basically stolen from me at this point. Each person has a different tolerance for false alerts. It's all a matter of how high your personal tolerance is.

This brings up another point. Passengers. Passengers almost always have a much lower tolerance for the noise our countermeasures make. You should take them into consideration when making this decision. For me, there was no option. Make it quieter or die!

[CJR238]

I'm sure this is one of the most common asked questions here but here goes anyways. Mostly city driving with limited highway driving (maybe 3 - 4 time a month). Live is a small city in Oklahoma so no red light cameras. I have done some research on both. I really like the idea of being able to lockout door openers, etc.

Convince me to buy one or the other.

Both are good units and the V1 would certainly do fine, but it sounds like you would benefit more from the ix.
Also read my sticky.

For me i only want my RD to go off if there is a threat, i have found the benefit of this to completely out weigh a little extra sensitivity and possibly. Plus my GF loves my RD because she feels it only goes off if there is a LEO.

But on the other hand having a V! for highway use really cant be beat.

[V995OHDH]

KYDriver_1.....you can just order the V1 try it out for your 30 days... and if it is too noisy return it and then order the 9500ix from escort....then you know for sure how it acts and what is best for you...hope that helps a lil

[SoonerChris]

Both are good units and the V1 would certainly do fine, but it sounds like you would benefit more from the ix.
Also read my sticky.

For me i only want my RD to go off if there is a threat, i have found the benefit of this to completely out weigh a little extra sensitivity and possibly. Plus my GF loves my RD because she feels it only goes off if there is a LEO.

But on the other hand having a V! for highway use really cant be beat.

Ok, this leads me to another question. Since I live in a town with no red light cameras should I just get the 9500i? What benefits will I get from the ix?

[fire65]

Welcome Chris. I live in Oklahoma also. I recently purchased the V1 but kept my X50. Most places I have been so far the V1 is very quiet, I run in A only. I kept the X50 because I love it and I can use it for more quiet, which I have not had to do yet.
I just wanted the range and always wanted to try the arrows, which are great to me. I am an Escort fan for years and really wanted to try the 9500 but once I got the V1 I just kept it. If you want really quiet great looks, good service you can't go wrong with Escort.
I like the boxy old style look of the V1.
Pick one and give the 30 day trial a go. Don't like it, send it back and try the other one. Then you can decide what is best for you. If you ride with your wife alot, you will probably want the Escort. My wife loves all the gadgets the I use, this is a bad thing as now I have to buy two of everything since she wants it too. She runs the X50 red. In my opinion, you can't go wrong with the X50 in Oklahoma.

[CJR238]

Ok, this leads me to another question. Since I live in a town with no red light cameras should I just get the 9500i? What benefits will I get from the ix?

For the minimal difference in price I would go with the ix.

Read from my sticky below:

I figured I would add some info for the potential new ix owners.

Other than the added and very cool features of the ix below, the I & ix radar performance is the same.

What the new 9500ix features add over the 9500I:

USB DataPort & Safety Camera Database:
This allows you to update your database, (red light and fixed position speed cameras) and other software from Escorts website. All marked locations in the database will be reported as you approach them. Or you can set it to Selectable Markers (on/off) this allow you to customize which Markers are monitored and you are alerted to.

AutoLearn-TrueLock:
AutoLearn works just like the 9500I’s TrueLock with the addition of the AutoLearn feature analyzing (over time)
the source of radar signals by location and frequency. The ix automatically locks out this source at this particular location after ~3 passes. AutoLearn will also UnLearn signals if a particular signal is no longer present at a location that was previously locked out.

NOTE: AutoLearn typically needs to see the exact frequency in the same location approximately three times to lock it out. Since some door openers are turned on and off routinely, some variations may occur.

A few improvements for mark locations:
Once marked and assigned a label, the ix provides the following alert distances:
• Red Light Cameras = 250’ or 10 seconds
• Speed Cameras = 250’ or 10 seconds
• Speed Traps = 1/3 mile
• Other = 1/3 mile

AutoPower:
This feature automatically turns PASSPORT off if the vehicle has not moved for 4 hours. This is especially useful if your vehicle has a hot plug (12 volts all the time). See the Preferences section for details.

Auto mode No X setting.
In addition to adjusting sensitivity according to speed like the 9500I, the ix can be set to turn off X band in auto mode.

NOTE: If your vehicle is moving less than 20 mph and you encounter a radar or laser signal, only a doubletone is used. However, the display meter will keep you informed of the signal strength until it has passed or until you reach a speed above 20 mph.

The 9500I & ix work off exactly the same platform so there radar performance should be exactly the same other than variance from RD to RD. The added features certainly can have advantages for some areas, especially for areas that have a lot of red light and fixed position speed cameras. Pus the AutoLock is an awesome advantage for the RD user that doesn't want to do all the thinking for the RD.

FYI UPDATE! Updates via USB are now available from Escort for the 9500I!
https://secure.escortradar.com/9500iregister.asp

First update 9/1/08 for the 9500I consisted of:
1. Improved Laser lock out logic.
2. Increased speed pilot limit to 255 mph
3. Improved meter ramping
4. Improved calibration of voltage circuit
5. Fixed power on/off when turned off by the power button
6. Added mark location capability during an alert
7. Changed ZR3 to SHFT when a shifter is attached.