Austin997.2

I'm sure this thread has been on here before so sorry for the repost, but I've done a lot of research and can't make a decision. I've literally read and watched videos for hours online.

Anyone who has used all of these and thinks one is superior please advise.

My thoughts so far:
Escort Max 2: don't want to spend that much but would go with this if it was cheaper

Escort 9500ix: leaning towards this one, but worried about false alarms from driving assist on other cars, not sure if they fixed the problem yet or not. The major plus for this one is the GPS that filters out false alarms over time.

Valentine V1: There are diehard fans of this one out there, not sure if they are diehard fans though only because they haven't tried any competitors. Worried about false alarms and that I'll tune it out because of all of the false alarms.

Any help in helping me make a decision would be greatly appreciated.

utkinpol

I tried competitors and still V1 fan. If there is a new model other than V1 out there that shows direction of the signal source - try it. I just sent in my V1 for $90 upgrade.

yashagrawal

I have all 3, IMHO the worst is the V1 with abundant false alarms and no GPS for cameras etc. The 9500 is pretty good, don't think there is much difference from the max 2 in terms of capabilities. The escort detectors have ability to lock out false signals and access to defender database, which over rules the benefit from directional arrows. The best bargain is the 9500. Dont go with cheaper detectors, for they are not up to required sensitivity and you will get a ticket for sure.

P.S. my V1 is available for sale, pretty much unused. PM me if interested.

Austin997.2

Is the Max 2 worth the additional cost compared to the 9500ix? I think you unsold me on the V1.

DucatiSPS

I have two 9500's and four v1's. I was a total v1 fanboy, but in the last two years I have noticed an amazing amount of false alarms out of them, and yes they are upgraded. I put the 9500 into my cayenne and my f430, and I will say they are pretty damn good.

Things I like:
Laser shifting - this has gotten me out of two tickets so far, I could see the cop try to gun me, look puzzled then try again, but by second time I was within speed limit.
Mounting - great mounts, very stealth, nice package
K, ka bands - get plenty of warning
False lockout. - I do a lot of suburb driving and being able to train the detector is wonderful

Things I don't like:
Red light setup - simply annoying, especially when driving down the highway and it tells you of every red light camera on the under and overpasses, it will make you insane. I have not figured out a way to disable this feature, but you can unmark every location you come to.
Directional warnings - it tells you for laser, but not for radar which is stupid.

semicycler

For me the trade off was direction indication with tons of false signals (V1) vs. GPS lockout of false signals but no direction indicators (9500ix). Since most of my driving is frequent but short distances less than 40 miles from home I chose the 9500ix. After about a week or so all false signals were learned on most of my routes. Now anytime it goes off the signal has a high probability of being real.

If my driving style was longer distances on unfamiliar roads I probably would have gone with the V1. Now if Valentine would only add in a GPS to lockout known false signals....

jem7v

He is referring to the dash mounted ones not the 9500ci. I'm interested in the escourt max 2. Would like to hear from those who have it. It seems to be like a dash mounted version of the 9500ci but without the laser blocking.

To me in my area it doesn't seem all that worth it to add a 9500ci and go through the 2k+ cost. I won't get any of that back come resale.

StormRune

Hi again Austin997.2! It's been a while.

I have the Passport Max (and previously the 9500ix) along with the Bluetooth feature that is now built into the Max 2. I highly recommend this due to the GPS lockout (far less false alarms around your normal driving area), but just as much for the integration with the Escort Live app on my iPhone - which sits beside my steering wheel and warns me about threats in my direction of travel before the detector can detect them directly at least 80% of the time. Extremely valuable when laser is at play, and it is heavily used around Austin now (especially on Mopac and 183).

There seem to be a lot of Escort Live users around Austin so you get a lot of cross-coverage from other users here (assuming you have a phone with a data plan to handle the networking for the app, which isn't at all excessive in its data use).

Edit: And oh yeah, I used to use a V1 many years ago and it was cool to see the direction estimate. However, the Escort Live feature not only shows direction but location on a map. I'm surprised that the V1 has managed to survive since it has stayed pretty much the same for such a long time other than the new smartphone integration app, which looks to me to be far inferior to Escort Live.

ATLDiver

I had an older V1 that I bought in 2000, back then the V1 was the top dog but that's not the case now. I had considered sending the V1 back for an 'update' (almost full price,) but decided to try the Escort 9500ix out.

In short, the 9500ix's ability to use GPS and a built-in database for cameras, a false-alarm learning feature put it over the top of the V1 IMO. The V1 is sensitive, no doubt the newer one's are better and detecting buuuuut they'll annoy you with false alerts. My 9500ix is virtually silent in 'learned' routine areas so when you get an alert, it's legit.

I miss the directional arrows for sure, if Valentine comes up with a V1 with a GPS chip and a learn feature and keep the arrows; they'll have my money.

Saaboteur

I reiterate the comments above from everyone who's defected from the V1 to Escort products. I personally also had a V1 for years, but finally swapped it for an Escort Passport Max last summer. I don't use the Escort Live subscription service, but am quite happy with the GPS function. I note the places where I have spotted photo radar before and they are nice reminders. Also very pleasant to have very, very few false alarms. I also typically run around with the 'no X band' feature activated. I do miss the directional arrows from the V1, but otherwise the Escort is far better, and much nicer looking. The supplied suction cup mount is by far the best 'OE' mount too.

My only regret is that not a few months after I bought my Passport Max, the Passport Max 2 came out!

Austin997.2

I think I'm gonna spend the extra money and go with the Passport Max 2, no regrets that way it sounds like.

Marine Blue

I'm pretty sure I'm going to sell my V1, I'm just waiting for one of the guys on this forum who has sent his back for the latest update which is suppose to eliminate the K Band False Alarms. If it truly works well I'll keep it since the range is incredible and I do like the arrows. If it still falses I'm selling it and buying a Passport.

TheLex

In our area the cops mainly use laser now. I would think a laser detector/shifter would be a better defense.

wheeler

I know you will, but keep ME posted on what you find out as well with the update. I haven't driven much lately to play with the "traffic mode" that's already in the unit. I probably need to pull it from the 911 and put it in the Jeep and daily it for a while in that mode and see how it reacts.

StormRune

Just FYI: If you'd like to try it out, you can install the Escort Live app for free and see what the current alerts are around you. Its on the Apple app store (and I assume on Androids as well). Oddly enough, without the paid subscription log-in it seems the only thing you are missing is the ability to report into the network, but you seem to be able to receive the alerts just fine. You have to wonder how many are out there just listening, although there seems to be a lot of people actively reporting in this area.