I got mine about a year and a half ago. How do I know if I have the latest version?

 

You can send them the ser# or date of manu and ask. I did this a few years ago and they said mine was up to date. Been in the drawer ever since. I feel much safer knowing.

 

I just put about 2000 highway miles on the minivan with an escort 9500ix and the amount of K band alerts from other cars was overwhelming when the highway was congested. Couldn't wait get back into the 997 with the V1 for multiple obvious reasons.

 

V1 is way too old of a product to recommend anymore. It has NOT changed in ages, it's not as accurate or feature rich as offerings from Escort and simply is too old for 2016!

 

A good product that works has no need to change. The V1 has periodic firmware updates though.

Some also say the 911 needs upgrading, since it maintains overall its shape since 1963...

 

Escort 9500ix is obsolete tech. I have a Escort Max and it is fantastic. Far better than any detector in the city and gives the V1 a run for the money on the highway.

With radar detectors, the latest and greatest beats old school everyday of the week.

 

It's different, this is digital technology and V1 hasn't changed since the 90s. I rather have a detector with GPS that can warn me if others reported speed traps, integrate with my Phone and app, turn off alarms where it detects the same false alarm in the same location over and over, and to integrate into Laser shifter, etc...

V1 was great for many many years, but it's outdated now.

 

It is the best measuring tool around. The GPS speed trap database others use is useless AFAIC.

 

In Texas K Band is used quite a bit.

 

My Passport Max 2 is one of the best purchases I have ever made. From what I gather, there are a lot of diehard V1 fans who quiver at the thought of anything but a V1 without ever having used or looked at another detector.

For me it was between the V1 and Passport Max 2. The only thing that was a positive for the V1 in my objective assessment was the directional arrows. If a detector goes off its time to slow down regardless of what direction an arrow points. It's a nice positive for the V1 but in my opinion the Passport Max 2 beat it in every other category on paper.

Now I haven't ever used a V1 so I'd be open to see just how good they are in comparison.

 

Agreed. As I said, V1 was great but it's been surpassed in every single way, range, detection, speed, features, integration, etc... I literally don't see any benefit to V1 vs. other top detectors at this point.

BTW, the new Max 360 has arrows too. I think it was patented by Valentine, but the patent expired hence Escort now has it too.

 

Why don't you give it a try and let me know if V1 is better? I absolutely love the GPS function, it learns where the false alarms are, and after driving around town for like 2-3 weeks, it's absolute silence as it just wouldn't go off in locations it detects the same signal over and over.

The latest Escorts also do much better in range and in all tests I've seen beat V1, and they integrate to your phone or laser shifters if you install... so, I just can't justify V1 at this point vs. Escort. Not that I am saying to get rid of your V1, but if in the market today, V1 is absolutely not competitive.

 

I am always open to buying a better unit, despite my praise of the V1. There is no reason someone can't do a better job especially given the years going by.

However, something else is changing besides the GPS capability in units.... which I do wish V1 was doing. That is the really big crowd sourcing through WAZE. I now use both the V1 and WAZE. I am amazed at how much advantage I have now. Not perfect, but it is going to be tough for any vendor to beat the crowd size of Waze. Waze has pretty much taken me off the market for a new detector with GPS capabilities.

Believe me when I tell you, I am no fan of religion.... I just don't want any more tickets.

Peace
Bruce in Philly

 

Agreed! Waze is great, Escort has a similar App/option too, but I agree with you that Waze must be more accurate due to the sheer number of users. I think some municipalities wanted to ban Waze or something, they used "officer safety" as an excuse to try and ban it, but we all know it's the "loss revenue" that's concerning to them!

The other GPS advantage however is the auto false-alarm detection, it's really useful if you live in a crowded city.

 

Waze is full of errors and inaccuracies. Police Depts game it too. I have used it in the SF Bay Area and I think it is a joke.