Time for a new radar detector.
 

Since I no longer live in VA, where RD's are banned, I don't need stealth anymore. I have an Escort S2 Solo cordless and an X50/8500 in blue display. I'm eBay'ing them off and am leaning toward the newest Escort 9500 or a Valentine V1. I know Valentine is a little more popular with the road warriors. But IIRC, the 9500 does as well in testing. Bonus for me that my vehicles are already hardwired with Escort remote displays too. What to get and why?

Ebay link?

go with the v-1, because of the arrows and the upgrade capability.

Do those arrows really matter that much? I mean, when I get a hit that I know is not a false alarm, I don't care where it came from. I slow down until I've ID'ed the source.

Also, my 8500 got fried on my motorcycle in a torrential downpour last summer. Escort replaced it for $80 when they said they couldn't repair it. They have a trade-in program, but it's not as cost-effective as how I'm doing it, since their prices aren't as good as I can find elsewhere.

i like to know if they are in front of me or behind me. instantly.

Another enthusiastic vote for the V1. I am on my 2nd one (1st one lasted 12 years).

I hate driving anywhere without it. My biggest complaint is switching it between my 2 cars, or to my wife's car if we are taking a family trip somewhere. I would love to have 2 -- or even 3 -- V1s. 1 for each car. But I can't justify the expense.

I LOVE the arrows. It is very helpful to get a quick assessment of the "threat".

Based on what I have read about the competition, I wouldn't consider buying anything else.

My 2 cents.

I would love to buy a V1 but unless someone sells me one cheap or gives me one im gunna have to wait as im looking at nikon digital slrs at the moment.

Does anyone know if the Valentine will work with Escort's remote displays? The plugs are both telephone jacks. I really don't want to mess with the wiring I did in my 993. I ran it into the sunroof switch and that was a project.

It's not just the arrows, (which are great), it's the extra antennae pointing rearward and the triagulation between it and the front one. When I'm out on the road at night in a rainstorm, or just really dark, I want to know exactly where the trooper is. I want to know when I'm past him, if there is another one ahead (or behind), how many separate sources, etc...

You cannot touch a V-1 w/ concealed display right in your gauges/line of sight. Read the independent tests, like these guys:

http://www.guysoflidar.com/

My 8500 also has a rear view antennae. I don't need to be stealthy anymore, so I'm not gonna bother mounting a display inside my gauges. I just want to know for sure that the V1 will save me sooner and more often than my Escort, which paid for itself several times this past weekend while driving the 993 to the Grand Canyon and back.

Read the tests and make your own decision.

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forgot to mention the counter.
the v-1 will count up to eight sources. very handy should you encounter a patrolman smart enough to hide somewhere that has a false signal that you would ignore, because you know that it is always there [alarms or electronic door opener, etc.].
the valentine will inform you of other signals hiding in the area.

I'd whole heartedly vote V1, but if you've got remote displays wired for the escort stuff, then it shouldn't be a problem to go with an Escort. This reminds me of the camaro/mustang or Canon/Nikon arguments. If people can argue about which is better, without it being obvious to everyone which is the winner, then that means that both are probably pretty good.

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I guess the Passport made intuitive sense to me, because it also counts sources, measures signal strength, tells me what frequency the radar is ... and it does all of this without requiring me to take my eyes off the road. The way that it beeps tells you everything you need to know.

The more important question is that of range, sensitivity, and false detects. The reports can tell you those details, I can only provide anecdotal evidence, like the time I caught a ping from a cop several miles ahead in hilly wooded terrain who was only lighting up cars that he thought might be speeding. There wasn't anything like a direct line of sight, and I have no idea how my radar detector caught that, but it sure was cool.

Good luck cutting through the hype to find truth.

Dan

My V1 has paid for itself...

If your car is wired for Belescort, get a STi.

+1