Escort Passport 9500i Radar and Laser Detector
by Escort Inc.
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List Price: Our Price: $359.95 You Save: $90.04 (20%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Car Audio or Theater See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Escort Passport 9500i Radar and Laser Detector
Customer Review: Excellent performer worth every penny
Summary: 5 Stars
I am a veteran user of radar detectors (this is my 6th). This unit is by far the best one I have owned. It is feature rich and includes things like adjusting the volume of the alert based on the ambient noise inside the vehicle so you don't miss alerts. The ability to turn all the lights on the detector off at night while still receiving alerts on an LED mounted on the power cord (audible alert also still goes off). That eliminates everyone knowing you have a detector at night. Support for all bands used in the U.S. including POP radar & laser detection. It allows you to use GPS to mark speed traps, school zones and red light/photo camera locations. The detector will also increase the distance you are given to respond when entering the area of a marked location based on your speed. The faster you are going the more distance given.
It is not necessary to mark locations on routes that you travel frequently when there are false alarms. Once you enter an area 3x and receive the same alarm on the same band at the same frequency the detector recognizes it as a false and blocks out that false alarm in the future. Here is the cool part it will still recognize a change in frequency and/or band from the same location (police) and then alert while still having blocked the false alarm.
I love this detector and I would only ever consider getting rid of it to go one step up to the 9500ix model. I live in a state that doesn't use red light cameras or photo radar cameras (I'm in Michigan)so not having the ix doesn't hurt at all for me. I don't run redlights so I'm not worried about those even when I travel which is often. This detector can be updated easily with a usb cable and a laptop. It will also allow you to back up your marked locations onto your windows based PC (doesn't work with a Mac).
The most important thing for any radar detector is how much time does it give you to respond to a real alert. There is no problem in that area. This thing has range. Just put it on automatic and let it work. It will automatically detect your speed and increase the sensitivity of the detector. Slow down and it also dials down the sensitivity. This gives you range when needed and not a ton of false alarms like other detectors (ahem, cough cough VALENTINE!!). Did I say this doesn't give you a ton of false alarms.
This detector is well built and nicely packaged. It comes in a black hard case that is covered in a rich looking vinyl with a molded velvet interior. It comes with a mounting bracket that is very easy to use and an additional set of suction cups. It has a coiled cord with an additional mute button on the power cord along with led's there for when you turn off the lights on the detector at night. The owner's manual fits right in the top of the case. It's very easy to put in and take out. I put mine in the case and lock it away or take it with me when out of the car.
I bought this on clearance from the evil Best Buy (lol). It was on clearance for $360.00. I also had a $10.00 Reward Zone certificate so it was 350.00 for me. That was $100.00 cheaper than I could find it anywhere else. If you don't have one of these get one especially if you can find one that cheap!
Customer Review: The best there is - when it works.
Summary: 3 Stars
I have owned this detector for about a year and a half now. When it works, it is simply awesome.
I've driven with a couple BEL's, an old-school Passport (Circa 1989), and a Valentine One.
The V1 has the best build quality and the coolest Bogey counter, but it has a major downfall - it squawks so much because it is so sensitive that you learn to ignore it.
That is where the 9500i takes the cake - especially when you drive the same route over and over - you "train it" where the false alarms are, and the GPS that is built in ignores the false alarms. So...if a Police Officer parks next to one of your "trained" locations - it will still go off! It is so smart it knows there are two RADAR signals there and not just one.
I have two beefs with the device and I have had to send it back to Escort twice already for repair. This is unsatisfactory.
One of its downfalls (but I guess they all do this, even the Valentine One) is they false alarm for LASER. The V1 falses when you are behind a vehicle with really bright LED taillights - like a Cadillac Escalade. This will do that as well - but this also false alarms in bright sunlight. I asked Escort about this and they said it could be the light is being reflected so that it is hitting the frequency of the Laser. Hmmm.
Either way, it is annoying.
But...the reason I sent mine back twice is the GPS tracking failed. It would say "GPS SIGNAL ACQUIRED" and then a minute or so later it says "GPS SIGNAL IS LOST". And repeat. And repeat. Very annoying. This is in clear skies with good satellite coverage - my Garmin Zumo which was also in the car / motorcycle with it had no problem tracking.
The first time I sent it back they fixed it up...and it worked great again for another 4 months, and then it started happening again. It went back again this week, and I paid the extra $125 for the 9500ix upgrade, so we'll see what that does.
Anyway, when this thing works, there is nothing better - because when it goes off, it is the real deal (except for the aforementioned bright sunlight LASER false alarms).
My advice - Buy the extended warranty just in case, based on my experience. It is called the "Escort Service Plan" - ESP. In my case, it gets me a fixed detector, vs. a $450 paper weight since I am beyond my one year warranty period.
UPDATE 10/11/2008:
Just got it back...paid an extra $125 to get it upgraded to the 9500ix version...and....drumroll please...it still will not get and hold a lock on the GPS satellites...so it is going back again on Monday. So...as of this point, it is now a $575 doorstop until they get me a working version.
Customer Review: Damn Laser!
Summary: 4 Stars
My last detector was a Cobra 9930 and it was great for the money. For a great portion of the time, the Cobra served me well; the Ka band detection was at 80% of what the 9500i could do. But the big difference is the 9930 would have 1 bar up to right when I pass the cop before going into 5 bar, the 9500i was much more confident in showing the range of signal. The last time I encountered Ka band, it was over several incline and decline straight road. The Ka band went from 1 to 5 in a matter of seconds, then drop back to 3 when I was in the lower end of the road, then 5 when I was on top. Then it stopped. I thought to myself at that moment that it maybe have been a false alarm, but it was too rhymically synchronized that it couldn't be. that's when I passed the cop who has already pulled someone to the side of the road and stepping out of his cruser.
The other reason I upgrade to the 9500i was it's range in both X and K band. But that would have been a double edged sword as in the case of the X50, which I owned briefly via eBay buy and then sell, because there are so many false alarms. The GPS feature of the 9500i make it bearable.
Up till now, I've been pretty positive about this device. And don't get me wrong, I think it's the best detector out there. But the achilles' heel for my 9500i is the laser detection. This topic is of course about false alarms. The Cobra 9930 gave me a good dose of false pop alerts, but this Escort 9500i gives a lot of false laser detection. And it's not random. I get a laser detection every time I accelerate hard from a dead stop. If I pull some G higher than a certain point, it'll go off. I push on the gas, beep! I enter the freeway, beep! damn that laser. Although I can't imagine that it's the electronics that reacts to acceleration. I really don't know what it is. My latest theory is that it's the clear suction cups acts like a prism and refract the light next to the senor at the top. But it's just a guess.
Overall, I would still recommend it. I like it so much I bought one for my wife. Market rate when I purchased brand new on EBay and Craigslist is $340.
Customer Review: Exceptional Detector
Summary: 4 Stars
This is certainly every bit of and should have been a 5 star rating on this product. I spent well over a month reading everything I could find on all detectors out there and this was hands done the one all that research left me buying. Since buying it I've logged a lot of drive hours into using it and getting to know it intimately and it's been just extraordinary. "Ka Band" Radar is what most people are going to find they run into and the Ka detection of the 9500i has been perfectly tuned to not over extend it's range, while still giving you plenty of warning time. The GPS capabilities to lockout false signals (very common) has worked flawlessly for me. I have numerous X and K band false signals locked out so they don't annoy me, while an actual police radar in the area still triggers an alert. GPS location marking of the 9500i is also your only defense against VASCAR speed traps where aircraft and stop watches are used with markings on the road side, other detectors can't do either of these GPS must have features for you.
I knocked them 1 star on my rating though not because of a problem with the device, but because 1 year after being on the market now Escort still does not have the software available to allow use of the built in USB port on this detector. I considered knocking them a second star as well because if you buy this on Amazon or that other popular auction site the manufacturer, escortradar dot com, will void your warranty. Search around and you'll see the real reason why, this manufacturer practices price fixing, anyone (like Amazon) selling this product for less than the set price finds their name on the manufacturers "Do Not Buy From, Warranty Will Be Void", list which can be found at their website.
Customer Review: Excellent Radar Detector
Summary: 5 Stars
Have used the 9500i for about a month now, and appears to be a lot more sensitive than my "top of the line" Bell detector I bought 3 years ago. I still like Bell, but the GPS features of this unit made it a must have.
Pros:
* Wow!, I have detected constant scans, instant, and pop radars, sometimes a mile before I see the patrol car. I almost think I have a false scan, but when I see the patrol car I know the 9500i was not lying to me. (One time I got hit, so I shut it down, the guy behind me really didn't like that, so I let him by and he passed me like I was standing still, he got nailed, see, radar detectors can be fun).
* Allows you to see your speed on the detector, so you can use it as a "heads up" display.
* Allows you to lock out false signals from a certain area. (Nice, but see Cons).
Cons:
* A Lot more false scans than my Bell unit. On the upside, you can lock these out, so basically it's "trial and error" until you determine you have a false signal and decide to lock it out.
* At it's lowest brightness level, it's still to bright (compared to my Bell). I don't like advertising to everyone around that I have a radar detector, cops really don't like them, and will pull you over for something else if they can't get you speeding.
Note: If your alone on the road, speeding, and get scanned, there is no radar detector in the world that will save you. The cop units are good, some are very good. Your only hope is that when you detect a scan, the cop is scanning another vehicle, not you, if it is you, forget it, your getting a ticket. Just thought I would throw this in here if anyone thought radar detectors are a perfect solution.