Escort Passport 9500ix Radar/Laser Detector (Black)
by Escort Inc.
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List Price: Our Price: $431.95 You Save: $68.00 (14%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $397.48 (click here) Category: Car Audio or Theater See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Escort Passport 9500ix Radar/Laser Detector (Black)
Customer Review: Goodbye, Valentine One!
Summary: 5 Stars
I have used many different detectors over the years and consider myself an expert in the field. If you're a long time radar detector user, the Escort 9500ix will completely blow your mind!
First, a little bit of background. For years, the Valentine One (V1 for short) was widely considered the best portable radar detector on the market, therefore it became the "gold standard" to which most other detectors would be compared to. It was a great detector with long range detection and directional arrows which would help the driver figure out where the different radar signals where coming from. It was also able to detect multiple signals at once, a nice feature that cheaper detectors (usually below $200) did not have. The biggest problem with it was the fact that it had so many false alarms (many of which, according to Valentine One's website, are to blame on cheaper radar detectors on the road) that most users would either start ignoring them or they would have to change the detector's settings to reduce its sensitivity (which in my view defies the purpose of buying a super-sensitive detector). I believe that because Valentine One had the main advantage at the time -the directional arrows- they became complacent and didn't work hard enough to find the next big technological improvement that would revolutionize radar detectors. Enter the Escort 9500ix. This detector uses GPS technology to automatically store false alarms so they never bother you again. It also has a pre-loaded database of all inductive loop systems (which are used by many speed cameras). It's basically a system which consists of two wires buried beneath the road surface and a computer that calculates the speed between the two wires, with a camera waiting at the end. V1 and all the other detectors on the market don't stand a chance against those threats. (Thankfully, those types of threats are not widespread at this point as far as I know but with the 9500 even if they were it wouldn't be a problem.)
GPS has made the Valentine One's directional arrows obsolete because now that false alarms have been eliminated on the 9500ix, if it goes off you KNOW it's a threat, regardless of where it's coming from.
Granted, the 9500ix is not for everyone. I would say it's more for the expert user. For most advanced users an Escort 8500 x50 or a V1 will be perfect. For more casual users even a Cobra or a Whistler will do the job (they saved me plenty of tickets over the years). But if you want the BEST protection available with mind-blowing features, spend the extra money and get the Escort 9500ix. You won't regret it. Its features include auto-volume control, which means it "listens" to the noise in the car and automatically adjusts the volume of the alerts. Also, because the 9500ix is GPS-enabled it knows exactly how fast you're going at any given point in time. So the faster you drive the further down the road it "sniffs" for radars, progressively increasing/decreasing its sensitivity as needed. How cool is that? This thing is light years ahead of most detectors in my view. Did I mention it automatically adjusts the brightness of the display according to the amount of light in the car? Of course, all the features mentioned above can also be manually adjusted. I believe that the Escort 9500ix is the new "Gold Standard" that other detectors should be compared to. The V1 just simply doesn't cut it anymore for expert users like myself. I have used many different detectors over the years and all I can say about this one is that driving will never be the same. Try the 9500 for a few days and, believe me, you will never go back to any other detector!
Customer Review: Best radar detector available today, hands down!
Summary: 5 Stars
I had been eyeballing this for a few months, but at the time $509 was a lot for a radar detector, but not when you compare it to the cost of a ticket plus raised insurance rates. As luck would have it, I caught it on Amazon for $409 (right at Xmas) and immediately bought it...Merry Christmas to me!
About the detector, I give it 5 stars for multiple reasons.
First, the form factor and mounting bracket are top notch. The blue text is a refreshing change from the circa 1980's red screens we've all seen. With the auto dimming feature, the text changes brightness based on the current lighting condition, and if you want, you can turn the text off (in the event a police car is following and you don't want him/her to see it through the rear window...handy for states that ban radar detectors). The buttons are easy to access and having a mute button on the chord is a nice addition.
As for the beeps, the initial beeps will be at the volume you set, but then they taper down as to not become annoying. Again, very nice feature.
The GPS is what sold me...having the ability to update the database of red light cameras (not that I would EVER run a red light), speed cameras and speed traps, as well as marking them yourself is a great idea. I find myself marking them whenever I come across one. It's nice to have a warning just incase you were thinking about trying to make that yellow light and risk it turning red (thus a ticket in the mail from the camera).
The speed sensor is very accurate...when an alarm goes off the unit will display your current speed...nice not having to glance down at your dash. The faster you drive, the more "alert" the unti becomes and warns you further in advance.
Also, the GPS feature allows the unit to remember where it detected a signal, and if it detects the same signal at the same location three times, it will automatically store it and the next time you drive past that location, it will display "Stored" and beep one time. This is handy to weed out false alarms that you may encouter if you take the same route everyday (e.g. your drive to work).
The voice recordings are a pleasant "human" sounding voice; not a watered-down Atari sounding computer simulation.
The mounting bracket is well built, sturdy and allows for easy attach/detach of the unit. With three settings to insert the tongue into the radar, I can always have it set level and not bouncing or rattling agains the glass when the car is in motion. I NEVER leave this in my car unnattended, so having the ability to remove and install quickly was important to me.
The chord is long enough to reach anywhere you want to mount the unit.
Overall this is a great unit and you will not be disappointed. Yeah, it's pricey, but if you want one that works well and saves you from a ticket, then it has served its purpose.
This is the fourth different radar I've owned and I don't see ever having to move to a new unit (all others in the past paled in comparison and seemed to give false alarms).
April 2010 update: Escort just released a single suction cup style windshield mount ($25) that is awesome! Now you can easily mount and unmount the detector from this mount, and also it adjust in infinite settings (vs. having to "bend" the stock style mount to get the right angle). If you purchase this radar, do yourself a favor and get the mount as well. It's not available on amazon (yet), but you can order it here: https://www.escortradar.com/store/product.php?productid=16219&cat=259&page=1.
Customer Review: Negative Reviewers: RTM. This Product Is GREAT!
Summary: 5 Stars
I read through all of the negative reviews and many of the positive ones as well as all the more recent comparisons I could find and then bought the 9500ix.
My prior detector was a Solo S2 that was stolen while I was deployed. I loved that one and so gave strong consideration to the Escort brand. I know folks who love their Valentines, but I was unimpressed by them.
I love it. The only thing I can conclude from the negative reviews is that they failed to read the manual before using it or are religiously devoted to the Valentine One.
1: Failing to alert on speed cams, red light cams, etc: No database is perfect. That's why this product has the ability to mark speed traps, cameras, etc. on the fly. I've used mine for two days and have already marked several types of locations either for flagging or for ignoring which seems to work perfectly.
2: Detection range: Flawless. More than enough, even in the city, to give me time to react but not so much I decide the thing is false-alerting. Within 5 minutes of installing it the thing gave me ample warning of a motorcycle cop approaching with K-Band going and I had almost a full minute to react. Valentine One touts it's very long-detection range. Great, but I don't really care if someone in the next county is pointing a RADAR gun along another road. The detection range on this is excellent without being useless.
3: Really? You're going to complain about the CASE? I don't WANT a ten-pound chunk of magnesium hanging off my windshield. The build quality on this is excellent, solid and...LIGHT.
4: The coiled cord. Eh. Gives me plenty of flexibility. In my Saturn I have to play some games to route it where I want to go, but this is a problem with any cord. Kinda silly to complain that they don't supply you with every kind of cord made when you purchase it.
5: The Display. Seems clear and easy to read to me. Complaints about it not showing the band? RTM again. I switched the voice off on mine and went with the Expert display which gives me a bar display of the strength and band of individual emitters. If I wanted to, I could set it to display the FREQUENCY of individual emitters. I like the quick visual display of my speed upon alert, but I can turn that off if I choose.
6: Display too bright. Press the BRT button to dim it down, or completely dark or set it to auto and let it dim itself at night. And for real? You're going to complain about that tiny little LED on the power adapter? THAT is too bright for you? May I suggest you wear your sunglasses at night? Moonlight must be actively painful. Or, try a piece of tape. I love having both the visual cue and a second mute button available on the adapter.
I LOVE the Auto-Learn feature. There's one stretch I drive through that I was unsure what was being alerted. Three trips through and the thing determined it was a false-alert and now...no more beeps there. I didn't even have to mark the location myself. Conveniently, it indicates it's blocking a signal there with a very unobtrusive rotating GPS symbol so that I can UNBLOCK it if I choose to.
I do a LOT of driving, both city and highway and this appears to be the best detector available for me. If you're a serious driver and exposed to a wide variety of threats, this is an outstanding, if expensive detector with an incredible array of features and highly configurable.
Orion
Customer Review: Good but no plans to be Apple compatible
Summary: 3 Stars
I have not owned a radar detector in years but with local laws now doubling and tripling traffic fines and using it as a way to make up for budget deficits I decided now was the time to get another one. Bought this from Amazon in August from 2010. Arrived quickly and in good shape. Plugged it in with out reading the manual which I did later. Worked great right out of the box. Few false alarms. The best feature is that you drive by the same location twice where there is a false alarm it automatically blocks those out as advertised. That is by far the best feature! I can drive down a 20 mile route into a major city where my very old detector would go off so many times I would unplug it, now not a beep unless it is real. have noticed however if I drive a path occasionally and may not have been that way in over a month the blocked out spots seem to have expired.
Performance of the detector against radar seems to be good, not outstanding. Usually I have about 2-3 seconds warning before I see the police car on a straight open road with a distance of about a mile. I have been pleasantly surprised on twisty and hilly roads and in traffic that it does seem to give a bit more warning at shorter distances. Instant on and laser warning are basically notifications that they got you. Luckily for me I wasn't speeding at those times and I could mark those locations to be careful of future speed traps. The photo red light warning is also good and usually chimes in with about a quarter mile to go. I also like that when the alarm sounds it tells you the speed you are going based on the GPS.
The biggest and most frustrating negative is that no Escort is Apple or Mac compatible. At the time I did not see this on the product description on the Amazon site and it is not mentioned on the box. It does proudly say on the box that it is "Web-Ready" and that "safety camera database and operating software can be easily updated via our website." WRONG. If you have iPods, iPhones, iPads and Macs and don't also own a PC you are out of luck. I have contacted them several times and they have told me they have no interest and no plans to be Mac compatible. They also said if I had looked through the whole Passport web site in fine print they say this. They then hang up on me or end my conversation online. So now on a weekly basis I get e-mails from Escort saying I am required to do a MANDATORY download for my 9500ix, but if I have a Mac I can't do it. This also means I get no updates on new photo radar sites including the one that went up on my regular commute a couple weeks ago. I can manually fix specific sites I know but if I go someplace I don't know I am out of luck.
I can not return this and don't really want to. It works well but over time as I lose out on updates the Passport will become less effective and useful and I will miss all software updates. You would think a company that claims to be the top of the line in radar detectors wouldn't proudly ignore a company that claims the same in computers, phones etc. I am not saying either are the best. At least Escort could make it easy to know they don't work with anything Apple and not hide it till after you bought one. Without the compatibility issues and rudeness from Escort staff I would have given this product 5 stars.
Customer Review: Valentine One vs Escort 9500ix
Summary: 4 Stars
I spent an extensive amount of research comparing radar detectors going so far as to read various expert websites and spoke to people who owned them. I ultimately limited my options to the Valentine One and the Escort. The Escort won hands down. If you live in any large metropolitan city, you absolutely do not want the Valentine One. The false signals make that device utterly useless and you intuitively begin ignoring the signals due to the high false alarm rate. The Escort's AI learns the false signals and stores that information after it encounters the false alarm three times or you can push a button and lock it out yourself. The Escort also allows you to mark certain areas that are speed traps so even if a police car is not present at the site, it will give you a warning to slow down. The other nice features are the GPS which recognizes speed cameras and gives you advanced warning when one is approaching. Finally, the other advantage this detector has over Valentine One is that it has a USB port and you can update the firmware through your computer. With Valentine, you have to mail the detector to them for them to update it. Ultimately, you will love this radar detector because of it's ability to learn and filter out false alarms.
The only logical reason for choosing the Valentine One over the Escort is if you live in a rural area and police sit isolated in some speed trap flipping on their radar once every 10 minutes. Only in that situation is the Valentine One a better device because there is not enough development to set off false alarms and it has the range to detect threats far away. However, if you are like most of us who live in or near a metropolitan area in which there is enough development to set off false alarms, you definitely do NOT want the Valentine. After all, if a radar detector is going to go off all the time due to false alarms, you might as well buy a cheap $60 detector from Best Buy as those also have good range but go off all the time.
The reason I didn't give the Escort 5 stars is the range is poor relatively speaking. Don't get me wrong, it still has plenty of range and will detect threats a mile in advance giving you enough time to stop but some of the better detectors will warn you 2-3 miles in advance on the freeway and this detector doesn't quite achieve that.
One last thing, you may be deciding between this one and the high end custom installed version. I considered the $1500 CI version but did some research and determined it's not worth it. You are basically paying for the same detector except it is concealed and fit to the car. Even with the discounted $1000 version they have on Amazon now, the cost to have it properly installed at a dealership will cost you another $500-$1000 so the true cost of that item is $2000. I would consider paying that if that device offered any true technical advantage over this item but it doesn't and the advantages are merely cosmetic.
The bottom line is I am happy with this detector and will buy a second one for my wife. No detector on the market deserves 5 Stars yet because there isn't an ideal detector. That being said, the Escort is better for city and suburb drivers and the Valentine is better for rural drivers.