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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Customers in the UK,
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Escort Passport 9500ix Radar/Laser Detector (Black)
Customer Review: Totally worth the expense!
Summary: 5 Stars
Lets just say I was a bit skeptical when my dad, a lifelong Passport driver, told me to ditch my Cobra detector and buy the Passport 9500ix. Thinking he was just partial to what he knew, I asked him why I should spend so much more on this detector. After going through a laundry list of why (better radar detection, GPS technology, it saved him from a ticket on a recent drive to Columbus...) I relented. SO glad I did! As soon as the detector came in the mail, I opened the box and my immediate reaction was: SEXY! The 9500ix is way sleeker than my old clunky Cobra. As we all know, looks arent everything, and the 9500ix doesn't stop there. Mounting the detector to my windshield was easy, and I was off and on my way to see how well my new investment worked.
The street I live on has a 90 degree curve where cops love to wait to pick off unsuspecting drivers. My old Cobra never picked up the signal going around the curve, but I was at least 750 feet away from the curve, and my new 9500ix has already alerted me to the cop--from around the curve! Not only did the 9500ix alert me with sound, the bright LED screen told me my exact speed I was going when it sensed the cop's radar, which instantly tells me if I need to slow down. Wow!
It gets better from there: after only 2 days of driving around my neighborhood, no longer do I hear the chirps of X band as I go by Walgreens or Krogers, as the detector has locked out the signals. After driving for years with my old Cobra going off for every door opener around town, the silence on my detector is amazing--now when I hear the 9500ix go off, I immediately slow down and sure enough, yards away is a cop waiting to ticket an unsuspecting driver. From now on, the "unsuspecting driver" wont be me. If you dont want it to be you--get one now. You wont regret it.
Customer Review: jeff from ohio
Summary: 3 Stars
I own the Escort IX radar detector. It is a good product when it works. I started having trouble with mine after owning it about 6 months. I drive cost to cost so I am always using it. After 6 months the "Power on/Off button" started jamming up. A call to Escort led to me having to reprogram/re-download the software and it fixed the problem for about a week. Then the power button would jam up again. The next problem I had is the Red Light traffic camera alert function. After a while of use, my radar detector stopped warning me when I traveled threw an intersection in which I had "Marked as a red light camera area". It gave me no warning if I was driving at slow speeds. If I was doing 45 miles an hour it worked fine. Then a few months later it would either not warn me at all or the radar detector would warn me after I had passed through the intersection about 200 yards too late. (And yes the GPS was on)
The worst part about the escort IX is if you need it repaired. When you ship it to the factory, you will not hear back from them about what is wrong with it or when you will get it back. Calling Escort and asking them on the status of the repair is of no use. All they will tell you is, it is being repaired and it will take 1-2 weeks. Informing them that you need it back sooner then later is of no use. They don't care. They have no one to call to find out what is going on whit your radar detector. But they are more then happy to sell you another one, while you're waiting on your $500 radar detector collecting more dust at the repair service center.
Overall service/experience I have received form Escort, "was poor at best" I give them an "F" on there grade card and would recommend shopping around before you buy an Escort.
Jeff
Customer Review: A great radar/laser detector - no complaints
Summary: 5 Stars
This unit is my first radar/laser detector, so I don't have any other points of reference -- but this unit does everything I wanted, and it does it very well. The GPS functionality is extremely valuable - and a great idea to add into such a detector. The ability to mark speed traps, as well as upload red light/speed cameras from Escort's database is terrific. Most of all, the unit's ability to learn and eventually eliminate false alarms is great & works very well. I typically get a good number of X-band false alarms, but given that most people don't drive random routes that differ each day, the unit learns quickly and is able to eliminate most of those false alarms. I don't use it much for city driving -- only on my long distance trips. This unit has already paid for itself, in my opinion, in saving me on a number of occasions. If you simply rely entirely on this unit alone, and not be an aware driver, you're still going to get a ticket - just a matter of time. However, if you remain aware and also have this unit, you'll be much better off. At the end of the day, it's not a guaranteed "ticket avoiding" system - since all it takes is one motorcycle officer with a laser, and you're sunk. Keep that in mind :)
Also, be sure the unit is level when you mount it (or place it on your dash) for maximum sensitivity. If it's off kilter a lot to the left or right, or vertically, you're degrading the sensitivity -- it takes minimal effort to level it, so I would recommend doing that. I have a little mini-level that I purchased, and use it each time I put this unit on my dash - to ensure it's level. Takes all of 5 seconds.
This unit was expensive - but in my opinion, worth it. It's well made, and seems to perform extremely well.
Customer Review: Finally, a detector worth upgrading to.
Summary: 5 Stars
Over the years I have owned several radar detectors all the way back to the original Escort which was state of the art back in its day. Unfortunately, speed trap technology seemed to advance at a much faster rate than detector technology. In recent years, the 8500 spent most of the time in the trunk as things like speed cameras became the bigger threat and the hassle of listening to false alarms was more hassle than it was worth. The arrows on the Valentine are nice, but were not enough to bring me back to the fold. Reality is that the basic technology of detectors has not changed in 20 years ... until now.
The integration of GPS into a radar detector is probably the most significant innovation to this market, and is a game changer. A drive through places like AZ, where they have placed cash registers (er, speed cams) every 10 miles or so, instantly triples the value of a product like the 9500ix. On a recent trip to AZ it picked up every one of them (note that the fixed cameras do not rely on radar so a traditional detector is useless). It also noted the red light cameras, although in my opinion if you run red lights you deserve a ticket and a suspension.
Just as important as the alerts is the learning capability. In areas around Philadelphia, the noise pollution drives most other detectors crazy. The 9500ix has worked just as advertised, it spots the false alarms until about the 3rd pass when it recognizes them and marks them so that you are not getting beeped every time.
I was concerned when I saw a eviewer whining about having to pay for the data updates. Get serious, it is $30 for a 3 year subscription. if you can't afford that, then you should be buying a Whistler or some other $50 piece of junk.
Customer Review: Great Radar Detector
Summary: 5 Stars
Of all the detectors I have used over the years (and there have been many) my new Passport 9500i is hands down the best. Its features, design, and performance demonstrate practical solutions to radar needs that have evolved over time.
The performance of the 9500i is exceptional. False alerts were managed by the detector's GPS autolearn function, and real radar alerts were detected with plenty of time to react to the threat.
A convenient feature in this detector is its GPS marking system. The detector learns the locations of false alerts like automatic door openers and speed display signs. Anyone who has passed by a gas station knows how annoying that can be.
The 9500i also displays the speed that the owner's vehicle is going when a radar alert occurs. This combines checking the radar signal and the vehicle's speedometer into one glance, increasing reaction time to an alert.
The 9500i has a brilliant blue LED display. The clarity and adjustable brightness make it easy to notice and identify radar and laser signals, and the adjustable brightness is perfect at night for discrete monitoring. The cord, called the smartcord, has an alert indicator and a mute button for quick reference and use when reaching up to the detector may be inappropriate. The buttons on the top of the 9500i are easy to use; a driver can easily switch the detector's sensitivity to radar, brightness, and volume level.
Overall the Passport 9500i's cost (not cheap) is well worth it based on its top of the line performance, especially when one considers the cost of today's revenue (not safety) oriented speeding tickets.