So I’m lookin to get a radar detector for myself. I kno that you get what you pay for but I’m not lookin the break $100. So I have found two options so far, the early warning ew-606, or the cobra 9545. Has anyone had any experience with either one of these? Good or bad? And I’m open to any other suggestions as well.
I’ve had experience with a cheap detector (not those particular ones) and let me tell you they are a waste of money.
Since than I had 2 Valentines and now have 9500ix.
You’re better off without a detector than with a cheap one.
When you do get pulled over after you constantly get annoyed by fake alarms, you’re guaranteed a ticket with a detector visible in your window (my V1 and 9500 are hidden by the roof line and hard wired)
this
My friends use cheapo radar detectors and it’s the most annoying thing ever. They always think their invincible even though they usually dont go off until we already see the cop. And they think they work great because yeah theyre usually going off when were near cops but no shit since it’s constantly going off. Soooo annoying
Valentine one or that Escort 9000x (not sure exact model)
If you don’t buy either of those, don’t buy one.
valentine 1 or passport 9500ix are the onlt options. If you want a dependable detector that actually works you’ve gotta pay to play. I myself have a v1, had it for 4 years now without a single ticket. Before i got it i’d get a ticket about every six months and then pay a lawyer, the $400 initial price is well worth it. I chose the valentine for the range and the arrows, to each his own. A passport 8500 is another option that works well and slightly cheaper also
If your not willing to spend at least 300 on a detector your money will be more useful being set on fire. If it stops you from getting one speeding ticket its payed for itself.
Which one of the two are better?
I have beltronics RX65 which has the same sensor hardware as the Passport 8500 - 9500 and can be found under $100 on ebay. Not quite as good as the Valentine. The Passport 9500 is close but I never found something that beats the V1.
I’ve had both and currently have the 9500ix.
Best way I can summarize it is this - for a daily commuter vehicle that will travel the same roads and you will put most miles on - 9500ix or any GPS model to shut off the annoying fake signals (I knew I had a bunch of them on my way in to work, and having V1 before I knew it would always be going off).
However for a bike or anything fast that you will be breaking the law on but you wont drive daily I’d still go with V1.
Where is best place to buy v1? Direct from them is $399, amazon is $499? :dunno
Direct or eBay with a serial number confirming that it’s the latest version.
I wish I had a V1. My last Passport 8500 X50 was garbage. It would always say “CALIBRATING” which none of my previous 8500 ever did. During this time it would not pick up radar and was very frustrating.
For me, I don’t speed a lot. I have my detector for other activities. Gas costs too much and there is very little gain in time unless your really moving and at that point your risk of ticket or injury is high and fuel consumption is worse.
Speeding is for the ballers that you see on the thruway pulled over in their new Range Rover.
direct from them
:rofl
I gotta buy another v1
I just bought a passport 9500xi… what does the v1 do that the 9500 does not?
Questions I have for those Radar’ers:
- Can you leave them in the car if you aren’t worried about them getting stolen? Like on a hot July day, can I leave it ‘installed’ on my dash without it melting?
- How does the V1 work? I heard you get free updates for life or something? Do you send it in? Do you flash it with new FW on the computer?
Either one I get, it will most likely be hard wired and pretty high up my windshield so it won’t be easy to spot from someone standing next to the car (such as the PoPo, etc.). Not to mention my window is tinted so that should help ‘conceal’ it a bit more.
EDIT: Chad, everything I read is V1 is sliigghtttllly better than the 9500ix. But the 9500ix is best in the city while the V1 is best on the open road (which is why I think I’m finally going to get one - I do a helluva lot of highway driving).
EDIT 2: Not sure which one to get lol.
Def can’t leave anything in the car anymore it may seem gay but I have a backpack with me when I park the car and take my electronics with me I had some scumbags break into my car and take my x50 and my lifetime subscription Sirius radio I bought off Craigslist for 50$ 3 years ago and my flat black icon helmet so my car is 100% empty when I’m not in it
V1 is approximately on par with 9500ix overall performance wise when you average out the sources, possibly a little bit better (arguably) and has arrows to help you determine where the cop is. Also has a strong rear facing sensor I believe.
As I’ve said, I’ve had both, arrows are very useful and are not just a gimmick, however with that said the GPS is seemingly more practical for a daily vehicle as I’ve described above.
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I’ve never heard of one melting and left mine inside no problem.
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V1 updates are essentially you gotta buy the new one if you want the update. It costs around ~$200 to upgrade and they just send you a new one. Meanwhile you can sell the old one with ~$100 loss on ebay and buy a new one if you really wanted. Both have very high resale.
Nother question…
Escort Live. Worth it?