Escort vs Valentine
 

Quick question. I neer had any kind of detecters
and i heard Valentines are good as well as Escort
which one should be the best choice?
I seriously need to get one of these
thanks

Surprisingly, your question isn't as simple as it seems. both detectors you list are excellent -- the best in the business. Both provide excellent protection. Both are expensive and reliable. Either is a great choice.

I've used both and prefer my current Passport 8500 X50 to the V1. The 9500 Passport adds GPS anti-falsing for added protection, but I don't feel this feature is necessary or worth the extra expense.

The difference between the Escort and Valentine comes down to skill of the user. The V1 is actually more sensitive, which, depending on your ability to use it, may make it the WORSE choice. It simply has too many false alarms -- to the point where many begin to ignore the alarms and negate its advanced warning.

The passport, on the other hand is at least $100 cheaper and offers only marginally lower performance with regard to warning time in a real radar situation. We're talking about a second or two at highway speeds. However, when you get a K or Ka hit on a Passport, you can be sure it is real. I have been amazed at my unit's ability to filter out the noise and to offer that all important first "skip" hit of a radar source that is still a mile out of full range of true measure, but provides a quick, advanced warning. This is the only way to defeat instant-on radar every time and requires pretty astute user recognition and response.

In the V1 situation, I found I could not really trust that "skip" hit to be real and lost that measure of advanced warning. The directional arrows were great, though, and do work to cancel out some of the V1's shortcomings, with respect to twitchy falsing.

X-band is rarely used anymore, except in a few backwoods towns. Many turn X-band sensitivity completely off on their detectors. I do not. The 8500 is so good at anti-falsing and gives such a great lead time on this band, I leave it on and track the signals. When you see a gradually increasing signal strength that steadily builds, it's probably real and not a grocery store door, or something like that.

Neither detector offers protection against a well employed line-of-sight LASER. You'll need a jammer to defeat those. I have been effectively warned in traffic by the LASER detector in the Passport, but out in the open as the only target, I would have been toast. Staying out of the fast lane when possible, watching for brake lights in front of you when cresting a hill, checking for warning flashes from oncoming traffic or just going the speed limit are your best defenses if you don't have a jammer.

A good detector user learns to recognize the different types of signals, the way they trip the meters, the nuances of bounces and how a detector registers them. For me, the Passport is much easier to interpret and is less prone to false alarms. Even so, it's no "set-it-and-forget-it" situation. You must actively use a detector for it to be really effective. That's why many more casual users prefer the V1's arrows.

Good luck.

I hear the 9500IX is the Shizznit and the one I will buy:tup:

I have the 9500IX and the Laser Shifter ZR4 no tickets best system :tup:

dalparadise, I fully expected this thread to become a multi-page Escort v. Valentine war, but you did such a fair job of explaining the two brands I think you nipped it in the bud! Great job...:tup:

Now... Does anyone from our forums have one and want to sell it to me?
I am in need of one of these babies.

http://www.the370z.com/exterior-inte...est-radar.html

http://www.the370z.com/lounge-off-to...-detector.html

http://www.the370z.com/audio-video/9...endations.html

Here are just a couple of the many posts that discuss this topic.

I have the 9500ix personally and i would say that its the best. Saved me many times. The redlight also helps alot. Only downside is that its pricey but i think it was worth it. Thinking about how many times it saved me from tickets.

I have the 9500ix. The detection range is so far that most passengers are floored when the cop finally goes past. Even if the Valentine has a longer range, it's relatively overkill. With the better false protection and additional features of the 9500ix (GPS, auto false blockout, redlight and speed cam warnings), the 9500ix is a no brainer for me.

9500ix is by far the way to go. Best in class range and significantly less false alarms than the v1. My favorite feature is the GPS. You get the ability to get advance alerts for known bad spots, plus you can delete areas that have consistent false alarms. No more annoying beeps during your commute from the same spot with a damn electronic door that shoots out into the street....personal experience....lol. Also, escort offers updates to the firmware and database of bad spots weekly. Just plug in your laptop into your 9500 and update. 9500 is really a paradigm shift in detection...

mike

you usually pay far more for an escort, but they give you a good time...valentines are cheaper, all you gotta buy is like a box of chocolates or flowers...though the "rewards" are less...id say go for the valentine because if it works out for you...those "rewards" can possibly be long lasting...

I agree 100%. The silence on my way to work makes it worth every penny. My old Escort used to drive me nuts with all of the false alarms. The updatable database is icing on the cake. Valentine may work well, but it's stuck in 1998 and needs to get with the times.

I am a very happy owner of a V1.

I'm not 100% sure of how the escort uses it's memory-ignore feature, but I pass a specific alarm every day to work (a closed military gate, full-strength laser). While I normally just turn it off if I'm close to home, one night I decided just to mute it.

As I continued past the gate, my V1's arrows not only continued to light up with the rear arrow (as usual), the front arrow also was lit up. Where I would normaly speed up well above the speed limit, I kept it low as I passed a hidden police car running radar.

Without the arrows of my V1, it would have been the normal "pay no attention to the false-alarm" scenario. Would the Escort still display the police officer in this scenario, if it was set to ignore the military gate at the same location?

The indicator lights on the V1 definitely have me sold. Knowing when a cop is coming up behind you, or passes you on the opposite side of traffic, is invaluable information to have. I have the luxury of not living in a full urban area, so false alarms aren't very common, therefore the GPS function of the escort isn't as necessary for me.

:werd:, End thread.

OP: my dad and uncle both had V1's and i was the only one with a Passport 8500.... NOW they both got Passport 9500's and im still happy with my 8500. I'm always above the speed limit, usually 10mph. Have had the radar for 6.5 yrs and only had one ticket due to a laser gun with a sneaky cop behind it.