It's not an installed unit though. That's what I have for the stealth look.

Wierd. My cel phone has a flash. You're the first person not selling those products that claims they work. Also, being that traffic cameras have really only started popping up in the last decade or so, isn't your age irrelevant? Any research I've done leads me to believe the product you're talking about is snake oil. Do you have any information (not from the people selling the product) that provides evidence to the contrary?

I have seen sprays and covers that do a few things:

1. Spray the plate so a flash will be so bright so as to ruin the photo, like shooting in a mirror.
2. Polarize the plate (cover are cheaper) with a polarizing filter so that the plate appears to be blank when viewed through a camera lens that does not use a circular polarizer to "unpolarize" the light.

Both illegal in my state.

Came in to state my opinion...

Valentine 1. Yes the 9500ix is a sexy and sleek radar that has awesome features to keep it quite but it's not the same as having a valentine 1. I had the Beltronics vector 965, the escort 8500 x50, and the 9500ix but all of them combined are not as great as the valentine. The valentine is a very sensitive radar so you are sacrificing the comfort of "no noise" for performance. The arrows DO MATTER. I can't begin to explain how much those arrows help!

I think of it like this. The 9500ix is like a G37. It does perform well and has the luxuries. But the v1 is like the Z, raw performance.


-M-

^so... If the "cop" is behind you, you slow down? Or not slow down? Or if it's in front of you you slow down? Or... Do you not slow down...?

With the new technology the cops have with Lidar, not the V1 nor the 9500ix stand a chance. You get zapped 3-4 times before your detector ever even realizes a signal was shot. In Texas a laser switcher or jammer is legal and thats really the only proven defense against the new laser technology. The passport zr4 is my next one. It is not only hidden but it works with my 9500ix.

Even with the old laser technology, without a jammer all the detector was doing was letting you know you were ticketed most of the time. Not enough warning to react, unless you got a *very* lucky reflection when they hit another car further up the road. And yeah, Texas banned laser jammers in 2011 finally.

The upside is that laser is still less common than radar and always will be, so a good radar detector still helps reduce your odds of a ticket. Laser requires the officer to stop on the side of the road and set up with it to get accurate targeting, whereas radar is mobile and easy. I see both around the Houston area, but still radar far more commonly.

The best defense against both has never changed, though: just being more aware. Slow down going over blind hills and be ready to brake if you see a trap on the other side. Watch traffic patterns ahead of you: if you see brake lights on the highway and you're not already in stop-n-go traffic: slow down - either there's an incident or a cop ahead. The other thing is basically don't drive like an a$$. If you speed by reasonable amounts and drive safely otherwise, you're far less likely to draw police attention and they'll let you go even when they know you're speeding a bit. If you're weaving in much slower traffic and being stupid, they'll make a much larger effort to pull you over for a much smaller speed violation than they otherwise would. There's always a judgement call on the officer's part: don't convince him that you're a safety hazard to everyone else on the road :)

Yea I stand corrected. Sept 1st 2011 went illegal to shift.

The only reason the arrows help me in general is that the laser speed traps, at least in my area, hit you from far away then again when you get close to take the picture. I have never had to do this, but I figure if you get hit and see the trap, just turn around and head the other way or turn off the road. So if I see I got hit from the front, I would do what is stated above. Sides and rear? I agree, you would slow down anyway.

There was an instance where there were multiple cops. One was standing behind a ramp and one was .25 miles ahead. I was driving with a buddy of mine who had a 8500. As soon as we passed the first cop he sped up thinking he was safe. I knew because of my arrows that it wasn't. He ended up getting pulled over.


-M-

How is not knowing what direction the signal is coming from better? V1 hands down for radar protection.


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All that proves is your friend is a moron.

If I have Ka or something, see a cop and still have a signal, I'm still driving slow, if I get a blip of Ka, I drive slower, or within the legal limits for about 10 miles unless I get a stronger signal.

The longest confirmed Ka band I have with my new Escort Passport Max was 11 miles on a raid trip to Sacramento. I had 2 radar detectors, one set to spec mode which gives me the frequency of the radar. I had a blip 11 miles out, went away, another stronger blip 5 miles out, and for the last 2.4 miles I had a constant Ka, all the same frequency until I saw the CHP officer sitting on the side of the road.
Now, 11 miles is a bit much, no one should EXPECT 11 miles. But the average range I had was 7 miles on that trip.



For arguments sake, you will almost never win from LIDAR, and you will NEVER win from instant on radar, you can just pray that the cop turn it on for another car ahead of you

I guess it's just personal preference. But I do agree with the lidar and instant being impossible to avoid


-M-

I'd like your input

Don't speed and you won't ever need a radar detector.

I do not practice what I preach and use an Escort 9500ix. Is it the best? I have no idea because I am not a scientist like most of the other posters here seem to think they are. Most high-end detectors probably do about the same job. I have been using Escort/Passport detectors since the Cincinnati Microwave days in the early 80's and just settled on that brand and the have saved me from my own devices many times over.