What is your favorite Radar Detector?

[RadarReviews_Net]

I purchased the Escort Passport 9500i .... after two weeks I sold it and went back to the Valentine One Radar

[CJR238]

My favorite 2-3 RD's to invest in if stealth isn’t needed is the 9500I or V1 and of course if price is a concern the 8500X50.

This is some of the primary points to consider:

V1 positives:
Very sensitive.
Simple design (old school)
Arrows

V1 negatives:
A bit too sensitive (chatty)
Programming is not easy/logical.
Antiquated design.

9500I positives:
Sensative/acurate but not overly sensitive.
GPS TrueLock & Marking.
Easy to use with ton's of cool features.

9500I negatives:
Too quiet/advanced for some diehards.
TrueLock can be tricky in some situations.
Sensitivity isn’t a V1.

8500X50 positives:
Price/feature benefit
Good sensitivity
Easy to use.

8500X50 negatives:
Not as sensitive as V1 or 9500I but close.
Starting to get out dated.
Price is higher than some Bell units with similar sensitivity for less.

I also like the Bel STI a lot, it has similar sensitivity to the V1 & 9500I if you need stealth.

In the end you need to decide what best suite’s your specific needs/budget weather it be Whistler, Belscort or the good old V1.

Most RD's you can get to know and love pretty quickly, the only exceptions are the V1 & 9500I that take a bit longer to get to know/use. I recommend 2 months to really appreciate what those 2 RD's can do.
If you don’t the V1 will seem too chatty/sensitive and the 9500I will seem too quiet/less sensitive.

I have seen too many V1's returned because of chattiness, and it can be programmed to be a bit quieter.
I have also seen too many 9500I's returned because of the misinterpretation of features and warning-alerts.

[rled]

Valentine V1. Hands down. I really like the arrows. Many times a radar car would come up behind me. The v1 lets me know . It has saved me many times from sneaky troopers on the highway coming up behind me.Worth every penny!

[GHz1]

Originally Posted by CJR238

My favorite 2-3 RD's to invest in if stealth isn’t needed is the 9500I or V1 and of course if price is a concern the 8500X50.

This is some of the primary points to consider:

V1 positives:
Very sensitive.
Simple design (old school)
Arrows

V1 negatives:
A bit too sensitive (chatty)
Programming is not easy/logical.
Antiquated design.

9500I positives:
Sensative/acurate but not overly sensitive.
GPS TrueLock & Marking.
Easy to use with ton's of cool features.

9500I negatives:
Too quiet/advanced for some diehards.
TrueLock can be tricky in some situations.
Sensitivity isn’t a V1.

8500X50 positives:
Price/feature benefit
Good sensitivity
Easy to use.

8500X50 negatives:
Not as sensitive as V1 or 9500I but close.
Starting to get out dated.
Price is higher than some Bell units with similar sensitivity for less.

I also like the Bel STI a lot, it has similar sensitivity to the V1 & 9500I if you need stealth.

In the end you need to decide what best suite’s your specific needs/budget weather it be Whistler, Belscort or the good old V1.

Most RD's you can get to know and love pretty quickly, the only exceptions are the V1 & 9500I that take a bit longer to get to know/use. I recommend 2 months to really appreciate what those 2 RD's can do.
If you don’t the V1 will seem too chatty/sensitive and the 9500I will seem too quiet/less sensitive.

I have seen too many V1's returned because of chattiness, and it can be programmed to be a bit quieter.
I have also seen too many 9500I's returned because of the misinterpretation of features and warning-alerts.

Yes very well written. I would like to add that all the detectors above will give more than enough warning 99% of the time. Positives, negatives is a opinion/need and is down to the sole buyer. I like the raw design of the V1, so basic to use but yet so lethal when if comes to all band/laser detection. I love the stealth and ka sensitivity of the sti.
The 9500I IMO is a bit of a "white elephant" It's designed to detect radar . So they pull money from the radar detecting part of the unit put it into the GPS part and yet still try to stay within the market price of under $500! Sounds like cutting ones nose off. Why not spend more money on the Radar and GPS and price it to what the dam thing cost to build+mark up. If it cost $800 so be it if you can't afford to buy it don't.

[wilnevrbbiased]

Programming the V1 really isn't that hard. You just need to get a programming guide and study it. And the X50 (rev 5) isn't a bad unit or outdated. As I said, in the past, my X50 got 4 miles of detection range against C/O k band in a snow storm. Someone had told me that the 9500i didn't do that good against 35.5 ka but my 9500i did well last time I tested it against 35.5 ka. And yes the Bel STi is a great choice in a rd. I know, I own Two of them along w/ two V1's (3.826), an X50 rev 5, a 9500i, a Bel 995 (surprisingly didn't do too good against 35.5 ka, very shocked) and a Whistler. These are all good units and each brand of rd's has what we call "MANUFACTURING VARIANCE" among the units. Never forget about manufacturing variance folks.