Which Detector - K40 Calibre or Escort 9500ci

[imported_User Name]

Some things to think about (some have been mentioned, some haven`t). I`ve used a bunch of detectors over the last 15 years, including the K40 and the 9500ci, (also test the V1 for 4 months and used an 8500 X-50 for a while).



Although the longest detector I owned as a regular 8500, I think with regards to the question of pure detecting ability, V1 is the champ. The 9500 is close, although frankly I think the Bel STI Driver is a better choice, but that is really not germaine to this discussion.



Problem one is laser. NO DETECTOR is going to save you from a laser gun and laser jammers are only partly successful, so if you drive REALLY fast and you run up on a cop who has a laser gun, your toast. Your detector will be there to give you advance notice about the ticket you just got. That`s it. The color of your car will also have an impact on the "detectibility" for a laser gun. A small black car and a laser jammer is more effective than a white Escalade and a laser jammer.



I did a side by side by side comparison (years ago) between a V1, 8500 X-50 and a K40. The K40 was consistently outclassed by the other two. V1 was dominant for X band radar (which is only used in a handfull of States - like NJ where I lived) so be cognizant of what is being used in your area. V1 was slightly better on K band and on KA band it was a virtual tie with the 8500 X-50, with maybe a slight (insignificant) edge to the X-50. The K40 was last in all bands and last by a significant margin in each.



The big problem with the V1 is falsing. Great detector but if you live in an urban area, the V1 is a real PITA. The 9500ci eliminates this problem which is a great feature, but certainly doesn`t solve the laser problem.



So here are some things to think about...



1. Don`t get caught up in the K40 "we`ll pay your ticket" nonsense because the big problem with tickets is the effect on your insurance premiums and not necessarily the tickets themselves.



2. Know the law in your State. I was a practicing attorney in NY State and the law in NY is pretty clear with regards to speedig tickets. Do you know a cop doesn`t need to "clock" you on a gun or even pace you in his car? By law, he can "estimate" your speed and write you a ticket based upon his estimation. So, let me give you the scenario. Guy driving North on I-87, doing 95 on a 65. He`s got a 9500 + the Escort laser shifter. Cop with a laser gun is hiding in some cover and suddenly his shifter goes off, cop gets jammed but visually estimates the car to be going 90mph (yes I know he`s just guessing). That is enough for the ticket to stand. So, guess what, he just made your detector and jammer 100% useless.



Arbitrary? Yes. Capricious? Probably, but legal nevertheless.



3. A detector can be a good tool and save you from tickets IF you use it smartly and don`t drive too fast. In my 15 years using a detector I`ve been stopped twice and each time I talked my way out of a speeding ticket (once he gave me "no seatbelt). I find detectors are actually the best for non-interstate travel. More often than not, piggies on tertiary roads usually don`t have laser guns and are much easier to detect. I`ve NEVER been even been stopped by a cop on a side road and I`ve done some fast driving.



So, my advice would be 9500ci over the K40, but understand that unless you use your detector smartly, it won`t work the way you think it will.

[tquill]

Old thread I know but the k40 isn`t anything special. THe CI has AMAZING radar detection capability but the laser jammers suck. I would recommend the Bel STi-R b/c it`s essentially the CI without the jammers or GPS feature... making it far less expensive.



For laser jamming, there are GREAT options if anyone is interested. A good set of laser jammers is ~500 dollars or more... depending on the vehicle you`re trying to protect.

[Gig103]

I have a ValentineOne, and absolutely love it. The arrows are so awesome in finding the radar source (is it a door? a cop? a `your speed is` sign?).



But it is "noisy" compared to other detectors, since Mike Valentine`s logic is to give you all the information, and let you filter it out. If that bugs you, get the 9500ci for the GPS lockout. But remember that if a cop is in the CVS parking lot, you might not get an alert, where the V1 would give you the "2" count so you know one is the door, the other is a cop.



Best thing is if you call Valentine1 directly, they give you 30 days to try it. See if you find it too noisy in your town and then if you don`t like it, return it and go for the Escort.

[MarcHarris]

i have a 9500ix and love it. of course against laser there`s almost nothing that can be done. the 9500ci with the laser shifter kit is supposed to be amazing from what i`ve heard on radardetectorforums.net



I don`t care if they pay for the ticket. will they pay for your insurance going up too?



oh - and the 9500ci blows the doors off the V1, 9500i/ix, bel, etc. you can`t compare a dash mount against a true hardwired model. it`s not even close.



and the V1 isn`t the only one to tell you if there are multiple signals. While my 9500ix blocks out known alerts, it only blocks out the false at it`s GPS location, and only that individual signal - not ALL signals. ONLY the known false. I`m sure the 9500ic works the same way

[tquill]

While my 9500ix blocks out known alerts, it only blocks out the false at it`s GPS location, and only that individual signal - not ALL signals. ONLY the known false. I`m sure the 9500ic works the same way

It does but it`s not that simple. It can`t block out a specific frequency (doesn`t have the capability to accurately measure a frequency perfectly) so it blocks out a block of frequencies. It`s possible that a radar gun can fall in the same frequency as the signal the detector blocked out. There are videos of this on youtube.

[AeroCleanse]

Valentine has been the way to go for a long time...

Yup the V1 is the best out there!

[gofastman]

have you looked at the Beltronics GX65 ? just an FYI Beltronics owns Escort, im guessing they have similar technology.

[aaron86]

I`ve used a V1, a 9500ix and a Bel STi driver. Returned the V1 after a month because of all the false alerts it gives. I loved the ability to lock out false alerts that the 9500ix gave me and I liked the long range of the STI, so I returned the 9500ix and got a 9500ci installed in my M3.



I sold the STi to a friend, but if i needed a backup detector again I`d go for a 9500ix or a STi driver. The V1 is just old technology and can`t compete with the STi or the 9500ix.



Beltronics and Escort are still separate companies and are owned by one parent company. And for my vote the 9500ci is a far better system. The K40 can`t detect anywhere near at far or as quickly as the 9500ci nor does it jam any of the newest laser guns being used whereas the 9500ci jams them all.



For the money, there really isn`t anything else out there that can come close to a 9500ci as a total package. It`s serving me very well here in Ohio and jamming every laser guns I`ve run against and detected the local police at well past a mile on the freeway.

[MichaelSpoots]

For the money, there really isn`t anything else out there that can come close to a 9500ci as a total package. It`s serving me very well here in Ohio and jamming every laser guns I`ve run against and detected the local police at well past a mile on the freeway.

Thanks for your input. Is the 9500ci basically one of those deals where the laser jammer is always jamming, then when it alerts you, you quickly drop down to the speed limit, hit the hidden "off" switch (which allows the cop to get a read on you with his laser gun--so he doesn`t become too suspicious)...then once you`re way past him, you just turn the unit back on *and resume your increased rate of travel?

[Accumulator]

... here in Ohio ..[my unit is].. jamming every laser guns I`ve run against ...

I`m surprised the LEOs aren`t pulling you over anyhow. *EVERY* LEO I`ve discussed this with says they`d still cite you on a "visual" and let it go to court, in fact, some are looking forward to getting an indication that somebody is jamming their laser for just this reason.



Glad you like the 9500ci though, gotta find what works for *you*.

[aaron86]

Thanks for your input. Is the 9500ci basically one of those deals where the laser jammer is always jamming, then when it alerts you, you quickly drop down to the speed limit, hit the hidden "off" switch (which allows the cop to get a read on you with his laser gun--so he doesn`t become too suspicious)...then once you`re way past him, you just turn the unit back on *and resume your increased rate of travel?

That is EXACTLY what the system is and it works very well in that capacity. As for the comment about the officers being jammed and looking for that to occur, well I have yet to encounter an officer that has taken the time to perform such a "stop" of my vehicle.



In Ohio everyone wants to speed so I think the officers simply don`t waste their time with me and look for someone they can issue an actual money making citation to. It`s too bad if your area has officers that do perform such worthless stops on your vehicle. That really is an incredible waste of time. :nono



But keep in mind, as I jam the laser gun I`m also adjusting the vehicle speed. Once the vehicle is travelling the speed I want it to be I disable the jammers and allow the LIDAR gun targeting me to read my current speed. This whole process usually takes just 3-4 seconds so it can seem as if my vehcile is just hard to target and the officer will move on to the next vehicle to be targeted! :sign

[Accumulator]

aaron86- Thanks for explaining the proper means of operating the 9500ci`s jammer system; that`s different from an always-on jammer which is what I was thinking of and what I`d discussed with LEOs.



I will add a "But...." in that if somebody is running way over the limit any LEO of my acquaintance is gonna pull `em over, period. Which is cool with me as there`s no way to tell if the driver is an expert, well within his abilities, or a [jerk] who`s overdriving himself.



I fly low myself, and it`s been ages since I`ve been cited (thanks to situational awareness and my V1). Fortunately for me, most LEOs seem to see it as a good-natured game as long as there`s nothing reckless involved and the driver comes across as OK.



The last ticket I got *was* from being lasered though



Now if they`d incorporate such a system into the V1 perhaps I`d change my tune (no way I`m changing platforms and/or having a built-in installed in each vehicle).



Oh, and Welcome to Autopia!

[golfdude]

The best detector for laser??? Your EYES!!! From my understanding the design of the laser gun means the LEO is a sitting duck out in the open shooting at cars. Pay attention to your surroundings and you should be able to find them before they find you.



It has been extremely rare for me to find LEO`s using laser guns that are disguised in the bushes. Most of them are out in the open and easy to see.



I recently purchased a V1 and enjoy the convenience and situational awareness that it has offered me, but instant on and simply passing a LEO with their speed detection systems off are still fears of mine.



I feel that a quality radar detector is good to have either way because it lets you know if a LEO really got your speed. I`ve had friends pulled over and they knew that the LEO did not have their speed reading device on so the LEO would try and pull that data out of you via self-confession and tag you for whatever speed you say.



Thank-you LEO for giving us the perspective from the other side of the gun!



Maybe I should start a new thread for this but beyond the crazies who are going waaaay too fast I feel that most accidents could have been avoided if they were not DISTRACTED. Speed itself is not what kills, it`s not paying attention. Thoughts??



Just last week on my way to work I saw a driver applying blush to her face while driving, and another PLAYING A TRUMPET while driving.

[Accumulator]

The best detector for laser??? Your EYES!!! From my understanding the design of the laser gun means the LEO is a sitting duck out in the open shooting at cars. Pay attention to your surroundings and you should be able to find them before they find you...Most of them are out in the open and easy to see...

Actually, I`ve had a surprising number of LEOs being pretty sneaking with their laser units; up on bridges/overpasses crouching down tagging specific cars for a chase vehicle to then pull over (that`s how I got my last ticket). I`m always surprised when I see them outside the vehicle, but I do see it fairly often (after having blown past them ).

I recently purchased a V1 and enjoy the convenience and situational awareness that it has offered me, but instant on and simply passing a LEO with their speed detection systems off are still fears of mine.

Heh heh, you sound just like me

Maybe I should start a new thread for this but beyond the crazies who are going waaaay too fast I feel that most accidents could have been avoided if they were not DISTRACTED. Speed itself is not what kills, it`s not paying attention. Thoughts??

Good topic, but it gets unpopular fast because everybody thinks they`re an expert.



*IMO* a huge part of it is not only distraction, but also the exaggerated sense of competence that almost every male exhibits. Heh heh, every red-blooded American male seems to feel he was born competent at shooting, driving, and [making love]...but most guys are lousy at all three.



People think they`re good drivers, but..*why*? Who says so, and why? "I went to d a driving school once"



These days anybody with a few grand can buy a car that`s *seriously* fast, much faster than the typical person can handle. Some local kid just killed himself when he rolled his Lancer...consider what it takes to *ROLL* a good AWD car on a dry suburban street; Darwinism in action, but these [individuals] often take others with them.

[AeroCleanse]

The V1 is the only one I`d use from now on. Best range, multi-threat, directional arrows.