Review Escort 9500ci Driver Experience
Over the past two weeks with the Escort 9500ci installed and driving over 1800 miles through the Arizona desert and high country, I can honestly say that Escort has developed the most intelligent and “super charged” performing radar detector/laser shifter that I have ever laid hands on!
Radar Detector Performance:
The 9500ci’s radar sensitivity and overall performance is identical to that of the Beltronics STI-r (STI Remote) that I have been using in my motor home and both are immune to all radar detector detector devices including the latest Spectre RDD.
Many radar detector enthusiasts consider the V1 the baseline, which all radar detectors should be measured; therefore I began my review by hanging a Valentine 1 radar detector (version 3.864) on my pickup’s windshield.
My first “real life” encounter was on a desolate stretch of a divided four lane highway, north of Buckeye Arizona. The 9500ci first alerted Ka then flashed my speed of 67 mph. A few seconds later the V1 began its alert. As I rounded a sharp bend on the highway I spotted a Buckeye PD black and white vehicle parked in the turnout lane.
My second encounter was in the city of Glendale in a densely populated business/residential area early in the morning. The 9500ci alerted K band and displayed my speed of 51 mph and again a few moments later the V1 alerted. During this initial alert I was concerned that this was a false as I had a clear view of the road ahead, but as I approached the next intersection a Maricopa County Sheriff’s patrol vehicle came into view pulling up to a stop sign at a 90 degree angle from my approach.
Most “low end and mid level” detectors would had failed during both of these “extreme off axis” encounters, but both the V1 and 9500ci performed very well, with the 9500ci having a slight edge.
The most dramatic difference between the V1 and the 9500ci was the increased number of false alerts that the Valentine One alerted to over the 9500ci. The ratio was almost 5 to 1 and once the 9500ci automatically registered the false bogies with its GPS Truelock, the ratio decreased to 5 to 0!
Over the course of the last seventeen days I’ve had additional fourteen “real life” radar encounters with the 9500ci. During each the Escort 9500ci’s long range sensitivity sniffed out the radar traps three to five seconds prior to the V1, providing me with ample time and distance to properly adjust my driving.
GPS Powered Truelock Filter:
False alerts are the chief complaint of radar detector users and the areas that I normally drive are littered with X and K band devices that would drive most motorists crazy. With most other radar detectors I normally deactivate X band and cope with the K band false alerts. However during my review of the 9500ci, I allowed the detector use its “computerized brain” to identify by frequency and mark out the trash.
Once the 9500ci alerts to the same frequency the third time at the exact location identified by GPS, the detector emits a short beep indicating that the frequency and location were marked as a false. Subsequently, if you drive by this same location after the location was marked as a false, and the detector does not sense the same signal, the location is deleted from memory.
During the last seventeen days my 9500ci has automatically marked thirty seven positions as false alert locations.
Safety Camera Database:
Red light and fixed photo radar cameras are becoming more prevalent each day as cash strapped municipalities install these cash cow devices to raise cash under the guise of traffic safety.
The 9500ci has an internal database of most, if not all the fixed camera locations in North America. Based upon your speed the 9500ci will alert you ten seconds prior to arriving with an LED read out of the camera type and distance.
My wife is often critical of my fervor to radar detector testing and she first grudgingly rode with me during my initial review of the 9500ci. However her viewpoint quickly changed and commented that she never knew the abundance of the red light and speed cameras in the vicinity of our home nearby shopping centers and wanted to know when I could buy and install a 9500ci in her car.
To update the database on the 9500ci, you first must register your unit online on their website. But once this is done, you simply download the database (and any other firmware updates) to your computer and then connect the 9500ci with a USB cable.
Laser Shifter:
During my fourteen day review of the 9500ci I did not encounter any laser enforcement by police. However as noted during my testing of the ZR4 and our install of the 9500ci, the shifter did a respectable job of jamming police laser on my large profile F250 pickup at my test facility.
During the previous test of the ZR4 on our Toyota Sequoia, a midsize SUV, the ZR4 jamming performance was awesome with numerous “Jam to Guns” on many of the laser guns tested.
Closing Comments:
I have to admit, I have a pretty neat job. Radar detector and laser jammer manufactures send me their latest gadgets to test, I write a review discussing my personal experiences and if I like the unit it remains in my vehicle until the next bigger and better detector/jammer comes out.
However in the case of the new Escort 9500ci I find it hard to imagine that anyone, even the engineers at Beltronics/Escort, can ever top this. Yes, the 9500ci the most expensive radar detector on the market today, but worth every penny!
By making an investment in purchasing the most advanced radar and laser defense system ever made you’ll have the first smart radar detector with its own brain to knock out false alerts and warn you well in advance of radar, laser and fixed camera enforcement traps you’ll encounter.
The downside; once your “better half” finds out about the all the features and performance you maybe purchasing a second 9500ci for their car, as I am doing now!
Radar Roy’s Badge Rating
Five Stars
12 Responses to “Review Escort 9500ci Driver Experience”
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[…] you think it's the best detector that also diffuses the laser beams? 9500ci. Here's a review. http://www.radardetector.org/escort-…rience-review/ Congrats on the new ride. I've got a 458/Turbo S combo too. It's a tough choice each […]
All I will add to this since I do not want to steal anyone’s thunder is that I had the privilege to experience these remotes in person and lets just say………I was BLOWN AWAY. I will give my FULL review/experience in a few weeks.
THANKS ROY!
This is what I’ve been waiting to hear! It’s too bad you compared this beast to the V1 though, anyone who has used the 9500I already knows the V1 has been in its grave once that detector came out. To do a comparison of then 9500ci to a out dated V1 serves it no justice. How does the 9500ci hold up to an already known real detector like the 9500I? Is it worth upgrading from a 9500i to the 9500ci? Anyone with a clue already knows the V1 has lived its life, the manufacturer doesn’t want to put the money into his product to make it competitive, so why even bother rating against it. Is it worth dumping our 9500i’s to get the much more expensive 9500ci?
SOLD!!!!
…I HAVE THE 8500 AND I HEARD THAT YOU CAN TRADE IT IN FOR THE 9500CI?
MY QUESTION IS: HOW MUCH
could you please send me some more info about the 9500ci thanks
Any comments on the efficacy of the ci’s ‘laser shifter’ versus a Blinder system? (Looking for a laser head to head on your website?)
The ZR4 laser jamming testing results are on this page: http://www.radarroy.com/2008/04/shifter-zr4-%e2%80%93-speed-of-light-protection/
I also sent an email to you with additional info
I had the 9500i since day it was made its been the best baddest its my baby radar ive driven cross country and back and all over texas its saved hundreds of tickets i havent got one yet since
I just found this website…it is like god has spoken. I currently own a 9500i and it has proven to be worth the $450 (bought it when it first came out). But I still got popped with a laser gun in Malibu, CA, a known spot for motorcycle cops. Now I only use my detector while I am on the highway: CHP likes to strictly use KA bands, and in some areas LIDAR. The problem is in densely populated Los Angeles, where every cop has a laser gun. I am in the current process of buying a Challenger SRT-8 and would love to install a jamming device. I would love to see Radar Roy use every weapon out there to fully show us if this thing can do it’s job. I don’t mind spending $1500 if this thing will work in ALMOST every situation, i.e. high speed LIDAR, instant on radar, close range laser (high and low speed), hitting the side of the vehicle, other cars in the area, and all the other possible out comes. Thanks Radar Roy for this website, you have done what I have wished for, only took me to find it.
At $1500+ it’s cheaper to get the tickets and have your insurance go up !
All radar detectors have antennas that detect radar at 360 degrees, front and back