Doug brought this thread to my attention on FB, figured I'd post my experience with the Escort Passport 9500ix that I got about a month ago.
I've never been a 'pro-radar-detectors' guy...matter of fact, I've always thought they were absolutely fuckin retarded and a complete waste of money. BUT this little guy has been one of, if not THE best investments I've made in the last few months. Only reason I went with the Escort over a V1 or a K40 was that's what was available immediately for me. I dunno if other brands have this particular feature, but the Escort has GPS that not only shows me my current 'exact' speed whenever it gets a hit, but it learns when/where it sees alerts, and over time will learn where fake alerts are...I got clocked about a week ago here in Houston by a motorcycle cop using X-band; I know that most detectors in 'city' mode filter out X-band completely, and I was doing 70 in a 30. Granted, I could just slow down, but that defeats the purpose of a radar detector. Also, the Escort has a 'live' option, that'll communicate via the GPS with other Escort owners, and if someone up ahead with an Escort gets hit with laser, it'll alert me that there's laser up ahead. There's also some way to get it to interface with my iPhone that'll show me a map, and everywhere that other Escort owners are getting alerts. Again, I'm not sure whether or not other brands have that option or not - I did absolutely zero research prior to buying mine. I just bought what was available, because I needed it immediately for a cross-state trip through several 'speed-trap' podunk-ass towns...not so much for speeding, but because my license was suspended at the time, lol. I'd initially intended to use it that weekend and then return it when I got back to Houston.
Since I've had it, it's 'learned' pretty much every false alert in Houston, yet still gives me X-band and K-band alerts fairly regularly, almost ALWAYS followed by a speed trap - I assume that the local smokies use older radar guns in order to not be picked up by detectors in 'city' mode that filter out X and K band. I don't have any solid proof to back that up, other than I know from first-hand experience that I REGULARLY get X and K band alerts, full-on, and then a few miles/hills/turns/whatever later come up on an HPD officer standing there holding a radar gun, and have full-on X or K band alerts going off on the Passport.
I'm sure that the V1 or K40's have comparable features or whatever, and may or may not be better - but I've yet to get surprised by a speed trap, whether I'm speeding or not - and almost every alert I get is far enough in advance that the time from getting an alert to seeing the cop is long enough for me to slow down, think 'ah dammit, it's a false alert', hit the 'mute' button on the power cord, drive a little further, think 'gah, what a piece of shit, there isn't a cop anywhere', come over a hill, and see a LEO in the distance waiting for me.
I'm thoroughly satisfied with the $350ish that I spent on the new unit.