Escort Solo Cordless Radar Detector (another goodie review by the motorcycle cop)
Written: Mar 19 '01 (Updated Mar 19 '01)
Product Rating:
Effectiveness:
Ease of Use:
Durability:
Pros: Compactness and cordless operation.
Cons: Weak Ka Band performance, owner must keep spare batteries on hand.
The Bottom Line: Somewhat pricey when compared to other detectors, and leaves much to be desired in sensitivity to traffic radar, especially Ka Band. Better radar detectors are available.
tejones's Full Review: Escort Passport Solo Radar Detector
(NOTE: This is a continuation of radar detector opinions I have already written. Rather than have everyone grow tired of watching me repeat myself in each opinion, please read my opinions on the Bel 980 and the Cobra ESD-6500. I’m not trying to drive up visits to my opinions, but these two articles contain some very important information about who I am, and some extremely useful discussions about police traffic radar that tie in well with any discussion of radar detectors. It may even be best that you read those articles before reading this one!! Many thanks)
I picked up an Escort Solo cordless radar detector at one of the local pawnshops where a good friend of mine is the manager. I couldn’t buy this one for the usual $20.00 because of the Escort name. All new and even pre-owned Escort radar detectors seem to command a higher price than do other brands because of the sterling reputation earned by the original Escort back in its glory days of the 1980’s.
The Solo, an attractive device, is smaller and lighter than its predecessor, the Solo 5. It operates on a mere 3 volts that is supplied by 2 AA batteries, and Escort rates battery life at no less than 40 hours; a claim I had no reason to argue with. An optional and expensive ($30.00) power converter cord is available from Escort that will allow the detector to operate on cigarette lighter supplied 12 volts. I didn’t receive any accessories, or even an owner’s manual with the purchase, but operation of the detector is straightforward and no instructions were required. The metal contact inside the battery tray had broken off and was missing, which I presumed must have fallen out during one of the detector’s battery changes. A wad of aluminum foil replaced the contact clip, but left me wondering why the design couldn’t have been constructed sturdier.
The Solo has the usual radar band indicator, signal strength meter, city mode and mute switch common to virtually every late model radar detector being manufactured. Uniquely, it has a low battery-warning indicator that is a must for any battery-operated device. All user-programmed settings are retained even with the batteries out, which I thought was a nice feature. The unit seems a bit heavy for its size with loaded with batteries, but the windshield mount holds it securely and level.
The Solo was checked out using an Kustom HR-12 K-band handheld radar, and the MPH Python Superwide two-piece Ka band radar. K-band performance was mediocre, but I did get well over a mile detection range on the HR-12. Over hills and around curves was another story since the Solo would “brap” just a second before coming into view and being clocked; precious little time for a speeder to “get out of it” before being offered a flashing light moment. And since stationary radar is most commonly set up past the crest of a hill, this situation is not one anyone wants to be in!
The Solo’s performance on the Ka Band was even worse. Even though the Python radar could be detected out to a range of 1200 feet line-of-sight, there was absolutely no advance Ka warning when cresting a hill or rounding a curve. The Solo would alarm at the same time the radar display would light. I’ve found weak Ka performance to be a standard feature of most radar detectors, and the Solo proved to be no exception. There are other radar detectors on the market costing less that will outperform the Solo.
Still, the cordless Solo is a nice device, and can be switched between vehicles very quickly, even if the cigarette lighter fuse is blown! It’s a pity that its performance doesn’t measure up.
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