soupcraze's Full Review: Escort Solo S2 Radar Detector
The Escort Solo is Escort's older model, not the new extremely expensive Escort Solo S2. The Solos came out with a variety of models. They were known for providing decent X-Band coverage, but time eventually catches up... The Escort Solo is still sold here and there for under $200. Before the S2 came out, it sold for about $199. It's very popular since it has the familiar curves of the acclaimed Passport series detectors from Escort. Well, from using this once $200 device, here's what I found.
-Price-
*Ever since the Escort Solo S2 hit the market, the store inventories of the Escort Solo were running dry. However, you can find it here and there ranging from $130 (Similar in price to PNI Sensoro Traveller I and Bel Express 945/6Li). It has the sleek shape of an Escort Passport detector (Variety of models), and it's cordless! But for what you get, it's a piece of junk. The thing barely detects. It's definitely showing its age, and can't compete with anything from Beltronics and PNI. It also completely lacks compared to the much newer Escort Solo S2.
-Performance-
*The Escort Solo can be used either with a 12V power cord or it can run on two AA alkaline batteries. I ran it on batteries since that's the reason as to why people buy a cordless detector. The first test that I decided to do was X-Band. On a straight road with a strong X-Band transponder, the Escort Solo performed adequately. It managed to pick it up with a fair amount of warning time. But as for everything else, the Escort Solo just couldn't cut it. I was cruising at the time with my Valentine One plugged in and on the windshield. When it came to K-Band, the Escort Solo didn't show warning until the cop was in sight. The Valentine One gave much more warning time. From the K-Band performance, it seems that the Escort Solo won't provide you much warning unless you're going 5mph over the speed limit at most. I think it's fine if you're at a stop light, revving your engine ready to smoke the ricer next to you and there's a cop sitting at the next block, but as for other coverage, K-Band is all too lacking. When it came to Ka-Band, I once again found a speed trap on a straight road. The Valentine One was blaring it's loud "Braaa!" for a very long time, and the Escort Solo was quiet. It was quiet when I was in front of the cop. It was quiet when I passed the cop. It provided absolutely no Ka-Band warning. Compared to the Bel Express 946Li and PNI Sensoro Traveller I/II, it provides almost no detection. It might provide adequate X-Band protection, but nothing more.
-Ease of Use & Features-
*The Escort Solo isn't filled with all too many features. Well, first off, it's a cordless model. It runs off of two AA alkaline batteries, or it can be run off of a 12V power cord. The batteries last for around 20 hours, so if you want to save money, go with rechargable batteries. The screen is poorly done I think. It's not quite a red text LED, but instead it has icons alongside a nice strength bar. The flaw is that everything is red, and the icons are very small. This makes it hard to read the threat.. That is, if you even get one! The Escort Solo is about as basic as they come when it comes to its ease of use. It has three buttons. It has the power which turns it on and off. It has a mute button which mutes alerts. It also has the City/Highway mode button which allows you to switch between the modes. Overall, it's very simplistic and convenient to use, but that doesn't make up for its poor performance.
-The Verdict-
*The Escort Solo might be a pretty nice looking detector. But age has caught up to it. It provides absolutely horrible K and Ka-Band protection. It lacks a lot of other features offered by today's cordless detectors which might be significantly cheaper. If you want cordless, do yourself a favor and skip the Escort Solo.
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