Escort Solo S2 Radar Detector

Over the past 18 years, I've always driven with whatever the "best" detector was at the time. For the past 12 years, I've used nothing but a Valentine One. And while I love the V1, I really wanted something that I could easily install in my new car (i.e. no power cable to install) and that I could take with me when I travel. So I bought the S2 under the 30 day test drive program and installed both the S2 and V1 in my car to do a comparison. After trying both, I've decided to send back the S2 and upgrade my V1. Here's why:

Sensitivity
There are plenty of reviews on the web that will tell you a cordless radar detector is not as sensitive as a hard-wired one. After comparing both, I'd definitely agree but the S2 does appear to give enough of a warning (although it was less on K and Ka than the V1). I didn't have a chance to test it against laser so I don't know how it would perform. X band, although it is radar, is rarely used by the police (I don't ever recall being hit by a cop using X in California). The V1 has an excellent feature where you can put it in a mode that won't beep for X unless the signal is 75% or greater on the meter. The S2 doesn't have this feature however so you can expect it to frequently beep when you drive near any building with a motion detecting alarm system or automatic doors. You could put the S2 into a "City" mode but that reduces the sensitivity for all bands which isn't a good option since Ka is almost always radar and you wouldn't want to reduce sensitivity to this threat.

Size
Both the S2 and V1 are large. (How I miss the size of my Passport from 15 years ago!) But the S2 was too big. If you mount it near the top of the windshield, as I did in my '04 Acura TL, the display is too close to your face to easily glance at it while you're driving.

Display
I understand that LCD displays use less electricity than LED's which means longer battery life. But glancing at the display isn't as easy as glancing at an LED one so you'll have to take your eyes off the road a moment longer to read what the display is telling you which can be a safety issue. And since the display is somewhat small, it can be difficult to read. In my opinion, the poor display makes having a cordless not worth it! One other note - I now realize that I not only hear my V1 but see the large arrows light up whenever radar is encountered. Sometimes, if there is a lot of noise from the sunroof or the radio is too loud, you may not hear the S2. With a V1, you'll definitely see it but you may miss the visual cue with the S2. So make sure you keep an ear open or you may never realize you're being hit.

Layout
I was quite disappointed in the layout of the S2's controls. The buttons on the front were too small which made it difficult to press them. When you do press them, it puts a lot of force on the suction cups holding it to the windshield. While the mount didn't pop off while I pushed them, I could see it easily happening as the suction cups start to flatten out. But the biggest problem was the MUTE button. Since it is on top of the detector, it isn't practical to mount it near the top of the windshield or on the sun visor. Mounting it in this way would make the button inaccessible. Mounting it just slightly beneath the roof-line would work but my concern is that jamming my finger between the headliner and top of the detector is going to cause dirt from my hands to stain the liner. If Escort had only made the buttons slightly larger and put the MUTE on the front, the design would've been 100x better.

Annoyance
One thing that I found to be very distracting was that the S2 has an LED that blinks every few seconds to let you know it is turned on. (To save batteries, the LCD display is blank when no radar is seen.) I found this constant red blink to be VERY annoying especially when driving at night as your eye is drawn to it with every flash. If the light simply was solid, this wouldn't have been a problem.

Volume
Although not as loud as the V1, the S2 is loud enough as long as you set it in "loud" mode. When it's not in this mode, it's loud enough for most situations but may not be noticed if there is too much surrounding noise. The V1 on the other hand can be very loud. I never turn my volume knob on the V1 past 2:00 simply because I've never had to. But I found myself cranking the S2 up to about 90% most of the time.

Accessories and Mounting
I was disappointed in the accessories that are included with this detector. First, you can save batteries by hard-wiring it into the car. But to do so requires the purchase of an optional cable at $30. Next, it only comes with one windshield mount. This may not seem like a big deal at first but I guarantee you're going to need to bend the brackets the suction cups attach to in order to position the detector at the correct angle and rotation. (In other words, if you don't bend it, the detector is going to point down anywhere from 15 to 60 degrees and the face is going to not be level.) Once you bend the bracket, don't expect it to work if you move it to another car (such as your spouse's or a rental) since the shape of that windshield will be different. Expect to pay $4 for an extra mount. Buy extras if you plan on moving it between cars often as you'll eventually break the bracket if you constantly adjust it. I would've loved a visor mounting clip however the S2 doesn't include one. Expect to spend $4 for the clip. The strange thing is that Escort doesn't recommend mounting the unit up that high. So why do they sell the visor bracket? I've always mounted my detectors at the top of the windshield and have never had any problems with a reduction in sensitivity.

Arrows and "Bogey Counter"
If you've ever used a V1, you'll notice that it has arrows which point in the direction that the radar is coming from and shows you a count of how many radar sources it is picking up. You can reprogram the S2 to also give a count but you have no way of knowing the direction of the radar. I never realized how much the arrows make a difference until I didn't have them. Why? Because the arrows make it easy to tell when you've passed a threat or when you're being approached from behind. You'll never ask yourself "should I be scanning the rear mirror or ahead for the radar?" If you reprogram the S2 to show a radar count, you'll find that the S2's counter is not as easy to read as the large red LED on the V1.

Conclusion
If you want a detector that has decent, but not the best sensitivity, if you like the idea of not running a wire down the A-pillar or across your dash to the cigarette lighter, and if you don't mind the other limitations I've listed here, the S2 is a decent choice. But if you want the best unit, the Valentine One is by far the winner. The V1 will cost you a little more ($69) but comes with all of the mounts and cables you will need. Personally, I've upgraded my V1 twice over the past 9 years (added laser and now added increased Ka sensitivity) and have been very satisfied with the V1 experience. The S2 is supposedly upgradeable too but I don't believe they've offered any upgrades to this model yet so I have no idea how affordable or easy the option will be.