I was pleasantly surprised by the performance of my Escort Solo S4 Cordless Radar Detector. I've been using radar detectors for over 30 years. Several years ago I used a Solo 2 and most recently have been using a 2007 era K40 Calibre model which is a permanent installation unit in my car. (It was included with a Mercedes SL550 I purchased in 2008 and I had it reinstalled a few years ago in my current 2014 Audi). The K40 Calibre has been very problematic in the past couple years with false alarms caused by in vehicle systems like bling spot sensors, etc. After reading the reviews prior to purchase I did not expect the Solo S4 to be perfect but the EBay deal was right for a slightly used unit so I thought I'd give it a try. Even though there are occasional false alarms from in vehicle systems, automatic door sensors at Walgreens, CVS, etc., in the couple weeks I've been using the Solo S4 I find it to be a good at detecting police radar and less annoying than the built in $2000+ K40 system. I am hopeful that someday Escort or someone else will come up with a high end battery operated unit that can have software/firmware upgradable filters, and features comparable to an Escort Max 360c or similar model from the other manufacturers. In the meanwhile I am pleased with the range, performance, and most importantly the convenience of the Escort Solo S4. My recommendation would be that if you are OK with a wired connection I would suggest a higher end wired detector with better filtering. If you like the convenience of being able to very quickly and easily remove the detector to keep it out of sight when parking etc. the Escort Solo S4 is a great option.Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
This item will, as some others have suggested, give false alerts. It will actually provide a laser alert more than once while I am sitting perfectly still in an isolated area. And this can occur in different areas. Finding this curious, I used it alongside my older Solo 2, which did not sound these alerts. I also did the same test with an Escort X80 with similar results. I've been using Escort products since the early 1980's, but, unfortunately, find this model to be the most unreliable to use.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
Love that I can turn off X band or others so I don’t get all those false signals. Biggest improvement in years. Very good unit. Only minor negative is it goes through batteries fairly quickly compared to previous model.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
Paid for itself the very first day. I completely blocked out X, K bands. It cuts out all the annoying false alarms, from stores and cars with warning detection. However, if I was traveling out of town to unknown cities, I would definitely turn the K Band back on. But In my surrounding areas the bands that are mostly used are Ka, and Laser. I was driving down the Mopac expressway, and I was coming up to a well known speed trap. The Laser went off and sure enough there he was. He ended up pulling a car that passed me up doing about 80-85 miles an hour. If I was speeding, the detector did give me a second or 2 to react. As far as the Ka bands go the warnings I did get were very reasonable so that I could have a chance to react. Drive Safe!
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
This is an excellent product with better than expected battery life. I tend to travel more than most (probably had it on one hour a day on average since I received it), but still got three weeks out of the first set of batteries. I specifically wanted a battery powered unit as I have enough cords as it it, and the only way to get from the window to the cigarette lighter outlet is across the entertainment system screen. Initially I received a lot of false alerts in both city and highway mode, however, these have calmed down immensely although I'm not exactly sure why. It works great & I would definitely recommend it. I will advise that I purchased a stronger suction cup system as I have had problems with the factory supplied attachment systems in the past. You can find one on Ebay which comes with the proper attachment for the Solo S4. Works great and definitely keeps it in place!Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
It worked very well until the suction cups would not hold it on the windshield of my motorcycle and it went flying down the highway and now I don't have it.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
Does great and easy to use...don't have to worry about a cord...do have to replace batteries every 30 days but worth it...
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
Portable Good laser detection but KA is just ok Overall a good alternative to an easy to use detector ..
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
I got this for my Harley it doesn't have the range of my Uniden R7 but it gives you enough time. I like no wires. At one time it was $299 and I got it for $199. I like it. Plus it's pretty quiet not a lot of false alarms
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
I am a radar detector enthusiast/collector. I really enjoy these devices. Surely there is not 1 perfect detector, all have strengths and weaknesses. The Solo s4 is well worth the price I paid. Range is good, providing you are not traveling at more than 15 % above the posted limit. False alarms are reduced because of the units range limits. I find the Solo units to be very quiet, so when they do alert, the probability of enforcement radar is high. Unfortunately I have read the solo has been discontinued. I think this is really unfortunate. I would of really liked to see a solo 5.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned