Escort Solo S2

If you want a cordless radar detector -- if you're riding a motorcycle, for example, or your car hides the power jack a long way from the windshield -- reviewers say the Escort Solo S2 is the best on the market. It's one of the few detectors with a headphone jack, so motorcyclists can use it with an in-helmet audio system. Unfortunately, tests show that it will never provide as much warning as a good corded detector, and it totally misses instant-on radar in one test. It runs on two AA batteries, which would drain quickly if the unit ran at full strength (users say they drain quickly enough as it is), so experts say the Solo S2 turns itself off for milliseconds at a time to conserve power. Some users say the unit works fine for them, but others say they've gotten tickets because the Solo S2 failed to detect speed traps. Reviewers say you'll get better performance from even an inexpensive corded detector such as the Beltronics Vector 955 (*Est. $175).

GuysOfLidar.com includes the Escort Solo S2 in their complete, unbiased test of more than a dozen radar detectors. RadarTest.com tests the unit by itself. RadarBusters.com rates the Solo S2 alongside other detectors, but without a full road test. Users at Amazon.com and BestBuy.com note some common complaints about this model.