I was gonna try to get funds together to buy an S2..
seriously? out of the frying pan and into the fire, mate, do some more research first, please.
I had read they had a rough start, but they are a company with an actual track record. I have had zero issues with my s1's. At the time it would have been a preorder for them. Not quite sure what was that bad about them when they were first announced?
There is nothing wrong with bitmain. They have provided more hashrate than any other manufacturer.