Which Dash Cam Do You Use?

GoPro Hero4 Silver, 64gig stick.

 

Yeah, seems to be an old thread.

I have ordered a KDlinks X1, the reviews and features seem pretty good. I did not like using the GoPro. It's what works best for you.

Time will tell,

 

I've had a Cobra CDR-835 that finally died after a year and a half. I replaced that with a Garmin 35, which still works but doesn't record audio. After getting cussed out by the Corbin KY officer of the year (excellent derail for this thread, but I won't LOL), I decided to buy one with audio.

I'm 99% percent sure that the above officer's rant ended when he spotted the dash cam with the red light on, and suddenly had somewhere else to be. The Garmin also captured the Quebec driver that tore off my hood at a fuel island. So its paid for itself twice. Buy any camera, it's better than having only your good word and maybe some less than ideal witnesses to tell a story.

Also be aware that with ANY of these dash cams, the quality of the memory card is critical. I've run into this with all three cameras I've used. Go to an electronics store and buy a name brand card rated at least U-1. It will be more expensive than the ones in the candy bowl at the cashier. Just suck it up. If the camera came with a card, throw it away and use the name brand one. Get a spare too.

What happens with the cheap memory card? Random lockups. Bad images. Just about all kinds of bad behavior. When I put in a Sony high speed card, the problems stopped and the cameras were dead reliable. Well except for the Cobra that just got dead and wouldn't turn back on no matter what card was in it. The card I was using in that Cobra was ok and I used it in the Garmin cam that replaced that one.

I bought this camera too. I'm gonna guess you're the guy in the attached video. So no offense here, but the first camera was probably good. When it turns on, it displays the side cameras by default. Dumb, but that's how it works. You have to give it a few seconds to fully start up, then press the "up" button to switch to the main camera. You don't mention if you checked the memory cards on a computer to see if anything was recording. I never use the view feature on the camera because of the small screen and too much fiddling. Sometimes I get impatient and press the up and down buttons a few times before it responds. No comment on the second one, maybe dead on arrival?

All that said, it appears that mine works fine. I have not had time or motivation to put up the side cameras yet. For anyone considering this one, it's a Korean white box camera. That is, it's a camera that would cost $700 if it had a big brand name on it, but sells for $250 as-is. It also runs hotter than the other two I've had. It apparently hasn't been a problem for the 4 months or so I've had it, but this summer will make or break it. The instructions aren't very clear, and the user interface is confusing. It uses generic open source viewing tools on your laptop, that might not work without some hassle. If you are good with electronics, you can probably make this one work and like it. If you carry a flip phone, or your clocks are flashing 12:00, you should probably not buy this one. It's not user friendly.

That said, the image capture is better than both the Garmin and Cobra cams I've had. I know they all work ok in the day time, but here's a sample. I saved this video when I was still using a Penske truck while mine was in the shop getting a new hood.

 

The Cobra I bought at Love's was a waste of money. I am kind of glad I accidentally stepped my heavy big size boot on it, and it did not pass that test. I've been pushing my lack for a quite few months now not having any dash cam at all. And the other day a pissed off Alabama villager gave me a nasty, deliberate brake check. I must have watched the speed limit too much according to him. Some good road rage material. I am thinking about buying Garmin 55 with audio. I don't get it why they would even make one without audio.

 

Supposedly due to third party recording laws in some jurisdictions. They don't want to get sued.

To be fair, the Cobra cam I had made good video, was easy to use, and their laptop software was great. The camera was just cheaply made.

The Garmin is definitely a step up in quality. Maybe they got over their fear of lawsuits and have enabled audio on the newer ones.

Except for the running hotter than I like aspect, the Falcon Electronics 3 cam setup I'm using now seems very well constructed. Tight like a new smart phone. It just gets really hot. I'm expecting it to fail from that, but it hasn't died yet. One of these days I'll think to hit it with my IR thermometer and see just how hot it gets.

 

I went online and googled dash cam reviews. Not a lot of help to someone technologically impaired. I bought a Vantrue RD2. The manual only half explains how to operate it. They don't have a website (go figure) but they have a place to email for questions. They answer quickly. Read the manual before you buy a card. Great video, 170 degree view, funky to operate. A little over $100 I think.