Best quality and reliability

[knapp7]

Without regard to video quality, which dash cam manufacturer, brand or model do you consider to be the best quality-wise or most reliable? By that I mean trouble free without operational problems or break downs. Thanks.

 

[Dashmellow]

With over six years of dash cam ownership and experience with a fairly wide range of different cameras, the hands-down most reliable camera I have owned has been the Mobius.

 

[jokiin]

there is no camera of any brand that is without failures or quirks of some sort

 

[Rajagra]

Would be nice to have a camera with 99%+ reliability though.
I have two cameras running now, the 2nd is terribly unreliable (its rear cam freezes routinely, and that's what I have it for.)
I don't know how people cope with multi-camera setups. The stress of checking they are running would probably cause me to crash.
Will find out eventually, I have several Mobius cameras to put in. At least you get to just leave them be while driving, if they work they work, if they don't they don't.

 

[SawMaster]

The original Mobius strongest point is it's rock-solid reliability. Next closest (and possibly equal) is the Street Guardian SG9665GC. All other cams are noticeably below this level of reliability with some expensive ones quite a bit lower Yet in terms of features and image quality these aren't 'the best' cams anymore

IMHO there's no point having lower than the best reliability in a dash-cam- you never know when you'll need it the most and you can't be checking it all the time while driving.

Quality is not something really definable (nb Pirsig) You can have a top-quality cam with one small fault and lose all it's value right there if the fault takes away the one vid clip you need the most Build quality can be great but you can get the one dud in a million that occurs with all mass-produced articles so IMHO as long as the build quality is very good or better that's enough; the rest is in the luck of the draw. And given that all manufacturers use components made elsewhere the best anyone can do is try to do as well as they can- everyone will have batches of lesser products slip through the cracks inherent in the mass-production system.

There are other cams I'd feel safe with using as my primary cam after I had time to see that particular one was reliable enough, and there are some popular cams I could never trust like that because of what others have experienced with them. Anything electronic can (and probably will) fail without warning eventually and cams are no different. You pays yo money and you takes yo choice.

Phil

 

[Dashmellow]

I've spoken before about the excellent reliability of the Sg9665GC which has been on par with and an excellent companion to the three Mobi in my vehicle. All four cameras are essentially rock solid set and forget regardless of how long I go without checking them. While the Sg9665GC unit I have now always works and never fails to capture video, it took 5 different units to get there. The first GC shipped to me had a minor focus issue. Another unit developed a very serious focus issue after a few months of use after it was subjected to extreme cold. Another unit literally died after less than 48 hours in service and yet another unit developed a problem with the click-stop lens module adjustment spring. It now wobbles up and down and required a DIY repair solution.

If not for the kind of product support provided by @jokiin, the Sg9665GC would have been in the trash bin a long time ago and I would have simply moved on to another manufacturer's product line. Similarly, the Mobius includes a one year warranty. So, aside from, "best quality and reliability", having a manufacturer and vendor network that stands behind the camera is one of the key "features" a customer should consider when making a purchase.

 

[jokiin]

some people have products they swear by, some people have products they swear at, sometimes that's the same product, that's the nature of electronics in a harsh environment I guess