Can you buy a decent cheap dash cam?

[jon2020]

Can you get a decent cheap dash cam?
Many models under different names and models out there and you don’t want to pay a lot when you could get the equivalent at a cheaper price
There are many different dash cams on the market and eBay and Amazon are full of Chinese sellers selling cheaper models under a different name.
My experience so far has been Toguard Mini Dash which didn’t get on with, as I wanted something small and discrete, I then looked into the rear-view dash cams even though these are bigger than your existing rear-view mirror.
Again, experience was mixed realising that a rear-view dash cam would be further away the screen so picture quality would be reduced
Any suggestions please?

 

[Nigel]

Depends on what you mean by cheap?

The cheapest camera that is often recommended is the Blueskysea B1W which is definitely decent, and for a bit more you can get the Viofo A119 which is more than just decent, it has very good image quality. Cheaper than the B1W and you get all sorts of problems, for example most of them have lithium batteries which when left sitting in summer sun will only last one summer, the B1W and A119 both use super capacitors instead of batteries and will last for many years.

Some more ideas for budget friendly dashcams here: https://dashcamtalk.com/best-dash-cams-of-2020/

Remember that lowest price does not mean cheapest long term, avoid any with a lithium battery or you will have to replace it regularly and then it does not work out as cheap.

Welcome to the forum

 

[DT MI]

Can you get a decent cheap dash cam?

That's really dependent on your definition of 'decent' and 'cheap'. Inexpensive isn't necessarily the best approach if that particular product will only last a year or so, but for 50% more you could get something good for 3 to 4 years.

As another member of this forum is fond of saying, "You don't get what you don't pay for."

 

[SawMaster]

I'm one to have had and used several 'cheap' cams, but only one was really "cheap" at $26. I knew what to look for in my selection- sensor and processor mostly- which has allowed my choices to be better with that. But you never know what you'll get when you go too low in price; my $26 cam didn't have the processor it was advertised as having. My next cheapest cam(s) were pretty darn good; I ended up with two by an ordering mistake. Those were equal to anything costing twice as much but they weren't popular so they weren't produced for very long. Of today's dashcams, there aren't as many really cheap ones coming from my usual sources as there were some years ago when I bought these. Considering how bad most of them were that is a good thing!

Of today's cams I think the cheapest one I could recommend is the 70mai, though it has issues not the least being that it has a battery, not supercaps. It does good videos for the price, and is basically reliable in operation as a dashcam while driving. Be prepared for some hassles in setting it up and don't expect more than basic functionality. The B1W is much better overall and when on sale it's not much more expensive than the 70mai. Oddly, the 70mai has better daytime vids though it is much lesser in low light, but in every other regard the B1W is by far the best 'cheap' dashcam I've ever seen, with almost all it's functions working well, it's reliability top-grade, it's form-factor being superb for most installs, and it having many firmware options to make it do what you want it to do. Plus after-sales support is great if you have questions or issues with it.

So with the B1W @$55 and the 70mai @$35+, that is probably the baseline price for getting a decent cam. If you need a wedge-cam form factor there's the A118C, an old design and nothing stellar about it but a good and reliable basic driving cam. Also the Rexing cams are much like this but they are overhyped and cost more. And do remember that the heart of any dashcam is it's SD card, so my comments apply only if you're using one of the good ones. You can't go cheap here without having problems.

So get the B1W and as big a Samsung EVO Select (or EVO Plus) card as you can afford and you'll be fine. The cam will do what you need done reliably for years to come. If there's just no way you can afford it then the 70mai will probably do for you until the battery croaks. But if you can afford more Viofo has some high-value deals on some really good (sometimes great) dashcams and that's where I'd point you next. If you get a cheaper cam then share your experiences with it here as that is what makes this forum great for everybody We're all interested in what's out there and how well it does in every price range.

Phil

 

[dashcamateur]

The cheapest camera that is often recommended is the Blueskysea B1W which is definitely decent

On eBay at the moment, the B1W is going for ~£54 new or £35 used.

If the OP would prefer a UK-based manufacturer with UK customer support, the "cheap" models from NextBase's "2" range (the current range) are:

• £60: Nextbase 122 including circular polarising filter to reduce glare
• £110: Nextbase 222X including rearview camera to record road behind car as well as road in front, without having to run a wire to the rear window
• £129: Nextbase 320XR+ including 32GB microSD card and rear-window cam (for this one, you'd need to run a wire to the rear window)

avoid any with a lithium battery or you will have to replace it regularly and then it does not work out as cheap.

I've been using a Nextbase 322GW for the last 1.5 years, without problems. IMO the relatively low temperatures and solar radiation in the UK mean it's not as crucial here to use supercaps as it would be in hotter parts of the world. I've not yet had to replace my 322GW's battery, but apparently if you ever do need to replace it out of warranty, Nextbase will send you one for £10 and they say it only takes 15-20 minutes to perform the replacement yourself

In summary, Nigel is right that B1W is slightly cheaper, Viofo is good value, and super-capacitors should last longer than Li-Ion/LiPo batteries. (Super-capacitors are safer, too - though the safety risk from the Nextbase batteries is minimal given the low temperatures in the UK and the minuscule capacity of the Nextbase batteries, which are there mainly to ensure that the current file gets written properly to the MicroSD card if the camera suddenly loses power, e.g. in a crash.) But if you want a low cost dashcam with the backup of a UK retailer like Argos, Halfords or Currys, and UK support from the manufacturer too, then look at Nextbase.

 

[Darknight]

Being clear with your need will help you save money. I work for a company which focuses on designing and manufacturing products for many brands, the reason why we can work with these brands is that our products are qualified and we all know good products required suitable price, not cheap tag. You just want to dash cam with a cheap price? Actually you need to know what you want. More functions, more expensive. If you just need a camera which provide clear video for you when you meet an accident or you want to check more details of your trips, pay attention to the resolution and the service. It's the same important as some sellers lied if they can't provide the warranty when you found it out. Provisionally, I just need a dash cam when I drive to work in Canada and I attacted by the kawa 2k dash cam, it's not expensive and small, the only one I found that it's detachable and 360° rotates the angle, with some voice controls, love it when I ask to take photo and lock the emergence video! And really impressed by the video and image! Hope it helps