Decision Help Needed

B

buffumjr

Member
Joined
Jan 16, 2015
Messages
45
Reaction score
23
Country
United States
Three candidates. All on Amazon

Panorama S Sony - best rated on this site.
E-Prance Mini 0801 - has all the features at a vastly lower price. Way smaller.
KDLinks X-1 - has all the features and an aggressively responsive support system.

Also, need advice on how much thieves do break in to steal these. I remember the CB radio craze, in the 1970's when kids would go to shopping centers and break into dozens of cars, and throw them into a van. Does that happen with dash cams?
 
Forget the Mini 0801, it is old. Consider the Mini 0805 or Mini 0806.

What kind of support does this X-1 provide? Don't even see firmware listed on their site.
 
Well, if you have the unit in the car, and are sideswiped, you get pictures. You also run the risk of some punk breaking your side window and grabbing it. What I was asking was how bad that risk is?

As to the KDLinks support, check the Amazon feedback for this. The vendor is right there to respond. I've read feedback for products, expensive MAINSTREAM products, where the problem-having buyer NEVER hears from their tech support. This is a refreshing change. I'd pay a $50 premium to have that kind of support behind the purchase.
 
I agree, the after sales support from resellers / factory is more important than some rock bottom low price shoppers realise. Over the top customer service and support is my number one recipe for success.

The Panorama S and G can be hidden behind the mirror fairly well. The pre-buffered motion detection, extreme temperature tolerances, 512GB support, and touch screen justify the added expense

Here is an example of the Panorama G. S will have similar results.

nBhFP47.jpg
 
Anyone experienced E-Prance's support? Starting to lean heavily to KDLnks.

Oooh! Just on Amazon. E-Prance has a severe vendor problem. Some vendors are reputable, and sell E-Prance products, and others sell a cheaper knock-off that fails fast. Yet a third kind of vendor sells a mix. Some are genuine, to keep the ratings up, and some are knock-offs. Amazon should jump dead in this with both boots!

End result. They HAVEN'T. That makes KDLinks the winner. I just couldn't trust E-Prance.

In addition, E-Prance requires return to China, at customer expense and risk, including all accessories. NOT cool. Oooh! To quote Orwell's "1984", "double plus ungood!"
 
Last edited:
Is this a KDLinks advertisement thread as it feels like one?

The camera looks like the standard Novatek 96650 and Aptina AR0330 combo like a hundred other dashcams out there these days and you could buy two Mobius cameas, A118Cs or three G1Ws for the same price.

If you're going to spend $160 then spend a little bit more on the Panorama G as it is better at night and has full parking mode capability to boot and will work when the KDLinks won't even power on due to the battery being too cold or too hot.

Maybe they've got someone from the DOD marketing team on board?

It sounds like they sell decent media players though - maybe we'll see some raw footage from this camera to see whereabouts it stacks up against the other NT96650 and AR0330 cameras.
 
Last edited:
reverend said:
Is this a KDLinks advertisement thread as it feels like one?

Maybe they've got someone from the DOD marketing team on board?

It sounds like they sell decent media players though - maybe we'll see some raw footage from this camera to see whereabouts it stacks up against the other NT96650 and AR0330 cameras.
Click to expand...

Hey! Posted comparisons is a GREAT idea!
No, I'm not on their sales team. I'm just a guy looking to buy a dash cam, and not get burned. So many reviews out there indicate that, when you buy dashcams there is a strong possibility of buying a barely functional knock-off. Gotta grin at that! A Chinese knockoff of a Chinese product! What a hoot!

What would be really nice is a way to tell what you get when you get it, so you're in the free return window. Amazon's gotta know about the knockoff problem by now. If I were them, I'd be rompin' and stompin'! Their rep's on the line.

Ach! Zum Teufel da mit! I think the best way to handle this is to go to a brick and mortar store, pay a few bucks more, and have a live person to talk to. That way, I can handle and look at what I'm buying, see it work, get a real idea as to size, and have a live customer service rep, instead of mailing it back to China, and HOPING it gets there, and they deign to repair or replace it.

Thanks for all your input. At least now, I have a course of action. Checking Best Buy. Will try Wally World, too.
 
Last edited:
To be honest if you're in the USA I'd recommend the Panorama G from @Pier28 for that sort of money - he's in the USA and his customer service is the best bar none.

You can order from him on Amazon as well.

Bricks and mortar stores are good but a lot of the stuff they sell is unfortunately overpriced old crap. One advantage of buying from some of the Chinese dealers (yes you have to be careful) is that you can get hold of stuff way before it hits the shops. Totally agree about the local support thing though - it makes life much easier if something does go wrong.

I have actually dealt with EPrance support and to be fair they were much more helpful than I expected.

If you're not bothered about parking mode check out the Mini 0806 also - it's priced at a similar level to the KDLinks and will also outperform it.

If the KDLinks is as good as they say they should send one to @niko as he can tell you how good it is (or isn't)! It's an older platform which to be fair can get some good results, but it's outperformed by OV4689 and IMX based cameras.

If it gets a glowing review it would sell loads :)
 
reverend said:
If the KDLinks is as good as they say they should send one to @niko as he can tell you how good it is (or isn't)! It's an older platform which to be fair can get some good results, but it's outperformed by OV4689 and IMX based cameras.

If it gets a glowing review it would sell loads :)
Click to expand...

Post the suggestion on Amazon, as a comment to even one of the reviews, and their customer circus will pick up on it. They seem to read everything on Amazon about their products. You can bet they'll be all over it.

Yeah, some of Best Buy's stuff is getting flamed big time! Their "Geek Squad" support IS attractive. No "slow boat to China!"
 
Unfortunately they pulled out of the UK market - I was gutted as it was like a geeks playground in Best Buy compared to what we have!
 
Here is a video at night from the KDLinks X1. Seems on par with cheap Chinese cameras at half the price.

It is also sold as the Overmax CamRoad 6.1, primarily in Poland, and probably a number of other names.
http://www.overmax.eu/en/products,p8/car-cameras,c1859/camroad-6-1,c3191/

EDIT: Seems like the Overmax CamRoad 6.1 / KDLinks X-1 is a NovatekNT96650+ AptinaAR0330 camera as can be seen from this Polish dash cam thread.
http://translate.google.ca/translate?hl=en&sl=pl&u=http://trajano.webd.pl/viewtopic.php?f=28&p=42251&prev=search

1_2_12.jpg

zdjecie-1_1396421775.png
 
Last edited:
Here's a sample night video from my G1W-H for a comparison (lighting seems to be about the same overall).

 
Thanx for the videos. Night video on both is sufficient. Also need GPS, not for position, but for speed. The cop ALWAYS asks the question, "How fast were you going?" This would give an evidence quality answer. My smart phone handles, "Where am I, and where am I going?"
I don't need internet access.

One issue that seems to plague these things is longevity. If it lasts more than six months, consider yourself lucky. You got a good one. The two culprits seem to be heat and battery death. I live in Florida. The outside temperature can be 105 degrees. The sun is at a higher angle than in New York or Indiana, so it BAKES whatever is inside the car. And, what is the value of having motion sensing, if you always remove the cam?

I DON'T need 100 menu items for a geeked out experience. I don't need Wi-Fi. I don't need internet access. I don't need the "latest and greatest".

I DO need the unit to last at least a year. (I know. That's asking a LOT!) I DO need GPS. I DO need ease of use, not Byzantine complication. I DO need a well designed and built mount that will last. I DO NEED A BACKOUT PLAN! If things go South, I need either help, good help, or to return it. Sending it to China is moe-ron stoopid. Good tech support is a HUGE seller. That's why I'd consider Best Buy.

Still looking.
 
Last edited:
Good point!;)

1. You do not need 100 menu items with expensive cost.
2. You do not need Wif-Fi.
3. You do not need the latest and greatest,

1. You do need the unit to last at least a year.
2. You do need GPS, for tracking where you are, How fast you were going,
3. You do need easy of use,
4. You do need well designed and built mount
5. You do need backout Plan
6. You do need GOOD tech support.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread starter Similar threads Forum Replies Date
C Need help withKdlinks X1 settings kdLinks 2
Similar threads
Need help withKdlinks X1 settings
Back
Top