Do i need an expensive dashcam?

[chili]

As above, i started with a blackvue dashcam and for some stupid reason i purchased a viofo a139 pro i think it was because i wanted a 4k model and this was a pretty good price.
2yrs down the road the viofo is starting to malfunction randomly switches on and off randomly beeps numerous time's and there are green and pink ish flares across my recordings.

so am now thinking of going back to blackvue i do love the cylindrical shape of their camera body's but then i thought do i need a dashcam that is going to cost me a kidney to purchase, do i even need one that
is north of £150

what is everyone using? was it worth the money? is cheap and nasty just as good?

 

[kamkar]

Well there is a old saying, with some validity to it, which go.
Any dashcam is better than no dashcam.

But i would not go too cheap, or with a exotic brand name, CUZ many of those are just release system, sell it, take the money and run, you will see no or very little support or updates.
Too bad your viofo keeled over like that, i would expect dashcams to last 3-4 years at least, memory cards not so much though, depending on usage.

 

[jsmith]

The A139 Pros have about a 1.5-2 year shelf life. I've gone through about 3 of these over the years. I love Viofo products, but I had Zero luck with the A139 Pro's lasting. I am now TRYING to get Viofo to swap out a faulty and brand new A329T series.

Vantrue makes very solid units if you aren't wanting Viofo any longer. Never an issue there.

 

[TonyM]

I would avoid cheap & nasty, but you don't need to spend a fortune either. My recommendation for number one priority is reliability, followed by image quality. If you buy from a UK outlet such as Amazon then returns should be easier if you are unlucky to have an issue. Sure you may save a bit by buying direct from Viofo or Blackvue or whoever, but if you have a problem it can be harder to resolve.

If you like the cylinder shape, the recent BlackVue Elite 8/9/10 series appear to perform well.

For decent 4K performance at a good price you could look at the 70mai A810S: https://uk.70mai.store/products/4k-a810s

 

[kamkar]

For a while ( a year ) the Vantrue S1ProMax have been my primary system, even if running a similar SPEC T800 from 70mai beside it, but it just is not as solid with low light plate captures.
Mind you i have no long tern experience with the Vantrue systems i have tried, i have run them a year and a bit usually before i have gotten something new to try out, but on the face of it they seem legit.