Is BlackVue the 'gold standard' of dash cam brands?

Is there any one brand that you would consider as the gold standard?

No.

There are several quality brands on the market but there is no single "gold standard". Some have better build quality and may be more reliable. Some have better or worse video quality, either during the day, or night or both. Some have this or that feature that may be desirable. Many have bells, whistles and features you may not want or will ever need that will increase the cost, complexity and reliability of the camera. Some have better customer support than others. Some very good and costly cameras on the market are offered in form factors that are not optimal. The list goes on. Price does not guarantee quality. Some of the most expensive cameras on the market are deeply flawed or are absolute crap! In fact there is NO camera on the market without one issue , shortcoming or problem.

You could spend over 2oo dollars for a Street Guardian. They are excellent, well built and come with some of the best customer support in the business but they are over-hyped here on DCT and have some long standing flaws the company is loathe to fully acknowledge. The good part is that they will always look after you as a customer if you have a problem, more so than most any other manufacturer and that may be the best feature you can ever purchase. Some companies strive to keep improving their products and fixing problems that come up and some well known companies will just abandon their disappointed customers and move on to new products they can introduce to a hungry buying public. You could buy a Mobius for 70 dollars which is hands down the most reliable action/dash cam on the market but there is virtually no support and no corporate presence here on DCT from the company but instead has a vast network of knowledgeable enthusiasts to offer support and is the only camera to offer spare parts and different lens options. There is a very wide spectrum of choices in dash cams from good to terrible and everything in between. The product category of dash cameras is relatively new with much competition and as such there is no flagship or "gold standard".
 
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No.

There are several quality brands on the market but there is no single "gold standard". Some have better build quality and may be more reliable. Some have better or worse video quality, either during the day, or night or both. Some have this or that feature that may be desirable. Many have bells, whistles and features you may not want or will ever need that will increase the cost, complexity and reliability of the camera. Some have better customer support than others. Some very good and costly cameras on the market are offered in form factors that are not optimal. The list goes on. Price does not guarantee quality. Some of the most expensive cameras on the market are deeply flawed or are absolute crap! In fact there is NO camera on the market without one issue , shortcoming or problem.

You could spend over 2oo dollars for a Street Guardian. They are excellent, well built and come with some of the best customer support in the business but they are over-hyped here on DCT and have some long standing flaws the company is loathe to fully acknowledge. The good part is that they will always look after you as a customer if you have a problem, more so than most any other manufacturer and that may be the best feature you can ever purchase. Some companies strive to keep improving their products and fixing problems that come up and some well known companies will just abandon their disappointed customers and move on to new products they can introduce to a hungry buying public. You could buy a Mobius for 70 dollars which is hands down the most reliable action/dash cam on the market but there is virtually no support and no corporate presence here on DCT from the company but instead has a vast network of knowledgeable enthusiasts to offer support and is the only camera to offer spare parts and different lens options. There is a very wide spectrum of choices in dash cams from good to terrible and everything in between. The product category of dash cameras is relatively new with much competition and as such there is no flagship or "gold standard".
I agree with you; My wife drives a Bentley and I splurged on a new Toyota Corolla for myself. She believes the outstanding service and support that she receives from that company justifies her purchase. They pick her car up when it needs servicing and drop it back off at her office impeccably detailed at no charge. I have to drive mine to the dealership for service, but when there I get free donuts and coffee. We both drive the same roads with different ideas on what is the best way to travel them. Dashcam purchase in my view is pretty much the same way. I do not believe there is a clear objective choice among the Dashcam's being produced at this time. I do however believe, that finding a comfort zone where price meets expectations, and demonstrated support is obtainable with as little hassel as possible is the way to go. I believe that without having solid support from the manufacturer it really does not matter whether you have the best or the worst camera. If you need support you are figuratively screwed either way. I always choose to take the Toyota approach with reasonable price, reliability, great on gas, and most importantly; free coffee and donuts.
 
Coffee and donuts are worth a lot! And my Toyota dealership even offers bottled water, free WiFi, cable TV and cushy lounge chairs and a comfy couch in the waiting room too! They even offer little cubby hole desks for people who need to get some work done while they're waiting.

FWIW, Street Guardian USA has sent lots of cool swag and, to date, at least six logo-ed cloth bags I think he doesn't quite know what to do with (and I didn't either) but that turned out to be just about the exact right size to put power banks and other stuff in, so I'm happy and appreciative. :).....but it's the product support and customer service that is built into the purchase which is the real "gold standard", if there is such a thing in the world of dash cameras.
 
Coffee and donuts are worth a lot! And my Toyota dealership even offers bottled water, free WiFi, cable TV and cushy lounge chairs and a comfy couch in the waiting room too! They even offer little cubby hole desks for people who need to get some work done while they're waiting.

FWIW, Street Guardian USA has sent lots of cool swag and, to date, at least six logo-ed cloth bags I think he doesn't quite know what to do with (and I didn't either) but that turned out to be just about the exact right size to put power banks and other stuff in, so I'm happy and appreciative. :).....but it's the product support and customer service that is built into the purchase which is the real "gold standard", if there is such a thing in the world of dash cameras.
See :p
 
I don't think there is any 'gold standard' or clear winner. people buy dashcam based on a lot of different factors. and the market accommodates for most of them if not all of them.
 
Is there any one brand that you would consider as the gold standard?

no, no brand is perfect, none are even close, if anything I think the brands that make the biggest claims (world leader, largest selling brand, super performance/feature/technology etc etc) are perhaps more flawed than they will ever admit
 
No 'gold standard' maker yet, but there may be one in the somewhat near future if my crystal ball isn't lying to me again :p

What I've found most remarkable about high-priced dashcams is that you pay through the nose for what is at best one or two outstanding features, with all the rest about them being mundane with little progress happening. After-sales support is slow and nonchalant. Seen without the need for those features I'd call them a blatant rip-off :( Yet there are people who will buy anyway just for the name recognition or to brag about how much they spent. Same as with most things, the best things are usually found in the mid-range of prices and the best values are almost always found there :cool: So even if there were a clear 'gold standard' it might not be worth buying :eek: And even a 'gold standard' cam won't please everybody as we all have different needs.

Phil
 
NO, frankly speaking I find it diabolical that not one maker seems to want to have the customers input into the design of these things, some have glaringly bad flaws like cooking batteries, there doesn't seem to be much thought about what the end user wants, I love my thinkware F770, but it's not perfect it's just closer to what I wanted than the blackvue, I would love to be able to mix and match, I have a lane departure option, should people needing this really be allowed to drive ?, personally I engage my EYES and brain, what little I have.
 
Manufacturers sometimes do indeed pay attention to the wants and needs of customers. Those of us who have been around awhile kept asking for discreet black cameras with no lettering or logos on them at a time when you really couldn't readily find them. Eventually we got them. Many manufacturers eventually came around to using super-capacitors too when enough people demanded them. Similarly a few manufacturers have started to offer cameras with longer focal length lenses rather that usual "ultra wide" that was the standard for quite a long time. It is not that all developers listen to what the market is seeking but some do. You can't say, "not one".
 
glaringly bad flaws like cooking batteries, there doesn't seem to be much thought about what the end user wants
Maybe there is too much thought about what the end user wants, rather than what they need. That is the way of business and advertising. The battery issue is a good example. I've recently bought some cams with supercapacitors, and wow, what a blessing. No more worrying if the battery is charged or on its way out. Why did we have these batteries in the first place? I suppose originally the super capacitors didn't exist, and a means was needed to maintain operation if the power was lost. But did we ever need ten minutes or so runtime? Why? So people can take the camera out of the car to record something? Smart phones can do that better and more reliably. But having that ability in a dash cam may still be a selling point to those who haven't seen the light. Don't even get me started on LDWS etc.

PS Note to self. Keep cheap action cam in car, even better than smart phone for external recordings.
 
I can tell you that I am the best there is in my field of business, and for a couple of things I do that is pretty accurate :D But I'd be stupid to claim to be the 'gold standard' or to allow anyone else apply that sobriquet to me when overall I am merely very good :rolleyes: My humility has brought me more work than boasting ever could :p

BlackVue and Thinkware are good brands, but are not head-and-shoulders better than all the others :( More expensive yes, but that alone means nothing. They too have lots of room for improvement and I'd be wary of listening to someone who says otherwise.

Phil
 
"I always choose to take the Toyota approach with reasonable price, reliability, great on gas, and most importantly; free coffee and donuts."

Do you remember when Saturn started up? Mediocre cars, with good service, and a lot of customer butt smooching. It worked for a while.



:)

Gabacho, just get a Smart car, and you can run it on the high octane fumes from the wifes car.
 
Gabacho, just get a Smart car, and you can run it on the high octane fumes from the wifes car.

many years ago when everyone drove massive gas guzzlers the description applied to anything economical was 'runs on the smell of an oily rag'
 
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