It is worth trying them all to see which saves the most.
After finalizing my car install plan, I ended up purchasing from GearBest and got
the Mini 0806 for $113 with coupon code G2015. Free shipping included. Thanks for the tips!
However, I'm going to digress for a moment because this was my first time using GearBest and it wasn't a comfortable experience.
Before I could even try any coupon codes it told me I had to create an account, so I didn't even know if they were going to work or not without giving out an email address. Then, when I applied the coupon codes the price mysteriously jumped from $119.99 to $125, which seemed pretty screwy. I was about to drop it there, but decided to continue.
Unfortunately, after paying through PayPal, my shipping information was then sent back to GearBest over a non-HTTPS connection in order to complete the purchase process. While it looked like most of the order process was over HTTPS, and I was using PayPal, it's 2015 -- ANYTHING dealing with personal information or financial transactions needs to be secure.
Finally, their APO and PO Box shipping info needs clarification.
They say they can ship to these addresses, but only if it's under a certain weight? I guess I'll wait and see what happens. I've spent the last 10 years living in 6 different countries on 4 different continents, spending more than a year in each country. I'm no stranger to internet shopping and I'm quite aware of the complexities of international shipping. For an import/export business that deals with this every day, I think their shipping information could be more clear.
Overall, while using GearBest wasn't too painful, there certainly were some red flags (no pun intended) raised in the process, which certainly could use some polish.
Now, to get back on topic. I also ordered an
EDO Ultra Compact 5V USB Direct Hardwire Adapter Kit for $13 and a
Mini Blade Fuse Holder Tap with 5 A fuse for $6, both off eBay and both with no extra shipping charges. Total was under $21, even with the overpriced fuse tap.
The hardwire kit includes a standard female USB A socket so you can use any USB cable of the appropriate length for your installation. There are a ton of different USB hardwire kits available, but they all seem to have short USB cables, and to route from my car's mirror around and down to the fuse box under the driver's dash requires about 6 feet of cable, which was longer than any kit provided that I looked at. This specific kit actually comes with an extra Mini USB cable.
If anyone else decides to do their own hardwire install like this, don't forget a crimp-on ring/spade terminal to securely attach the black wire from the USB transformer to ground somewhere on the car chasis. I found one lying around in my electric parts junk box but they only cost a few pennies and provide a much better connection to a screw on the chasis than simply attaching bare wire to the chasis in any of the numerous "unprofessional" ways possible.
I'm also going to use a 64 GB Class 10 SanDisk MicroSD I recently
purchased off Amazon for $33. So the tally so far for this project will be:
Mini 0806 dash cam: $113
12V to 5V USB transformer hardwire kit: $13
Fuse holder tap with fuse: $6
Crimp on ring terminal: $0 (scrap)
USB A male to Micro USB male cable: $0 (spare)
64 GB MicroSD card: $33
Total: USD $165
I'll follow up once I get everything and assemble my notes after installing!
