Need Suggestions

[glypter]

EDIT: Winner is SGZC12SS!
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Hi Everyone! Long time lurker, but I believe it's time to actually contribute and post.

I need suggestions for a quality dashcam that will not flake out in the short term. I originally had a G1W-CB, but it looks like the cold weather killed one of the circuits (it would only stay on if I held the power button down). I just bought a A118C/B40, but it has a serious issue with recording video and producing a horrible high pitched noise.

Models I've had:

• G1WCB (Capacitor G1W, but with black bezel)
• B40-C (Autovox brand)

My needs are:

• Good video quality. I'd prefer something that does both day and night well, but something at least for daytime.
• Withstand colder temperatures. As in 0 F / -20 C. Summers can sometimes push 90 F, but we have harsh cold winters (though it's been mild this year!)
• Capacitor model. I've never had a battery model, though the thought of having one doesn't sit too well for me.
• Price. I'm willing to spend on quality, but nothing too crazy. Preferably something around $100 US to $150 US, but if something is a tad out of this range then it might be fine.

My desires/wants (but not necessarily dealbreakers if a suggestion doesn't fit)

• Concealable/stealth like. The G1W wasn't too bad, but the wedge style was pretty nice for the 2 days I had it. But if the quality of the unit is worth it, I would be willing to sacrifice some of the stealth like factor. I know the Street Guardians have the same factor, but it scares me that another issue could arise from my previous B140 incident.
  
• I'd love dual channel, but the price seems way too high at the moment. I considered the Blackvue that recently had a Massdrop, but the bitrate and other issues reported killed it for me.
• Parking mode / motion mode

What I've considered:

• SGZC12SS
• SG9665GC
• SG7LA50G (but it's unavailable from where I purchase items)
• kdlinks X1
• Blackvue
• Thinkware F750

 

[niko]

Welcome to forum !
This is one of the few good and easy to read / understand "what should I buy".

 

[glypter]

Welcome to forum !
This is one of the few good and easy to read / understand "what should I buy".

Thanks! I tried to make this as clear as possible. My downfall is trying to make everything as tl;dr as possible, because I tend to overwrite on every detail.

 

[Gibson99]

well the blacksys cf-100 checks pretty much all the boxes for you. you'll have to black out the small chrome ring and the logo on the front, but that's pretty easy with a sharpie or paint pen. it's got capacitor, gps (speed is NOT printed in the video), parking mode, 2-channel, high quality sony imager in front for good day and night video... no screen, but honestly, i don't miss having a screen because it has good voice prompts to let you know what it's doing. and as a bonus, it's pretty cheap right now on amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/B00KFYG0K0. if you don't want GPS, it's $10 cheaper. we didn't have any issues with it when we went to Colorado this past Christmas. car sat outside in sub-zero temps for a week and didn't give us any trouble.

my only real complaint is that on hot days (of which there's no shortage of in Houston), the ball/socket mount is easy to accidentally bump out of aim. my solution was to cut the fingertip off a nitrile exam glove (i keep them for working on cars), slip that over the ball, then put it back together. it gives it just a little more grip.

 

[glypter]

well the blacksys cf-100 checks pretty much all the boxes for you. you'll have to black out the small chrome ring and the logo on the front, but that's pretty easy with a sharpie or paint pen. it's got capacitor, gps (speed is NOT printed in the video), parking mode, 2-channel, high quality sony imager in front for good day and night video... no screen, but honestly, i don't miss having a screen because it has good voice prompts to let you know what it's doing. and as a bonus, it's pretty cheap right now on amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/B00KFYG0K0. if you don't want GPS, it's $10 cheaper. we didn't have any issues with it when we went to Colorado this past Christmas. car sat outside in sub-zero temps for a week and didn't give us any trouble.

my only real complaint is that on hot days (of which there's no shortage of in Houston), the ball/socket mount is easy to accidentally bump out of aim. my solution was to cut the fingertip off a nitrile exam glove (i keep them for working on cars), slip that over the ball, then put it back together. it gives it just a little more grip.

I almost jumped on the cf-100 back when, but decided against it due to how big it was. I have a Honda Civic, so windshield mounting is a bit weird for me. Aside from the angle and big dashboard, my wipers don't clear the top-middle of my windshield (i.e. instead of the typical \\ blades, they open like \/ ). I was afraid that this model would be too visible or too noticeable from the distance down from the top I would place it.

 

[Street Guardian USA]

SGZC12SS is a good match and I can give you a special forum member discount on that particular model too.

SG7LA50G was recalled and discontinued a year ago. I gave everyone free SG9665GC's as replacements.

You can cross off KDkinks X1:
https://dashcamtalk.com/kdlinks-x1/#Battery_Swells_Explodes

https://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threads/are-amazon-reviews-trustworthy.10460/

Blackvue features and form factor is nice but they have lower bitrate and not the best night performance.
https://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threads/street-guardian-sg9665gc-and-blackvue-dr650gw-1ch.15892/

Thinkware F750 comparison:
https://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threads/benchmark-top-dvr-in-low-light-conditions.15725/

 

[glypter]

SGZC12SS is a good match and I can give you a special forum member discount on that particular model too.

SG7LA50G was recalled and discontinued a year ago. I gave everyone free SG9665GC's as replacements.

Thanks for details! I think most of my searching keeps leading me back to the SGZC12SS or the SG9665GC, with me leaning more towards the SGZC12SS every time I see it.

Both look like a great fit for what I want. Now it's just a matter of picking