Travel dashcam - suction mount

[Jeff_Vantrue]

By the way, the Vantrue E1 is currently $99.99 and the E1 Lite is $89.99 on Amazon.

 

[kamkar]

T130

T130 was fine, but yes it do lack some of the things in newer systems we now see are better in some situations.

One can wonder some times how some execute on a product, i did that myself wondering why the N5 front starvis 2 sensor did not have HDR.
I do not see this as cheating customers, but it is adding to the complex task of selecting a dashcam if you are a novice buyer, that is where we must hope people find their way in here, and we are able to assist them.

It is valid to compare new systems to previous generation, so one can see what the extra cost give you.
Regarding HDR and starvis 2 sensors, i would be looking for something like that in a new camera myself, but even so i would not put any bets on things like plate capture in low light.
I understand there is a much better chance now, and that is splendid, but i dont think it is safe enough for me to gamble any of my meager pension on it.

 

[Panzer Platform]

Hi Chuck,

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and feedback with us. We understand and respect your preference for Viofo products, especially regarding image quality, reliability, and durability.

At Vantrue, we continuously strive to improve our products and address customer feedback. While image quality is indeed a crucial aspect, we also focus on other features and innovations that users may find valuable.

We value your contribution to our brand and the dashcam community as a whole, and we've already reported your suggestions to our tech department for consideration.

Best regards,
Jeff
Vantrue Team

Yo Jeff,
You keep saying my “loyalty & preference” to Viofo. lol
My loyalty, and preference is to whoever has the best;
1.) Image Quality
2.) Reliability
3.) Durability

Here’s a list of dash cams I’ve tested, and sent back to the manufacturer because if I made a YouTube Review about them, I would not have anything positive to say, and the review would be mostly negative.
I do not wish to make negative YouTube Review videos.
Ricilar CR612 (2022)
FineVu GX1000 (2022)
Vantrue E1 (2022)
BlackVue DR900X Plus (2023)
BlackVue DR970X (2023)
Thinkware U3000 (2023)

I haven’t emailed you requesting a return shipping label to send back the S1 Pro because the hardware is capable, you guys just need to fix the firmware, then it will be a competitor for the A119 Mini 2.
But, not the Rear Camera it’s terrible, (out of focus, only 1080p, and not STARVIS 2).
It’s been in my possession since September 2023, (5 months) and I’m loosing my patients it's taking you guys so long to release an acceptable public firmware for it.
I will say it has easy peasy, seamless OTA update capability, (I can’t say that about Viofo right now). lol
Going forward from 2024, STARVIS 2 & HDR are absolutely necessary for image quality, (anything less is kind of a waste of time).
Here’s a link to the test footage from all the dash cams I’ve ever tested;

https://www.youtube.com/@PanzerUnlisted/playlists

 

[Panzer Platform]

By the way, the Vantrue E1 is currently $99.99 and the E1 Lite is $89.99 on Amazon.

$120 = E1 (Amazon US)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/B0B2W81VG6
$115 = A119 Mini 2 (Amazon US)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/B0C5MVB7NX






Even if the E1 was $50 I still would not recommend it in 2024.
Price is not the issue.
No STARVIS 2 & properly functioning HDR is the issue.

 

[Dashmellow]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. lol
I purposely did not mention that because the average consumer wants a purpose built “out of the box” plug & play unit.
They don’t want to fiddle about with purchasing extra / separate accessories or DIY projects.
We still need a temporary / travel unit from Viofo to round out the product line so they can stop loosing market share to other brands.

How do YOU know what the "average consumer" wants or doesn't want? You always seem to present yourself as the ultimate authority on subjects like this, such as when you kept pounding the table about how users wouldn't want a low, medium or high setting for audio volume on a dash cam because it would be "too complicated" for them, yet these very same consumers are all perfectly capable of adjusting all kinds of sophisticated settings on their smartphones. Happily, Viofo ignored your rants and implemented this feature in the mini 2.

While DIY may not be for everyone it has been an important and very popular tradition since dash cams first appeared (including hundreds of DIY threads on this forum) and indeed DIY has been a key component of photography (and film making) since its invention nearly 200 years ago and this will continue to be so. DIY is often an initial catalyst for innovations in actual products.

As to your claim that people "don’t want to fiddle about with purchasing extra / separate accessories", you seem to be ignoring the fact that the photographic accessory industry is an enormous, worldwide, multi-billion dollar industry. When people want an enhancement or capability their cameras don't have they tend to go out and buy a camera accessory or gadget that provides it to them. Indeed, as but one simple example, there are probably far more accessories available in the marketplace for GoPro cameras than there are GoPro cameras! Same for DSLRs and most other still, film and video cameras. Even cell phone cameras have many accessories available ranging from auxiliary lenses and filters to selfie sticks, cases, holders, gimbals, mounts, etc.

I am always amazed at how you relentlessly badger, bully and criticize certain companies, in particular, @viofo and now more recently @Jeff_Vantrue because their products don't quite meet your expectations and demands for how they design, manufacture and market their products and even which particular products they should or shouldn't be offering.

FYI, successful, well seasoned manufacturers know far more than you do about designing, engineering, manufacturing and marketing their products and they are highly unlikely to succumb to your constant boisterous needling, demands and table pounding regarding how you believe they should operate their businesses.

They have also been extraordinarily generous to you to the tune of providing you with thousands of dollars worth of free merchanidise and yet you take this as a license to become even more hypercritical, vociferous and demanding as if your goal seems really all about drawing a lot of attention to yourself in the guise of "improving things". I am surprised they haven't cut you off at this point. That's what usually happens when you keep biting the hand that feeds you.

We still need a temporary / travel unit from Viofo to round out the product line so they can stop loosing market share to other brands.

This demand is a perfect example of what I am talking about here and it is one I've mentioned to you on previous occasions. Despite thinking you know better about what products Viofo should be offering to "round out their line" it only further illustrates how little you know about the actual business end of identifying the demand for a product and then manufacturing and marketing the product. It requires more than an amateur with no business or manufacturing experience thinking it would be cool if he can needle Viofo enough to make such a thing. A suction cup temporary dash cam that would only be used on occasion would be a niche item that would appeal only to a tiny percentage of the dash cam buying public. Thus, the costs of designing, engineering, tooling, manufacturing, packaging and marketing such a low volume item would be prohibitive and would be a very unwise investment and business decision. Manufacturers want to identify market segments where they can offer quality products at competitive prices in high enough volumes to make a decent profit and THAT is how they determine what products to include in their line.

And finally, what's the deal with this LOL thing? You can't seem to post a thread without using LOL mutilple times. Many consider LOL to be among the most overused and annoying acronyms on the internet. You often castigate Nigel for his chronic overuse of unnecessary exclamation points in his posts and while that may be true this LOL thing is no different.

 

[venezian]

I looked into the e1 and like the size, but I’m concerned with quality.

Also read that you can’t use usbc to usbc cable to power the camera. It has to be usb a to c. All new cars have usb c and slowly phasing usb a.

There’s garmin but I’m not paying that price

The viofo vs1 features and price point is nearly perfect. I’ll take a glance at the diy options to gauge if I have the time for it.

 

[venezian]

Viofo cameras will happily stick, using the standard 3M sticky pad, to something like this:

Windshield Suction Mount for EZ Pass Toll Transponders, Bluetooth GPS Receivers, and Radar Detectors

Arkon's BT010 windshield suction mount is ideal for mounting Bluetooth GPS receivers, small radar detectors, and auto-deduct/EZ-Pass toll road electronic devices that need to be mounted high up on the windshield. This mount features a 2 5/8" x 2" base platform to attach your device with either...

arkon.com

It’s still on amazon

https://a.co/d/jjLagoP

 

[Dashmellow]

It’s still on amazon

https://a.co/d/jjLagoP

Glad to see it back on Amazon. In mid January it was no longer available on Amazon; it was only available directly from Arkon.

 

[GTA Driver]

Glad to see it back on Amazon. In mid January it was no longer available on Amazon; it was only available directly from Arkon.

Its not available again. I was considering purchasing with for A119V3. I had a rental car last week . Ten minutes into the drive I think to myself "I am so uncomfortable driving without a dash cam" and then 5 minutes later my wife says the same thing.

Edit: Grammar.

 

[Dashmellow]

Its not available again. I was considering purchasing with for A119V3. I had a rental car last week . Ten minutes into the drive I think to myself "I am so uncomfortable driving without a dash cam" and then 5 minutes later my wife says the same thing.

Edit: Grammar.

You could try my DIY version. It's really pretty easy to make and requires minimum skills. It will work with any suction cup mount that has a 1/4-20 tripod thread screw.

DIY adjustable flat platform mount for wedge cams​

 

[GTA Driver]

You could try my DIY version. It's really pretty easy to make and requires minimum skills. It will work with any suction cup mount that has a 1/4-20 tripod thread screw.

DIY adjustable flat platform mount for wedge cams​

Its worth a try. I have may have some old suction cups for older dash cams and unused GPS.

 

[Dashmellow]

Its worth a try. I have may have some old suction cups for older dash cams and unused GPS.

Yeah, the wood version was especially easy to make. The whole project requires only two parts, the flat piece of wood (or plastic) a 1/4-20 lock nut (and some epoxy glue).

 

[Nigel]

I was considering purchasing with for A119V3.

There is a proper Viofo suction mount available for the A119 V3:

Suction Cup Mount for VIOFO A119V2 A119S A119Pro A119V3

Perfect suction cup mount for A119V2/A119S/A119Pro/A119V3 used on car windshield. Recommend In-car Use also keep the contact surface clean and flat. Suction cup mount with greater suction power for securer and more stable. Easy to install and remove no tools required,so you can take it from car...

viofo.com

And for people who have other cameras, or want GPS, a hacksaw will convert it into a flat mount for sticky pads!

 

[Dashmellow]

There is a proper Viofo suction mount available for the A119 V3:

Suction Cup Mount for VIOFO A119V2 A119S A119Pro A119V3

Perfect suction cup mount for A119V2/A119S/A119Pro/A119V3 used on car windshield. Recommend In-car Use also keep the contact surface clean and flat. Suction cup mount with greater suction power for securer and more stable. Easy to install and remove no tools required,so you can take it from car...

viofo.com

"OUT-OF-STOCK"

Despite still being listed on their web site I don't believe Viofo still sells the suction cup mount and hasn't for quite some time. AFAIK, they didn't sell enough of them to justify continuing to manufacture them, so they offered them until the inventory was gone. Their web site shopping cart says "LAST ITEMS IN STOCK" until you try to order one and then the message will change to "OUT-OF-STOCK".

 

[TonyM]

I wish the Arkon suction cup mount was available at Amazon UK - I've never seen it listed here.

 

[DT MI]

Its not available again....

Check again - I just looked and it's listed as sold and shipped by Arkon with free delivery (Prime only?).

https://www.amazon.com/gp/B000FGI9R0

 

[GTA Driver]

No, I am still seeing at unavailable.

 

[DT MI]

No, I am still seeing at unavailable.

View attachment 71765

Hmm... Don't understand what's happening. This from just now:

 

[Dashmellow]

Hmm... Don't understand what's happening. This from just now:

View attachment 71766

Here is what's happening.

It comes up as "in stock" for me when I search on Amazon US for ARKON BT010 Windshield Suction Mount for EZ Pass

However, when I do the same search on Amazon CA (Canada) it doesn't come up at all, not even the "Currently Unavailable" one that @GTA Driver is seeing.

Like I was seeing previously on US Amazon there are plenty of other Arkon items but not this particular mount.

 

[DT MI]

Here is what's happening.

It comes up as "in stock" for me when I search on Amazon US for ARKON BT010 Windshield Suction Mount for EZ Pass

However, when I do the same search on Amazon CA (Canada) it doesn't come up at all, not even the "Currently Unavailable" one that @GTA Driver is seeing.

DOH!!! US vs CA...