Reddit reviews Garmin Dash Cam 55, 1440p 2.0" LCD Screen, Extremely Small GPS-enabled Dash Camera with Voice Control, Loop Recording, G-Sensor and Driver Alerts, Includes Memory Card

Wow!....I've been using dashcams for 3 years now and realized after reading your post.....I know shit about dash cams!

I did it the lazy way and went with this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XG27N5L/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1 simply because they have good customer service and are reputable. Even though I've had to twist their arms by complaining through the Dept of Consumer Affairs when their shit failed and they refused to comp me new dash cams....worked like a charm!

Should I get the hard wire kits for this?? Does it really make that big of a difference?? I have one on the front and back windshields. Sounds like overkill, I know, but this one time I was driving and this rideshare driver slammed into my driver side while breaking a double yellow from behind me to over take me from the left and insurance companies would've said I cut in front of him which is what it looked like until I sent them the rear dash cam and they just straight cut me a check in the mail!! No fuss, no haggling!

I'm also looking and researching good dash cams and here is what I have come up with so far:

Garmin Dashcam 55($200)

• Video Quality
  
• I've heard good and bad about this, apparently it's one of the best out there right now but it had overheating issues from the start. Looks like the latest firmware update for this has resolved the overheating issues (which was like 99% of peoples complaints about it)
  
• Small and inconspicuous when mounted on windshield
  
• High-quality 3.7 megapixel camera with 1440p video capture; works even in low-light conditions
  
• Forward collision and lane departure warnings plus alerts for nearby red light cameras and speed cameras
  *GPS-enabled with automatic incident detection (G-Sensor) saves video footage on impact to show when and where events happened
  
• Voice control allows you to start/stop recording, take a still picture or start/stop the Travelapse photo capture feature
  
  THINKWARE X500D Dashcam($255)
  
  
• Video Quality
  
• If you want a good front + rear dashcam so you can catch things happening behind you too I hear this one is one of the best for the cost
  
• A Full HD 1080p dash cam with Sony Exmor image sensor and a Full HD 1080p rear cam provide complete front and rear surveillance of your vehicle
  
• High performance 32GB UHS-I microSD card with SPOR (Sudden Power Off Recovery) technology specifically tailored for Thinkware Dash Cams
  
• Lane departure, front collision, red light and speed camera alerts help increase driver awareness.
  
• Built-in GPS Tracker embeds crucial data such as time, speed, and location data
  
• Optional accessory: Hardwiring cable to enable Parking Surveillance mode
  
  Mobious ActionCam($70)
  
  
• Video Quality + Audio Quality test
  
• So if your looking for the best deal I hear this one is it. Shoots 1080p, can be concealed in your mirror and apparently takes really good video and sound. But it doesn't have a screen which means downloading them to a pc.

Garmin Dash Cam 55 ($200 USD) Roughly

• Design not discreet looks like a camera - Causes people to touch, play with settings, move camera out of position, and otherwise disable or steal dash cam.
  
  
• Silver ring, not discreet - brings attention to thieves, police, other drivers that may not be in your best interest at that point in time.
  
  
• Forward collision and lane departure warnings - Useless in all dash cams currently
  
  
• Control It with Your Voice - Seems interesting, but not required.
  
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  For $200 USD, you could get:
  
  1 CH dash cams:
  
  
• B1W ($47-55 USD) - Good video quality, Fair build quality, Lackluster parking mode: Automatic, Not buffered, Requires hardwire kit with low voltage cut off feature (possible firmware update for Automatic engage/disengage as well.) - People like this dash camera, but personally I don't know too much about it. Dashcamtalk written review
  
  
• A119 v2 ($79-105 USD) - Best video quality dash cam on the market. Excellent video quality, Fair build quality, Lackluster parking mode: Automatic, Not Buffered, Requires Hardwire kit with low voltage cut off feature. Firmware updates is a tread mill with this one, but they are largely positively received. Dashcamtalk written review
  
  
• A119S v2 ($90-119 USD) - This one is actually worse video quality than A119 v2, most consider it a failed experiment. Only better video quality in extreme dark conditions. Good video quality, Fair build quality, Lackluster parking mode: Automatic, Not Buffered, Requires Hardwire kit with low voltage cut off feature. Dashcamtalk written review
  
  
• A119 Pro ($90-124 USD) - This one is new, and one of the few dash cams that can possibly surpass the A119 v2 in video quality. However, this is the same hope the A119S v2 had, which failed. Excellent video quality, Fair build quality, Lackluster parking mode: Automatic, Not Buffered, Requires Hardwire kit with low voltage cut off feature. Firmware updates expected to be similar to A119 v2 on this one, tread mill. Dashcamtalk written review
  
  Budget Dual Cam:
  
  
• A129 ($160 USD) - Good video quality, Fair build quality, Lackluster parking mode: Automatic, Not Buffered, Requires Hardwire kit with low voltage cut off feature. Firmware updates expected to be similar to A119 v2 on this one, tread mill. Has Wifi/cellphone app.
  
  
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  After this point is above $200 USD, but worth looking at:
  
  
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  Last year's Flagship Dual Cams:
  
  
• BlackSys CH-100B 2CH ($200-270 USD) - Excellent build quality, Excellent parking mode, Good/Fair video quality. Automatic, Buffered, Built in low voltage cut off feature. - Video quality is significantly lower than the A129, or A119 v2, or A119 Pro. Has Wifi/cellphone app. This dash cam's wifi/cellphone app design is said to be best in market: Simple, easy to use, ect. - This is very high praise, in a market where wifi/cellphone apps can be very dodgy. Lacks Cloud feature. Partitioned parking/normal.
  
  
• BlackVue DR650S 2CH ($298-370 USD) Excellent build quality, Excellent parking mode, Good/Fair video quality. Automatic, Buffered, Recommended hardwire kit includes low voltage cut off feature. - People complain about Video quality on this one, but it is similar to the BlackSys CH-100B 2CH. Has Wifi/cellphone app. Has Cloud feature. Lacks Partitioned Normal/Parking recording. This is the first of the Cloud feature dash cams. Cloud feature is cool, but you should research it specifically, because everyone's cloud feature is slightly different.
  
  
• Thinkware F770 2CH ($330-390 USD) - Excellent build quality, Excellent parking mode, Good video quality. Automatic, Buffered, Built in low voltage cut off feature. 1080P Front/Rear for this one, a step up from the CH-100B 2CH, but still far from the A119 v2, A119 Pro, A129 dash cams. + Wifi/cellphone app. Lacks Cloud feature.
  
  This year's Flagship Dual Cams:
  
  
• BlackSys Ch-200 2CH ($300-320 USD) - Excellent build quality, Excellent parking mode, Good video quality. Automatic, Buffered, Built in low voltage cut off feature. - Video quality is a step up from the CH-100B 2CH, but still far from the A119 v2, A119 Pro, A129 dash cams. + Wifi/cellphone app. This dash cam's wifi/cellphone app is said to be best in market: Simple, easy to use, ect. - This is very high praise, in a market where wifi/cellphone apps can be very dodgy. Lacks Cloud feature. Partitioned parking/normal.
  
  
• BlackVue DR750S 2CH ($380-510 USD) - Excellent build quality, Excellent parking mode, Good video quality. Automatic, Buffered, Recommended hardwire kit includes low voltage cut off feature. Has Partitioned Normal/Parking recording that the DR650S lacked. Improved video quality over the DR650S as well. 2nd Cloud feature dash cam. Cloud feature is cool, but you should research it specifically, because everyone's cloud feature is slightly different.
  
  
• BlackVue DR900S 2CH (4K) ($480-591 USD) - Excellent build quality, Excellent parking mode, Excellent video quality. Automatic, Buffered, Recommended hardwire kit includes low voltage cut off feature. Has Partitioned Normal/Parking recording that the DR650S lacked. Video quality similar to A119 v2 which is very high praise indeed. Marketed as 4k, but it is actually 2k. 3nd Cloud feature dash cam from BlackVue. Cloud feature is cool, but you should research it specifically, because everyone's cloud feature is slightly different.
  
  
• Thinkware F800 2CH ($380-430 USD) - Excellent build quality, Excellent parking mode, Good video quality. Automatic, Buffered, Built in low voltage cut off feature. Video quality similar to DR750S 2CH, or BlackSys Ch-200. Has Wifi/cellphone app. Has Cloud feature.
  
  
• Thinkware F800 Pro 2CH ($380-460 USD) - Excellent build quality, Excellent parking mode, Good video quality. Automatic, Buffered, Built in low voltage cut off feature. Video quality similar to DR750S 2CH, or BlackSys Ch-200. Has Wifi/cellphone app. Has Cloud feature.
  
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  You aren't getting a lot of dash cam for the money. $200 USD I expect dual cam, discreet, wifi/cellphone app, Parking mode, and possibly more features and more useful features than listed on the amazon website.
  
  Dashcamtalk review of Garmin Dash Cam 55
  
  

• Major problem listed Over Heating.
  
  
• Major problem listed: Lipo battery = bad. A Capacitor would be preferred.
  
  
• Buffered parking mode (saves 10 seconds before impact / motion detection and 30 seconds after) - This is actually good. Depending upon how well it works: Automatic? Hardwired? Built in low voltage cut off feature, or does it run off of battery? Is the dash cam off and have a booting up delay? Or the dash cam on and only writes to micro sd card to save power?
  
  Anyways, it is your money.
  
  I didn't go into basic stuff I want in a dash cam anyways: Audio alerts of Micro SD card failure: Beeping is fine, voice is better. A lot of other things too, I didn't bother looking it up, because price alone, it is over priced.

Wirecutter recommends the Garmin 55. I've found their recommendations can sometimes be pricy but they are universally good. Budget pick is PAPAGO GoSafe 550.

Full review, long read with lots of info, can be found here: https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-dash-cam/

Garmin Dash Cam 55

[Amazon Link] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XG27N5L/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_5NwxDbW7N3G3G)