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The magazine of professional investigators

Understanding The Difference Between Consumer, Professional, and Law Enforcement Grade PI Gear

08 Aug 2011
L Scott Harrell
13
gear, NAIS

PI GearIt’s important for professionals to understand that there is a huge difference between professional grade gear and consumer grade gear so you know and understand what it is you are buying. The devil is always in the details and it’s important for you to look at the specifications of each piece of gear you obtain to make sure it is right for the job that you are doing. Here are some tips so you know and understand what the difference is.

A) Simply put, consumer grade equipment is manufactured for consumers who have a one time use for a certain piece of investigative gear or want home use out of a piece of investigative gear. Higher end professional and law enforcement grade gear is designed for the professional.

B) Professional grade and law enforcement grade equipment is built for extended heavy and repeated use. It tends to be more rugged and tends to not malfunction after it gets banged around a little.

C) Consumer grade equipment is designed in a manner to keep the price down as much as it can be and is generally not designed for heavy extended and heavy repeated use. Although consumer grade equipment can often be used and is designed to be used more than one time, it tends to burn out over repeated heavy use and can not take the banging around that professional grade equipment can take. Generally speaking, it is not as rugged as professional grade and law enforcement grade equipment and it’s life of use will not be as long.

D) There is often a huge and wide gap between the specifications between professional and law enforcement grade equipment and consumer grade equipment. It’s important to pay attention to the details in the resolution ratings, lux ratings, options and features and battery consumption capacity.

E) Professional And law enforcement equipment tends to have features and options that you can use with various adjustments that are just not present on consumer grade equipment. This can have a huge impact on end results that your clients or the court sees. Consumer grade equipment is generally just not designed with high end results in mind and in our opinion, needs to be kept out of court rooms and legal presentations.

F) Professional And law enforcement grade equipment is often upgradable when it comes to it’s firmware. As technology and features improve, you can sometimes upgrade the software and firmware that runs your gear. With consumer grade gear, you just throw it away and buy the upgrades with a new feature.

G) Professional and law enforcement grade equipment usually comes with a warranty and can usually be repaired. Consumer grade equipment is made in a manner in which it is sold for price and if it breaks down, you just throw it away and obtain a new one. It stands to reason that professional grade equipment is going to cost you more up front but it’s been proven time and time again that in the long run you are going to save a lot of dollars when starting out with professional grade gear since the lower end gear will just not last as long and professional grade gear and is generally not firmware upgradable.

H) When it comes to innovation, we believe LawMate Brand sets that standard when it comes to professional and law enforcement grade equipment. What generally happens is LawMate invents a new product and within a year there is a cheaper knock-off or look-a like in the market place. This is just a general business cycle that happens to everything. LawMate was the first with a professional and law enforcement grade button camera, professional grade pocket DVR that powers cameras, Stealth Cell Phone, key chain video recorder , Eyeglass/Sunglass camera that wasn’t so funky looking, wide dynamic range high definition button camera, the first Law Enforcement Grade CamStick, the first high grade cell phone detectors, and the first high grade keychain audio recorder. All of LawMate brand inventions tend to get knocked off in consumer grade models that are of course cheaper but it’s important for the buyer to know and understand the difference when it comes to various grades of equipment.

I) It’s important to note that if you are on a limited budget and top quality is not your primary concern when it comes to investigative gear, there is nothing wrong with using consumer grade equipment even sometimes for professional use as long as you know and you understand exactly what it is you are buying. We know that as your profession moves forward, you will step up to a professional grade of gear once you use some of it. Because of this, we do carry some non-LawMate brand consumer grade equipment for those just starting out and/or are on a limited budget.

Here is an example of comparing a consumer grade covert video camera system and a professional grade camera system. We urge you to look closely at the difference between the two models so you will understand the difference:

Consumer Grade Invisible Secrets PhoneCam DVR
Although this is a great piece of quality consumer grade gear, it’s consumer grade.

Professional Law Enforcement Grade Invisible Secrets PV-900 By LawMate!
It Simply Sets The Standard For Professional And Law Enforcement Grade.

PI Gear Quality

“The Difference In Grade Is Much Like The Difference Between A Hotdog And A Great Steak Dinner!” – By Ralph Thomas

Recent Comments

About the Author
L. Scott Harrell is the managing principal of CompassPoint Investigations, a thriving private investigation agency based in Pensacola, Florida, as well as the digital marketing and competitive intelligence consultancy, Broadside Incorporated. Find him at http://www.gplus.to/scottharrell
13 Comments
  1. Scott Stys August 9, 2011 at 4:01 pm

    This is a great article to promote Ralph Thomas and his website where you can get some gear at a hefty mark-up. Lawmate may set the gold standard but you and your client set the minimum standard.

    There’s also a kernel of truth in the article but it doesn’t go far enough.

    In order to have any relevance, you need to understand your business needs and the needs of the client. In my 20 years of PI surveillance work, I know of only a handful (that’s less than 6) PI’s that use Professional or LE grade gear. My consumer grade camera from 20 years ago still works and that’s after 2 car accidents where it’s hit the windshield. Most surveillance guys I started out with are like me, on their 3rd or 4th camera. YES, 1 in 5 years on average and those are cameras that are in hard use 300 days a year.

    I’ve talked about this topic for years on the Curbside Investigator Podcast because I’ve seen a lot of new PI’s get taken buying gear that is well beyond what they need or they paid too much for it because they didn’t know where to get it from. If you use technical equipment, it’s imperative that you stay up on technology, pricing and competition so you can meet the needs of your clients.

  2. Scott Stys August 9, 2011 at 4:01 pm

    This is a great article to promote Ralph Thomas and his website where you can get some gear at a hefty mark-up. Lawmate may set the gold standard but you and your client set the minimum standard.

    There’s also a kernel of truth in the article but it doesn’t go far enough.

    In order to have any relevance, you need to understand your business needs and the needs of the client. In my 20 years of PI surveillance work, I know of only a handful (that’s less than 6) PI’s that use Professional or LE grade gear. My consumer grade camera from 20 years ago still works and that’s after 2 car accidents where it’s hit the windshield. Most surveillance guys I started out with are like me, on their 3rd or 4th camera. YES, 1 in 5 years on average and those are cameras that are in hard use 300 days a year.

    I’ve talked about this topic for years on the Curbside Investigator Podcast because I’ve seen a lot of new PI’s get taken buying gear that is well beyond what they need or they paid too much for it because they didn’t know where to get it from. If you use technical equipment, it’s imperative that you stay up on technology, pricing and competition so you can meet the needs of your clients.

  3. Tom Mitchell August 9, 2011 at 10:16 pm

    Good folks! Tom wants the Best Hi-Def cam for the money. I’ve Always been partial to Sony, but lets face it! I’m tired of grain green imagines shooting after dark. I have used a friends Cannon and the Hi- Def @ stabilization is amazing!, another Friend has told me about a Bell@ Howell that states ” superb Night vision, but not so great stabilization.. I’m not familiar with Bell@ Howell but $ 169.00? verses $1200+ for Sony or Cannon. I’m also big on time stamp/ date and not pulling out my hair to load my footage on the ” ole DVD for the Client.
    I always enjoy this site as I find it useful and informative and I think-
    One of us out there has just bought that perfect Camera/ with a (view finder) that gets the money shot. Lets face it… We are only as good as our last case.
    Good People. Thank you for reading this!
    I look forward to reply’s. Toms Like a Child at Christmas Time.
    I don’t want the Red Rider BB Gun that Ralph wanted so bad- Kid you’ll shoot your eye out! Tom wants the Client to say ” WOW!!!
    How did you do that?

    Thanks so much,

    Tom Mitchell.

  4. Tom Mitchell August 9, 2011 at 10:16 pm

    Good folks! Tom wants the Best Hi-Def cam for the money. I’ve Always been partial to Sony, but lets face it! I’m tired of grain green imagines shooting after dark. I have used a friends Cannon and the Hi- Def @ stabilization is amazing!, another Friend has told me about a Bell@ Howell that states ” superb Night vision, but not so great stabilization.. I’m not familiar with Bell@ Howell but $ 169.00? verses $1200+ for Sony or Cannon. I’m also big on time stamp/ date and not pulling out my hair to load my footage on the ” ole DVD for the Client.
    I always enjoy this site as I find it useful and informative and I think-
    One of us out there has just bought that perfect Camera/ with a (view finder) that gets the money shot. Lets face it… We are only as good as our last case.
    Good People. Thank you for reading this!
    I look forward to reply’s. Toms Like a Child at Christmas Time.
    I don’t want the Red Rider BB Gun that Ralph wanted so bad- Kid you’ll shoot your eye out! Tom wants the Client to say ” WOW!!!
    How did you do that?

    Thanks so much,

    Tom Mitchell.

  5. Scott Stys August 13, 2011 at 11:40 am

    Tom, you make the client say WOW when you meet and exceed their expectations. Personally, I believe it’s the skill of the investigator/operator, not the price tag or even the quality of the equipment. When you understand the clients needs and your equipment’s strengths (and weaknesses) you will be successful.

  6. Scott Stys August 13, 2011 at 11:40 am

    Tom, you make the client say WOW when you meet and exceed their expectations. Personally, I believe it’s the skill of the investigator/operator, not the price tag or even the quality of the equipment. When you understand the clients needs and your equipment’s strengths (and weaknesses) you will be successful.

  7. Tom Mitchell August 18, 2011 at 2:44 pm

    Please allow me to rephrase my question on Hi- Definition cameras.
    I am seeking anyone of your readers that have field-tested, the Sony HDR series and or Cannon Vixia series. It is a “toss-up for both of these cameras are excellent thus the ” Wow factor” when the client views the $ money shot.

    Thank you,

    TM.

  8. Tom Mitchell August 18, 2011 at 2:44 pm

    Please allow me to rephrase my question on Hi- Definition cameras.
    I am seeking anyone of your readers that have field-tested, the Sony HDR series and or Cannon Vixia series. It is a “toss-up for both of these cameras are excellent thus the ” Wow factor” when the client views the $ money shot.

    Thank you,

    TM.

  9. Pingback: Top 10 Spy Gadgets That Actually Work | Tech Bull : Tech Bull

  10. Pingback: Top 10 Spy Gadgets That Actually Work | Tech Bull : Tech Bull

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  13. Pingback: Hiding in Plain Site: Surveillance Tips for Private Investigators | Sheer Investigations

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