Time For A Borescope/Endoscope

Hey Everybody,

Got a thorny in-wall wire-snaking issue which may prove the opportune time to purchase a borescope/endoscope.  I've wanted one for car stuff so now I can reconcile buying one since it could prove useful elsewhere.  I checked the search engine but could not find any comparison-type articles or threads.

At what price point does the performance take off? I've seen wildly different prices as low as $8.95, which I'm going to take as bogus.  How long should the cable be for all-around household/car-hold use? What is a useful resolution threshold? 720p?

I'm looking for bang-for-the-buck here but I can spend a few bucks if I get significantly more bang.

Thanks in advance,

Jerry

I had a need for one a few months back to inspect the cylinders in a stuck engine. I did a search and was quickly swamped with options. I don't exactly recall why I chose this one but I have been very happy with it. Not a ton of money, good image quality, plenty long enough cable, etc. 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0928Q3T42/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

I have not purchased this, but likely will. $100 for a color scope seems to be reasonable enough for me. Cheaper than a color version from HF.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Kobalt-4-3-In-Compact-Digital-Inspection-Camera/5012911943?cm_mmc=shp-_-c-_-prd-_-tol-_-ggl-_-LIA_TOL_216_Construction-Hand-Tools-_-5012911943-_-local-_-0-_-0&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD2B2W-p1Du9uuGp4VBqvpoJK6QMG&gclid=Cj0KCQiAz8GuBhCxARIsAOpzk8zVD403BAMoVgapjl12OKtT44W2SIpGXkXCultfwUHsoV6v07ruPpcaAifLEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Motojunky said:

I had a need for one a few months back to inspect the cylinders in a stuck engine. I did a search and was quickly swamped with options. I don't exactly recall why I chose this one but I have been very happy with it. Not a ton of money, good image quality, plenty long enough cable, etc. 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0928Q3T42/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

I paid similar money for functionally the same thing from Amazon.  I use it pretty regularly and it's been great.  Some of my friends use ones that require a phone but I wanted a dedicated unit.

I have a Milwaukee M12 that works fairly well. 

If I was shopping right now, I'd be buying one of these. The remote articulating head would be worth every penny. Two-Way Articulating Borescope with Light

mfennell said:

Motojunky said:

I had a need for one a few months back to inspect the cylinders in a stuck engine. I did a search and was quickly swamped with options. I don't exactly recall why I chose this one but I have been very happy with it. Not a ton of money, good image quality, plenty long enough cable, etc. 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0928Q3T42/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

I paid similar money for functionally the same thing from Amazon.  I use it pretty regularly and it's been great.  Some of my friends use ones that require a phone but I wanted a dedicated unit.

Me, three. I bought a similar one from Amazon (except mine is yellow). Bought the one with a camera head small enough to fit into a Porsche spark plug hole. Have since used it to look inside house A/C drain lines, inside walls to look for leaks, through the dash in the car for cable routing. Amazing what uses you can find.

Toyman! said:

I have a Milwaukee M12 that works fairly well. 

If I was shopping right now, I'd be buying one of these. The remote articulating head would be worth every penny. Two-Way Articulating Borescope with Light

Wow.  That is slick.

My only thought about the articulating head is whether it would articulate when not wanted.  Like when you're stuffing it into a wall.  How "floppy" is that head?

Motojunky,

Have you used it in non-automotive applications?

In reply to Jerry From LA :

Yes, it came in handy with recent plumbing issue.