inspection camera

[picasso]

anybody got one ?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/ENDOSCOPE-BORE-SCOPE-FLEXIBLE-INSPECTION-CAMERA/dp/B0034OCT44

I was thinking of buying one but wanted to see anybody had tried it, might be worth a punt at £40.

 

[Boilerman2]

We have a self contained unit (with a built in viewing screen)
this cost about £140 but I would say it is far more convenient to use than the unit you are looking at as you need to use it in conjunction with an i phone or lap top or similar that will accept the USB connection

 

[transam]

£40 ,as said worth a punt , just ordered one , incidentally on the same site , there is one with a built in video screen , (£140 I think ! )

 

[bookahandyman]

cheaper on ebay £27 buy it now.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/USB-ENDOSCOPE...DIY_Materials_Plumbing_MJ&hash=item35b1d018fd

use your 7 days to cancel notice

 

[The Baker]

At those prices its certainly worth trying out, and a lot less money than the hand held devices with a built in screen.

But, try to have a look at the picture quality as I spent almost £200 on a see snake which has its own screen and it does not compare with the enderscope I bought over fifteen years ago. The link is below.

http://www.henkesasswolf.de/uploads/tx_exojavagal/Econoscopes.pdf

Tim

 

[Alz0r]

I have one of those (£40 from Maplins) and it has already paid for itself.

I hook mine straight into my laptop so you can get a really big image of whats going on. It's by no means hi def but mines a godsend when it comes to locating leaks in old properties (especially ones that have been refurbed countless times and have 3 or 4 layers of false ceilings / walls! )

 

[Agile]

The trouble with most of those is the very poor image definition achieved.

Some of the medical fibre optic equivalents have quite good defination but cost more like £1000 ! Most rely on a second illumination hole.

Tony

 

[MJN]

I've had one of these cheap borescopes for a year or so now and have used it extensively through an ongoing house renovation.

For the price (mine was around £25 so do shop around - they all seem to come out of the same chinese factory) it has represented excellent value for money. I've mainly been using it for determining cable/pipe runs behind walls, under floor, etc and in conjunction with the tip-mounted magnet I've used it on a couple of occasions to facilitate cable routing that would have been virtually impossible through conventional means.

As you might expect for the cost the quality of the camera is not the greatest, particularly with regards to its limited depth of field and low light performance. However, accepting the limitations and with a bit of practice controlling it I consider it a valuable tool for a whole variety of jobs - it's one of the tools that are handy to have around 'just in case' because you never know when it might come in handy.

I've considered modifying mine through the attachment of a high(er)-brightness LED but, as with many 'non essential' ideas it's going to have to wait until the more pressing jobs are complete!

Mathew

 

[dhutch]

After a number of 'you only get what you pay for but its supprisingly good considering' comments above im after one of these.

Rather than start a new thread, does anyone have an suggestions on any partiular one before I just buy one from the cheapest uk-based ebay seller?


Daniel

 

[MJN]

From what I can gather they are all coming out of the same Chinese factory so it arguably matters little who/where you buy it from. Mine came from Firebox. It's still going strong and has definitely proven itself to be one of those 'you never know when you'll need it' tools.

Mathew

 

[Norcon]

Power tool supplier Milwaukee have three of these devices in their range from £130 to £330.

 

[MJN]

Given those prices they are likely to include integral LCD screens. Considerably more convenient but at a cost!

Mathew

 

[Agile]

I bought a 5m one from UK for £15.

But I have not used it yet because it needs software which comes on a CD but my notebook does not have a CD reader.

I have not found anywhere to download from the web yet.

Tony

 

[dhutch]

But I have not used it yet because it needs software which comes on a CD but my notebook does not have a CD reader.

CD into someone elses computer, content onto a memory card/onlineshare/network?

 

[libby lou lou]

These are worth the money just to educate your children with, let them see inside their mouth(your not brushing your teeth properly), find a hole in the floor boards, lot's of applications for this tool, looking closely at small insects.