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Go get a boroscope camera if you don't already have one

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CoogarXR

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Ohio
Next adventure into GJ heaven... Get a Thermal camera...
Dude, I want one of those, lol. I just haven't had a specific need to justify buying one. They haven't come down to the super-cheap levels of boroscope cameras yet. Well, not that I know of, I haven't shopped for one in a while.
 

finn

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The UP, God's country

brothernov

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Oct 27, 2017
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As is so often the case, I read this thread and immediately bought one. Did a little research and decided to go with the Teslong TD450S. Received it today and played with it for 30 minutes between football games. It's ok, but I wish the Cable was a little stiffer. I tried to use it to look in my gutters for obstructions, and it's close to useless because the cable is to floppy to move it where you need it.
 

LCE

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Jan 3, 2017
Messages
37
I used my Depstech https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0928Q3T42?tag=atomicindus08-20 on a bathroom sink with a very slow drain. Turns out water doesn't drain real fast with a toothpaste cap backed up by a hair spray pump cap stuck in the pipe. Drains great now that the obstructions are gone. The camera was extremely helpful to see where to grab.

The first couple I bought were the type that connect to your phone...they were absolutely horrible.

So I bought this same one and it works pretty good. I have used it a ton in all kinds of deferent scenarios and it hasn't let me done.

I'll get hate for this but it is better then snap ons...to be fare though the one we compared it to was an older unit and I can't remember the model. I'll have to look when I get back to the shop.
 

gsanvi

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Apr 26, 2022
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Poland
The first couple I bought were the type that connect to your phone...they were absolutely horrible.

So I bought this same one and it works pretty good. I have used it a ton in all kinds of deferent scenarios and it hasn't let me done.

I'll get hate for this but it is better then snap ons...to be fare though the one we compared it to was an older unit and I can't remember the model. I'll have to look when I get back to the shop.
When I open the link I have various results. Is this the one you have? 1768818654484.png
 

YesIHaveAHammer

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Jun 1, 2025
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I have a couple of roof leaks that have evaded me for a long while, so thinking one of these would help diagnose.

The articulating head ones seem to top out at 1.5m (5ft), I guess a limitation of friction. I need twice that to go along ceilings and up chimneys. So those are out.

Looking at Teslong NTS300, dual lens. Reviews (Amazon) are pretty mixed, particularly regarding areliability even with little use.

Anything else I should be looking at? I've seen Milwaukee and Bosch (a bit and a lot more money), only single lens.
 

YesIHaveAHammer

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Jun 1, 2025
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A few things I considered (aside from recommendations and reviews), which may help others making a choice. I'm no expert, just did some research.

Length. Too long may be cumbersome when you don't need it.

Removable cable/probe. Allows you to swap out different lengths, or to replace a broken one.

Cable stiffness. Does it hold shape. Or is it actually too stiff to be pushed around bends.

Articulating tip or not.

Lens. Single, dual, triple, or rotating.

Camera head diameter.

Field of view. This is the focus at which things are in focus, and all models seem to have a 30-80mm range. However videos of some show they give an ok view at much greater distance. But the lights may not be powerful enough for that, although if you have space you could tape a torch to the head.

Waterproofness and chemical rating. You may want to dip it into worse things than water.

Screen size and resolution. Some have a better camera than screen, so you can only get full quality by downloading the images to view on another device.

Handheld grip style vs. small tablet style. The grip style is hard to rest down so you can have both hands free. That may be the reason Milwaukee offers a rotating screen.

Up direction indicator. Helps you to figure out which way the camera is pointing, when you're not familiar with the area.

Standalone or phone based. You may prefer to keep you phone safe, prefer buttons to touchscreen. A required app may no longer work in a couple of years.

Battery. Is it built in, common sizes, or on a cordless platform.

Accessories. Typically hook, magnet, and 45 degree mirror. What else is available aftermarket, e.g. longer probes or ones with different lens configurations.

Warranty and support. How long is it, do they have a good reputation.

Accessory supply. Can you buy replacement cameras or lost accessories. If you're buying the device through Amazon, some manufacturers only sell the accessories via their own site, with e.g. $50 shipping fees.

Will the company still be here in a couple of years.

Will compatible accessories still be around for a good while, or will they change to a different type of connector in a year or two.

Finally a tip if you look at Amazon reviews and ratings, make sure you filter them to the specific model and variant you're interested in. By default they are for all the different ones, which could include cheaper models and older generation models.
 
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pbon

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May 14, 2017
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3,498
I bought one if the Amazon articulating head scopes. Had good reviews but I forget the brand. Far better than my old Milwaukee M12, which I have now given away.
 

Sumboodie

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AK
I have a couple and they all are bad. Terrible resulation, lighting and focus.
 
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rword

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Feb 27, 2025
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426
Really wanted to get the teslong td450s because it scored very high (2nd place) on project farm but the 5ft cord is not long enough as I need to snake it through auto exhausts. I ended up ordering the teslong ts43 which is dual lens with 16.5ft cord but no articulation.
 

DarryT

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Mar 29, 2024
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If you're going to do colonoscopies, be sure to get what is called an "obedient" or "articulating" borescope/endoscope. They have a controller so the scope can bend and turn as needed while it's in there.
Any reccomendations on a make / model for this purpose?
 

tak1313

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Feb 4, 2018
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652
Any reccomendations on a make / model for this purpose?
I believe Olympus is still king of things that "go there." Although I think it's now a subsidiary to another company since the parent company had the accounting scandal a few years ago.

When you go for one, ask them who made their endoscope - they'll likely say Olympus.

Edit - out of backdoor curiosity, I did a quick check, and yes, Olympus is still THE dominant maker of endoscopes for such purposes, but it's the other way around (figuratively). When they got into trouble, they dumped the CONSUMER camera business and focused on it's industrial prowess (which is arguably more profitable). So Olympus endoscopes are, in fact, still made by Olympus.
 
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RTM

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May 13, 2019
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That Depstech is the one I bought last month for $48 and it works well
I borrowed one of these earlier this week to look for a dropped cross bar in an electrical box. The "cable" was so stiff I could not rotate it easily, and had trouble bending it to see the cross area of a 4" conduit. I could not make it move across the diameter from the top.
 

tak1313

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Feb 4, 2018
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652
I borrowed one of these earlier this week to look for a dropped cross bar in an electrical box. The "cable" was so stiff I could not rotate it easily, and had trouble bending it to see the cross area of a 4" conduit. I could not make it move across the diameter from the top.
You might want to try an articulating borescope (if I recall my verbiage correctly).

An articulating scope can "bend/curve" at the end under control. For example, you could poke it into the cylinder, then have the head bend upward to see the valves.

An obedient scope (likely what you had) has a sheath inside the length of the (sometimes partial) of the lens attachment so you can "prebend" it to curve around an obstacle (for example). But those can be a little unwieldy because some of them can be really stiff - so maybe not the type you want to use for a colonoscopy (or maybe one does). That stiffness, however, can make it hard to maneuver if you can't see what you wanted to see and have to reposition.
 

rword

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Feb 27, 2025
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426
You might want to try an articulating borescope (if I recall my verbiage correctly).

An articulating scope can "bend/curve" at the end under control. For example, you could poke it into the cylinder, then have the head bend upward to see the valves.

An obedient scope (likely what you had) has a sheath inside the length of the (sometimes partial) of the lens attachment so you can "prebend" it to curve around an obstacle (for example). But those can be a little unwieldy because some of them can be really stiff - so maybe not the type you want to use for a colonoscopy (or maybe one does). That stiffness, however, can make it hard to maneuver if you can't see what you wanted to see and have to reposition.
Articulating is the correct term! What ***** is they don’t make them very long (longest I saw was 5.5ft) and that hinders in what areas you can access.
 

Crazyjake8493

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Sep 26, 2014
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Upstate NY
I really need to get a better boroscope, but I just can't kill the old one. I bought a 11.5ft Depstech back in 2018 and it's still going. It's been in drain lines, plugged chimneys, PVC furnace flues, conduits, engine bays, behind appliances, inside walls for fishing wire.

The battery is pretty well shot at this point but I just power it with a Milwaukee M12 battery if I need it longer than a few minutes.

If I buy another one I'll get a longer one. I've gone farther than this one should by taping it to some fiberglass wire fishing rods.
 

whateg01

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Mar 13, 2006
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doo dah, kansas, usa
... I bought a 11.5ft Depstech back in 2018 and it's still going.
...
I've gone farther than this one should by taping it to some fiberglass wire fishing rods.
How does that work? Is the camera part just on a USB cable or something? Mine is 3M long but it's USB so I think I can do that. But on one with an integrated display, you can still only see so far
 
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