Inspection camera?
- Thread starter cundifc
- Start date
I have the dewalt 12v. Its ok. Not as good of image quality as i had hoped. Being able to take photos with it and save it to a micro SD card is nice. It only works well in small closed quarters like inside a cylinder mostly. If the area is larger than that the light is not bright enough in most cases.
pattenp
Well-known member
I've got the Dewalt 12V and I think it's about as good as it gets for the price. I looked at the Milwaukee but just like the Dewalt design better.
I would skip both, people I know have had very good results using a $20 USB camera from ebay with a laptop or tablet. I'm waiting for the next generation of devices with wireless connections, that and "real" need for it.
lilscorpion
Well-known member
I didn't know something like this existed. Search "USB snake camera"
Downside is you have to have a device that will power a USB peripheral like a laptop though i cant find any indication of required voltage on any of the listings. It's unlikely an iPad can (from experience).
I have the Milwaukee. It works fine, but not sure if I would buy it again. One thing that would be nice would be for the lcd to be removable like the other brands. Tough to snake the camera in to places and still be able to see the lcd. I picked it up real cheap from a black friday sale, so not too big of a deal. It has saved my **** a few times.
Brew
Brew
kngelv
Well-known member
I'm in the same boat. I had the Whistler from Costco but it was poorly made and drank battery juice like there was no tomorrow. I wish I could find a picture quality comparison between the DeWalt, Milwaukee and the Bosch. Anyone?
James
James
pattenp
Well-known member
I saw the picture on all three of those and it was a toss-up. I got the Dewalt mainly because the screen removes and is wireless.
Also there's noway I could use a laptop with one of those USB snake cameras.
kngelv
Well-known member
pattenp
Well-known member
Unfortunately no. They were in three different stores. I remember using them to look at printing on the boxes and they all seemed close to each other as far as the clarity of the picture. None of them are great. Have you gone to Amazon.com and read the reviews on those three? The reviews are all over the map.
For what it's worth I can take a couple of stills with my Dewalt and post them for you to see, if you like.
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kngelv
Well-known member
pattenp
Well-known member
Dewalt w/17mm lense
At 3 feet
View media item 26742At 1foot
View media item 26740At 3 inches.
View media item 26741
At 3 feet
View media item 26742At 1foot
View media item 26740At 3 inches.
View media item 26741
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zakmartin
Well-known member
I bought two of those and they're garbage. The protective lens reflects the LED's light back into the camera, so you get these giant white blobs on the screen when you try to use them. You can take the protective lens off to get rid of the reflections, but then the case immediately gets filled up with gunk and it's a $20 piece of garbage. They're not waterproof, the flimsy cord allows for no control of camera placement and the software one of my cameras came with had spyware on it.
It's cheap, Chinese garbage. You'd be better off just using a mirror.
Stick with a name-brand inspection camera. I have an A/C Delco and love it.
Two people in my car group use the cheap USB without issue, but one is a nuclear systems engineer and the other a MD. Stuff from China is always YMMV. I bought a cheap flashlight, barely worked, emailed the seller and they sent me a second one that is pretty decent for a $3 LED flashlight.
Two things keep me from buying, a real need, and they keep getting better and cheaper.
Two things keep me from buying, a real need, and they keep getting better and cheaper.
TheGrooveking
Well-known member
I have a Milwaukee M12 and one of the Harbor Freight units and personally migrate to the Harbor Freight more. At home I have the Dewalt will state that it's display equal to others but when I upload the files they are always much clearer because my monitor has a much higher resolution than the hand held unit. The Dewalt ability to remove its display wins it for me.
TheGrooveking
TheGrooveking
kngelv
Well-known member
Thanks for the pics. With the displays being equal I guess the DeWalt is the way to go with the ability to offload pics plus the removable display. I kind of like the new Milwaukee M12-360 with a nine foot cable and rotating screen. I wonder if that display is better than the older Milwaukee?
James
James
IndyGarage
Well-known member
I have the battery version of the M12 milwaukee. I don't find many chances to use it, but it's saved me the few times I have.
I'm going to use it today to try and see some electronics that I can't get to underneath a machine.
I'm going to use it today to try and see some electronics that I can't get to underneath a machine.
Greatbear
Well-known member
Initially I started with the Milwaukee 4-AA cell version. It's a good tool for the price. I moved onto the DeWalt after needing a bigger screen and the ability to save images. The removable wireless screen is a plus that can't be overstated. Quite often I need to really move and twist the camera cable into position while watching only the screen, the freedom to maneuver the handle into various positions without having to also keep it oriented for viewing is the main selling point along with being able to use the display remotely from the rest of the unit.
I added the 9mm camera head to the DeWalt when it was released. This made the unit that much more versatile. The smaller head fits in places the bulky 17mm head and cable can't begin to, such as into spark plug holes and oil drain plugs. The 9mm head comes with a right-angle mirror to make using it as a cylinder borescope much easier.
From what I gather, the DeWalt is available as a kit with both camera cables included now.
I added the 9mm camera head to the DeWalt when it was released. This made the unit that much more versatile. The smaller head fits in places the bulky 17mm head and cable can't begin to, such as into spark plug holes and oil drain plugs. The 9mm head comes with a right-angle mirror to make using it as a cylinder borescope much easier.
From what I gather, the DeWalt is available as a kit with both camera cables included now.
wesalexleft
Well-known member
I have the USB version and am very happy with it. Waterproof with 30' cable. Can be flushed down the toilet/drain to find a clog, dropped in walls, etc. I bought it to find an intake manifold leak and it worked really well. Bright lights that can be dimmed and has a great picture for the price of under 30.00. Here's a youtube of the results.