Looking for a decent quality borescope for repair work

[AndyF]

Exactly what the topic says.

I'm looking for a decent quality borescope for repair work. I'd like something that is reasonably rugged that I can use in the shop. I won't be snaking it into sewer lines or conduit, so it doesn't need an especially long reach and I'd like something with its own display rather than something that needs to be connected to a laptop or bluetoothed to a phone.

 

[eKretz]

I've got a little M12 Milwaukee that's decent. Works well enough and is cheap enough that I am not too worried about hurting it. Has about an 8mm diameter head so it fits just about anywhere.

 

[MaxPrairie]

The one that gets used most around here is the $200 one from mcmaster. You can see what you need, but it's not a 4k image..

 

[GregSY]

"has about an 8mm diameter head so it fits just about anywhere."

Interestingly enough...8MM equals 5/16" which is the diameter of the catheter I had for three weeks following my bladder operation. I measured it. It did fit, but it was far from pleasant. I never thought to try looking in it.

 

[eKretz]

"has about an 8mm diameter head so it fits just about anywhere."

Interestingly enough...8MM equals 5/16" which is the diameter of the catheter I had for three weeks following my bladder operation. I measured it. It did fit, but it was far from pleasant. I never thought to try looking in it.

Yeowza. Didn't expect it'd fit there. I had one in after my back surgery; didn't bother measuring it though, heh.

 

[tomjelly]

I bought one of these and was very happy with the purchase- dual cameras allowed a perfect picture of inside combustion chamber piston top AND valve seats thru the plug hole on an engine I was repairing. The side camera and end camera both work great. I don't like rechargeable batteries but this has held its charge for months of not being used. Here it is on ebay but I might have gotten it from Amazon, can't remember Depstech ds450 dual lense 180p endoscope. Be sure its dual camera, they also come single cam:

DEPSTECH DS450 Dual-Lens Endoscope 2.0MP HD Inspection Camera Borescope 3300mAh | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for DEPSTECH DS450 Dual-Lens Endoscope 2.0MP HD Inspection Camera Borescope 3300mAh at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

 

[TGTool]

"has about an 8mm diameter head so it fits just about anywhere."

Interestingly enough...8MM equals 5/16" which is the diameter of the catheter I had for three weeks following my bladder operation. I measured it. It did fit, but it was far from pleasant. I never thought to try looking in it.

Yeah, I did that too with prostate. I could tell people I may only be 5/16" diameter but I'm 24" long.

 

[Corn]

Teslong is awesome for the money. I use NTG100H which is rigid version for mostly gun barrels and it has amazing resolution and accuracy for the price. Size 5mm, so fits .22" hole. You can easily identify throat erosion, it's so detail image. Without "H" is the flexible version.

 

[howieranger]

Treated meself to a fully stand-alone high-res "Teslong" NTS500B for the motorcars. 2 mm head, illuminated. Straight-ahead or side-facing.

It CAN be networked to the laptop for image storage and transfer .... or simply to a larger screen .... as well as used autonomously.

Have been finding it so very-damned useful for LOTS more 'stuff', I only wish I had bought one SOONER.

YMMV. They have competition. Lots of it!

Specs are online. Reviews, too.

I will second the Teslong. I bought it for evaluating rifles but have found it very helpful with repair work

 

[ttrager]

Exactly what the topic says.

I'm looking for a decent quality borescope for repair work. I'd like something that is reasonably rugged that I can use in the shop. I won't be snaking it into sewer lines or conduit, so it doesn't need an especially long reach and I'd like something with its own display rather than something that needs to be connected to a laptop or bluetoothed to a phone.

What is the specific application?

There are bore scopes, and then there are bore scopes. Different formats, etc.

 

[AndyF]

What is the specific application?

There are bore scopes, and then there are bore scopes. Different formats, etc.

It will be mainly machine repair. Getting into gearboxes to see what is going on before fully opening them up. Inspection inside an engine. Getting a better view so I can reconnect hydraulics in a machine case.

I followed eKeetz’ advice and bought a Milwaukee to get me started. It is simple to use and got me started. As I use it, I can see how side cameras would be a benefit and being able to connect to a laptop to save images or video would also be helpful.

Based on my experience so far, I can see a more sophisticated tool in my future.

 

[DrHook]

I have this one. The head with the camera and light articulates, and you just use any smartphone.

 

[eKretz]

It will be mainly machine repair. Getting into gearboxes to see what is going on before fully opening them up. Inspection inside an engine. Getting a better view so I can reconnect hydraulics in a machine case.

I followed eKeetz’ advice and bought a Milwaukee to get me started. It is simple to use and got me started. As I use it, I can see how side cameras would be a benefit and being able to connect to a laptop to save images or video would also be helpful.

Based on my experience so far, I can see a more sophisticated tool in my future.

Me too, but I like the Milwaukee since it's easy to get locally, pretty rugged and I don't have to worry about hurting it for the most part. I wouldn't mind getting a fancier one some day, but it's good enough for what I do.

 

[Garwood]

I needed one about 6 months ago for a 5 minute job. Bought a $40 one on Amazon with a 5MM head. works great. Used it several times since, no complaints.

 

[ttrager]

It will be mainly machine repair. Getting into gearboxes to see what is going on before fully opening them up. Inspection inside an engine. Getting a better view so I can reconnect hydraulics in a machine case.

I followed eKeetz’ advice and bought a Milwaukee to get me started. It is simple to use and got me started. As I use it, I can see how side cameras would be a benefit and being able to connect to a laptop to save images or video would also be helpful.

Based on my experience so far, I can see a more sophisticated tool in my future.

Thanks for the reply. Based on your requirements I don't think the type we have here is a fit (I guess).

We have a bore scope that has a stiff "wand" as the probe. Different probes, swappable, namely one with the view straight out the end, and one with a mirror to get the 90-deg sideways view of the bore wall itself.

Works pretty good, but we are checking smaller parts, which means only so deep (approx 6" to 8" deep I think).

 

[stephen thomas]

When i clicked on the link it brought up 2 options for Ralcam, and some (clones? same thing under different lable?)

The big difference in the branded Ralcam seems to be that the cheaper version is waterproof, AND has a smaller lens, yet still over 2 million pixels?

https://www.amazon.com/Ralcam-Articulating-Inspection-Adjustable-Compatible/dp/B09SYS62KX/ref=sr_1_3?gclid=CjwKCAjwzeqVBhAoEiwAOrEmzW7EdLj2h1NoWjpwr2o3bfxT5vyPrOJNABlXC88fGBeo3v9-2enfCRoCl2UQAvD_BwE&hvadid=604652180813&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9005815&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=13428386539368000656&hvtargid=kwd-1570662426705&hydadcr=13400_13399570&keywords=ralcam+borescope&qid=1656453839&sr=8-3

What am i missing, vs the one that costs $80 more & bold lettered "NOT waterproof"?
Plus it is bigger at 8.5 mm x same pixels?

https://www.amazon.com/Articulating-Endoscope-Inspection-Temperature-Smartphone/dp/B09BF8X5WQ/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?gclid=CjwKCAjwzeqVBhAoEiwAOrEmzW7EdLj2h1NoWjpwr2o3bfxT5vyPrOJNABlXC88fGBeo3v9-2enfCRoCl2UQAvD_BwE&hvadid=604652180813&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9005815&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=13428386539368000656&hvtargid=kwd-1570662426705&hydadcr=13400_13399570&keywords=ralcam%2Bborescope&qid=1656453839&sr=8-2-spons&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExWDZJQ1VMMldXOVpXJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNzUzNDM2MjFQNVJQSURIT1FZWiZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMzE2NTg5M0o0TlNDTVFOVDFDWiZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU&th=1

How about the non-waterproof clone if i can live with 8.5mm?

https://www.amazon.com/Inspection-Articulating-Adjustable-Temperature-Smartphone/dp/B08Y5S32YV/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?gclid=CjwKCAjwzeqVBhAoEiwAOrEmzW7EdLj2h1NoWjpwr2o3bfxT5vyPrOJNABlXC88fGBeo3v9-2enfCRoCl2UQAvD_BwE&hvadid=604652180813&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9005815&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=13428386539368000656&hvtargid=kwd-1570662426705&hydadcr=13400_13399570&keywords=ralcam%2Bborescope&qid=1656453839&sr=8-1-spons&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExWDZJQ1VMMldXOVpXJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNzUzNDM2MjFQNVJQSURIT1FZWiZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNTMxNDUxNVM5QlhYVjJKMDY2JndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ&th=1

Purpose: look inside my Great Plains 2276 VW conversion that has not been run for a couple years including PO + me; before changing oil and giving it a "whirl". I'm hoping not to have to tear it down, but don't want to avoid any issues if necessary. To be clear, this is about inspecting the engine, not flying. There are also other club aircraft that occasionally need a peek.

smt

 

[stephen thomas]

Crickets?

OK. for simplification:
Can anyone with experience comment on whether multiple lens, non-articulating vs articulating single lens types is more convenient/useful/versatile?

Multi lens in reputable 'scopes can be had down to 5 or 6 mm range.
Articulating seem to be closer to 8mm.

smt

 

[eKretz]

Stephen, I think that question's answer is highly dependent on your available space for maneuvering in the area you need to inspect. A "steerable" camera is nice to have if you're looking around in a larger open area or at something a bit further away from the lens. A multiple view angle/lens camera is probably a lot nicer if you need to look all around in a tiny space.

The Milwaukee I've got has an auxiliary mirror that can be mounted to the end of the lens that gives a 90° view, which has come in handy a few times. It is made of a fairly ductile metal so it can be tweaked a little to a more suitable angle also.

 

[DrHook]

Stephen- the first one you posted is the one I have. It uses any smartphone for viewing. The second one (more money) uses it's own screen. The third one wasn't available when I got mine, or I would'a saved the money... It DOES have a rather large camera end, but I have a gunsmith with a small one if I need to get in somewhere smaller. I got the articulating one AFTER MY a&p and I found a missing compression ring on my 0-300 and damage which would have been easily seen with said borescope. My previous a&p does not believe in borescopes or Mike Busch...

 

[stephen thomas]

My previous a&p does not believe in borescopes or Mike Busch...

Now that's funny, right there!

Doggone flat earthers.

got the articulating one AFTER MY a&p and I found a missing compression ring on my 0-300

Yikes!
did the borescope help you find the pieces in the crankcase after the cylinder was off?
Or was it bad enough for pieces to end up in the muffler?
Don't even want to think about whether they made it to the screen...

I lost a complete valve guide in a GO-300 once.
Pieces ended up in the muffler and the screen.
The valve stayed in place, but it didn't work so good.

smt