I had one of those that attached to the phone and it worked very well, had a tiny head and the image was clear enough to be useful. It really saved us when a friend crunched up a spark plug ceramic and we needed to make sure all the shards of ceramic were sucked out before removing it. Having a tiny head on the end of an endoscope really makes it that much more versatile. Another consideration is how floppy the camera wire is - the first one I had, that rescued us was a floppy one, but it did it's job. But if you're trying to inspect behind something, then it wouldn't work very well since it would flop.

The other issue with my USB scope was that the connection to a phone or tablet was flaky.

So for my next endoscope I looked for a small head, semi-rigid wire, and built in display.

I now have this one and like it very much - so far used for pumbing instead of automotive, but it's much better than the USB phone style, and still inexpensive.

DEPSTECH Industrial Endoscope, 5.5mm 1080P HD Digital Borescope Inspection Camera 4.3 Inch LCD Screen IP67 Waterproof Snake Camera with 6 LED Lights, 16.5FT Semi-Rigid Cable,32GB Card and Tools-Orange: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

DEPSTECH Industrial Endoscope, 5.5mm 1080P HD Digital Borescope Inspection Camera 4.3 Inch LCD Screen IP67 Waterproof Snake Camera with 6 LED Lights, 16.5FT Semi-Rigid Cable,32GB Card and Tools-Orange: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

smile.amazon.com

There are newer versions of the 5.5mm endoscope, but now they have an even smaller wi-fi version which I would try - it's also semi-rigid.

Wireless Endoscope, DEPSTECH 3.9mm Super Slim borescope for Automotive Inspection, 1080p HD Snake Camera with Light, Flexible Waterproof Inspection Camera for iPhone, Android & Tablet-4.92FT: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

Wireless Endoscope, DEPSTECH 3.9mm Super Slim borescope for Automotive Inspection, 1080p HD Snake Camera with Light, Flexible Waterproof Inspection Camera for iPhone, Android & Tablet-4.92FT: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

smile.amazon.com

Amazon.com: DEPSTECH Wireless Endoscope, Upgrade 3.9mm Tiny Borescope, 1080P HD Inspection Camera with IP67 Waterproof Semi-Rigid Snake Camera Cable for iPhone, Android & Tablet-11.5FT : Industrial & Scientific

Amazon.com: DEPSTECH Wireless Endoscope, Upgrade 3.9mm Tiny Borescope, 1080P HD Inspection Camera with IP67 Waterproof Semi-Rigid Snake Camera Cable for iPhone, Android & Tablet-11.5FT : Industrial & Scientific

smile.amazon.com

I'm tempted to get one with a side-view too - also small, 5mm camera diameter

DEPSTECH 0.197inch Wireless Endoscope,1080P Dual Lens Borescope Inspection Camera with Light,2.0 Megapixels Snake Camera with Flexible Semi-Rigid Cable for iPhone & Android-16.5FT: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

DEPSTECH 0.197inch Wireless Endoscope,1080P Dual Lens Borescope Inspection Camera with Light,2.0 Megapixels Snake Camera with Flexible Semi-Rigid Cable for iPhone & Android-16.5FT: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

smile.amazon.com

 

Umm, an endoscope is for human body cavities?
I'd say that the Amazon listings have it all wrong.

 

My model, for all the reasons that many above outlined:

Dual Lens Endoscope Camera with Light, Teslong 4.5" HD Snake Borescope Inspection Camera, Automotive Scope Camera with Flexible Cable, Home Waterproof Fiber Optic Camera for Sewer Drain Pipe (16.5ft): Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

Dual Lens Endoscope Camera with Light, Teslong 4.5" HD Snake Borescope Inspection Camera, Automotive Scope Camera with Flexible Cable, Home Waterproof Fiber Optic Camera for Sewer Drain Pipe (16.5ft): Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

www.amazon.com

It has a dedicated display, a front or side looking lens, a few attachable retrieval accessories, 5 metres of cable length (often needed for looking down my shop dust collection ductwork), and pretty good depth of focus. And I‘ll offer one more reason for something with a dedicated display - they will usually make the USB C connection a solidly gripping plastic surround, so that moving the cable to manipulate the head won’t transmit stress to the electrical connection and cause it to lose connection. This can’t be easily done with a PC or smart phone connection. Mine has this nice feature, and it actually locks to the display and needs a button push on the side to release it.


Usually they call a mechanical inspection camera a borescope and a medical one an endoscope, to distinguish the end use (pun intended). I note my model uses both names, but the first few pages of my instruction manual tell you not to use it for medical purposes, of course.

 

If you have carbon fiber arrows then a 5mm head may fit inside the arrow - I used this with one of my endoscopes - both listed as 5.5mm but one was physically smaller than the other so one endoscope fit inside the arrow and the other one didn't. It's just handy if you need the camera to be rigid. If you have arrows then measure the inside diameter to be sure.

 

I have this one:

Borescope for Android® Devices - ET16 | Klein Tools

Klein Tools ET16 Borescope features a 9 mm camera surrounded by 6 LEDs attached to a 10-Foot (3 m) armored gooseneck cable. The digital camera has a USB Type-C (and micro-USB) connection for most Android® (OTG 4.0 or higher) smartphones and devices. The camera and video output is displayed on...

www.kleintools.com

it only works with Android phone or tablet. It has built-in flashlight which is extremely useful. However, the picture quality is not the greatest. I only got that one as I needed it right away and that's what they had in Home Depot. I think I paid around $40.

On the plus side, it's long and rugged and I believe waterproof, you can certainly use it for some other projects around the house.

 

Looks like you guys are leaning me more towards the all-in-one units with the exception of the Klein. I'll keep and eye out on the Depstech or Teslong cameras. I see they have so good deals on a few Depstechs now, but everything is 15ft+. I'll keep an eye out for the 5ft version on sale and pick one up. I think the side view camera is a plus too. Thanks.

 

Looks like you guys are leaning me more towards the all-in-one units .....

And I forgot two other things:

1. With my dedicated-display Teslong, I'll never, ever need to worry about compatibility running with upgrades to my OS, or long term driver availability for any OS.
2. You do have to somehow fixture the dedicated display so it doesn't flop around when you manipulate the cable to get the lens into position. Mine has a threadsert in the back and I use a portable tripod to keep it situated.

DIY colonoscopy!

I'm amazed we made it to the eighth post in this thread before this was mentioned.

 

DIY colonoscopy!

 

I bought this on Amazon (also a Depstech) in 2020 when my daughter purchased a condo in an older apartment complex. I needed to see what was in the walls before doing major renovation. I've used it since for all sorts of tasks. Don't know why I didn't buy one earlier!

DEPSTECH Dual-Lens Endoscope, 4.5" 1080P HD Inspection Camera with Light, 7.9mm Industrial Borescope IP67 Waterproof, 3300mAh Battery, Storage Case, 16.5ft Semi-Rigid Cable, 32GB Card: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

DEPSTECH Dual-Lens Endoscope, 4.5" 1080P HD Inspection Camera with Light, 7.9mm Industrial Borescope IP67 Waterproof, 3300mAh Battery, Storage Case, 16.5ft Semi-Rigid Cable, 32GB Card: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

www.amazon.com

And yes, 16.5 foot of cable can be a real pain at times. I wish it had an option for a shorter cable as well for most uses.

 

Depstech dropped the price today on Amazon, so I picked one up. Hopefully it has a descent picture.

DEPSTECH Dual Lens Borescope Inspection Camera, Ergonomic Grip Shape, 1080P Endoscope with 7 Lights, 3.3FT Gooseneck Cable, Hardshell Case, Cool Gadget for Plumber, Automotive Professionals, HVAC Tech: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

Thanks for the input!!!