Rechargeable battery: Wireless endoscopes are powered by rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. Inexpensive models peak at about two hours of use time, whereas mid-range models can give you three to four hours. Some high-end wireless endoscopes last as long as five hours. Since the camera has a battery, it also comes with a charging cable. USB to micro USB. Unfortunately, the micro-USB cable is extremely difficult to get into the camera. As a result, I used one of my cables and will not use the one that came with it.

Specifically designed with a 5 m (16.4 foot) camera cable probe – a probe that is IP 67 waterproof and made out of nearly indestructible components to get into areas other endoscopes may have struggled with – this is the kind of tool you want to use on smaller projects where you don’t need a pile of cable bunching up in your hands or at your feet. This is a big deal for endoscope technology because so many other options out there require you to do exactly that – push-up your camera close to the area that you want to have a better look at. This sounds good in theory, but in practice what actually happens is you end up blurring the area you’re trying to inspect closely and the endoscope becomes a lot less useful.

Inspection cameras usually have fixed internal storage, while others use removable SD cards. If you are simply using your inspection camera to diagnose a problem in your car or drainpipe, you won’t need a huge amount of storage. A. Yes. In fact, investing in a wireless endoscope is a cost-effective option for mechanics and car enthusiasts alike. You’re able to see hard-to-reach areas to diagnose issues without removing larger parts that are time-consuming to take apart and reassemble. It also saves you the hassle of lifting your car to get beneath it, because you can simply inspect the bottom from a standing position once you manipulate the semi-rigid cable appropriately. The DS500 is a fine tool, capable of performing its duties even in a rough and tumble environment. The build is confidence-inspiring, always appreciated in the kind of environment where serious work is being done, and we really appreciated the case and addition of a magnet as well as a standard hook –you’ll never lose a screw again. The instructions that come with this camera are hard to understand. It feels like someone was given a word limit, so there are some things missing. You have to fill in some of the gaps yourself.

The main differences are the softness of the tube. These are rigid, semi-rigid, and flexible. Rigid is good for things like gun barrels, while flexible can be directed. These are sometimes called fibrescopes (a reference to optical fibre.) Other names are inspection camera and even 'burner cam' (the camera pushed round into the hot and dangerous parts or machines). The best borescopes: What we look forYou don’t need to be a DIY expert to recognise the Bosch brand name. This German engineering firm has more than a century of experience making tools of excellence, and for a range of budgets. The Bosch UniversalInspect must be one of the best inspection cameras on the market right now. It’s compact, made from quality components, and has a useful zoom function. The video and photos you can capture with this endoscope will be crystal-clear thanks to the inclusion of six adjustable blue spectrum LED lights on the probe, allowing you to tinker with the brightness so that you can capture images or video effectively without washing them out. Thanks to the major leaps forward in innovation (particularly when it comes to compact digital camera technology) today’s top endoscopes are not only light years more advanced than even those released just 10 years ago – but they are more user-friendly and a lot less expensive, too. On top of that, this tool features a 4.3 inch QVGA color screen that is high definition enough to feel like you are physically looking at the images and videos your endoscope is recording. This is all possible because of the 1080p HD camera set up in this particular model, an industrial camera solution that uses CMOS high visibility sensors as well as six adjustable LED lights to illuminate whatever you are trying to get a closer look at.

In fourth, the Teslong NTS150RS includes a display screen and a great battery, making it a good industrial choice. The high price costs it a few places on our list. The YINAMA 1.6-198inch Industrial Endoscope has a great battery and a display screen, but its poor LED light and software bugs drop it to fifth place. Last place belongs to the ILIHOME WiFi Endoscope, which is waterproof and has 1200p resolution but suffers from poor lights, a small battery, and poor durability.

Practical applications

It might not look like much, a kind of coated wire-frame arrangement, but it’s actually much easier to grip than, say, the plastic spools common on extension leads. That thoughtful quality extends to the highly durable display which is both waterproof and oil/chemical resistant too. You need to worry about delicate touch screens, as the controls are all on robust buttons around the display. The 8 mm diameter flexible camera head contains 4 bright LEDs that do a good job of lighting up the darkest spots and have three different levels of brightness. You get 95 cm of cable to inspect pipes or behind wall cavities, which isn’t loads, but it wraps neatly around the unit and doesn’t take up much room.