Dual Lens Endoscope Camera with Light, Teslong 4.5" HD Snake Borescope Inspection Camera, Automotive Scope Cam with Flexible Cable, Home Waterproof Fiber Optic for Sewer Drain Pipe (16.5FT)

Like a lot of people, I bought one of those $30 endoscopes that require you to use an app on your phone to see the stream. Like a lot of people, I took an hour with it, threw in the towel, and shipped it back.This Teslong endoscope is the real deal. Yes, it's more expensive, but not prohibitively so and for that extra price you get a great picture, lighted dual-cameras (top and side), a sturdy, easy-to-use control unit, and generally good battery life.As soon as we broke it out, we went into the basement to thread it up through the floor to try to identify the source of a leak around the skirt of the tub in our 2nd bathroom. The multi-level light was up to the task of illuminating the darkened cavity and when we needed to sneak up around the side of the tub for a sides shot, the side camera performed well, helping us narrow down exactly where the leak was flowing.The one frustration I have, and it's not unique to this endoscope, is that the flex cable, while strong, still flexes a little too much when you are trying to aim a camera that is several feet away. Our solution was to find a piece of 1/4" PVC pipe that we had laying around, thread the camera up and in, tape the flex cable to the pipe to ensure it was not going to move when we twisted the pipe, and then use the pipe to rotate and aim the camera. This might not work in every situation, but it worked well for us.All in all, the Teslong "feels" like a piece of semi-pro gear, not like a piece of junk like the endoscopes in the $30 range. It's not a pro endoscope, and it lacks some of the resolution and other nice-to-have features of larger, handheld units, but it does the trick for the price.Highly recommended!

What do I like about the Teslong MS450? 1) image quality (see photo); 2) side-view camera; 3) easy to use; 4) USB-C charging & computer connection; 5) great tactile feedback on buttons. What don't I like? 1) "switch camera" button location; 2) rigid connection at monitor.Image quality: As shown in the photo, the image from the Teslong MS450 is brighter and clearer, and has a somewhat narrower field of view when compared to the Depstech DS450. Both pictures were taken with natural lighting only - no artificial lighting from the endoscope or other sources. Both pictures were taken at a distance of 3 inches from the ruler in the picture. The field of view of the Teslong is about 70 degrees (this matches their claim), while the Depstech field of view is about 83 degrees. Depth of field on the Teslong (in my testing) is about 1-1/4 inches to 4 inches (also matches their claims).Side-view camera: A side-view camera comes in very handy when you can't approach the subject head on. For my purposes, an example of this would be reading serial numbers on rack-mounted equipment. Sometimes the labels are on the back, very close to a wall, or on the bottom, very close to equipment mounted below. In either case, you may only have 2 inches of clearance - not enough room to bend the end of the scope and point it at the subject. With a side-view camera, you can stick the scope in from the side in a space as small as a single rack unit (1-3/4 inches), and still get a clear image of a serial number or model number, without removing the equipment from the rack.Easy to use: the buttons are intuitively labeled, with the exception of the up/down buttons functioning as digital zoom (up) and 180 degree image rotation (down). My only real complaint about the interface is the location of the "switch camera" button - it's at the base of the scope cable where it connects to the monitor; a button on the monitor itself would make more sense.USB-C: some scopes come with micro USB - an interface that's on its way out. Sure it will still be around for quite a while, but I see no reason to buy a new device that uses a connection that's declining in use. I don't think this has anything to do with USB-C, but the Teslong is automatically "seen" by the computer when connected - allowing you to easily download pictures from the device. Some others (including the Depstech DS450) require you to fiddle with the menus before it's "seen" by the computer - and you have to do this every time you connect.Tactile feedback: the tactile feedback of the buttons is excellent, but I think this is more of a personal preference than an objective thing.Rigid connection: I think this is pretty much consistent across endoscopes in this price range, but the rigidness of the scope makes it difficult to manipulate the position of the scope without also having the monitor move erratically. Expect to use one hand to move the scope, and the other to hold the monitor stationary. If you don't, the monitor may end up on the floor, and I'm not sure how likely it is to survive such a drop, especially if you're on a ladder at the time. More flexibility at the base of the scope would greatly help with this.Overall, I think this is an excellent value, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for an endoscope in this price range.

The media could not be loaded. Update again in December 2024: The battery still doesn't hold a lot of charge but has improved since I tried it a month ago. It appeared that after a couple of cycles to using and recharging it, I can use it for longer each time. The video is the latest showing its charging status. The battery aside, this is a great endoscope in terms of the overall build quality, controls, and picture quality. Raised the rating back to 4 stars, with the understanding that some battery degradation is normal after 3 years.Update in 2023:I purchased it in 2021 and used it for a few times on cars and home projects. It worked nicely!However, now in 2023, I wanted to use it again. It was low on battery so I plugged in the USB-C charging cable and it didn't charge at all. I used different chargers/cables with the same result. You can see in the pictures the correct charging port was used and there is no sign it was charging. Couldn't seem to make it work now.I put it in the case and stored it in my toolbox/drawer when not in use. It was never abused. Very disappointed!=========== My original review in 2021 below ==============I've used it for car inspection and checking air ducts in the house. It works great! It comes with storage so you can take pictures and review them on the computer as well. The picture resolution is fine but a higher resolution will help especially when you need to zoom in on certain areas for details. Overall, this is a great tool!