I need to buy a inspection camera for my business -- electrical and plumbing. Sometimes, I need to see inside walls for electrical wiring. Sometimes, I need to see inside the first few feet of a toilet discharge path.
So far, it looks like the Ridgid 31123 SeeSnake camera with 9.5mm head is the best solution. I really like the accessories -- retrieval hook, magnet and mirror.
Is this a decent tool for my needs or is their something better in this price range??
harbor freight has some really cheap ones
I bought one last year and I love it. Wish I had one years ago - I'd probably be ten years younger with all of the time I would have saved. ;)
R
With some few exceptions, probably not a good idea. Harbor Freight may be fine for a 'use once in a while' tool, especially for a DIYer who won't get yelled at if the tool craps out mid-job. For a tool used over and over to make money with, reliability and durability is more important than price. The bad word-of-mouth from one pissed-off customer, and the lost billable hours while you go fetch a replacement, can easily equal the cost of a quality tool.
-- aem sends...
HF has cheap, and for free you get cheap quality.
I have the Seesnake with the 17 mm head, and it works pretty well. It is often hard to tell "which way is up" but the more expensive Seesnake is just too pricey.
I know that mine won't go through a toilet's trapway, and I don't think that the smaller head will either, but I know that isn't "exactly" what you said in your post.
JK
So buy two and keep a spare on hand.
I just checked Amazon and they have the Milwaukee on sale for $95. They must be coming out with a new model. Seems like a good deal, but I expect that there will be a lot of improvements in this sort of tool in the near future. It's just a digital camera on a stalk, and the current camera technology, even the low end stuff, is a lot better than the first generation inspection tools.
R
Going thru a toilet trap was exactly what I had in mind. A camera could confirm q-tips, tin can lids and lodged toys before pulling the toilet.
Why won't yours go thru the trap??
He is using it for a business not occasional hobby use.
I have welded for a very very long time. I always buy quality welding tools and hand tools because when you're on a job, the last thing you want to do is roll everything up and go get a tool that crapped out. aem is right. The money you will make will more than offset the cost. Back when, when 9.6 Makita screwguns were the best you could get, I always had six. Two working, two in the Makita hospital, or just out, and waiting duty, and two new in box. If you have to stop for a tool, it can cost you the whole day, plus you lose face with the customer, and possibly a referral.
I always look at a tool with the bent of "how much money can this make me?"
HF is okay if you're doing honeydos and DIY, but for money jobs, buy quality, and always have a backup.
Steve
So, he's having trouble with one, and he tells the customer, "I'll be back in two minutes, I have another one in my truck."
What's the downside of that?
Steve
I doubt he just drives around with only a camera. He has to haul around another one using the precious space of a vehicle. So why bother? Just get the real version that will likely work better and be more reliable.
How was the world possible before these things.
"Real" men would simply pull off a bunch of sheetrock or cut some studs or crawl through a dusty spider infested attic space, or some wormy crawlspace, and use a flashlight and two mirrors to get a little look at what would give them the definitive answer. Now, we can do it in two minutes with an inspection camera. Now, that doesn't mean that you can take the extra time and go fishing or to the mall, it simply means that you can do more work.
Steve
Exactly.
Not enough flexibility. You can't bend the "arm" into a tight enough radius to go through the trap.
BTW, I pulled a hotel sized shampoo bottle and a jelly jar lid out of a toilet last weekend.
JK
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