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Borescopes are also known as endoscopes, and while they may not be your favorite thing, early detection and prevention are the best tools we have in fighting all sorts of ailments; including your car’s. What is essentially a camera on a stick, a borescope lets you see into places your head can’t fit, and they are invaluable for working on cars, but also have countless uses around the house.
Although there are literally hundreds of devices on the market, these two will do everything you need. You can spend far more money and not really get any more utility than what you see here. The big question is, do you need a screen or do you want to use a device you already have? So let’s keep this one simple and take a look at our two best choices, that definitely fit any budget.
Summary List
- Best Overall: Teslong TD450S Borescope with HD Monitor
- Best Value: Depstech Wireless Borescope
- Best Premium: Milwaukee M12 Auto Technician Borescope
Our Methodology
I’ve tested a handful of borescopes and done research on dozens, at the time of writing this, these are the two best choices that will do 95% of what units costing ten times more will accomplish. Of course, new products are constantly hitting the market, so I reserve the right to change my mind and this will be updated if I do find better products. If you’re a company that makes borescopes, and you feel yours is better, reach out.
My first priority when assembling this guide was functionality. Does the Borescope do what the average mechanic or home DIYer is trying to accomplish? Both tools you see here will give you eyes in places your head won’t reach. These will get you inside your engine so you can check for carbon build-up on valves, get down a spark plug hole to check your pistons, or let you get into places to see why you can’t get the wrench on the head of the bolt that’s on top of the transmission. These will also work around the house for checking dryer vents, looking into drains, or trying to find wiring inside walls. Budget was also a big concern and both of these are well within the range of what DIY tools go for.
Best Borescopes: Reviews & Recommendations
Best Overall: Teslong TD450S Borescope with HD Monitor
Pros
- Articulating camera with its own lighting and deep focal length
- Rechargeable battery provides 5 hours of use and microSD card for storage
- Great image quality and versatility to look around
Cons
- Replacing the probe will cost you more than the entire USB scope above
- The screen tends to wash out in direct sunlight
This borescope from Teslong does pretty much everything you will ever need and at a price comparable to most power tools. The TD450S uses a camera on the tip of the 5-foot lead. The camera has a depth of field of 0.6 – 4.0 inches with a dimmable LED light. You view the footage on a high-quality, 4.5-inch screen, that could be brighter for outside use.
The whole thing is IP67 water-resistant and the probe can be submerged, if needed. The unit is rechargeable with a battery life of about 5 hours. With a micro SD card for recording images and video, the whole thing is a standalone unit that can be taken and used anywhere, it even comes with a hard case.
Yes, you can spend a lot more on a borescope, especially if you start looking at well-known tool brands. You might get a better warranty, but you likely won’t get better, and in a lot of cases, as good of performance. As with all electronics, these are likely to get better every few years, so something in the price range of a couple of hundred dollars, like this one, won’t be painful to replace when the next generation comes out.
Best Value: Depstech Wireless Borescope
Pros
- Affordable
- Long service life
- Uses your phone for display and storage
Cons
- Buggy app
- Long cable can be awkward to work around
Commerce editor Hank O’Hop has had the Depstech wireless borescope in his possession for a few years now. The low price and longevity of service life earns it our pick as Best Value. The price is a fraction of most of the direct competitors, giving it obvious appeal to the DIYer on a budget. Part of what makes it so affordable is that it uses your phone as the display. That also boosts the convenience factor, as it stores photos and video directly on your device.
The Depstech’s 2 MP camera offers decent image quality. It’s not spectacular, but it’s good enough to get the job done. You might not be able to pinpoint issues as easily at relatively long distances, but you can still pick up fine details up close.
Perhaps the biggest setback of this tool is the buggy app. It works well for the most part, but it does tend to freeze up and close down at random. The long camera cable is nice to have for some instances, but is also a bit of a problem for this tool, as it’s a bit awkward to work with in tight spaces.
Best Premium: Milwaukee M12 Auto Technician Borescope
Pros
- High quality construction
- Replaceable camera whip
- Pivoting screen for ease of use
- Shares batteries with M12 tools
Cons
- Expensive
Commerce Editor Hank O’Hop tested the Milwaukee M12 Auto Technician borescope a while back. It uses the M12 battery making it a great option for Milwaukee patrons to consider. It does bring a little more to the table than just a red and black battery, though.
One of the most prominent features of the M12 borescope is the removable camera whip. If you tend to damage or break it, you can simply replace it rather than the entire tool. It does have heat sensors to try and help you avoid that, but things happen. It’s also got a pivoting 4.3-inch screen to allow you see what you’re looking at without having to reposition your head when probing an engine inevitably puts you in unnatural positions.
Milwaukee is proud of this borescope, which is the major limiting factor. Even if it shares the battery with other M12 tools, the high price is going to send many consumers elsewhere.
Our Verdict on the Best Borescopes
If I were looking for an all-in-one solution with a screen and self-contained memory, the Teslong Articulating Borescope is an obvious choice. It just delivers excellent performance on all fronts. If you need something more affordable, it’s hard to go wrong with the Depstech Wireless Borescope. But like I said above, in electronics like these the market changes rapidly. So if you check back in a few months, there may be better even better choices.
FAQs
You’ve got questions, The Drive has answers
They are the same thing. The term endoscope is used in both medical and industrial fields, while borescope is just the latter.
Short answer, a borescope allows you to see in places your head won’t fit. It’s a camera on a long flexible lead that can be fed into tight spaces.
Decide if you need a screen or want to use a separate device. Then, how far away are you trying to see? There’s a big difference between looking at pistons through a spark plug hole and trying to get down a three-story dryer vent.
