Spent $400 on a borescope that paid for itself in one job

I dropped $400 on a quality borescope to inspect inside a wing spar on a Cessna, and it found corrosion that saved a $15k repair down the line. But my coworker swears his $50 Amazon scope does the same thing well enough, so am I just wasting money on fancy tools or is it worth the extra cost?

2 comments

2 Comments

richard_wells5925d ago

Oh man, I’m right there with you! I dropped $350 on a high-end borescope last year to check out some old plumbing in a house I was flipping, and man did it save my bacon too. Found a crack in a cast iron pipe that would’ve flooded the basement if I hadn’t caught it early, and that fix alone would’ve cost me thousands. Your coworker can keep his fuzzy $50 picture, but when you’re trying to spot hairline cracks or tiny pits in something critical like a wing spar, clarity really does matter. I learned that the hard way after a cheap scope gave me a blurry mess that I thought was “fine,” and then buried me in a bigger headache later. It’s not about bragging rights, it’s about not having to eat a huge bill because your tool showed you what was really there.

the_sean25d agoTop Commenter

You really think spending 350 bucks on a borescope is always the smarter move though @richard_wells59? I mean sure you found a crack that saved you from a flood but that's one lucky catch. Most of the time a cheap 50 dollar scope will show you the same stuff just with a little less zoom. I've had the cheap ones last me years and only trashed them when the battery died. Plus if you're not doing this work every day that extra 300 bucks is just collecting dust in your toolbox. I get that clarity matters for wing spars but for 90% of jobs like basic plumbing or wall checks a fuzzy picture still gets the job done. Not trying to knock your win though just saying you coulda bought a lot of pizza with that difference.