$29 Pancellent Wireless "Endoscope" - cool tool!

[NissanMaxima]

So, folks on BITOG help me with all sorts of questions so in an effort to give back, thought I would post a quick review of my new Pancellent wireless fiber optic borescope. They actually call it an endoscope! I got it primarily to inspect the interior of my Maxima lower radiator support as this is a known area for rust-through. The diameter of the flexible borescope is only about 8 mm and appears to be made of anodized aluminum. Around the perimeter are 6 fairly bright LED's that you can adjust the brightness of using a thumb dial on the battery pack. The unit can be purchased "wired" (cables direct to smart phone) or wireless (appears as wifi signal on smart phone). I got the wireless version primarily as my old android did not support the wired version. It is powered by its own Li ion battery pack which claims almost two hours of power. I have been quite impressed with this tool so far and customer support (which I believe is in China, has been excellent). It is not something I'm going to use every day or even every month, but I can see it could be invaluable even the one or two times a year you might want to use it to look behind a wall, inside an engine, in a dryer vent, etc. They even say it is waterproof for drain inspections. I did try to look down one HVAC duct in my home but found the LED's were a bit too dim for an adequate image but after stapping on a LED Solitaire (1 AAA) flashlight, I was able to get some decent shots. (You know how these duct cleaning companies are always trying to sell their services!). The company tells me they are going to release an upgraded version in the next few months with brighter LED's but it will cost more. Anyway, I thought it was a great value for $29 on Amazon. See attached photos of engine support bolt and duct!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HJ3PGJZ/ref=psdc_2742273011_t3_B01N2QT3K2 (note available in different resolution - I got the 720p which seems quite adequate)

 

[Trav]

They are great! I got one from Foxwell that is wireless for the iphone for about the same money. The one I bought 12 years ago cost hundreds and it is no were near as good.
Just like the pocket calculator you can get for under $10 today cost a fortune when they came out.

 

[NissanMaxima]

Hey Trav! I took a look at your Foxwell. It looks quite similar. It does seem to have a zoom feature that mine doesn't though.
Question... have you tried yours in large cavities like ducts? Mine seems to work great in smaller confinements but in large spaces I think the LED's are just too dim to illuminate the large volume.

 

[BobsArmory]

Looking at the Amazon link, they have 3 different ones available now. I wonder how the 3 would compare if you could play with them side by side.

 

[Trav]

It does quite well, I bought the 30 foot for a pipe I had to run up from the cellar in a boxed space, it lit it up good enough that I could see where I need to drill the 1" hole.
I taped it to a fiberglass rod used for snaking electric cable so I could get it up in the space without kinking and used a 60" auger bit to drill the hole, the zoom feature works good. I bought the Foxwell for the extra battery mA capacity it has.