I was quite surprised at the image quality of this device at optimum focal distances, which is aided by a big screen (compared to most others).
I did look at the traditional design offerings (the ‘pistol grip’ type) as a couple of friends have them, but the resolution, illumination and a screen about a third of the size of this unit’s screen didn’t leave me particularly impressed.
There’s little point in describing the unit and it’s functions are these are adequately (and accurately) described in the sellers information.
In use, this does need some practice in terms of ‘wiggling and turning’ the probe, both to get it to where you want it, and to interpret what you are seeing which may at that point be ‘rotated’ from the ‘horizontal’ you have in your head. Once mastered, it can return an astonishingly detailed picture at optimal focal length (I’d say about 2 - 4 cm). Outside of that distance (as a pre-focused camera, it will actually see as far as you want it to), the image is less crisp, but still good.
I bought this to try to track down the cause of water leaking into the boot of my car which was leaving wet carpets. I was able to feed the probe up a box section in the boot area while leaving a hose running down the car’s roof. I was able to see where the water was coming in (very satisfying), which saved me any amount of stripping -out and trim removal. It was worth its price for this alone, although I couldn’t help reflecting on many, previous situations in house and car where I wish I’d had this at my disposal. Similarly, I’m anticipating this being very useful for similar situations in the future, especially as I’m not as young as I once was and tight ‘contortionist’ spots are getting more difficult as time goes by.
The last thing to comment about is the price. Some of the ‘professional’ units like this can cost three/four/five (or more) times the cost of this one. They might be more rugged for industrial use, but for DIY use this is perfectly OK.
All-in-all I’m very pleased (and impressed) with this device.