Dropped $700 on a borescope I used twice, my $40 phone camera does the same job

Skyler Wood · 2026-10-12T18:45:05.478335+00:00

Bought one of those fancy articulating borescopes about a year ago because everyone on the hangar floor kept saying you can't do a real inspection without one. Spent right around $700 on it, and I want to be honest, it's been in my box more than it's been in an engine. The screen is small, the battery dies if I look at it wrong, and running that stiff probe through a plug hole on a Lycoming is a two person job because the thing fights you the whole way. Meanwhile I started using a cheap USB camera on my phone for cylinder checks, and with a $30 adapter I can see just as much for a fraction of the cost. I'm not saying a good borescope is useless, but for a guy doing run of the mill inspections on bug smashers, it was money I could've put toward a torque wrench I actually needed. Has anyone else found a rig that works better, or am I just not using this thing right?

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Dropped $700 on a borescope I used twice, my $40 phone camera does the same job | Aircraft Mechanics - The Community Guide