Tried using a cheap borescope on a Cessna 172 cylinder and got completely useless footage

Last month I picked up a $40 borescope off Amazon to check some cylinders on a 172 that had a rough running magneto. Thought it would save me a trip to the hangar with the good scope my buddy has. Hooked it up to my phone and the image was so grainy and blurry I couldn't tell carbon buildup from a crack in the cylinder wall. Wasted about 30 minutes trying different lighting angles and wiping the lens. Finally just borrowed his Snap-on scope and saw the issue clear as day in 5 minutes. Learned real quick that cheap tools in aviation just cost you more time in the long run. Anyone else had a bad experience with budget inspection gear that made you second guess your choices?

3 comments

3 Comments

milaw1424d agoMost Upvoted

Did you try posting the footage anywhere to see if others could make sense of it, or did you just toss the scope right then?

bettyroberts24d ago

That cheap scope's LED light was probably too weak to illuminate the inside of a cylinder properly... I've found lighting makes or breaks these things more than the lens quality does.

young.kim24d ago

50 bucks for that thing was 50 bucks too much, honestly... I thought the specs said 3.7 volts DC but it blinked like a dying firefly when I tested it in a dark closet. Tossed it in the junk drawer right after, didn't even bother showing anyone else.