Vividia borescopes

AKBill

AKBill

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AKBill
Shopping for a borescope. Looking for feed back about the Vividia VA-800 and VA-920 borescopes. Also would like feedback on other models/brands that may provide the same quality and features for under $800
Thanks
Bill B
 
At Oshkosh this year Mike Busch talked about the one he uses, and if I remember right he said it was right around $400 from Amazon. He doesn't think the high dollar options are necessary.
 
Look at endoscopes on Amazon. Really good ones for 100
 
MtnMarcus said:
At Oshkosh this year Mike Busch talked about the one he uses, and if I remember right he said it was right around $400 from Amazon. He doesn't think the high dollar options are necessary.
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Depends what you plan on inspecting and what type of damage you are evaluating and the limitations, and it depends how hard you are on the borescope, usually the more expensive scopes are much more durable.
 
I bought one of those earlier in the year expecting a pretty poor quality picture, but the picture quality had me quite surprised. In fact my local shop went out and bought one after seeing the picture quality. It's not HD, but it is good and clear enough to see what you need to.
 
bkspero said:
The one Mike Busch recommends is the Vivadia VA-400. Amazon has it for $199.98 now. It had been $150 up until about mid-October.

https://www.amazon.com/Vividia-Able...80330&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=vivadia+borescope
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I bought the same as an "Ablescope" off eBay a bit over a year ago. Back then the seller accepted an offer with $99. Seems like the price has gone a bit since then, though: https://www.ebay.com/itm/AbleScope-...ating-0-to-180-degree-Adjustable/301915679388

I am very happy with mine, particularly considering the price.
 
One of the guys at work bought one of those flexible ones with the 12 foot working length. It has a really good picture, partly due to the excellent cell phone screen. I have dozens of borescopes available to me, rigid and flexible, the newest and best being the Olympus I-Plex and my favorite, the GE XL-GO, both having digital measurement capabilities, which really comes in handy when assessing damage inside a turbine engine.
 
Thanks for the input. I'm leaning toward the semi rigid VA-920. All the functions of the other scopes but you can form the tube to help getting into difficult areas. Good thing is my company gives me a tool allowance every year $1200 use it or loose it. So I can spent $1200 in December and spend another $1200 in January if I want...:)
 
AKBill said:
Thanks for the input. I'm leaning toward the semi rigid VA-920. All the functions of the other scopes but you can form the tube to help getting into difficult areas. Good thing is my company gives me a tool allowance every year $1200 use it or loose it. So I can spent $1200 in December and spend another $1200 in January if I want...:)
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my wife allows me to buy tools too.
 
AKBill said:
Thanks for the input. I'm leaning toward the semi rigid VA-920. All the functions of the other scopes but you can form the tube to help getting into difficult areas. Good thing is my company gives me a tool allowance every year $1200 use it or loose it. So I can spent $1200 in December and spend another $1200 in January if I want...:)
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make sure it articulates. You really need that for looking at valves and interior cylinder walls.
 
This may or may not be an issue for aircraft engines but I tried using one of the low dollar amazon scopes to check out a truck engine. All I could see through the spark plug hole with the straight-on camera was the top of the piston but of course you really need to see the cylinder walls. It came with a little mirror attachment for that but I found the scope wouldn't fit through the plug hole with the mirror attachment on so it ended up being no good.
 
yup....but don't pay $800....or I'll sell ya mine. It came in a nice metal case...btw. :D
 
Be sure to see images of what a camera can produce before buying.
Low-1Ex.jpg 1In.jpg 1sleeve2.jpg 6Ex2.jpg Lifters8.jpg

Low dollar articulating ablescope:
 
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Tom-D said:
my wife allows me to buy tools too.
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My wife gets tools. For Christmas. For her birthday. And especially on our anniversary. Then she conveniently leaves them in my shop on the premise I might use them to do some of the things she wants around the place.
 
Thx. I thought what I was seeing thru my oil filler neck was the cam too (IO-470). Gonna use my birthday scope to check it out.
 
Good luck.
I think it’s an underutilized technique.
I’m about to try it on an O-200 that has sat for 10 years.
 
pmanton said:
Will the Vivadia VA-400 interface directly with an iPhone or iPad?
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I had understood it was a $100 add-on to get the device to do so? I think that device transmits a wifi signal to the iPhone/Pad.

I’m just gonna use a laptop.
 
455 Bravo Uniform said:
Thx. I thought what I was seeing thru my oil filler neck was the cam too (IO-470). Gonna use my birthday scope to check it out.
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My plane is in annual right now and I have a pair of IO-470's. I was over there the other day and we were able to easily see some of the cam, lobes and lifter faces by going right down through the oil filler neck.

Hope you like what you see. :)
 
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