AUTOOL SVB305 Two-Way Articulating Borescope with Light

[@jb678901]

Mine failed after 30 minutes of normal use. Kept showing "Please insert the camera", which is strange because the optical camera is a permanent connection to the main device. Bought it new, back in November 2023. Tested it satisfactorily when it arrived, at that time. However, after almost 10 months unused and stored in its padded case, it didn't last more than 30 minutes into a simple job, where it was NOT subject to any drops, shocks, or liquids. I treat my tools/equipment with care, this thing is just put together in a shoddy fashion, apparently. What a disappointment.

[@jb678901]

DO NOT Recommend: I bought mine new on AliExpress. Tested it satisfactorily upon receipt. Stored in its case (in my home) for just over 9 months before initial use. I used it for about 30 minutes during some home garage car engine maintenance, to see between the engine and firewall. The car's engine was cold, shutdown. Summer temps outside were about 30C. The device worked during the first 30 minutes of the job. Then it displayed a "Please connect the camera" message on the display screen. I rebooted and it worked one more time. Then, after turning it off and back on during the job, the message reappeared. I tried again to shutdown and restart. Tried to reformat the SD card. Tried to reset the device to factory settings in menu, multiple times. After all of this, the same message showed up on the display. At least it worked during the critical part of the job. I then used Whatsapp and sent pictures of the device and message to Autool..which surmised that the camera suffered heat damage. HOW's THAT EXACTLY? What heat? I never exposed my practically new device to heat, cold, or any liquids. Never dropped it. What happened? Seems to me, there is a design flaw in this camera. Maybe operating the camera with the LED light cluster for more than a few minutes causes heat damage to the camera. Or maybe it's simply poor manufacturing quality. In any event, a complete disappointment. The so-called 3-year warranty support was offered on the condition that I buy the cable and camera and perform my own soldering. No issue to do this, except the charge for the replacement part (cable + camera) is US$42...plus another $15 if I chose to expedite the transport. This was economically a bad choice, when I can buy a cheaper alternative, new, on AliEx for under $34 (delivered). Albeit the later device uses my phone as a display...but for my needs...it was an easy decision to buy the alternative device. I can now use my $125 Autool SVB305 boroscope as an articulating light...that's about it. SAVE your money!!!!!! In my humble opinion, of course.