Quick Look at the Top 5 Best Snake Cameras
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Preview
Title
Our Rating
1.
Teslong Inspection Camera, 1080p Dual Lens 4.5” Screen Endoscope
4.8/5
2.
Industrial Endoscope Autofocus Inspection Camera, Anykit Borescope VideoScope
4.5/5
3.
ILIHOME Endoscope Camera 4.3” Screen Professional Inspection Camera
4.1/5
4.
YOMERA 4.3inch 1080P HD LCD Screen 8mm Borescope Camera
4.4/5
5.
Rotek 5M 1080P Industrial Endoscope
3.7/5
You’re probably familiar with the statement necessity is the mother of invention and such necessity led to the innovation of snake inspection cameras.
Human vision is somewhat limited when it comes to peeping around corners, into narrow pipes, and other obstructed areas.
A snake inspection camera is a camera attached to a thin cable that can be inserted through pipelines, narrow gaps, and other places that are difficult to see with the naked eye. The camera captures images that can be monitored on the screen by the user.
Also known as an endoscope camera or borescope camera, as there are many similarities within them as well as price points. A USB inspection camera is much lower in price as only the camera and cable are purchased and used to connect to a phone or laptop.
A plumbing snake camera can be used for many different purposes, such as industrial work, electrical jobs, plumbing, heating, or air conditioning work, automotive and more. They’re also handy for those working in maintenance, construction, and inspection. There are some things they cannot do and you should be mindful of them before setting out to make a purchase.
While these devices may all look pretty similar, they often have different features that make choosing the right one a bit of a challenge. Here are four of the best snake cameras on the market today.
Table of Contents
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View the Best Snake Cameras Below
1. Teslong Inspection Camera, 1080p Dual Lens 4.5” Screen Endoscope
Key Feature
We couldn’t help but be pleasantly surprised in the video quality of this camera. The 4.5-inch screen along with 1080p HD camera makes for an outstanding combination. After all, the whole idea here is to get a good look inside wherever it is you’re looking, so a clear, crisp picture is required. This unit does not disappoint.
If you want the 2nd 90-degree camera, make sure you select this one, it’s just slightly higher priced but may be worth it depending on your needs.
Why We Like It
- Awesome picture quality
- Well made item built to last
- Comes with hook and magnet attachment
What Could Be Better
- The camera cable isn’t very flexible, so it may be difficult to use depending on the task
- Screen Type
- 4.5 in. IPS LCD
- Cable Length
- 16.5 ft.
- Battery
- 2600mAh lithium-ion
Our Verdict
The Teslong dual-lens borescope comes in as our favorite of the five reviewed here. It’s a very well built unit with quality (and useful) attachments. An SD card slot is provided (card not included) so you can take pictures and video of your findings. The video quality is outstanding with a slightly larger screen that some of its competitors.
Our Rating:
4.9/5
2. Industrial Endoscope Autofocus Inspection Camera, Anykit Borescope VideoScope
KEY FEATURE
The Anykit Industrial Endoscope is our premium choice for those who want a feature rich scope and are willing to spend a little more for it.
One of the things that set this one apart is its auto-focus feature. Cameras, in general, can struggle with is the ability to focus on close items. When using an endoscope for engines, pipes, inside walls, and other tight spaces, it’s essential to have a clear picture and auto-focus is a huge part of that. You can have a nice big screen and a high-resolution camera but it’s not doing much good if it’s out of focus.
Why We Like It
- Ability to “flip” picture on the screen
- Large 5″ IPS screen
- Autofocus works great
What Could Be Better
- Short 9.8 ft cable
- Screen Type
- 5 inch 1280×720 HD resolution IPS Screen
- Cable Length
- 9.8 ft.
- Battery
- 3500mAh Lithium-ion
Our Verdict
This is a professional grade snake camera and you will undoubtedly be pleased with this product. It does have a higher price point than others listed here, but for good reason. Look no further if money isn’t an issue.
Our Rating:
4.5/5
3. ILIHOME Endoscope Camera 4.3” Screen Professional Inspection Camera
KEY FEATURE
The Ilihome Endoscope doesn’t necessarily have one stand out feature that we could pinpoint aside from it’s bang for the buck. It’s a high quality product at a very reasonable price.
This won’t wow you with its screen quality and it doesn’t have any fancy features. What it does is deliver on basic functions of an endoscope and it does them very well for a camera that is priced well below some if it’s competitors. This would be a great buy for someone on a budget looking for a well-made product.
Why We Like It
- Longer and shorter cable length available for purchase
- Supports up to 128gb memory card
- LED camera lights with adjustable brightness
What Could Be Better
- The smaller lower-quality screen
- Camera has trouble focusing in close
- Screen Type
- 4.3 In.
- Cable Length
- 16.5 ft.
- Battery
- 2600mAh Lithium-ion
Our Verdict
This has to be our best budget plumbing snake camera. As long as you can settle for slightly less performance this should be at the top of your purchase list. Overall, just decent in all areas. Nothing crazy.
Our Rating:
4.1/5
4. Industrial Endoscope, YOMERA 4.3inch 1080P HD LCD Screen 8mm Borescope Camera
Key Feature
Unlike the cameras above. The Yomera endoscope camera is connected via USB. What this means for you is that you can also use a laptop to view the live video feeds as long as you are OK installing their software to do so.
This should also mean that if you want to add a longer length cable, you have many options as there are plenty of USB snake cameras on the market.
Why We Like It
- USB connection – Can be plugged into a computer for viewing
- It comes with a 16gb memory card.
- LED camera lights with adjustable brightness
What Could Be Better
- Smaller battery
- The camera has trouble focusing in close
- Screen Type
- 4.3 In.
- Cable Length
- 16.5 ft.
- Battery
- 2000mAh Lithium-ion
Our Verdict
The Yomera is a good snake camera for the price. It gives you added flexibility with the USB connection and provides a good picture within their suggested range of 3-10 cm. Generously enough, they have included a 16gb SD card for you to take pictures and videos of your findings. Something competitors on this list do not do.
Our Rating:
4.4/5
5. Industrial Endoscope, ROTEK 5M 1080P
Key Feature
The Rotek Endoscope is a solid purchase for the casual homeowner looking to complete odd jobs around the house. The snake camera follows most standards in terms of cable length, screen size, resolution, and features. If you’re looking for a good mid-low end endoscope at a low to mid-vlevel price, this should do just fine.
Why We Like It
- Simple to use
- Supports up to 32gb memory card
- Stiff camera cable
What Could Be Better
- Camera lights aren’t as bright as other endoscopes
- Noticed picture blurriness was a little too common
- Screen Type
- 4.3 In.
- Cable Length
- 16.5 ft.
- Battery
- 2600mAh Lithium-ion
Our Verdict
Nothing stands out as great here. It accomplishes the basic tasks but does have some quirks. Screen rotation is strange as it has more than 4 options and also rotates the timestamps. Camera quality was lacking here as well. Not sure if it’s the camera or the screen, or both.
Our Rating:
3.7/5
Buyers Guide
It’s always helpful when making a purchase decision to understand some of the key traits you should be looking for. That’s true when you’re looking for a plumbing snake with a camera. These are handy devices, but only if they possess some key characteristics. In our buying guide below you’ll find a brief description of the features we think are essential in a good plumbing camera snake.
Flexible and Rigid
You might be wondering how something can be both flexible and rigid at the same time, but that’s exactly what a good plumbing snake needs to be. When you’re doing video snake camera plumbing you need to be able to work your way around corners, but still have your tool remain rigid enough to maintain its forward momentum until you find the clog.
So it has to be flexible enough to move around corners easily, but rigid enough to move through tight spaces with relative ease. Making these products can be challenging for manufacturers, but there are some good options out there that fit the bill.
Clarity is the Key
A plumbing camera snake can fit the rigid and flexible criteria we noted above and still be virtually useless in practical real-world situations. If the camera on the end of your snake is fuzzy or has poor resolution it doesn’t matter if you can reach the blockage or not – you won’t be able to see much when you get there.
You need a snake with a high-resolution camera, preferably HD, and one that lights the way well enough that you can capture a clear daylight quality image of what’s going on down there in those pipes. Fortunately, most plumbing camera snakes on the market these days have good quality cameras that used LED lights.
Size and Distance
There are different types of snakes and inspection cameras depending upon the job at hand. Most in-house plumbing clogs only require seeing a couple of feet into your drain as the clog is generally in that area. For exterior clogs, the blockage maybe 50 feet or more from the source and this will require an expensive industrial quality inspection camera snake – these jobs are normally best left to the experts.
As a general rule if you can find a plumbing camera snake that will reach up to 10 feet this will be more than enough for most household uses. The other thing you need to consider is the size. Most drain pipes are relatively small so you need a camera snake that’s no more than 8mm diameter.
Understanding the Nature of the Clog
Many different things can clog your drain and so it’s difficult to say what will work until you know what’s clogging the drain. You might be tempted to think a plumbing liquid drain cleaner will solve the problem every time and an inspection camera is just a waste of money. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple.
A drain cleaner will break up simple clogs, but it won’t help you if there happens to be an animal in the drain or if you have some other relatively solid debris. In older homes, your pipes may even be decaying and there’s nothing a liquid drain cleaner can do for that. A plumbing snake with a camera allows you to see what’s going on, assess the problem, and decide on a further course of action.
Conclusion
All of the products featured in this article have some great qualities, but the Teslong Endoscope Camera probably shades it over the others because it is the complete package. It comes with a quality camera, great screen, long cable length and storage of up to 32 GB.
Price points are fairly wide with the cameras we’ve mentioned here in hopes to give a varying selection based on different budgets. Hopefully, we’ve helped narrow down your selection and if we haven’t, please leave a comment below and let us know!
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