Borescope Education and Purchasing Guide

Welcome to our Borescope information, Education and Buying Guide Website. These pages are under contruction, however you can take a peek at some of our Boroscope Image Archive here to view different types of video images which were taken with borescopes, fiberscopes and fiberoptic video image equipment and videoscope imaging units. Like their Medical Counterparts- "Endoscopes", Borescopes are one of the best ways to provide inspection of inaccessible areas in inspecting gas and steam turbines, piping systems, engines, heavy equipment, tanks, HVAC systems, in hi-rise buildings behind walls, ducting, boilers, pumps, valves, weldments, structural, aerospace, utilities, petrochemical plants, and much more. Some industrial machines have borescope access ports manufactured in them to allow borescope inspections without drilling additional holes. However, many applications require the boring of a small access hole to allow the borescope to be inserted to view the internal components and structure from all sorts of anomalies. Corrosion, structural damage, misalignment, cracking, stress fractures, pitting, wear, etc. are all types of conditions which can be detected and or monitored by the aid of a borescope.

"Can I afford a borescope?" It depends. If you find something under $1000. normally you're buying a TOY misrepresented as a borescope. Unforunately some customers only discover this after they make the mistake. These "wannabe" $200. products use consumer batteries (AA, C, D Cells) and have a hokey flashlight bulb. Real Borescopes use High Intensity light sources. Some of these toys are even misrepresented as flexible boroscopes now. But these are really a joke since they don't have borosilica image bundles inside! They have a handful of dim plastic fibers shoved inside- not enough to compose a proper image. The product specs do not advertise how many fibers they have inside either. That "minor detail" remains a surprise until you open the box and remove all doubt about the image quality. (Anything less than 8000 fibers isn't adequate). These devices are easy to spot at automotive and tool places for as little as $200. Just remember, they are NOT BORESCOPES. Real boroscopes cost over $1000. They use *GLASS* Relay Lens or Borosilica Fibers.

Real Borescopes also have all the needed components when you buy them. They don't give you a wimpy flashlight to stick on it. ( High Intensity Light sources alone cost $500+) to have success in your inspections. To fool the customer they even rename their flashlights as high intensity!!!! Either 100-150 Watt Halogen Light sources or newer technology Metal Halide lights are required. Industrial professionals working on critical hardware (Aircraft, Industrial processes, Heavy equipment, etc.) are like surgeons . They require tools that provide adequate lighting (A high intensity Halogen light source or Metal Halide unit), good image quality (use achromatic or rod lens) are reliable for making critical decisions. Would you trust a Surgeon with your life using a tool he bought at a toy store?

We have for sale some nice used Olympus Borescopes here