Side by Side Comparison of: Solar Eclipse vs Aardvark

It's not HD and can't save pictures, but if you need to look into a wall or floor it works well. I didn't have any focus or range issues like some people mentioned and the light on the end is sufficient. The snake is just the right amount of rigid. Being able to rotate the screen is very convenient.Remember, you're only paying $70 for an item that professionals pay hundreds of dollars for.

I got this at a discount on Amazon Prime day. Honestly I only got it because I thought it would be a fun thing to own. I almost bought one at a well known discount tool store but the picture was terrible in black and white. This product was surprisingly clear and solid. It's been only a week it's already been used for peering into a wall to find the the whereabouts of a "mystery stud" that momentarily disappears from my stud finders... turns out there was an old window frame that was covered up some years ago. I've been able to inspect my car engine without craning my neck, finding a forgotten spoon behind a drawer that wouldn't close and solving the output of a "vent to nowhere".. I live in an old house that was remodeled a bunch of times. Of course the very first thing that I did when I got it was to put it up my nose.... yes... it was awesome and totally worth it for that alone.

I purchased this as a gift and almost didn't choose it because of the complaints about it not coming with a case. It came with a very nice case! I have several inspection scopes, all costing many times more than this one. I fired it up, to make sure it wasn't junk, and fell in love with it! I've been working with inspection scopes for decades and it can be very tricky to analyze what you're looking at. Color rendition helps a lot. This has better color rendition, and is sharper, than any of my scopes. There's a lot of complaints about focal length and illumination but this one is on par with my big name brand scopes. The gooseneck is very stiff and will hold any shape you bend it to. If I kept it for myself, I doubt my other scopes would ever be used again. The only improvement I would make would be a rechargeable lithium ion battery, but that would run the price up. My grandfather taught me to always look for the value. This is a great value!

I bought this so I could look around corners. Really.My first project involved a jacuzzi tub that had stopped working. I suspected that the air switch (which controls the electric switch) had failed. Using this I removed the air switch and found that the small air tube had fallen off. Used the included hook to fish the fallen tube out and reattached it using a bit of glue. So this paid for itself the first time I used it!I also used it to look under dashboards in cars without having to crawl in upside down. It has a night vision function which allows you to see in dark areas, this is really useful. The screen is pretty small, but it is in color (except, obviously, in night vision.) Just recently I used it to locate water leaks inside of a wall. If you are in the home repair or automotive repair business, this is a great tool to have.

What a great and fairly inexpensive tool. This device works great. The only issue is there is not enough light for really dark locations.

I just received this device and there were no other reviews so I'll give my first impression.It seems to work fine. There are four buttons: on/off,light, contrast,flip screen. The screen is 640/480 pixels. The focus is best over one inch. It comes with a little hook, a mirror and a so-so magnet (could be replaced with neodymium) attachments. It would be difficult to extend the length without a specially built attachment and none were offered. It uses a 9mm stiff steel goose neck type material for the cable. It might be difficult to snake it around out of reach. The quality seems perfectly acceptable. It is not Porter Cable but definitely could do the job. Supposedly the camera and cable can be submerged but I am not going to try that. I have no other experience with this type of device. I thought it would be useful to check for termites or fish wires in the wall. I am building courage to inspect the backside of my body

This is an amazing product. I like it a lot easy to use. It does freeze up but I'm thinking it was internet issues on my end we were having problems the day I used this. Time will tell.

The inspection camera is well made and works flawlessly. After a year of use I misplaced the battery cover. Without it my camera was useless. Circuit Specialists responded quickly with a replacement cover free of charge and I am back in operation. I will look for the opportunity to give them further business.

Works nicely with my Motorola android. Clear color picture. LED's provided plenty light inspecting inside 4" black water drain line on RV waste system. The 40 gal waste tank required some extra light. I lowered several feet of weather proof rope lights into the black interior of the tank, successful inspection. Very satisfied with image quality and moisture resistance. In normal lighting conditions, clear images at surprising distances, read a wall clock at 8'

Could not beat this for the price. Bring up the views on my smart phone and it is amazing. Wish it had a way to re-orient the picture. Can do that with the phone easily but on the laptop it is rather harder.
Buy, you won't regret it. Oh, take the batteries out when storing it, it may be months before you use it again. But you go "Ahhhh" when you do reuse it.

Got this today and got it working on my iPhone 5 in under 10 minutes. WiFi connection very simple!!
The resolution is great and I like the extra long cable. Cable flexes and stays in position.
Camera head is very small and the six LEDS are adjustable.
The handheld unit also has a very bright LED flashlight.
Looks well made and has a decent carrying case, so let's see how long it functions...

For the price, this works ok. The cable is not quite as flexible as I would have liked for what I needed it for, but on the other hand it does need to be pretty stiff for most uses. One thing I did was put some red nail polish on the top of the camera tube (where the arrow is). That makes it a lot easier to know which way is up. Yes, you can change the picture orientation, but it seems to work easier if you have it right side up to begin with. Plus it makes it easier to find that tiny hole the accessories clip on to.Oh, and to clarify the button that rotates the view. One is right side up, one is upside down, one is right side up, but mirrored (for when you use the mirror, to make it normal) and one is upside down mirrored (for when you use the mirror, to make it normal)

First up, my Solar Eclipse inspection camera did not come with a case. That's okay as I've got an old cordless drill case it can live in. No batteries either, but considering the low price all was not unexpected.I bought this primarily to inspect the framing under an old house without having to hang upside-down on a slope with my face in the dirt. The day of it's first use, however, was brilliant sunshine. The screen simply didn't have enough brilliance itself to be seen under the summer sun. I have the same visibility problem with my cell phone, so that wasn't totally unexpected either. With the screen shaded and the camera end under the structure, the results were unhelpful - but this was due to the super high contrast of that darn sun shining in under that opposite side of the structure. Again, I could have expected that. The lesson? For outdoor use, it's probably better to plan on using it on at least a cloudy day, or perhaps at night (after all, those mosquitoes need feeding too).I did give it a go indoors to check out some pipes. For the total amateur like myself, it's also going to take some mental adjustment to understand what I'm looking at owing to the limited view. Which way is "up", after all? On the other hand, it sure beats ripping up the floor only to find no problems.In sum, I certainly haven't gotten my money's worth out of it's first use, but I think it will be a tool with increasing value as I become more familiar with it.

For the price IMO you can't beat this. The picture is excellent and with a 9mm head it's easy to fit into small spaces. It has 4 led's with 7 total settings (off-1-2-3-4-5-6). You can also use the contrast to lighten up the picture but it washes out quickly.It comes in a nice foam liner inside a retail type box. I would have liked a case, but my plans are to fine a case/toolbox that the foam liner will fit into and use the original pre-cut liner and toss the cardboard retail box.Some have gripped about the lack of light output in dark enclosed spaces. It's only got a 9mm head on it and the 4 LED's are tiny - as you'd expect for a 9mm head. The low light performance of the camera isn't great but again, it's a 9mm head. You want better low level performance go spend close to $300 on the Ridgid camera with 4 LED's and a 17mm head. Oh and get out the 3/4" or larger drill bit to make your access holes. A 7/16's or 1/2" hole is more than enough for this camera and easier to patch/cover.The attachments leave a bit to be desired. The mirror is almost useless IMO, but this is not the first camera I've seen where the mirror is worthless. I didn't try the hook or magnet but I doubt I'll ever use them.

I have never used another inspection camera, so I don't have anything to compare this with. It provides a fairly clear picture, though the associated LED lights don't give it a lot of range. I use it to fish wire and cable through interior walls, and even with this device it takes some doing. But it's better than shoving wire blindly up through a hole drilled from the basement.I think the quality is pretty good, except for the accessories. The hook is the most useful accessory, and I immediately bent it up. There is nary a URL or email address on the manual or packaging, so I guess that a replacement is out of the question. I also lost the ring that retains the accessory on the camera head, so I use black tape to keep it on. I think that having no place to go if you need replacement anything is bad, but, then this only cost $70.I really don't use this enough to warrant a two or three hundred dollar device, so I will just continue to happily juryrig anything I need to attach to the camera head.I might also mention that manipulating the camera head is a real art, and it takes practice. Since you have to prebend the flexible tube to get it to go where you want it, this takes some thought to use unless you have a gigantic hole to work through.

I bought this for a few upcoming projects, but my first use was to peer into the wall below some outlet boxes to see wires I was running up form the basement. For that purpose, this was an excellent tool. I was able to look around and find my wires, and figure out which way I needed to angle them to get them up to the outlet boxes.As others have mentioned, the light isn't very bright, but it is well-suited for seeing a foot or two inside a wall. The end of the probe gets a little hot as it is, so I don't even think it's practical to add bigger LEDs to this without enlarging the tip, and a larger tip would have made my project impossible. So, I'm not complaining. Also, the problem isn't so much the brightness of the light, its more about the brightness adjustment of the camera. If you have a wall 2 inches away, but want to see a portion of the wall 5 ft away, the nearby wall is reflecting way more light, so the camera adjusts to that level of brightness and can't see the far wall. This is just a basic limit of optical science, not a design flaw.It is easy to lose track of which was is "up" as you rotate the tip, but they have a nice button that lets you rotate the view to match. While a gravity-sensor and auto-rotation would be handy, I don't see that getting added for this price point. I don't mind doing a few orientation-tests now and then.I can't really say I'd change *anything* about this product, for the price.

OK... You have to remember that you get what you pay for and you are getting a camera w/ a long flex arm, a color video screen and a battery power supply for under $80. That's a ton of functionality for not a lot of $$$.You sacrifice quality, however. The case is a hard plastic and I really wish that there was much more focal length to the lens when in a tight, dark space. Perhaps it is the weak-ish LEDs in the end.I bought this to look into walls when running cable and it worked like a champ. I was able to run a fish tape down 5 feet of wall to the sill with a piece of white twine taped (lightly ) to the end. I used the camera to look through a 14 inch long horizontal hole I had drilled to find the string and pull it gently through the horizontal hole. I used that one piece of twine to pull through 4 pieces and used each of those as a lead to pull through a strand of Romex (electrical) and 2 HDMI cables for video. My flatscreen TV now floats on the wall w/ no wires showing. Yea! I would have had to do a LOT of drywall cutting/patching if I hadn't had this little camera.The hook attachment is a bit of a joke. Nice idea, though. I lost it in 5 minutes of work in the walls. I found a bent paperclip and a strand of scotch tape to work much better.

A little lag because of the wifi connection but overall great. Control of light brightness very useful. Camera cable is stiff but bendable. It help identify the cause of a house breaker that constantly trip. The cause was a collapse 1/2" NPT tube under the house that crimp the hot and neutral wire. Camera wire was introduce in a 1/2" hole with 2 cables in it no problem.

This is a super fun little tool. The image comes through great, the snake itself stays fairly rigid and overall it seems to be decently made. I use this for my pest control business. I've been using it maybe every other day since I relieved it a couple months ago. A few things to mention- the connection via wifi is finicky at best. Once connected it's fine but I have to mess around with the right order of operations for my phone to pickup the signal. #patience. Next time I might opt for one with a built in lcd instead. Also, the focal point of the camera is very close. Maybe 6-8 inches. It makes searching larger interior cavities slightly difficult because everything is very out of focus until you're right on top of it. The lighted camera tip is super slick though! For the price it's a great tool especially considering the cost of the garbage they're selling at depot. Comes with a nice little case and a cd rom, that I've never used, as well as some little grabber hooks and such, also never used.

Tried it, seems to work. I have not had time to use it in a real job yet.

Works well on iphone. Clear picture, easy photo transfer. May benefit from optional shorter inspection cable.

Mine works really well. Gets decent imaging that is focused and links right up with my iPhone and iPad no problems. I really like the stiffness and flexibility of the shaft as it makes steering the camera easier. The lights on the tip are plenty bright and also adjustable (although I've always had it turned all the way up).

When you need it, you need it. On mine the camera tip needs to be fiddled with to get it to work each time. Easier to deal with it than send it back.

took a few good smacks to get it working (loose wire i figure) but liking it nowwould have returned it but was in need fastworks great now

It gets some jobs done that you just can't do without this tool. The light isn't real bright, but that's the trade off to get a small camera head AND inexpensive. It can be a little difficult to figure out which way is up, but I think that's normal. An angled screen would probably help. For me, it saved me a lot of drywall holes to figure out what I needed to do. I'll use it maybe 1 to 2 times per year, so the price/performance ratio worked out for me.

In tight places it is really hard to figure out what you are seeing or control the path of the camera. However; it has a nice screen and picture, it 's quality is adequate and I think it will come in handy for very specific applications (e.g., fishing around in walls). I consider the price pretty good for such an item as well.

The light is pretty dim. You may want to attach a flashlight if there is room where you want to put it. The picture is just OK.

Better than nothing but not great. Not great clarity or brightness and the biggest pain is orientation of the image. Very hard to figure out what you are looking at inside walls.

“it is what it is”

I am giving the endoscope a three star due to the fact I could not keep it linked to my android phone. Very well could be a phone issue. I was able to return it with no issues. Fast shipping, well made product.

I do crawlspace work. I have not had enough field work with this as I would like to in order to give a full honest review, but so far in the few times I have tried to use the product, it has not met my expectations. The quality of the photos are grainy and not clear. The lens does not seem to have a decent focus zone and the cord is stiff enough to be a burden and not sturdy enough to perform certain tasks. The wifi feature is buggy and doesn't​ seem to be the best idea. So far, it has not helped be a bit. Not asking for a refund in hopes that I find actual use out of this thing.

Not bad in a pinch, but not really a professional tool. Of course it is very inexpensive, so easy to try and see if you like it.

For the money, this is certainly ok for some kinds of occasional inspections. The main drawback for work in larger cavities is the illumination, which is not sufficient for any distance beyond a few centimeters. Ok for smaller cavities or where there is some ambient light.

returned it not very good.

ITS BLORY PICTUR I RETERNED IT

Works well with well lit area, but can't see !@#$ in dark areas, i.e. behind drywalls. The led light is just not powerful enough. I had read reviews similar to this, but thought I could still see some things. I think a secondary light source may be needed. GOing to keep because may be handy for other jobs later.

Well, it's connection to the handheld unit is flimsy, doesn't lock into place well, and really is too stiff (the camera line) to work into tight spaces. Basically, you get what you pay for.

I purchased this and found that you could pretty much not see anything unless it was within about 2" of the lens. At first I was thinking that most of these things are probably pretty bad but decided to pick up a Ryobi one from HD for $99. The difference in what you can see between the Ryobi and this is well worth the extra $30.The one thing I did like on this one was that the flex cable and lens is only about 10mm where as the Ryobi is a good 15-16mm in diameter. Long story short - sending this one back. Sorry Amazon.

not too enthusiatic, but then not expensive....

poor quality and screen

bad visibllty poor lighting

Not useful seeing inside dark pipe.

First class junk

Do not waste your money! The camera stopped working after it was turned on 3 times. A very expensive pen light!

Looks like a fairly well made product, but connecting to wifi was unreliable and not user-friendly. Worked two times out of ten tries. I like it when things work the first time. Circuit Specialists made the return easy. I'd like to find one that hard wires to the iphone.

Unfortunately this item had to be returned. It would not sync with my wifi to my iPhone. It kept giving me error messages, even connecting it manually. It may have been a defective unit, either way, I was left disappointed.

the syncing with wifi sucks on this thing. when i open the app it will not find the camera so i have to manually go into wifi settings and find it then click on it then wait for a pop up that says "no internet connection do you want to continue", so i click yes and then i have to launch the app again and then click on the camera picture. then if you loose the connection you have to do it all over again. i definitely regret buying this POS!

Keeps freezing saying can't connect no customer support

Does not work on Galaxy S3,S4. Constantly disconnects. Aggravating, impossible to use. Even tried 2 different versions of software. Same thing.
Great concept but totally unuseable. I'm returning it.
Tried to call them, not available on any extension. BTW, their policy is "no returns" due to special shipping requirements.