ProVision 100 PV100 Flexible Fiberoptic Scope

good tool

If you have a need to go around corners, or bend the end for more visability, better go for a more expensive one. The first 6 inches cannot bend, making it difficult to get around wall spaces . Optics are what you could expect from a less expensive unit,but it does work for most things. Consider your needs closely whenyou look at this one.

I bought this in order to inspect the walls of my house for two things: I need to see what wiring needs updated, and I also need to see how much insulation is in my walls. I figured the $160 investment was worth the knowledge I would gain and the time and materials I might save.When I recieved the scope I opened it immediately and began inspecting one particular light fixture that has been bothering me for quite some time. Two things became readily apparent:1. The 18" shaft isn't long enough. I should have sprung for the longer one.2. The shaft is not as flexible as I might have expected, and it is actually a bit bulky with a diameter of approximately 3/8", so you won't be slipping this turkey into little cracks. It seems even too wide to scope it into the dipstick tube in an engine - so I'd guess its use for this application might be to have a look through the throttle body, or through a spark plug hole to see why you have no compression. But even in this case, since the tube has limited flexibility, you'll be able to see a dent in a piston but you might not be able to bend it sharply enough to see a bent valve, i.e, it won't bend at a right angle in so short of a distance. Still quite handy, but a little more limited than I expected.3. Regarding the focal length, it seems to range from a few inches out to right at the objective. Suppose you fish into a wall outlet and you want to see if there is a fireblock a few feet up the wall... it seems like you probably won't be able to focus on it and you'll just have a black and brown blurry image. To see that far, you have to have a closer access point.4. Due to the eyepiece, you still have to contort yourself into various positions to get an angle on your objective - unfortunately it's not as easy as the promotional pictures show.Regarding some of my criticisms, a visit to the Provision website showed me that there are accessories to correct for some of these deficiencies.When I bought it I should have been a little more critical with my research. For some reason I pictured a longer, thinner inspection tube with much better articulation. Nonetheless, this is a nice tool that is compromised only by a limited budget. For $1000, I'm sure there are much better tools of this type, but this isn't too bad for $160. I wish it was better and cheaper, but perhaps this tool is just a few years too early.I could easily picture this in the tool kit for a well-prepared home inspector, or maybe an energy auditor who is looking for ways to augment a thermal camera study. A mechanic who would like to save the labor of removing the cylinder head might like it, and it could come in handy for inspection of the catalytic converter without removal. The LED lights provide ample illumination.Update: June 2008.I recently used this tool to inspect an engine I was rebuilding. My timing belt broke, and I wanted to see if the valves came into contact with the pistons. I simply removed the sparkplugs and rotated the crank with a wrench while peering into the spark plug hole with this 'scope. I was able to focus on the pistons and confirm that they were not damaged, and it saved me the labor of removing the cylinder head. This is a handy tool for car work!

We have used the Pro Vision SLIPV100 several times in our Condo complex to locate incorrect sewer line connections before they start leaking. This will save us many dollars in repair and mold cleanup in the future. The Unit is well designed, easy to operate, and gives a clear picture of impending problems.

I bought this for inspecting my cylinders. It worked fine on a DOHC engine. Not so well on a small block chevy with angled spark plugs. I couldn't see 60% of the pitons and walls. The head and even the stem are too rigid to be fully maneuverable.It's also not very detailed, as you only have a few fiberoptic strands to transmit "pixels", so it's hard to tell if you're looking at scuff marks or just strange reflections. It does have nearly infinite focal range, though.I had to take it apart one time to fix the light switch, because I had to press extremely hard to get decent intensity from it. It's an extremely simple device, essentially just a fiberoptic cable and super simple lens. Pretty cheaply made. Nothing worth $150.My next purchase is going to be a digital one with manual focus (fixed focus is too limiting) that's thin to fit in spark plug holes, and preferably with a right angle mirror. Haven't quite found the perfect one yet.

I purchased this item to check on some possible critter invasion in the walls of my house. The product worked perfectly. There are a couple of small things that could be better - but overall I'm very happy with the scope and with the quick shipment.

Bought one of these years ago. Works great until the bulbs burn out in which replacements are expensive and hard to locate (-1 star). Gave up on locating a bulb for this online when my bulb burned out - was two weeks out through the supplier and was too expensive. I fixed this roadblock by slightly modifying the case and soldering in an 8mm 3v white led bulb from Amazon in it's place. Works like it should and no burned out halogens anymore.

I actually ordered the 36" scope with the obedient sheath from ToolTopia. The scope is a pretty good product for the money, but mine arrived damaged. The plastic case was crushed along with the obedient sheath. ToolTopia only deals with returns via e-mail and they are very unresponsive. I've been trying to get an RMA number for over a week. In any other company I've dealt with getting an RMA number is a 5 minute phone call. Stay away from ToolTopia!