Bought a $300 camera scope and my phone did the same job
Last month I dropped $300 on a fancy inspection camera to check a flue liner in an old house outside Columbus. Turns out my buddy's phone with a $15 borescope clip-on showed the same cracks clear as day. Anyone else waste cash on gear before trying the cheap route first?
The "showed the same cracks clear as day" part is what gets me, because I used to be the guy who swore you needed the real tool for real work. I figured a phone clip on was a toy and the $300 unit had better optics and a stiffer cable, so it had to be worth it. Then I watched a guy scope a whole drain line with his phone and a $20 reel and the picture was honestly just as clean. Now I feel kind of dumb about the money I spent, but at least the lesson stuck.