Today we are entering the exciting world of video borescopes! Ok, it might not be the most exciting world to be in, but I will try my best to imagine. When I first received this assignment to preview the Klein Tools ET500 I was not exactly thrilled. I was expecting more of the same that you usually get in the price point this instrument falls in. Normally you would get a borescope that is awkward to use with flimsy probes that don’t hold form very well. Also par for the course is a picture that is a little blurry or fuzzy and may not have enough light output to give you a picture at all.

To say I was blown away at the Klein Tools ET500 would be an understatement. To begin, the unit comes in a hard case, which is pretty much a standard, but where they set themselves apart is that it is actually easy to put the borescope back into the case after using it. This always reminds me of the ole camping horror of trying to get your new tent back into the bag that it originally comes with. Most camping vets already have a custom bag that reduces the hassle. Well, with the Klein Tools ET500 you don’t have to worry about that because not only does it look nice in the case upon purchase, it is about as easy as any tool I have used to get back into the case when you are done.

Moving on from that the picture is very clear no matter where you are using it. Some borescopes are recommended to use only in confined spaces like a pipe so it can reflect the light off the edges to provide enough light to see what is going on. The ET500 is more akin to a digital camera on a leash. This thing is crystal clear out in the open or in a confined space so you can use it anywhere. It has adjustable LED’s that can go from zero all the way to ELEVEN!!1 (Just ask my coworker who was inadvertently blinded by me waving the probe around like I just didn’t care.) This unit also can take pictures and record video and can be viewed or played back right on the screen.

The Klein Tools ET500 Video Borescope is a great entry borescope that is easy to use and has an easy to navigate menu. This is a must have for any toolbox that needs to inspect tight or confined spaces.

Cheers and Happy Testing,

--Sam