If you're a doctor performing a delicate procedure, a locksmith looking inside a locking mechanism or a computer repair technician making repairs inside a computer, you know how important fiberscopes are to your business. Fiberscopes, also called borescopes, make inspections of the most difficult areas possible for professionals ranging from engineers to surgeons. Densely-packed fiber optics allow visual inspection of places the human eye cannot go.

Depending on the type of work you do, you can choose fiberscopes based on flexibility, length, image resolution, diameter and even articulating heads. From half-millimeter fiberscopes to industrial fiberscopes eight millimeters in diameter, you can find instruments for nearly any application. When it comes time to buy fiberscopes, consider the following:

1. Select the appropriate diameters and lengths, from mini to industrial fiberscopes, depending on your business types.

2. Choose fiberscopes with two- or four-way articulating heads.

3. Rent fiberscopes or buy used instruments to keep costs down.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find the right sized fiberscopes to meet your business needs

When it comes to fiberscopes, size does matter. A plumber inspecting wide pipes with a fiberscope will use a vastly different diameter and length than a technician peering inside a computer. With sizes ranging from one-half millimeter to eight millimeters in diameter and up to 300 feet in length, you're sure to find the right fiberscope for you.

I recommend: LENOX offers fiberscopes with almost no visual distortions, between three-and-one-half millimeter and eight millimeters in diameter and from 24 inches up to 118 inches in length, in your choice of direct or right angle view directions. Find microflex flexible or semi-rigid fiberscopes in various lengths at Gradient Lens Corporation.

See it all with fiberscopes that move the way you need them to move

The way you need the head of fiberscopes to move also depends on the type of work you're doing. If you need to snake through pipes that curve to the right or left and up and down, you'll need to have more movement in the head than you would if you were an engineer passing a fiberscope down a straight shaft. Many fiberscope manufacturers and sellers offer both two- and four-way articulating heads to accommodate any area you need to inspect.

I recommend: UXR sells an eight millimeter industrial fiberscope with a four-way articulating head that moves up and down and side to side with one-handed operation. Select a provision fiberscope at ToolSource from their comprehensive inventory, which includes both two- and four-way articulating heads, at very affordable prices.

Save money by finding fiberscope suppliers offering used or reconditioned equipment

Fiberscopes are expensive instruments. Depending on the size and length, for instance, they can run into the thousands of dollars. If your budget does not accommodate these prices, purchase from fiberscope sellers that offer used or reconditioned instruments, or rent from fiberscope distributors if you don't use the instruments on a regular basis.

I recommend: Find reconditioned fiberscopes as well as accessories used in endoscopy and colonoscopy at Miami Medical. Boroscopes.com offers used quality Olympus fiberscopes with light guides for a fraction of the cost of new equipment.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Accessorize your fiberscopes to maximize performance. Illuminators, mirror tips and camera and video adapters are just a few accessories that can enhance fiberscope performance.