That $280 borescope finally paid for itself on a hot section check

Back in 2019 I dropped 280 bucks on a cheap borescope for turbine work. Thought I was wasting cash until last month found a cracked vane on a PT6 that would have meant a full tear down later. Customer asked how I caught it and I just pointed at the tool. Cost of the scope was nothing compared to what that catch saved. Still use the same one, lens is scratched but it works. Anyone else have a tool that took years to earn its keep?

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caleb_gibson16d ago

Funny thing about that scratched lens, most guys would have replaced the tool by now. But there's an argument that a beat up scope is actually better for catching stuff. The scratches cut down the glare, and you end up looking at shadows and edges more carefully instead of trusting a perfect image. I had an old one where the articulation cable was so worn it only bent one way, so I got real good at rotating the whole bundle to get angles I wouldn't have tried otherwise. That weird limitation made me slow down and actually trace the whole airflow path instead of just poking at the obvious spots. The tool's age becomes a feature, not a bug, if you let it change how you look.