From Jim Brewer:

 Harbor Freight is a knock off of this item:
 http://www.ridgid.com/Tools/SeeSnake-micro/index.htm

 Jim Brewer
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Now my comments...

 Having one right here in my hot little hand to compare...the Harbor
 Freight item is NOT a knock off...it is identical  (except for the brand
 name!). Not only do they look identical, but the specifications and
 information for each are identical.Come to think of it, after I
 hefted it, it could definitely pass for a Ridgid product.

 A search for "color inspection cameras" comes up with several different
 brand names, and ALL of them are identical.  Looks like this is one of
 those cases where China makes it and sells it to everyone who wants to
 market one, putting their own brand name on them. The prices for this
 unit vary from as high as $450 for the 4UCAM model, to Harbor Freight's
 $99. The average appears to be around $250.  Dollars to donuts, Harbor
 Freight is getting them from the same company that is making them for
 Ridgid.

 http://tinyurl.com/mw5yug
 http://tinyurl.com/nskvv5

 Also one of the accessories available for it is a 9.5 mm camera to
 replace the 17mm one that comes with it (the camera and flexible cable
 plug into the same hand unit)!  That WILL fit in a spark plug hole! It
 also says that the smaller camera has a shorter focal distance for
 closer and smaller work.

 http://tinyurl.com/makor3

 Two problems solved.  Now if only Harbor Freight offers that tinier
 camera accessory as well and we won't have to pay the $100+ that others
 are asking for it (for just the camera and flex cable...without the hand
 unit and monitor). If I see one of the other brands locally, I'll check
 out the smaller camera for fit.

 Some other uses for this thing are looking inside electrical panels,
 inside walls...and the best suggestion I saw in a Ridgid forum was as a
 "home colonoscopy kit"!

 I'm loving this thing more every minute! He, he, he....

 Harley

Mystery apparently solved...from searching a number of websites and
other forums, this inspection camera originally came out in
2008...designed by Ridgid, and the construction commissioned in China by
Ridgid.

They now have a new model...the monitor does not separate, the cables
all plug into the handle and the monitor controls are on the handle
instead of the monitor. The cable and camera heads are identical and
interchangeable on either model.

So, China is now free to sell the original model to whomever
they please, and that's the one that Harbor Freight and
the other suppliers are selling under their own names.

BTW...Home Depot has the old one as well...$199.

Harley.


Harley

Hard to tell from only the appearance.  Consider this: NEC computer
corporation discovered that China was knocking off their products
several years ago. After servicing an abnormal amount of what they were
convince were their own computers someone noticed the paper and the
printing on the warranty cards was a little off. In further
investigation they found that their China partner relatives had
constructed a duplicate factory in the remote provinces copying
EVERYTHING right down to company signs, uniforms and business cards with
Japanese names.  Business in China is surreal.

Doug in Japan