Is M12 Automotive Borescope the New Best Camera?
If you work in the automotive repair field specifically in 2023, you are aware of Milwaukee’s successful infiltration of the industry’s power tool supply. Starting out mostly in carpentry and construction related power tools, somewhere in the last five years or so Milwaukee decided to go head to head versus Snap-On, Mac and the other tool companies in the automotive repair sector.
Most auto techs know that the “Milwaukee Fuel” line of tools has essentially put the power tool market in a choke hold. In its latest attempt to take market share from the de facto leader- Snap-On tools- the company has introduced an automotive specific Borescope. The new inspection camera like tool operates on Milwaukee’s M12 line of power tools.
With the reputation of Milwaukee only growing stronger, we have to wonder if the M12 Automotive Technician Borescope (3150-20) is the new camera to beat in the auto repair tool industry. In order to get a better idea of how the Milwaukee Borescope fares versus Snap-On, Autel and the other brands on the market, we’re going to take a look at some of the most important specifications and data points.
In this post, we will also explore the ratings, reviews and warranty on the M12 Automotive Borescope just like we do with almost every other tool. We’re going to dig in and compare some of the most crucial aspects of the Milwaukee inspection camera to the likes of Autel and Snap-On to see if this new scope is worth buying.
M12 Automotive Borescope Verses Snap-On, Autel
During an earlier post, we took a look at a lot of the Borescope available- specifically the ones on Amazon and other places online. In researching that post, I found that you could buy very high quality inspection cameras for a good price on Amazon.
If we have any chance of considering this M12 Automotive Borescope superior versus those, this camera is going to have to be very good and priced very well. So, let’s take a look at things like quality, specs and price.
M12 Automotive Borescope Specs, Features
In looking over the key specifications and features of the new M12 Borescope, there were a few things that stood out. I see these things as benefits and advantages to the M12 automotive borescope versus other models. They are as follows.
- 5mm Camera Head which means the M12 Auto Borescope will fit in very tight spaces.
- 720p screen resolution for clear picture. Although 720p is good, there are some borescopes that offer better 1080p the Autel MV480.
- Compatibility with the M12 battery system makes powering the camera a non-issue.
- Front and Side view cameras that both capture photo and video in 720p.
- Heat Sense™ Technology to detect workspaces that are too hot to safely inspect.
What are People Saying About the M12 Automotive Borescope?
If you want to get a good grasp on the quality of a product like the M12 Automotive Borescope, it’s important to take a good look at what auto mechanics are saying. Are the reviews good for the 3150-20 from Milwaukee? Is it worth the money to buy one?
Since the M12 inspection camera is fairly new, the reviews and ratings are also fairly limited. It’s not fair to compare the Automotive Borescope to the Spector 360. This is because the tools are technically meant for different albeit similar purposes. This new inspection camera is specifically designed for automotive work like engine and transmission inspection.
Just because reviews are tough to come by doesn’t mean we can’t find them. It just took more effort to find where the 3150-20 stands versus some of the Snap-On or Autel competitor borescopes on the market. Instead of pooling together the same number of reviews and ratings, I just had to look harder to find the real-life experiences that people are having with the M12 Milwaukee inspection camera.
Is the M12 Automotive Borescope Articulating?
One of the most important things to ask about the M12 Automotive Technician camera is does it articulate? With the ability to move the camera at the flick of a button, articulating borescopes are by far the most popular inspection cameras.
Unfortunately, Milwaukee did not decide to add this feature to the 3150-20 automotive inspection camera. In my view this is a major disadvantage to the tool as there are cheap priced models from Teslong that make articulating views super easy. Just look at this inspection camera that sells for less than $250 on Amazon.
Ratings and Reviews
In a short YouTube video announcing the release of the Milwaukee automotive technician borescope, the tech shows off a very well designed and seemingly sound engineered product. Per the usual with Milwaukee, this tech seemed to be quite impressed with the results although the video lasted less than one minute.
After finding that video review of the M12 Auto Technician Borescope, I came across another video which was more extensive and gave much more details on the functionality and specs related to the new inspection camera. In this video, recorded by “A Concord Carpenter” the producer of the review is at a trade show with a Milwaukee representative actually taking an in-depth look at the M12 Auto Tech Borescope.
In the video, the tradesman and the rep go over all of the advanced features of the Milwaukee automotive specific inspection camera and comes away pretty impressed. It leaves no doubt that the 3150-20 is clearly a capable automotive borescope or “endoscope” as you may hear it called.
The Video Reviews are Good, Not Great
Overall it seems the consensus opinion of the M12 Automotive Technician Borescope is good. This is another thing to be expected from a tool offered on the Milwaukee line. It’s clear after reading reviews and ratings on the 3150-20 that auto techs would be well served to own the newest inspection camera on the power tool market. The question remains though, is the Milwaukee M12 Auto Tech Borescope the best option when choosing an inspection camera specifically for auto repairs and engine work.
Is the M12 Automotive Borescope the Best Inspection Camera?
Due to the similar nature of the Milwaukee 3150-20 and the Spector 360 but the fact that they are marketed at different trades, I didn’t think it was fair to compare them in this post. If you want more information on the Spector 360 from Milwaukee you can click the image below.
Instead, I’ve decided to put the M12 Automotive Borescope versus the Autel MV480 MaxiVideo automotive and heavy duty inspection camera. My hope is to see which is the best budget inspection camera for auto repair techs and heavy duty diesel mechanics. I chose the Autel MV480 because it’s my opinion that it’s the Borescope to beat on the market right now.
Its also pretty much undisputed that Autel is near the top when it comes to electrical diagnostic and troubleshooting tools. Especially if you factor in the price point of Autel troubleshooting tools versus Snap-On and other tool companies.
The Autel MaxiVideo MV460’s capability and compatibility with the rest of Autel’s line of electrical diagnostic tools make it a tough inspection camera to compete with. So how does the Milwaukee M12 Auto Technician Camera compare versus the Autel MV460?
M12 Automotive Borescope Versus Autel MV480
If we want to compare the Milwaukee automotive inspection camera to the Autel MV460, the only fair way is to match up many of the key features and specifications. We want to know which borescope has the better camera, the better display, battery life and compatibility. Also, we want to know what makes each particular camera the best option for auto repair specifically since that’s what the M12 Milwaukee Borescope is marketing at.
What makes the M12 3150-20 good?
Some of the key features that make the 3150-20 M12 Automotive Technician Borescope good for engine and auto repair specifically are the following,
- Smaller 5mm camera for accessing tighter spaces like cylinder walls, pistons and exhaust.
- Compatibility with the M12 battery system which is the basis of most Milwaukee ratchets, die grinders and other small automotive shop tools.
- 3 foot cable for long reach access into tight spaces inside the engine bay.
- Milwaukee Heat Sense™ Technology for detecting unsafe parts of the engine bay for inspection.
These features are all certainly useful in an automotive inspection camera but can they compete with what the Autel MaxiVideo MV480 does?
What makes the Autel MV460 good?
Here are some of the things that make the Autel MV480 automotive camera so good when it comes to vehicle inspection and recording.
- 1080p image and video resolution on a 4.1” LCD display.
- 10-Level LED light on the end of the camera for more visible inspection areas.
- 2MP Camera with 360 degree rotation to see things from a full circular angle.
- 7X Zoom capability for up close and personal inspection with a waterproof cable.
- Ability to add audio notes to images and videos recorded with the Autel MV480.
- Full compatibility with Autel’s line of advanced OBDII emissions scan tools. This makes it easy to analyze photos/videos and compare the data and interpret fault codes.
As you can see, the Autel MV480 is an extremely advanced automotive inspection camera and matches up very well compared to the M12 Milwaukee Automotive Technician Borescope. In terms of functionality, the Autel version MV480 actually offers a lot of advanced features and cross capability with its diagnostic scan tools that give it an upper hand versus most other inspection cameras on the market.
Although I’m curious to try the M12 3150-20, it seems pretty obvious to me when looking at the price point, the Autel MV480 still has an edge for any automotive technicians looking to buy an inspection camera specifically for auto repair and heavy duty diesel.
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