By Bob Gatton
I was walking from one appointment to the next at the 2007 International Builders Show when I passed the Ridgid booth. I have done a few tool reviews, but it is not my primary focus. At the corner of their booth they were demonstrating the SeeSnake micro. It caught my eye; I had to take a look.
The SeeSnake micro is a handheld display with a camera on the end of a 3-foot flexible cable that allows you to see into areas that you normally couldn’t. You can use it to see around corners and into wall cavities, ducts, pipes, etc. Systems with this type of capability have been available for several years but are usually priced beyond the budgets of many.
The SeeSnake micro includes the following features:
- A 2.5 inch color LCD screen on a pistol grip handle
- A camera head at the end of a 3-foot cable. On each side of the camera are two high-intensity LED lights. The brightness of the lights is adjustable from a wheel on top of the pistol grip handle.
- The camera cable is detachable from the handle. Three-foot extension cables are available. Up to nine extensions can be used with the three foot camera cable — a total of 30 feet!
- The camera is waterproof. With properly attached extensions, the camera head can be submerged as deep as 10 feet. (The handle is not waterproof.)
- The camera head is 7/10 of an inch in diameter. Drill a 3/4-inch hole in the drywall, run the camera cable inside, and you can see wires, cross braces or anything else inside the wall cavity.
- It comes with three attachments that clip onto the camera head: a hook tip that extends about two inches past the camera lens and can be used to pull or pick up small objects; a powerful small magnet for picking up metal objects; and a small mirror lets you see to the side of the camera.
- The SeeSnake comes with a carrying case and runs on four AA batteries.
In almost any trade, the list of uses almost endless. In my business (media rooms and home theaters), this tool will be used frequently — almost daily. The ability to look behind equipment racks or into a wall cavity will not only save time, but in some situations will also save the added expense of drywall repair.
For instance, last week I was at a client’s home and one of the wall-mounted plasma 50-inch televisions had a service issue. To schedule the service call with the manufacturer, I needed the serial number, which I had in my files in my office, but not with me. Normally we would have taken the 125 pound television off the wall to see the serial number, but using the SeeSnake Micro with the mirror tip, I could snake the camera behind the television and see the serial number. I scheduled service for the television while at the client’s home. A happy customer and one less bullet point on my to-do list.
There are a couple of features that I would like to see on future versions of the SeeSnake micro
- A video out or possibly internal memory to store either photos or video. In many businesses, it would be great to have a record of the situation. But I also realize that this would add cost and complexity to the product.
- And the screen is a traditional 4:3 aspect ratio format. Come on now, this is 2007 — widescreen, 16:9 screens are now the norm! 4:3 screens are so last year. (Just kidding, for this application the screen is perfect.)
The Ridgid SeeSnake micro will be available this summer at The Home Depot and through Ridgid distributors. The manufacturers suggested retail price is $239.00; the extension cables are $52.50 each.
Check out this product. It is one of those that, once you have a chance to try it, you can’t imagine not owning one.
Ridgid SeeSnake Micro
Bob Gatton is a freelance writer and consultant in home theater and media room design and construction.
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