DeWalt DCT410S1 12-Volt Max Cordless Lithium Ion Inspection Camera Kit – Review

As you know, we are huge fans of   12V MAX line. With its ergonomic grip to its pancake slide on battery design it is destined to be a great tool line. Now all you hypochondriacs can give yourself a colonoscopy whenever you please.  Actually no, but you can do a host of things with the camera thanks to the detachable screen.

Includes:

• DCT410 inspection camera
• 3′ camera cable
• (1) 12V MAX* Li-Ion battery pack
• fast charger
• hook
• magnet
• kit box
• 3 Year Limited Warranty
• 1 Year Free Service Contract
• 90 Day Money Back Guarantee

Specifications:

We have all seen inspection cameras over the past few years and they keep getting better and better, the Dewalt DCT410S1 is no exception. The camera runs off of the 12V Max battery which includes a 40 min charger, we got over 5 hours of battery life operating the camera which is quite impressive. Going over the camera it the same ergonomic grip as the other tools in the line up. It has a 3.5 inch display and an industry leading resolution of 320x480i. The head is the standard 17mm head with 2 adjustable LEDS. It includes a microSD slot (card not included). The screen is completely detachable and has a range of about 20 feet however in one of our tests we were able to get 24 feet straight line distance. The kit includes a nice blow molded case to protect the tool when not in use

We used the camera on a variety of projects, we looked into a boat bilge to retrieve a bolt with the included magnet tip, looked down into a gas tank and checked out the inside of some walls. The 17mm camera head and 3ft detachable cable is waterproof, hopefully Dewalt will be releasing longer length cables in the near future. The image quality is good, however tight focus on a close object was marginal although the included 3X digital zoom does somewhat compensate for this. The 2 adjustable LEDS provided ample light for all of the situations we used the tool in. It also has the ability to time stamp your media and store them in folders by date on the microSD card that you can view on any computer. The menus are intuitive and easy to navigate, taking a picture or saving a movie  are simple operations. There are two power switches a button for the screen and a rotary dial for the camera/LED brightness.

The innovative detachable wireless screen allows you to work the tool independently while maintaining the aspect ratio of the screen. I found this to be one of the best features of the camera, it was easy to maneuver. One thing to note here is that you should always store the the tool with a charged battery because the wireless screen charges via the main battery pack. You can also detach the the screen and use it as a microSD viewer which really comes in handy when showing a problem area to a client.  When the screen is detached it has a battery life indicator for the internal screen battery and also a wireless signal bar. It stands up right on a flat surface and has a over molded rubber grip all around making it a rugged unit.

This Inspection Camera is full of innovative features and comes at a great price. The detachable screen is great and the battery life is amazing. We found it to be very well built and the user interface very easy. The overall image quality is good except for the out of focus close ups. We like the DCT410S1 a lot and it is our inspection camera of choice. Let us know what you think!

We always like to hear back from our readers on their experience with these tools – good or bad.  Do you have experience with these tools?  How has the long term use been?  What applications have you used the tool for?  Is this a DIY or professional grade tool?  Let us and other readers know.