The Product:
The Ullman Devices Digital Inspection Mirror is a smartphone enabled 720p camera with LED illumination. Users can connect this product to their phone through an app. This product is rechargeable via micro USB port with a 30-minute run-time. Users can increase trust and credibility by showing inspection images and videos to customers, the company says.
The Review:
Peering into dark, cramped spaces is made easy with Ullman Devices’ Digital Inspection Mirror E-DM-1, says Matt Fanslow of Riverside Automotive, LLC in Red Wing, Minnesota. Fanslow quickly found this tool could be used to inspect “virtually anything” in the shop, and noted it was particularly useful in the cramped quarters of today’s vehicles. The mirror’s size and LED illumination stand out from previous inspection methods, which for Fanslow involved “me aiming my camera at a mirror and trying to take a photo.”
This tool takes inspection a step further by offering technicians the ability to quickly upload images and video for further sharing and research. Fanslow appreciates the idea of an adjustable mirror that feeds to a WiFi enabled device for live viewing, along with the ability to capture photos and video.
“It’s essentially a camera mounted on a telescope rod that mimics the use of a mirror, but allows you to watch live, as well as snap photos and video. With our cameras, cell phones and DVI tablets, this lets us get into spaces or take photos from angles we wouldn’t be able to [capture] otherwise,” Fanslow says.
In one scenario Fanslow used the inspection mirror to investigate a power steering leak behind the CV axle and output shaft of the transaxle on the passenger side.
“You could see [the leak] with a mirror, but you couldn’t take a picture of it,” Fanslow says. “We were trying to show customer they needed an expensive power steering line. [Utilizing only] the mirror it was just our word, versus being able to show them where the problem was. It always seems to go better when you have photographic evidence.”
The Ullman Digital Inspection Mirror arrived at the shop professionally packed, and the camera was protected with bubble wrap. The package included an easy-to-understand user manual.
“A techie type will have zero issues ‘pairing’ the devices [using WiFi],” Fanslow says. “[And] the instructions [were] more than adequate to help those that are not quite as tech savvy.”
He adds, setup for this product involved very light assembly. Then technicians simply paired the digital inspection mirror with their device(s).
While the tools capabilities and ease of use were notable advantages for Fanslow, down the road he would like to see the product offer more connectivity options, such as BlueTooth. Though he says, this is “by no means a deal-breaker.”
Fanslow said the Digital Inspection Mirror was “very easy to use” and saves time with its quick access to hard-to-reach areas and sharp image capture.
