First, business stuff. Ridgid power tools at Home Depot is a licensee (at least, last I checked) of Emerson Tool’s Ridgid brand. In other words, same name, different companies.
Ridgid Plumbing—it also makes the vacs, one of which I reviewed here—is out with some new SeeSnakes that seem to have some impressive features. Seems like one problem the company solved was clarifying the image directly in front of the camera’s lights. Both new units, the C40 and the M40 have 131 feet of push cable, and an HDR image sensor expands the camera's dynamic range, allowing a greater ratio of bright and dark areas to be displayed in the same image at the same time without reducing visibility. This means fewer blown-out areas and dark sections of pipe, offering better clarity and detail. TiltSense measures the camera's angle and, when connected to a SeeSnake CSx series monitor, can convey the camera's degree of tilt on the monitor display, giving a useful indicator of the camera’s in-pipe pitch.
The company says the SeeSnakes' quick-release docking system makes them ideal for the new CS6x Versa digital reporting monitor and their metal frame provides a solid base that makes it easy to push and retrieve the cable. The C40’s flexible push cable is ideal for small or restricted branch lines with tight turns and shorter runs in main laterals, while the M40’s moderately stiff push cable better suits longer runs in main and branch lines.
Piping hot, right?
This article originally appeared in Tools of the Trade.
