# Dead horse question: Spartan Camera



## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

Thoughts? Rep stopped by tonight. Got to have a look see, kinda sorta. I like the tech behind it, but how does it hold up?

Also brought up the new motor issues I've heard of... "Oh no, the new motors are awesome! No problems whatsoever."


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## Drain Pro (Nov 3, 2013)

Don't do it.


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## bulldozer (Jan 11, 2009)

Im going to get tar and feathered but i have 4 of them. They hold up fairly well. I love the idea that i can link i-pads and camera a sewer when a customer can sit up stairs and watch. I can e-mail directly from the basement to the customer. Ridgid makes really nice cameras but i cant justify the cost to outfit all my trucks with them. I have never had a problem with my self level and have only had minor problems once in a while connecting to the internet. I know everyone says ridgids never break but i live 30 minutes from the factory and some guys say there cameras have been their for a month waiting to be repaired. Im not a Ridgid hater by know means but have been around equipment long enough to know their is no perfect model. No different then jetters, snakes, excavators, etc. If it makes you money its a good buy!


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## Plumbducky (Jun 12, 2010)

When I looked at the spartan camera, with the iPad, it seemed to have a lag time .

Do you notice that...

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## gear junkie (Jun 20, 2008)

bulldozer said:


> Im going to get tar and feathered but i have 4 of them. They hold up fairly well. I love the idea that i can link i-pads and camera a sewer when a customer can sit up stairs and watch. I can e-mail directly from the basement to the customer. Ridgid makes really nice cameras but i cant justify the cost to outfit all my trucks with them. I have never had a problem with my self level and have only had minor problems once in a while connecting to the internet. I know everyone says ridgids never break but *i live 30 minutes from the factory *and some guys say there cameras have been their for a month waiting to be repaired. Im not a Ridgid hater by know means but have been around equipment long enough to know their is no perfect model. No different then jetters, snakes, excavators, etc. If it makes you money its a good buy!


Wrong factory.


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## PPRI (Aug 27, 2013)

Spartans are made by Hawthorn aren't they? I've heard a lot of good things about the Hawthorn equipment.


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## bulldozer (Jan 11, 2009)

The only time mine lags is when i have other apps running in the background. And Ben, Ridgid is not located in Elyria Ohio?


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## gear junkie (Jun 20, 2008)

bulldozer said:


> The only time mine lags is when i have other apps running in the background. And Ben, Ridgid is not located in Elyria Ohio?


Their camera division is in san diego. The cable division is in virginia. It's the headquarters in ohio.


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

When I looked at the one the rep had on his truck it did take some time for the battery to charge enough to get the camera to work... it was cold out, actually kinda warm, I had no coat on and out there for a good half hour so about 35 or so. Cordless tools suck in the cold anyway. That's one down side I saw. Wonder how it is in the heat.

A camera system with a battery feels less reliable to me overall. It's an extra component liable to fail. I know Ridgid makes cameras with batteries too, but we're not talking hammer drills and sawzalls either... corded/cordless.

In all honesty, it was better quality at first glance than my first thought seeing it online. I do like the iPad/phone idea.... gimmick, maybe. I can do without it. 

What I know is the more traditional set-up. 

Here the most used are Ridgid and Gen-eye... sometimes I see Eel. So even though Spartan is big for machines, their cameras and jetters are not.

The price seems great for what you get, and for a first camera system, it might be a good stepping stone.

Here is my situation: I own my drain cleaning business. I also fill my time working for a master plumber while working on my own master licence. He has a camera/locator that I can rent when I need it, but what I'd like to do chase my cable at the very least, and renting it full time is a no go.

So even if I skip a locator for now, and if the Spartan 200 is a better bet than a cheaper limited camera system for now, I'm thinking it might just be the way to go.


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## undervision (Aug 12, 2015)

*repair centers*



bulldozer said:


> Im going to get tar and feathered but i have 4 of them. They hold up fairly well. I love the idea that i can link i-pads and camera a sewer when a customer can sit up stairs and watch. I can e-mail directly from the basement to the customer. Ridgid makes really nice cameras but i cant justify the cost to outfit all my trucks with them. I have never had a problem with my self level and have only had minor problems once in a while connecting to the internet. I know everyone says ridgids never break but i live 30 minutes from the factory and some guys say there cameras have been their for a month waiting to be repaired. Im not a Ridgid hater by know means but have been around equipment long enough to know their is no perfect model. No different then jetters, snakes, excavators, etc. If it makes you money its a good buy!


As a repair shop I find the Spartans easier to get parts for about two days. With the rigid I wait about 2 weeks (if they are not back ordered). And the repair center for the rigid IS in Ohio. That is where the training happens as well.


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## gear junkie (Jun 20, 2008)

undervision said:


> As a repair shop I find the Spartans easier to get parts for about two days. With the rigid I wait about 2 weeks (if they are not back ordered). *And the repair center for the rigid IS in Ohio*. That is where the training happens as well.


That may be A repair center but it's not THE repair center. Like AJ Coleman.....can send them the cameras for repair but if it has to go to the "factory" it's going to san diego. Because I use my cameras so much, I keep my own spare parts just in case the last spare parts just got sold....cheap insurance.


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## Drain Pro (Nov 3, 2013)

The Spartan is so close in cost to a Ridgid that for me, it's a no brainier to go with Ridgid. Ever meet a dissatisfied SeeSnake owner? Ever meet a dissatisfied Sparvision owner? There's your answer. 


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## undervision (Aug 12, 2015)

Drain Pro said:


> The Spartan is so close in cost to a Ridgid that for me, it's a no brainier to go with Ridgid. Ever meet a dissatisfied SeeSnake owner? Ever meet a dissatisfied Sparvision owner? There's your answer.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I have met a little of both. Lead time for the ridgid to get repaired is alot longer than for a spartan. 4-6 weeks for Ridgid at times and 2-5 days for a Spartan. At least where I am. I will need to look at getting spare parts as well from Ridgid to make sure I can turn them faster. I know I can have Spartan parts in 2 days


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## gear junkie (Jun 20, 2008)

undervision said:


> I have met a little of both. Lead time for the ridgid to get repaired is alot longer than for a spartan. 4-6 weeks for Ridgid at times and 2-5 days for a Spartan. At least where I am. I will need to look at getting spare parts as well from Ridgid to make sure I can turn them faster. I know I can have Spartan parts in 2 days


You're a repair center but you order parts as you need them?


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## bulldozer (Jan 11, 2009)

Where can i get a 200 ft. Brand new ridgid camera with reel for the price of the Spartan? Im in!


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## bulldozer (Jan 11, 2009)

Before this turns into whos got the longest .... and ten pound balls here me out. I buy equipment that works for me, that is in my budget, and makes me money! At the end of the day i dont really care what the name is on the product. Be it jetters, bursters, liners, pipe patch, etc.we all operate businesses different ways, some bigger some smaller. I budget for what i can afford. Longetivity, customer service, disposal cost. We can sit here for hours and pick each others equipment, business, personal issues apart or we can be productive members and help each other grow. The question asked was about the sparvision cameras. I own 4 of them and i have had good luck with them. I like ridgid cameras, never owned one. Might at the WETT show. But until i have i cant comment on them. The poster asked what i think of spartans, feel free to pm or call me and i will tell you the good and bad. By the way, my balls are only 5 pnds!


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## gear junkie (Jun 20, 2008)

bulldozer said:


> Where can i get a 200 ft. Brand new ridgid camera with reel for the price of the Spartan? Im in!


No lie this is fo reals....one of my competitors owns 4 southcoast cameras and cycles them through repair as they break down lol.


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## undervision (Aug 12, 2015)

gear junkie said:


> You're a repair center but you order parts as you need them?


Most parts I keep on hand. But as far as the high price parts, no I do not. I try to keep inventory low. I order most of my parts as a kanban system. So when I have a few parts left my system flags me to re-order


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## gear junkie (Jun 20, 2008)

OpenSights said:


> When I looked at the one the rep had on his truck it did take some time for the battery to charge enough to get the camera to work... it was cold out, actually kinda warm, I had no coat on and out there for a good half hour so about 35 or so. Cordless tools suck in the cold anyway. That's one down side I saw. Wonder how it is in the heat.


You know that's one thing I'm clueless on....how does the ridgid cameras perform in the cold?

I had an inspection the rain and actually called ridgid support to ask if I could use the cs6 in the rain....lol. Guess I really do take the weather for granted.


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## bulldozer (Jan 11, 2009)

They perform quite well from what ive seen. My buddies have them and cant say they have had a problem.


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## gear junkie (Jun 20, 2008)

I really have no experience on sparvision....just watched a few videos on youtube about them. Very interesting stuff. Feature wise....looks very cool. 

How far off is the pricing on their website? Their listed price seems very close to ridgid.


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## bulldozer (Jan 11, 2009)

I know Scott from Sparvision. Good guy fair prices! Hes a small repair shop starting up like we all have. Thanks for getting my electric eel back up so quick last week as i didnt want my guys to know the boss breaks things as i got it stuck and ripped the camera off! Haha! That will be our little secret.


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## plungerboy (Oct 17, 2013)

I can only imagine the R&D at ridgid is disappointed they don't have Bluetooth to an iPad. I know myself & my ridgid rep our.


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## bulldozer (Jan 11, 2009)

Around 7500 for camera and ipad. I truly believe ridgid makes a better product. I really do! I just cant justify the cost difference between the 2 with employees who can break a steel pipe! If i was using the camera exclusively myself i would go ridgid. But we tape are cameras to our jetters 4-5 times a day, run them before and after on liners or bursts, and have used them to bust through root balls. Do they break? Hell ya! We should be the camera testing ground for all the distributers.


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## bulldozer (Jan 11, 2009)

Im sure PlungerBoy, we pull our bursting cables through the pipe with our cameras. Savages, were just savages!


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## undervision (Aug 12, 2015)

bulldozer said:


> I know Scott from Sparvision. Good guy fair prices! Hes a small repair shop starting up like we all have. Thanks for getting my electric eel back up so quick last week as i didnt want my guys to know the boss breaks things as i got it stuck and ripped the camera off! Haha! That will be our little secret.



And I am from undervision not spartan


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## Drain Pro (Nov 3, 2013)

gear junkie said:


> You know that's one thing I'm clueless on....how does the ridgid cameras perform in the cold?
> 
> I had an inspection the rain and actually called ridgid support to ask if I could use the cs6 in the rain....lol. Guess I really do take the weather for granted.



No problem in the cold. Had it outside the other day in 25 degrees. 


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## gear junkie (Jun 20, 2008)

bulldozer said:


> Around 7500 for camera and ipad. I truly believe ridgid makes a better product. I really do! I just cant justify the cost difference between the 2 with employees who can break a steel pipe! If i was using the camera exclusively myself i would go ridgid. But we tape are cameras to our jetters 4-5 times a day, run them before and after on liners or bursts, and have used them to bust through root balls. Do they break? Hell ya! We should be the camera testing ground for all the distributers.


Double check with Kirk but I really think a full size and mini is within a 1000 of that price.


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## Plumbducky (Jun 12, 2010)

gear junkie said:


> You know that's one thing I'm clueless on....how does the ridgid cameras perform in the cold?
> 
> I had an inspection the rain and actually called ridgid support to ask if I could use the cs6 in the rain....lol. Guess I really do take the weather for granted.


Had it out last week, the temps were in the single digits, and it fogged up till the lense got wet.

Fine after that. The locator had a hard time. Could not keep it warm enough to really see the screen, so I just went with the audio.


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

It's been awhile since I called A.J Coleman, but they came back just over 9 IIRC. 

That was the nice thing about working in SoCal... worked out of an open bed truck... three times out of the year you had to break out a tarp to cover your machines because of rain, and plenty of laughs when the temp dropped to 50 degrees and everyone started wearing their down coats. 

The Spartan camera was the first battery camera I've seen used in person.

When I run a camera I make a decision whether or not to continue on through a break or heavy root ball. At that point I tell the HO it's time to repair before I go any further. Yeah it's wimping out, but when it comes to expensive equipment.... my cable and machine is a different story.

It's good to see Spartan does make a good camera. I'd like to get a Ridgid or General, but I also like back ups too. Take my K750. I won't sell it because I know I can get the job done with it if my 300 ever takes a dump where I need to wait for parts.


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