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Your life as a nondestructive testing (NDT) inspector is not always easy. And if you’re engaged in rope access inspections, you face additional challenges. Whether you’re dangling from a rope 30 feet in the air or hanging over the ocean from a platform rig, you have to be choosy about which inspection instrument end up in your kit. If an ultrasonic flaw detector/thickness gage isn’t designed properly, it doesn’t take long for that “lightweight” tool to seem more like a boat anchor. Considering these five critical features when buying your next instrument will help you choose wisely.

1. Make sure it’s lightweight and ergonomic

Historically, much of the NDT market has been dominated by benchtop instruments weighing only about 3 lbs. Although that means they are very portable in terms of putting them in your bag while traveling to one job site or another, 3 lbs. ends up being a lot to hold out in front of you for more than a few minutes. When you use it for hours a day, you naturally find a spot to set it down. That doesn’t work in rope-access inspections.

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