You ever tried pulling 60 feet of rope through a clay liner on a windy day? Cause I have, and my back still remembers it. The rotary gear might be less romantic but it gets the job done in half the time and without me hanging over the crown like a human crane. I get the feel thing, but I'd rather trust a camera that shows me the actual cracks than guess based on some worn spots.

Man, I gotta disagree with you there. In my experience, that cheap VFL only tells you if light is coming out the end, it won't tell you squat about a bad splice or a bend that's eating your signal. I can't count how many times I'd have been chasing ghosts without the OTDR giving me that distance-to-fault readout. Yeah, the auto-test is slow and I'll admit the power meter on mine can be finicky, but for finding that one bad connection in a 300 foot run, it pays for itself every time. I keep the VFL in my pocket for quick checks, but the big kit earns its space in my truck when the job actually matters. Your mileage may vary, but I'd rather trust the numbers than my eyeballs.