Sewer and pipeline inspection crawlers are one of the few robot categories where a US dealer will let you put a $100,000 machine in a shopping cart. That makes the segment unusually easy to price — and unusually easy to misread, because the same crawler shows up under three badges at three prices.
We pulled the complete catalog of MPE Supplies on 3 August 2026: 178 products, 239 priced variants, USD confirmed at the cart, every figure below carrying an Add to Cart button.
What a crawler costs, by tier
| Tier | Representative model | Price | Struck-through "was" |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry crawler | MPE Galaxy Robotic Pipeline Crawler | **$9,695** | $18,695 |
| Compact commercial | IBEX Sojourner X1-300 (listed as 500FT / 650FT) | **$11,895** | $18,895 |
| Compact commercial | Dakotah Power Tools Cobra DC-300 | $11,895 | $18,895 |
| Mainline system | Dakotah 300 / 400 / 500 ft crawler systems | $18,995 / $19,995 / $20,995 | $26,995–$32,995 |
| Mainline system | Gemini II GX (small crawler) | $21,995–$25,995 | $35,995 |
| Mainline system | Gemini II GT (large crawler) | $26,995–$32,995 | $42,995 |
| Full pan-and-tilt | Gemini II MAX, 820 ft cable | $37,995 | $52,995 |
| Full pan-and-tilt | IBEX Lunar-X1 / IBEX 400FT | $38,995 | $48,995 / $78,995 |
| Full pan-and-tilt | Dakotah 400 / 500 / 650FT | $48,995 | $88,995–$93,995 |
| Preconfigured system | MPE Medium Riezler crawler system | $98,995 | $105,995 |
| Trailer-mounted CCTV | G10-500 / G10-650 / G10-820 | $88,995 / $98,995 / $108,995 | $128,995–$158,995 |
| Van-mounted CCTV | Mercedes-Benz Sprinter with IBEX system | **$198,000** | $298,000 |
Median price across the whole catalog — crawlers, push cameras, jetters, locators — is $6,989. The crawlers themselves start at $9,695 and the working range for a mainline municipal unit is $19,000 to $49,000.
Rental exists and is advertised on the product pages: crawlers "start at $799," with the period unstated. For a one-off survey that is worth a phone call before you buy.
The strikethrough is decorative
226 of the 239 priced variants (94.6%) carry a struck-through "was" price. Median discount is 23.3%, mean 25.6%, and the deepest is 50.6% on the IBEX 400FT ($38,995 from $78,995). The thirteen items without a strikethrough are push cameras, locators and jetters — not crawlers.
When a discount is universal it is not a discount, it is the price. The stronger evidence is that the *same machine* carries different "was" prices in different listings: the Dakotah 300 ft system sells for $18,995 in three separate listings whose struck-through prices are $26,995, $28,995 and $31,995. The current price is a fact about the product. The "was" price is a fact about the listing.
The promotional copy is looser still. The IBEX 500FT page opens with "END OF SUMMER SALE! $7,000 OFF"; the IBEX 650FT page opens with "$10,000 OFF". Both are priced $11,895 against $18,895 — a $7,000 gap. The second page contradicts its own price block.
Same machine, different badge, $10,000 apart
The IBEX 400FT Robotic Pipe Inspection Crawler ($38,995) and the Dakotah Power Tools 650FT Robotic Pipe Inspection Crawler ($48,995) publish identical specification sheets: 50 mm / 700 TVL camera head, 360° pan and 180° tilt, six-wheel crawler body for 100–600 mm pipe, 12.1-inch controller with 256 GB storage, 120 m cable reel with counter, IP68, and the same optional 150 m and 200 m reels. Two badges, one platform, 25.6% apart.
The IBEX 500FT and IBEX 650FT listings are the same story in miniature: identical descriptions, both naming the same machine — the *IBEX Sojourner X1-300* — and both priced $11,895.
Which brings up the model names. The "400FT" crawler ships with a 120 m reel — that is 394 ft. The "650FT" crawler ships with the same 120 m reel and lists 150 m and 200 m as options. The footage in the model name describes an available option, not what is in the crate. Confirm reel length as a line item on the quote.
Cable length is also priced two incompatible ways inside one catalog. In the Dakotah mainline tier, 300 / 400 / 500 ft costs $18,995 / $19,995 / $20,995 — a clean $1,000 per 100 ft. In the Dakotah pan-and-tilt tier, 400FT, 500FT and 650FT are all $48,995. Same brand, same store, same day.
Resolution is not what you are buying
The cheapest crawler in the catalog has the better camera. The $9,695 MPE Galaxy carries 1080p HD optics; the $38,995 IBEX 400FT and the $48,995 Dakotah run 700 TVL analog, roughly 960 × 592.
What the expensive machines buy is everything around the sensor: IP68 rated to 10 m of submersion versus the Galaxy's IP67 (1 m), a heavier six-wheel chassis with swappable tire sets, a motorized reel with an electronic distance counter, a hardened controller with onboard storage, and report generation. On a municipal mainline the crawler will sit in flowing water and be recovered through a manhole; ingress rating and reel behaviour are the specifications that decide whether it comes back.
The robot is a fifth of a fully-kitted van
At the top of the catalog, the $198,000 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter CCTV van (2500 chassis, 170-inch wheelbase, high roof, 9,050 lb GVWR) contains the same IBEX crawler package listed at $38,995 on its own. The robot is 19.7% of the outfit. The other $159,005 is vehicle, cabinetry, countertop, cable access and power.
Trailer-mounted systems split the difference at $88,995 to $118,995. If you already run a suitable vehicle, the crawler-plus-reel purchase at $19,000–$49,000 is the decision that matters; the platform around it is a fleet question, not a robotics one.
For how these compare with tethered underwater vehicles built on the same tether-and-reel economics, see our BlueROV2 price guide and the inspection robot category page.
*All prices observed 3 August 2026 at mpesupplies.com, USD confirmed at the cart. Dealer listings from a single seller on a single day; specifications quoted from the seller's own product pages.*
