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OT: Best stud finder?

Spud

Spud

Diamond
Joined
Jan 12, 2006
Location
Brookfield, Wisconsin
After buying 2 different brands of Stud finders and finding neither doing what it claims to do, I would like to know what you all use , and what is the best out there.

First bought a Stanley FatMax 300. Did not work at all, the thing always beeped to indicate a stud, even when I held it in my hand away from the wall.
Stanley Hand Tools :* FMHT77407 *-* Stanley® FATMAX® Stud Sensor 300™

Bought a Zircon i65 studer center finder, and while it was waay better than the Stanley as it actually did find studs sometimes, it was way too inconsistent to be of use.
StudSensor i65 OneStep Center-Finding Multifunction Stud Finder by Zircon
--
Finally to find a stud, I just started puncturing small holes in the drywall to see if the tip of my thin screwdriver met any resistance as I pushed it in. Used this in combination with the Zircon .

What I really want is an accurate consistant stud finder that will find a stud's center.
 
One thing I was taught a while ago is when using the stud finder if you use a piece of thin cardboard between the finder and the wall it removes any imperfections in the texture and seems to read much better.
 
What I really want is an accurate consistant stud finder that will find a stud's center.[/QUOTE]

I have been at carpentry for over 25 years... Zircon used to be a decent electronic stud finder, although they don't last very long before they go bezerk.... If you really want a reliable and consistent stud finder.... use your knuckles... sounding with knuckles is fool-proof... once you get the knack, you will never use an electronic stud finder again. Tap with your knuckles about 2' to 3' from the floor to get the best result.

Brian
 
It's hard to beat a long 1/16th inch drill bit and a battery drill.

Spud said:
After buying 2 different brands of Stud finders and finding neither doing what it claims to do, I would like to know what you all use , and what is the best out there.


--
Finally to find a stud, I just started puncturing small holes in the drywall to see if the tip of my thin screwdriver met any resistance as I pushed it in. Used this in combination with the Zircon .

What I really want is an accurate consistant stud finder that will find a stud's center.
Click to expand...

For pete's sake, the holes are filled with the swipe of a finger.!
 
Sorry Spud I'm no help as I struggle with this as well.

I've tried an electronic stud finder but it didn't seem to consistently work for me. Sometimes couldn't find it when I needed it and often the batteries would be dead. I usually tap on walls with my knuckles which works some of the time, I just don't need to do it enough to get the knack of it. I often resort to pushing an awl into the wall which eventually works all of the time.

Rob I'm gonna try a magnetic finder, way better than a line of holes in the wall.

Dave

Dave
 
I use a cow magnet on a string. Yeah the nails or screws will hold it up or show where they are.
001.jpg

Feed store magnet price $6.00
String in the garage $0.00
Duct tape garage too $0.00
Batteries nada $0.00

The architect that asked what holds it up....
That folks was a priceless moment for me....
 
Last edited:
The problem with magnetic stud finders is that you can readily find a fastener that is at the very edge of the stud.

The question is "which edge"

I've got a ring magnet on a 40cm length of thread that is passed over a wall in search of anyuthing magnetic. Once found, I probe with the wire drill.
I like to know where both sides of the stud are ;-)
 
Many of the walls I deal with are plaster on top of wood lath. Any discussion of stud finding with this construction? I've never tried a cow magnet yet, might.
 
Has anybody tried the Franklin Prosensor 710? I saw it on one of those "Cool Tools" shows, and it looked like a good idea. At $50 it's a bit pricey, but it does have quite a few favorable reviews. Here's the Amazon link...

Franklin Sensors ProSensor 710 Precision Stud Finder - Amazon.com

stud finder.jpg

I have the little magnet stud finder and a Zircon electronic stud finder. The Zircon is a bit flakey, and as somebody else pointed out, the magnet will tell you where a screw is, but not necessarily where the stud begins and ends.
 
I bought a "Magic Stud Finder" about a year ago. It was overpriced for what it is, a bunch of strong magnets in plastic cases. It also doesn't find "studs" it finds nails or screw heads. The concept is sound. I put up a bunch of shelfs and it worked better than anything I have used. Useless for plaster on top of wood lath walls. Get a handful of neodymium magnets instead.

Magic Stud Finder - Drywall Studs - Picture Frame - Home Improvement - Handy Man Tools - Magnetic Stud - Wall Stud Finder
 
This is the unit I use, The black and Decker Bullseye. I have had it for about 7 years, it has not failed me yet. It actually finds the edges of the stud and has an electrical wire sensor to keep you from shorting anything out with a nail. It also has a built in laser level which is great for hanging large mirrors, curtain rods, or shelf brackets to the same height.
Black & Decker Tools | BullsEye® Auto Leveling Laser w/ Stud Sensor BDL190S
 
Obviously, guys, my wife is the best stud-finder - she found me, right? Hopefully, my stud-waves will continue to have the strongest signal.

I've used the same Zircon StudSenor(TM) for about 30 years, and it's still going strong.

The current model most similar to mine is found here (using Grainger for the link, but shop around). With this model, you swipe it over the wall and the led array lights up when you get near a stud, and turns off as you move away from the stud. Pretty easy to find the edges of a 2x4 and mark them with a pencil. Here's a pic, showing the led readout.
A058_1_20110316_9b92032b-b90c-4053-a940-4f33c8d25442423682.jpg
 
I see that Hilti and Bosch make a multi detector that will find studs and from the looks of the scanner's digital display of the location and depth of target, both must be rather accurate and more importantly clear and easy to determine when you have hit the target. Down side is the Bosch costs $650 and the Hilti must be atleast double the Bosch price because I see a new unit on Ebay advertised for $1200ish.

Bosch multi detector
Bosch D-Tect150 D-Tect Wallscanner - Amazon.com

Hilti PS 38.
Multidetector | New Equipment Digest Online Buyer's Guide | New Equipment Digest

Good idea for Hilti to put 4 small wheels on the scanner so it can slide effortlessly without creating noise from the friction against hard surfaces.
When I used the Zircon, I put an A4 sheet of paper between it and the drywall because there are pads on the unit that create a slight screaching/scratching sound as you slide it across; I was wondering if that interfered with the scanning , assuming the unit uses sound to find its target??

What does look like a good choise with cost in mind is the Bosch GMS 120 stud/eletrical/conduit detector which retails for $60
GMS 120 Professional - YouTube
 
thedave said:
I bought a "Magic Stud Finder" about a year ago. It was overpriced for what it is, a bunch of strong magnets in plastic cases. It also doesn't find "studs" it finds nails or screw heads. The concept is sound. I put up a bunch of shelfs and it worked better than anything I have used. Useless for plaster on top of wood lath walls. Get a handful of neodymium magnets instead.

Magic Stud Finder - Drywall Studs - Picture Frame - Home Improvement - Handy Man Tools - Magnetic Stud - Wall Stud Finder
Click to expand...

It seems to me with the magnetic approach unless the magnet is thin, finding the edges and center of a stud is going to be chore. If the magnet and or holder is too wide, the center of the magnet may not be centered over the nail/screw??
 
bosleyjr said:
Obviously, guys, my wife is the best stud-finder - she found me, right? Hopefully, my stud-waves will continue to have the strongest signal.

I've used the same Zircon StudSenor(TM) for about 30 years, and it's still going strong.

The current model most similar to mine is found here (using Grainger for the link, but shop around). With this model, you swipe it over the wall and the led array lights up when you get near a stud, and turns off as you move away from the stud. Pretty easy to find the edges of a 2x4 and mark them with a pencil. Here's a pic, showing the led readout.
A058_1_20110316_9b92032b-b90c-4053-a940-4f33c8d25442423682.jpg
Click to expand...

Have the same one. Slide it across the wall, wait for beep, put a small pencil mark. Move over 1 1/2" beep stops, make another pencil mark. Main thing is to not slide it too fast and cause false readings.
 
over 15 years renovating homes and doing interior casework/trim before i gave it up for metal and never owned a stud finder gizmo.
just remember that studs are 16" or sometimes 24" OC, know what to look for..for instance, how a wall would be built in a house would go in regards to wall stud layout.
Windows and doors always have a Jack stud to support the window and a king stud that runs from bottom plate to top plate, sometimes more than 1 of each. Using that info you can do a series of deductions and a 22 gauge pin nail at the baseboard level to find the first stud, from there (if the framers were at least halfway decent) you can easily find the next one..once you know what direction the walls were built from you can find all of them.

few more tricks: look for 'nail pops' in the drywall, using a good light look for vertically re-occurring rounds or pops, if you find one measure over 16" and look for more, if you find more you've probably found your layout.

in the kitchen/bathroom: check under and inside cabinet for screw heads, unless your cabinets guys were hacks the cabinets are screwed to the studs.

look at the baseboard/crown/wainscoting for set trim nails, trim guys are usually the higher end of the construction trades will usually 'lay out' the studs in the room before running the trim, find the set nails and you will almost always find the wall layout.

the banging with your fist trick works good as well once you know what to listen for, a dense thud vs. a hollow one.
 
bosleyjr said:
Obviously, guys, my wife is the best stud-finder - she found me, right? Hopefully, my stud-waves will continue to have the strongest signal.

I've used the same Zircon StudSenor(TM) for about 30 years, and it's still going strong.

The current model most similar to mine is found here (using Grainger for the link, but shop around). With this model, you swipe it over the wall and the led array lights up when you get near a stud, and turns off as you move away from the stud. Pretty easy to find the edges of a 2x4 and mark them with a pencil. Here's a pic, showing the led readout.
A058_1_20110316_9b92032b-b90c-4053-a940-4f33c8d25442423682.jpg
Click to expand...

Got one of those but the consistancy is rather iffy, which is why I bought the Stanley and the other Zircon.
 
Spud said:
After buying 2 different brands of Stud finders and finding neither doing what it claims to do, I would like to know what you all use , and what is the best out there.

First bought a Stanley FatMax 300. Did not work at all, the thing always beeped to indicate a stud, even when I held it in my hand away from the wall.
Stanley Hand Tools :* FMHT77407 *-* Stanley® FATMAX® Stud Sensor 300™

Bought a Zircon i65 studer center finder, and while it was waay better than the Stanley as it actually did find studs sometimes, it was way too inconsistent to be of use.
StudSensor i65 OneStep Center-Finding Multifunction Stud Finder by Zircon
--
Finally to find a stud, I just started puncturing small holes in the drywall to see if the tip of my thin screwdriver met any resistance as I pushed it in. Used this in combination with the Zircon .

What I really want is an accurate consistant stud finder that will find a stud's center.
Click to expand...


Have never been one to doo much home type work, but this summer I ended up dooing quite a bit.
Started with using my MIL's cheap little Zircon that she had, and I found that to be accurate if you have enough patience, and told the wifey to pick up a "more proffesional" model. (more expensive)

The one that she bought is the Zircon in your link above I think. However I didn't find it to be much better really. Maybe a little bit, but ...

I think they would work great if it was just a panneld wall, but then you would easilly find those studs w/o it anyhow. With the plaster board covered walls, it just took a lot of time, pencil marks, and a tape measure to compare. With oodles of questionable hits, I actually never had a dry hole yet. But there have been times that I spent prolly 10 minutes or more chasing one stud too...


I was quite interested in the answers here, but it seems that all of us are having about the same results.


----------------

Think Snow Eh!
Ox
 
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