Stud Finder

[Mike Henderson]

I realize this question comes up on a regular basis but maybe there's some new technology out there that works.

Have you bought a stud finder that works in, say, the past two years?

I generally can't depend on my stud finder. Once I get a reading, I have to use a small drill to check if there really is a stud in that location. I'd like to find one that really can locate studs reliably.

Any suggestions?

Mike

[Larry Frank]

I do the same thing and will drill small holes to make certain. I also will check along the wall and then use a tape measure to make certain that the studs are 16" OC.

The stud sensors are pretty good but not always correct.

[mickey cassiba]

Mike, I'm old school on this...I still have my little Stanley magnet box, the one with the swinging pointer. It doesn't find studs, just nails...(and iron pipe). I've tried the electronic devices, and stud for stud, the Stanley wins, hands down.

[Roger Jensen]

I watched this video about installing cabinets and saw him use a magnetic-style finder. It is at the 6:50 mark of this video http://www.ez-levelstore.com/MorningStarInnovationsTipsHowToInstallWallCabinets .html (btw - an informative video about kitchen cabinet installation after you get past all the goofy video in the introduction).

I haven't used this kind of finder. It seems like it is only as good as the person that put in the original sheet rock.

Roger

[John A langley]

I am very old school " hammer " tap the wall

[Dave Cav]

I just use a magnet to find the nails or screws. Usually a magnet out of an old hard disk drive. Works fine, costs nothing.

[Kevin Presutti]

Here is the Amazon link to the Magic Studfinder Mike good luck...............

Kevin

http://www.amazon.com/Biary-Innovations-MSFL-T1003-Targets-included/dp/B001IIJY8C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1321845495&sr=8-1

[Matt Mackinnon]

I guess it all depends on how well the house was built. I am sure the builder of mine was a drunken sailor. There are more nails in the walls that missed the stud than actually found it.

I ended up getting a Ryobi Tek4 from HD for $20 with the battery and charger. It works better than my stanly circa 2001. My big like is the electrical warning on it. Again, see the point about the builder.

Matt.

[Mike Henderson]

Here is the Amazon link to the Magic Studfinder Mike good luck...............

Kevin

http://www.amazon.com/Biary-Innovations-MSFL-T1003-Targets-included/dp/B001IIJY8C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1321845495&sr=8-1
Thanks. What I'm looking for is whether any of the electronic stud finders work well.

I'm, of course, aware of how to find studs with a magnetic device that senses the metal screws or nails in the wallboard - I have a magnetic device like that already. I've also used the technique of tapping and listening for the difference in sounds between the hollow portion of the wall and the place where a stud is.

What I'd like to find out is whether anyone has purchased an electronic stud finder recently (say in the past couple of years), and had good success with it.

Mike

[Steve Griffin]

while not really new, I have the stanley pro with a screen. Works 100% of the time on standard sheetrock walls. I don't like the magnet style at all, as you have to search a bigger area, which takes more time. It definitely works better than the 12$ cheap ones with 4 lights.

I also like the electric wire finder light--it makes me especially careful in those zones.

No doubt their are better ones out there now, but this one gets the job done.

[Don Sundberg]

I have a Zircon Contractor Transcanner Pro. I've had it for at least 10 years. Works great on drywall (used it today). OK/fair on multilayers (ie drywall|1" exterior sheathing|studs). On tougher situations I generally always come from both sides to find an average center. Looks like they make one that looks like it still sold for $15-20. It has mixed reviews at Amazon. I also have a fancier Stanley one with a screen and lazer and a couple of other things that has worked when I have asked it too, sometimes under tough conditions.

I will note that I do not use either commercially so I have limited exposure to some of the different scenarios that are possible. I also don't use them everyday so longivity may not be accurate for someone who uses it daily.

Don

[Dave Sepucha]

I just look for the screw pops and go from there... :)

[Sam Layton]

Mike,

I have tried several stud finders with no luck as well. I purchased the one Kevin suggested, the Magic Stud finder. It works great, and is easy to use. I purchased mine at Rockler.

Sam

[Rich Engelhardt]

Stud Finder
Mine divorced me back in '74
Worked just a bit too well....;)

[Lex Boegen]

I have several Zircon stud finders, and they are unreliable at best. I now use rare earth magnets to find the nails/screws, and shoot a laser line to average out the found nails. I used this method to reinforce my ceilings (originally nailed-up drywall, now screws on six-inch centers) before adding blown-in cellulose insulation. A lot of the nails had popped over time, and in some places, the drywall was hanging down about a half-inch. The more screws/nails you can locate in a stud, the more accurate your layout will be. If in doubt, I drilled a small hole to see if I hit wood or not.

[frank shic]

i use the tot lock magnets

[Jerome Hanby]

I now use rare earth magnets to find the nails/screws, and shoot a laser line to average out the found nails. I used this method to reinforce my ceilings (originally nailed-up drywall, now screws on six-inch centers) before adding blown-in cellulose insulation. A lot of the nails had popped over time, and in some places, the drywall was hanging down about a half-inch. The more screws/nails you can locate in a stud, the more accurate your layout will be. If in doubt, I drilled a small hole to see if I hit wood or not.

That's not a half bad idea. Might be a use for that silly, self vacuuming attachment, Ryobi laser leveling thingy.

[Chris Tsutsui]

I'm probably in the minority that bought one of those new fancy stud finders.

I spent $50 for a Zircon model i520. There was only one more model higher end than mine at the time which was an i700 and it automatically marked the wall with a pencil line for you. I'm fine with the I520 though.

Mine is about a year old, I just used it to do wanescotting for an entire room and use it to mount several large flat panel tvs and none of them have fallen (so far) :)

The AC sensing on mine works well. It also has a metal scan and a deep stud finding setting that can find a shelf mounted on the other side of the wall.

While I can't say the i520 is perfect, it's better than the other two pieces of junk I've had in the past that were around $10 or less electronic stud finders. Black and decker / Low end Zircon.

The way it works is I turn on the i520 between studs then slide it towards a stud and it lights up when it's centered over the stud, then you mark the centers of the studs.

TO get this to work perfect I will mark a stud like 4 times to form a vertical line and then align the studs with either a plumb laser or level. I begin the stud finder on the left of the stud and slide it right until it beeps, and then I switch to the other side and slide to the center until it beeps. If your dots line up, your good to go. You can then measure the distances between your dots to be 16" OC as furthar reassurance.

I've found it also worked with fireblock studs, and the metal scan and AC scan works very well. The AC scan seems way more sensitive than my Fluke VoltAlert.

So technically it's a multi-function tool... which justifies the price. :) sort of...

[John Coloccia]

I still have the original stud sensor Zircon made. It's falling apart. It rattles. It works perfectly every time. I don't have a hard time believing that things have gotten so cheap and junky that they perform worse today than 20 years ago but I am surprised.

For those that don't have good look with them, are you using an edge finder or center finder model? I'm surprised how many people try and use even the older Zircons as a center finder...which will not work at all.

[Doug Colombo]

I just bought the Bosch GMS120 digital multi-scanner a few months ago and so far I have been happy with it. I have used it for studs with good results, but have not used the metal or wiring functions yet. Reviews on Amazon are mixed (3.6 out of 5) but in my case (limited as it has been), so far so good.

http://www.amazon.com/Bosch-GMS120-Digital-Multi-Scanner/dp/B004TACMZ8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1321926984&sr=8-1

[Josiah Bartlett]

I use my metal detector to find the nails as well. My walls are drywall over plaster over 3/4" shiplap, so I rarely even need to hit a stud, but when I do it's impossible to do without an xray machine or a metal detector.

[Craig Michael]

Rare earth magnets. I get mine out of old computer hard drives too. Also, just find the studs on the side of an electrical box, electrician almost always keep them on the same side throughout the house. Then just measure 16 oc over and your there.

[John Nesmith]

I have this one:

http://www.zircon.com/discontinued/scanning_images/triscanner_pro/product.jpg

It works well for me. It gets a little squirelly if the batteries are low, but otherwise works fine. I have used magnets before, but like has been mentioned, the accuracy of that method depends heavily on the mood the dry-waller was in.

With mine, I take a right and left reading in two or three spots along the stud to get a center line.

[Harry Niemann]

My Daughter is looking for a stud.:)

[Mike Henderson]

My Daughter is looking for a stud.:)
She should buy one of the devices recommended above.:)

Mike

[Bill White]

My Zircon Studsensor Pro LCD has served me well.
Bill

[Tom Ewell]

I've use several Zircons, some good, some not so much.
I also like a Japanese finder that is simple to use and works well when using the "knuckle-tap" technique to find exact centers.
I have two, the old one uses just a needle as a probe, the new one has a magnetic tip to go along with the probe.
The holes made by the probe are small enough to be rendered all but invisible and disappear completely when painted over.
It's not the best solution for plaster or heavily mudded areas but for drywall over wood or metal stud, it's great.
Spare needles store in the handle and they can also be easily re-pointed if needed.

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