Need a good stud finder

[Marty Tippin]

What's a good stud finder that will work through 5/8" Sheetrock with a knock-down texture? I've got a fairly cheap one from the Big Box that is marginal at best.

[Greg R Bradley]

You may not believe me but buy one anyway:
http://www.amazon.com/CH-Hanson-03040-Magnetic-Finder/dp/B000IKK0OI%3Fpsc%3D1%26SubscriptionId%3DAKIAILSHYY TFIVPWUY6Q%26tag%3Dduckduckgo-ffhp-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165 953%26creativeASIN%3DB000IKK0OI

[ken masoumi]

You should have a look at Franklin Pro sensor710 (http://www.amazon.com/ProSensor-710-Franklin-Sensors-Precision/dp/B0064EICKG/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8) ,it's probably the last stud finder you'll ever buy,it's accurate,the LED lights shows the location of the studs the moment you place it on the wall without sliding it.detects 2/4s 4x4 studs.
It is a bit pricy for what it is but you'll get a decent tool for what you pay.

[Frank Pratt]

+1 for the Franklin Pro Sensor. Works better than any I've ever had & I've had lots.

There are some uber expensive ones from Milwaukee & Dewalt that are much more sophisticated & will detect more stuff, but I've never used them. I've read some reports of them not being that great though, especially considering the cost.

[Dan Rude]

+1 too on the Franklin Pro Sensor. My house is plaster on Rock-lath, this is the only stud finder I have found that works consistently. Dan

[Chris Padilla]

I have both sensors posted in the links above. Get 'em both. :)

[Victor Robinson]

I use this guy - doubles as my stud finder and metal detector in the shop so I don't run metal-laden reclaimed wood into my blades.
http://www.amazon.com/Zircon-m40-FFP-Handheld-Electronic-Detector/dp/B00ZF8Y6ZW

[Larry Frank]

I have one like the Zircon i520 and it works well.

Whenever I have it out, my wife harasses me with it. ;-)

[Erik Loza]

Had the Zircon one for years, no complaints.

Erik

[Greg R Bradley]

I have both sensors posted in the links above. Get 'em both. :)
YES,
I almost posted both in the beginning. Which one you will use more often will depend on your walls. I use the CH Hanson almost all the time but the Franklin is great for finding horizontal blocking.

[Tom M King]

I have a bunch of them accumulated over the years. I like the 710 the best. It really helps for shooting nails in crown molding, since it shows you where the whole stud is.

[Marty Tippin]

Whenever I have it out, my wife harasses me with it. ;-)

I've always assumed that my stud finder didn't work accurately due to interference I caused by being in the proximity... :eek:


I have both sensors posted in the links above. Get 'em both. :)

For the moment, I'm going to try the $9 solution. I'll keep the Franklin in mind in case I find myself needing something more precise. I'll admit I'm initially skeptical that it will work "well enough" but for $9, it's hard to go wrong.

[roger wiegand]

Yet another vote for the Franklin 710. It's by far the best I've ever used.

The magnetic ones are great for finding nails or screws, but tell you nothing about where the studs or blocking pieces are. In my experience the assumption that the person before you actually put the nails in anywhere near to the center of the stud is terrible. Any number of times I've driven a fastener two inches above or below an existing drywall screw/nail and hit nothing but air.

[Steve Peterson]

+1 too on the Franklin Pro Sensor. My house is plaster on Rock-lath, this is the only stud finder I have found that works consistently. Dan

+2 or +3 for the Franklin sensor. You can get the same model in blue for $40 at Costco. Supposedly the internal stuff is identical to the yellow ones.

Steve

[Daniel Greening]

I use the Zircon M40-FFP metal detector, as I am mostly working in old houses which have plaster/lath walls. I find that the combination of the wide-field scan and the narrow-field scan really does the trick for locating the nails which attach the lath to the studs.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Need a good stud finder (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?240007-Need-a-good-stud-finder)
My ex was a bit too good at it......

Oh, I'm sorry, was that out loud?
:D

+1 for those low cost magnetic ones like Glenn posted. They work great!

[Ben Rivel]

You may not believe me but buy one anyway:
http://www.amazon.com/CH-Hanson-03040-Magnetic-Finder/dp/B000IKK0OI%3Fpsc%3D1%26SubscriptionId%3DAKIAILSHYY TFIVPWUY6Q%26tag%3Dduckduckgo-ffhp-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165 953%26creativeASIN%3DB000IKK0OI
Had several other electronic ones over the years (pretty much all the top rated ones on Amazon) and seriously this is the only one I ever use or kept.

[Keith Outten]

The inexpensive stud finders are not worth the price IMO, you may as well attach a magnet to a piece of string if all you want to do is find a nail or screw head.

I own the Franklin sensor, it shows the edges of the studs, very handy when you have two or three studs joined together. If I am unsure about water pipes or electrical wires in a wall I use a Garrett Pin Pointer (Garret Carrot) to scan the wall, this is the same tool that metal detector (hunters) use to find metal objects in the ground. The last thing I want to have happen is to drive a screw into a water/electrical line in a customers building.

[Tom Ewell]

The last thing I want to have happen is to drive a screw into a water/electrical line in a customers building.
Also have the Franklin finder, augment it with one of these (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000AQSCOU/ref=s9_simh_hd_b2Jvs_p469_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0 DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-2&pf_rd_r=04B82NPSQSN6F3K72ATN&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=cf6973d7-e6ab-41f5-bf00-8a49a4deab59&pf_rd_i=553280), basing out and old house with squirrely framing, found a 'stud' with the franklin, probed with the other, felt like wood, popped a nail right through a cpvc water line that was right up against the sheetrock... discovered quickly that the main water shutoff was located in the pump house.

[Lee Schierer]

Here's a video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pahBjGEaNeg) that compares several of the high end stud detectors.

[Jim Dwight]

A 2 inch 18 gauge pneumatic nail works fine. Small hole but stiff enough to go through dry wall. Electronic ones work, sometimes. Nail works all the time.

[Ben Rivel]

A nail is part of my normal proceedure. I start with a magnetic "stud finder" and locate the nails going up the stud and look for the center of 3-4 of them. Then I use a 4" nail and hammer it into the wall to make sure I hit a stud. Then I mark it and Im good to go. Simple, cheap and works every time.

[Roger Feeley]

+1 on the Franklin. I find using the zircon to be a bit of a black art. I've also had trouble with something in the tool bag turning on the zircons. The Franklin button is posititioned so that accidental activation is unlikely.

[guy knight]

love the franklin from costco best one i have ever used

[Marty Tippin]

The Hanson magnetic stud finder arrived today. Initial assessment is that it will work fine for most of my needs. (And it also points out how poorly the Sheetrock in my house is installed - there either aren't nearly enough nails...)

I was surprised at how small the thing is - see the pic below.

[Brian W Evans]

+1 for the Franklin. I really like how it shows you the boundaries of the stud and whether or not there are two or more sistered together.

[Bill Conerly]

I used a mid-priced Zircon a few days after painting, one that would find the edge of my studs. It thought that some of my studs were 3/4 inch wide, and others were 3 or 4 inches wide. Finally read the manual and learned that it's not reliable for a couple of weeks after painting. Getting better results now, but two days after painting was when I really needed it.