Which nail detector?

[Jason White]

I have some reclaimed boards that I need to check for hidden nails. Lumber Wizard is $150 and I’ll rarely use it. Any cheaper options that work well?

[John TenEyck]

The Harbor Freight wand one works well for anything no deeper than about 1-1/4". That'll be good enough up to about 8/4 lumber.

John

[Lee Schierer]

I have a Little Wizard that I use on suspect lumber. It works well. It's 34.95 on amazon.
500473

[Jim Becker]

I've had the Little Wizard like Lee shows for a LONGGGGGGG time now. It's effective for general use as long as the depth doesn't get too much. If one is going to do a lot of thick material or doing some serious reclamation of materials, something much stronger may be the better choice. As an aside, I've used that Little Wizard to locate survey pins on both my old and current property when I knew about where they might be but were not visible being slightly below grade.

[Bill Dufour]

HF version link below. Make sure it has some adjustment knobs.
Mine is made by Garrett who has made metal detectors for treasure hunters for decades.
Bill D.

https://www.harborfreight.com/lawn-garden/outdoor-living/camping-recreation/metal-detectors/9-volt-metal-detector-wand-94138.html

https://www.amazon.com/Garrett-1165180-SuperScanner-Metal-Detector/dp/B000VUHZ0W/ref=asc_df_B000VUHZ0W/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=198123788296&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=15385964152757498636&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9032274&hvtargid=pla-351894944370&psc=1

[Bill Dufour]

I went in to pay my property taxes about one month ago. Walk through the metal detector and then get wanded when I beeped. They used a wand similar to the Garrett. I was wearing insulated overalls with metal zipper from ankle to pockets, metal zipper on crotch, metal zipper on chest pockets and metal strap clasps.
He could not get it to not beep. Then he gave up and waved me through.
Bill D

[Tom M King]

I use a regular metal detector. I’m not sure how deep it reads but I already had it, and it’s paid for itself many times over finding property line stakes. I don’t remember ever missing anything with it. I don’t keep a battery in it, but in a case.

[Dave Sabo]

I can’t see how any alternative sing as cheaper than something you already have / paid for.

[Jason White]

Thanks, everybody. I bought the Harbor Freight one yesterday and it worked great for my needs.