Is there a state of the art Stud Finder?

[Phil Thien]

I have plasterboard with plaster over that (not just a skim). The old electronic finder I have (don't know the brand) works fairly well but leaves a bit of guesswork.

I know Franklin says their unit doesn't work on lath and plaster but I wonder how it would work on plasterboard + plaster. And some of the reviews indicate it DOES work on lath and plaster, BTW.

[Bill Orbine]

The only thing I have ever found that works with any consistency is a hammer and a 6 penny nail. Works every time!

YES! And in addition to hammer and nail, the 'ol knocker. Rapping on the wall feeling something solid behind it get me pretty much "just about right there" most of the time. The hammer&nails confirms the stud and not a pipe or some other oddity. I chunked my electronic stud finder long time ago.

[Dan Rude]

I have the Franklin it works well on my Rock lath plaster walls. The other ones, not so well. I'm glad I got it since plaster repairs are a real pain compared to Drywall. Dan

[Mac Cambra]

I will throw in a vote for the Franklin, it has worked great for me.

[scott vroom]

Is there a state of the art Stud Finder?

Yeah, and she's standing to my left in my avitar pic.

[Sam Murdoch]

Yeah, and she's standing to my left in my avitar pic.

HMMM - interessssting - She was saying something altogether different

[Brian W Evans]

+1 on the Franklin for drywall. Haven't tried plaster & lath, though.

[scott vroom]

HMMM - interessssting - She was saying something altogether different

Nah, that was her evil twin talking

[Clint Baxter]

I Have the Bosch and two of the Zircoms. The Bosch has been iffy and the Zircoms seem to work better. I've pretty much gone to a spherical rare earth magnet now. You can get them fromtLee Valley http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/pag...=1,42363,42348
just hold them loosely and roll them against the wall. Nice thing is they will stick to the top of the screw/nail when it's found the stud so there is no marking. The hemispherical works as well, but doesn't rolll as easily as the larger, and more expensive, spherical one.
Clint

[Phil Thien]

Yeah, and she's standing to my left in my avitar pic.

Yeah, but you only get a single use out of those.

And I can't afford multiples.

[Jason Roehl]

Have a Zircon. Not fool proof, but my 16 oz. Estwing sure is. A bit of joint fill covers the holes after the fact. Greg

Nothing wrong with that if you're the one doing the patching and painting. If it's someone else, don't. This method lands on the list of "justifiable homicide" with painters.

I've had good success with a couple different Zircon models. I've found that you have to double-check what you're doing. That is, for a single stud, you want to start the scan in a different place, as it's based on relative density, so if you start the scan on a stud, you'll get a screwy reading. That said, I usually keep a telescoping magnetic pick-up tool in my pocket that works well if I lightly swing it across the wall while moving it up and down to find drywall screws. I also do pretty well tapping lightly on the wall with my knuckle, listening for a change in the sound. And, especially in very new houses, I can usually see the areas where drywall screws have been mudded over in the field of a piece of drywall. Oh, and there's usually a stud on one side of a receptacle. Take the cover plate off and probe between the drywall and the box.