Thread: Is there a stud sensor that works?

For that type of work you need a proffesional unit e.g. Bosch D-tect 150, it won,t be cheap

Originally Posted by China

For that type of work you need a proffesional unit e.g. Bosch D-tect 150, it won,t be cheap

Over $1100 in Aus. http://au.rs-online.com/web/p/cable-...ctors/6876162/

Even the basic 120 is $241 +GST http://au.rs-online.com/web/p/cable-...ctors/7356729/ although cheaper on ebay.

For a one off job I'd try a different cheapy. I've gotten a few of them to work ok over the years.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Stanley-F...-/181553830515
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Wood-Stud...item3f2dae3a34
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Zircon-St...item339909bb19 I think you can get this one from Masters

Don't laugh, but I have this one. It works every time.
I believe that Zircon were the pioneers of stud finders.

In my experience, NONE that I have ever used or seen used have worked consistently. But stranger things have happened.

I've been using this one for about a decade: http://www.zircon.com/products/edge_ms_pro_sl.html

When you sweep it over the wall it'll give you a "stud" about 6 inches wide, the center of this is the center of the actual stud. You can reactivate it a couple of inches away from the center and it'll "prove" it, if like me you're slightly OCD you can get it closer and closer but you find that the center is usually bang on first time anyway.

They can get confused by cracks, blobs of glue, electrical cables and air gaps between the stud and the gyprock caused by crap builders. Sometimes I get really weird returns so I just move to a different bit of wall, find a genuine stud there, calculate where the one I want should be and then "prove" it with the sensor. My steel framed house has studs only an inch wide and it gets their centers every time.

I have a few stud finders ranging from a $10 Stanley to a $70 Franklin (from Bunnings).

How good are they - depends on the wall and the user.
They all work by looking for wall density - this can be fooled by gaps between stud and plaster, or where there is a double layer- eg a patch or even a sheet join. They can also be fooled by the type of plaster eg lathe, or the type of wall covering eg tiles or certain wall paper. They might also pick up on metal cables (good) and metal pipes (good) but miss poly and simlar pipes (messy) Some need to be set up correctly where there is no stud others do not.

Sorry if this does not answer your question, but hopefully it helps.

So long as you do not do what I have seen done - plumber securing a drain pipe misses stud but hits water pipe instead!

I've tried three different brands. The first, a Bosch, was a total failure. Couldn't find it's way out of a wet paper bag. The second, a Stanley 77, was on sale for half price. It would indicate the position of a stud but took several passes back and forth to try to locate the center of mass. Even then it was incorrect about 30% of the time. Extremely delicate too, not really a tool but a laboratory instrument and a bad one at that.
This one http://www.amazon.com/ProSensor-710-.../dp/B0064EICKG is what I have now. Very good to excellent performance but it feels a little toy like. Accurate within the resolution of it's indicator lights. Has survived one full remodeling job and a number of single uses without breaking. I'm extremely careful with it because it feels like it would break if dropped.

Thanks gents. As a result of this thread, I have been lent a Zircon Multiscanner Pro, which seems to work like a charm. Many thanks, John.

The good old tap-the-wall-till-you-hear-where-it's-not-hollow hasn't let me down yet. You only need to find one, then it's just 450 or 600mm spacing (finding a second stud will tell you which)
Doesn't always work in steel-framed high rise buildings though.

I have seen rare earth magnets used to find the nails,but a lot of walls don't have a lot of nails they are glued on.
I hav a B&D unit which has worked for me for years.
Thats the one with the laser level in it.

Originally Posted by rob streeper

This one http://www.amazon.com/ProSensor-710-.../dp/B0064EICKG is what I have now. Very good to excellent performance but it feels a little toy like. Accurate within the resolution of it's indicator lights. Has survived one full remodeling job and a number of single uses without breaking. I'm extremely careful with it because it feels like it would break if dropped.

This is one of the stud finders I have. Works a bit different from most of the others as it does not need to be calibrated before use.
It will give you an idea of the width of the stud but like others at times can give a reading which makes no sense. Uses 2 x AA or AAA batteries (cannot remember which) instead of a 9v battery. I have had the base come off due to it becoming too hot. This is a worry as it should live in the car and could become cooked. Is more expensive than some others (Approx $70 at Bunnings) but could be worth the money if you have a lot of use for it.

Originally Posted by rob streeper

I've tried three different brands. The first, a Bosch, was a total failure. Couldn't find it's way out of a wet paper bag. The second, a Stanley 77, was on sale for half price. It would indicate the position of a stud but took several passes back and forth to try to locate the center of mass. Even then it was incorrect about 30% of the time. Extremely delicate too, not really a tool but a laboratory instrument and a bad one at that.
This one http://www.amazon.com/ProSensor-710-.../dp/B0064EICKG is what I have now. Very good to excellent performance but it feels a little toy like. Accurate within the resolution of it's indicator lights. Has survived one full remodeling job and a number of single uses without breaking. I'm extremely careful with it because it feels like it would break if dropped.

The above linked one is the one I have. Bought from Lee Valley. Worked well then developed a fault in the switch - quick email to Lee Valley and was replaced without question. Great tool and great service.

I'm sure some are better than others, but In many years of building and sparky work I've never had any real dramas with any that I've used.

It's important to calibrate the cheaper ones over known voids, & to keep the power continually activated between calibration & sensing operations.

Complaints about stud detectors are frequent, but in my experience are actually more indicative of inappropriate use than any actual fault of the sensor.

Modern folk are horrified when you start tapping their plasterboard walls, aren't they?
The only one I've ever had, a GMC REDEYE, was purchased for $20 at a woodworking expo in Jeff's Shed years ago. It looks like a smaller version of the Bosch one with a D handle and is calibrated to the wall being examined each time. It seems to be effective in each of its three modes and has never given me an ounce of trouble; havn't even replaced the battery.