Stud finder recommendations?

[Jixer]

Hi,
I have been reading reviews of stud finders and it seems to me these reviews are not genuine as no one finder comes out top consistently as it should.
I have had a few stud finders from Lidl & DIY stores and have been disappointed.
So, what is the best around .?
What is the “Fluke 179” of the World of Stud Detectors.?

thks
Jixer

 

[Parm]

Thats going to be a dangerous search on google !!!

 

[atomant48]

I’ve got one of the yellow Zircon ones - got it in the states from memory. It is a bit hit and miss to be fair - seems very sensitive to how you use it. I actually got it to figure out if some power cables went up or down from a socket (no idea if theres a standard direction but the photos I took during the building work showed both. They could have been right where I wanted to drill some big holes for shelving). It’s good for that but seems a bit 50/50 on studs themselves unless you’re on a very flat plasterboard section. It wasn’t cheap…. So not sure what there is that is better. I tend to use a very small drill bit !!

 

[Parm]

My preferred technique is tapping along the wall with a screwdriver handle and listen out for a change in sound

Once you get the hang of it its very rarely wrong

 

[Stupoty]

I got one of the draper ones thats a bit more than the real cheep ones

Draper Metal, Voltage And Stud Detector

Buy the Draper Metal, Voltage And Stud Detector at Robert Dyas online. Free Click & Collect on this product or Free Standard Home Delivery when you spend over £30

www.robertdyas.co.uk

Normal walls it's fine but it's depth was still not enough to find stuff behind the lath and plaster so now I use a garret metal detector to find old nails in the joists etc.



stu

 

[123hotchef]

I was dissapointed with my one too! a decent rare earth magnet will pick out the fixings normally under the plaster, my poor mans stud finder! find a fixing top and bottom and draw a line between the 2

 

[addjunkie]

Hammer works….just keep bashing holes till you find wood!

 

[Jixer]

Thanks for the pertinent replies, it looks like lucky dip again.

 

[Gragson]

I was dissapointed with my one too! a decent rare earth magnet will pick out the fixings normally under the plaster, my poor mans stud finder! find a fixing top and bottom and draw a line between the 2

I've got a Bosch one which scans for live wires, metal, wood depth etc - useless

 

[More Amps]

I've had a few over the years, and regardless of price they all seem to be the same - totally useless! I did have a look at the very expensive ones - I think Bosch do one that comes in at over £100, but even that seemed to get bad reviews...

Found this one from Bosch for £88 I liked the 1 star review that mentioned finding a live cable in a box of Bran Flakes!

Amazon Sign In

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

Tried the expensive Bosch. Took it back.

Not used one in years.

Logic a tape measure and tapping

I've even gone up in lofts and drilled down either side of joists at each end on occasion.

 

[Ross365]

I'm happy with my Sealey AK2018. It looks to be the same as the Draper in post 5.

 

[MetalMonkey]

A combination of a tape measure, old small pointy terminal screwdriver and a magnet have worked well for me.
Got an electronic one somewhere but it was never very accurate.

 

[Arc Tourist]

Unfortunately, there are no guarantees as to what the framing sequence is under a wall face. But as Parm said, do some tapping with a hammer, and perhaps follow up with a tiny drill bit long enough to penetrate through the wall surface. It can tell you what is beneath and where each side of the stud ends. That's how I do it, and its a simple matter to patch the tiny pin size holes.

 

[mike os]

I’ve only seen one that I was convinced actually worked… I wandered off the Bosch stand with it to try away from their sample walls. Iirc it was a proper radar type unit dtect 200 or some such… was a couple of years ago

It worked very well but it was over 500 notes plus vat … couldn’t justify it even though I wanted one

 

[Danez]

all stud finders are utterly useless

how is it, in 2022 with all these great advances in technology, finding a joist or a nail in a wall is apparently some sort of black magic f*ckery

 

[brightspark]

ive got a bloody good cable and pipe finder its called a hammer and chisel

 

[mike os]

ive got a bloody good cable and pipe finder its called a hammer and chisel

I always found an sds drill excellent for finding hidden pipes and cables

 

[Gragson]

Tried the expensive Bosch. Took it back.

Not used one in years.

Logic a tape measure and tapping

I've even gone up in lofts and drilled down either side of joists at each end on occasion.

My old boy got me this one a fair while back, guess that's why I still keep it, knowing him it wouldn't have been a cheapo I think.
Admittedly I've never read the 1/2" book it came with, but It defies all logic on the occasions I've used it, clearly I have the wrong wiring, metal, plaster, bricks, wood - you name it, the reading are BS

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

I always found an sds drill excellent for finding hidden pipes and cables

Found the water main last year.
Underneath 1mm of plaster right where I'd put pencil marks for the cabinet hanger.

Something made me poke around a bit