When engaged on any house enchancment undertaking, whether or not hanging up a mirror or securing cabinets to the wall, you want the correct instruments at your disposal. A stud finder is crucial to find out what you’re drilling and guarantee assist for an enduring maintain.
“The most typical use for a stud finder is finding wall studs, that are boards that operate as framing parts in your house, supporting the partitions,” says Brian Shaunfield, retailer supervisor at a Charlotte-area Lowe’s. “Owners most frequently encounter the necessity to find these framing boards when hanging an object—mirror, artwork, decor or in any other case—utilizing the stud as a secure and protected anchor.”
To seek out the perfect stud finders in the marketplace, we examined 30 fashions in our Lab, evaluating them on efficiency, design, ease of use, and worth. We additionally spoke with specialists to get their perception on perfecting your subsequent DIY.
Greatest General Stud Finder
Franklin Sensors ProSensor M90 Skilled Stud Finder
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Amazon
Who it’s for: Individuals who need an correct stud finder with extra-helpful LED lights.
Who it isn’t for: Individuals searching for a stud finder with a show.
For a stud finder that may assist with any house undertaking, we advocate the Franklin Sensors ProSensor M90. This battery-powered digital stud finder options 9 ultra-precise sensors, together with 9 precision LEDs that illuminate the size and width of the stud to supply even higher precision.
Throughout our testing, the LED lights made it straightforward to establish your complete stud, from the middle to the sting factors, for a complete and full studying. It additionally labored nicely on varied floor varieties, although we observed that it detected metallic extra shortly than wooden, electrical, PVC pipe, and copper.
This stud finder solely comes with one mode, so that you don’t must toggle between a number of choices, and does not require calibration both—all you need to do is press the button to start scanning. The streamlined design of this stud finder made it easy to make use of and skim, and it solely took one attempt to precisely detect the stud. Whereas undoubtedly a high quality choice, this stud finder could also be too giant for individuals with small palms. Nonetheless, there’s a lot to like about this sturdy, efficient, and time-saving gadget.
Worth at time of publish: $40
Product Particulars:
- Sensor Kind: Digital
- Max Detection Depth: 1.5 inches
- Weight: 7 ounces
Actual Easy / Henry Wortock
Greatest Finances Stud Finder
Craftsman CMHT77633 Stud Sensor
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Who it’s for: Individuals who need an reasonably priced, compact stud finder.
Who it isn’t for: Individuals who desire a sizable stud finder with further options.
There is not any have to empty your pockets when shopping for high quality house instruments—this reasonably priced Craftsman digital stud finder has all of the options you want for streamlined house initiatives. In our checks, we discovered this gadget to be correct, light-weight, and straightforward to make use of, making it a must-buy for these trying to preserve prices low whereas tackling house initiatives.
This stud finder detected studs with spot-on precision and velocity and solely wanted a brief period of time for calibration. As a result of it solely detects studs’ edges, you need to decide the middle from the sting markings. And though the gadget options useful LED lights, it doesn’t boast every other further options. Whereas some individuals might want extra options, the easy design makes this choose straightforward to function and equally purposeful. The instrument can be compact and light-weight, so you possibly can tuck it into your pocket as you progress round the home.
Worth at time of publish: $13
Product Particulars:
- Sensor Kind: Digital
- Max Detection Depth: 0.75 inches
- Weight: 3.2 ounces
Actual Easy / Henry Wortock
Greatest Magnetic Stud Finder
Calculated Industries 7310 StudMark Magnetic Stud Finder
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Amazon
Who it’s for: Individuals who desire a fast-acting, easy-to-use, and light-weight stud finder.
Who it isn’t for: Individuals who desire a stud finder that may find small nails or screws.
Magnetic stud finders search for nails fairly than studs, and this one from Calculated Industries proved to be a very nice choose for honing in on hidden nails in our evaluations. The compact, fast-acting gadget comes with two detachable teardrop-shaped magnetic stud markers, which you need to use to mark a number of stud places—no pencil marks wanted.
To make use of this stud finder, swipe the magnet in a Z or S motion to seek out the primary nail or screw. Then, pull off one of many magnets and place it on the wall earlier than scanning vertically to seek out the second nail or screw. Our checks discovered the removable teardrop magnets handy for making a vertical line to find out the middle of the stud.
This gadget is reasonably priced and sufficiently small to suit into the palm of your hand, making it straightforward to carry and transfer throughout your wall. The primary draw back to this choose is that it did not all the time precisely detect super-tiny nails or screws. Nonetheless, this stud finder is straightforward to make use of, compact, and handy.
Worth at time of publish: $15
Product Particulars:
- Sensor Kind: Magnetic
- Max Detection Depth: Not listed
- Weight: 2.9 ounces
Actual Easy / Henry Wortock
Greatest Stud Finder for Freshmen
Franklin Sensors ProSensor 710 Skilled Stud Finder
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Amazon
Who it’s for: Individuals who desire a exact stud finder that’s straightforward to make use of and cozy to carry.
Who it isn’t for: Individuals who desire a lower-priced stud finder that exhibits the fabric detected.
In case you are new to house initiatives, go for the beginner-friendly Franklin Sensors ProSensor 710. It doesn’t require calibration or tuning, and its vibrant LED lights make it straightforward to see and establish the widths of a number of studs directly.
Throughout our testing, it detected each stud kind (metallic and wooden) over drywall, paneling, and plaster with spectacular velocity and precision, although it was unable to detect electrical cords. It was additionally exceedingly straightforward to make use of—simply press the button and drag the stud finder throughout the floor to instantly find the studs. We additionally discovered it to be snug to carry no matter hand measurement.
This stud finder makes use of illuminated dots to point the surface and center of every stud, so you will get a full view earlier than drilling or hammering. Sadly, it doesn’t let you know the kind of materials detected, making it laborious to distinguish between piping and studs. Throughout our testing, we discovered that studs normally illuminated three dots whereas piping illuminated two, which can provide you a clue about what materials is beneath your wall. The value is excessive in comparison with most different choices on our record, however contemplating how easy it’s to make use of and the way correct the outcomes are, we expect it is definitely worth the funding.
Worth at time of publish: $75
Product Particulars:
- Sensor Kind: Digital
- Max Detection Depth: 1.1 inches
- Weight: 9 ounces
Greatest Stud Finder With Show
Mecurate Stud Finder Wall Scanner
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Amazon
Who it’s for: Individuals who need to observe their stud-finding progress with a useful LED show.
Who it isn’t for: Individuals who desire a easy stud finder with minimal bells and whistles.
The Mecurate Stud Finder has a big, backlit LED display that shows real-time alerts and directional arrows that will help you discover studs sooner. Throughout our testing, this stud finder produced essentially the most constant outcomes with just a few gradual passes over the wall fairly than fast passes. It additionally options 5 scanning modes, which you need to use to detect totally different supplies, and a buzzer that alerts you when a stud is detected.
This stud finder requires you to calibrate it for just a few seconds earlier than every use and that you just use the right mode for the duty at hand. However when you get going, the show is sort of useful at detecting wiring, studs, and different supplies. The audio and visible indicators made it straightforward to make use of, and the middle has a cut-out space for handy pencil markings.
Worth at time of publish: $26
Product Particulars:
- Sensor Kind: Digital
- Max Detection Depth: 1.5 inches
- Weight: 9.2 ounces
Actual Easy / Henry Wortock
Greatest Stud Finder for PVC Pipes
Bosch GMS120 Digital Multi-Scanner
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Amazon
Who it’s for: Individuals who desire a professional-grade stud finder with a singular LCD show.
Who it isn’t for: Individuals who desire a compact, beginner-friendly stud finder.
When you want a stud finder for PVC pipes, look no additional than this top-notch digital choice from Bosch. Whereas this choose is a bit heavier than the others on our record, we nonetheless discovered it snug to carry and straightforward to maneuver in our checks. The gadget has a far deeper detection depth than many different stud finders and is ready to find wooden and metallic in concrete, dwell wiring, copper, and extra. There are three modes to select from, and the stud finder comes with a useful LCD show and flashing ring mild, which we discovered useful.
The show encompasses a bar chart diagram that will increase as you get nearer to an object’s heart, a color-changing mild, and an accompanying beeping sound to supply loads of queues as you’re employed. Sadly, it does not present the article’s sides, and we discovered that it really works finest while you cross the instrument over the wall 5 occasions.
This stud finder is the costliest choice on our record, however for house renovations or high-stakes enchancment initiatives, the value is definitely worth the high quality.
Worth at time of publish: $100
Product Particulars:
- Sensor Kind: Digital
- Max Detection Depth: 4.3 inches
- Weight: 1.1 kilos
Actual Easy / Henry Wortock
Greatest Stud Finder for Copper Pipes
Dewalt 1-1/2 in. Stud Finder
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Amazon
Who it’s for: Individuals who need an correct stud finder for a lot of surfaces.
Who it isn’t for: Individuals who desire a stud finder to detect PVC pipes.
For anybody who must detect studs in copper pipes, the DeWalt Stud Finder is a must have instrument. Throughout our testing, this digital stud finder discovered the middle of every stud regardless of the floor with only one gradual cross and no calibration wanted.
This instrument gives useful directional LED arrows to information you as you close to the stud and a beeping sound that goes off as soon as it identifies the middle—however needless to say this choose doesn’t denote the sides. Plus, the stud finder identifies copper pipes and AC wires precisely, and regardless that there’s no show display, it’s nonetheless easy to make use of. One other nice perk of this stud finder is its light-weight really feel, snug maintain, and low worth. We discovered that this stud finder couldn’t establish PVC pipes, so in case your subsequent house undertaking requires PVC studying, we advocate one other choose.
Worth at time of publish: $32
Product Particulars:
- Sensor Kind: Digital
- Max Detection Depth: 1.5 inches
- Weight: Not listed
Actual Easy / Henry Wortock
Ultimate Verdict
Our high choose is the Franklin Sensors ProSensor M90 Skilled Stud Finder for its excessive degree of accuracy, useful LED lights, and ease of use. If it’s essential preserve prices decrease, although, we additionally advocate the Craftsman Stud Sensor, which is easy, compact, and exact.
Our Testing Course of
To seek out the perfect stud finders in the marketplace, we acquired 30 fashions and examined them in our Lab. We handed every stud finder over three totally different wall surfaces together with drywall, plaster, and paneling, and looked for 5 totally different object varieties together with wooden studs, metallic studs, electrical wiring, PVC pipe, and copper pipe.
To start, we turned on the stud finder and referred to the producer’s directions on calibration—some fashions require no setup, whereas others do. If the examined mannequin had a number of modes for various objects, we coordinated the stud finder to match the corresponding object or materials. We positioned the stud finder flush with the wall and handed over roughly 3 ft of area over a length of 20 seconds, with a gradual and managed motion. Then, we ran the stud finder over the identical space in 5 seconds to judge if it was nonetheless capable of detect the objects. This course of was repeated on every floor kind with every object.
If the examined mannequin has further options, like a bubble degree, battery indicator, or visible show, we took word of how successfully they labored and whether or not they improved the product total. After the testing was full, we gave every product a ranking on attributes of efficiency, design, ease of use, and worth.
Actual Easy / Henry Wortock
How one can Store for Stud Finders Like a Professional
Sensor Kind
There are two important varieties of stud finders: digital and magnetic. Digital stud finders sense modifications in density and warn you to the places of studs and different objects behind partitions, whereas magnetic stud finders detect the nails that connect the studs to the wall as a substitute. Throughout our testing, we evaluated 25 digital stud finders and 5 magnetic fashions.
General, we discovered digital finders to be extra exact, particularly with added options like LED screens or indicator lights. Additionally they have extra depth capability, which might translate to a greater learn on objects hidden beneath a wall. However, digital fashions are normally pricier, require batteries, and are sometimes bigger and tougher to carry than magnetic options. Some magnetic fashions, just like the Calculated Industries 7310 StudMark Magnetic Stud Finder, are equally as efficient, however could not choose up on smaller studs or nails.
Max Detection Depth
“The common stud finder has a depth detection of 1.5–2.5 inches, which permits for wooden or metallic studs and joists to be situated that depth behind a wall’s floor,” says Brian Shaunfield, retailer supervisor at a Charlotte-area Lowe’s. “For the typical house, this degree of depth detection is adequate.”
Whereas the depth capability of most of our high merchandise fell inside this vary, we discovered that stud finders with a larger depth capability, just like the Bosch GMS 120 Wall Scanner, detected PVC pipes extra successfully. When you’re engaged on a extra intensive undertaking, go for a stud finder with a greater-than-average depth detection degree—simply be ready to pay the next value.
Floor Compatibility
Contemplate the widespread varieties of surfaces you encounter with a stud finder—the partitions in your house are a great place to begin. Some stud finders have a number of modes you possibly can tailor to the undertaking, whereas others have one preset mode that may learn by a number of floor varieties. In our testing, we discovered that the majority fashions carried out finest with drywall surfaces and struggled most when studying by cement board, although there was some variation relying on the actual mannequin. In response to Shaunfield, most fashions are suitable with drywall, by which they’ll find studs “simply and precisely,” he says.
That mentioned, “stud finders could also be much less efficient on lath/plaster partitions,” he says. This commentary was confirmed all through our testing, although the fashions we chosen as our high picks had been capable of efficiently learn all surfaces. When you’re working with these supplies, you could need to use a finder with a metal-scanning function “to find the nails securing the trail to the studs” or manually find the studs as a substitute, in keeping with Shaunfield.
Actual Easy / Henry Wortock
Extra Stud Finders to Contemplate
Franklin Sensors ProSensor 710+ Skilled Stud Finder: This choose was easy to make use of and correct at figuring out the sides and heart of wooden or metallic studs. That mentioned, it isn’t nice at discovering objects behind dense surfaces like cement and is comparatively high-priced.
Vivreal 4-in-1 Stud Finder: This digital stud finder encompasses a useful LCD show and detects studs shortly and precisely, however didn’t stand out from its competitors in our checks. Plus, it’s higher at detecting wooden studs than metallic studs, that are extra widespread.
Questions You Would possibly Ask
Is there a distinction between a stud finder and a stud sensor?
In response to Shaunfield, there is not a big distinction between a stud finder and a stud sensor. “A stud sensor is one other identify for a stud finder,” he explains. “Handheld units labeled as both a sensor or a finder can each be used to find studs inside the house.”
Generally stud finders are used to discuss with magnetic units that find the nails and screws, whereas stud sensors are used to discuss with digital fashions that sense modifications in electrical stream to detect the wooden, metallic, and wiring behind a wall.
Are stud finders correct?
“Stud finders are exceptionally correct,” says Shaunfield. The sensors will find the facilities of a stud (and, with some units, additionally the sides) exactly “in order that its location may be marked straight,” he says. Many fashions may even show the width and size of studs, providing you with much more correct outcomes.
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Is a stud finder mandatory?
For any house undertaking the place you hold or drill right into a wall, stud finders are completely mandatory. “Finding studs is important to correctly hanging many objects, and stud finders are a seamless approach to establish studs shortly and successfully,” he says. “Many fasteners and hangers used to hold heavy objects, corresponding to giant photos, mirrors, cabinets, and tv mounting programs, have to be anchored in studs as a result of the wall alone isn’t sturdy sufficient to assist the load. Studs maintain these fasteners higher, stopping them from pulling out below the load of the article. The middle of a stud gives the perfect assist for the fasteners.”
Take Our Phrase for It
This text was written by Rachel Simon, a author for Actual Easy, Higher Houses & Gardens, The New York Instances, and lots of different publications. To put in writing this text, we examined 30 totally different stud finders and evaluated them based mostly on efficiency, worth, ease of use, and design. For skilled perception, Rachel spoke to Brian Shaunfield, retailer supervisor at a Charlotte-area Lowe’s.
What Is Actual Easy Selects?
Subsequent to every product on this record, you will have observed a Actual Easy Selects seal of approval. Any product showing alongside that seal has been vetted by our workforce—put by checks and graded on its efficiency to earn a spot on our record. Though we purchase many of the merchandise we check, generally we do get samples from firms if buying a product ourselves isn’t an choice. All merchandise undergo the identical rigorous course of, whether or not they’re bought or despatched by the corporate.
Love our suggestions? Take a look at extra merchandise which have earned the Actual Easy Selects, from humidifiers to cordless vacuums.
