The Stud Finder Showdown - Which One Is Best?
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- Опубликовано: 28 май 2024
- Are all stud finders / stud sensors created equal? Find out as we compare four very different kinds of stud finders to see which one is best for you and your project.
PRODUCTS IN THIS VIDEO (these are affiliate links):
• Walabot DIY: (paid link): shrsl.com/3k2ne
• Walabot Product Page (paid link): shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=104121...
• C.H. Hanson Magnetic Stud Finder: geni.us/0OsZgQ
• Zircon StudSensor A100: geni.us/msMB
• Franklin Sensor 710+: geni.us/ojI4
• Walabot DIY for Android: geni.us/pJyQU
• NEW! Walabot DIY for iOS or Android: geni.us/RzvxAUb
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Important update! The Walabot DIY is now available for iOS as a WiFi version. You can check it out here: geni.us/RzvxAUb
How did you do the transparent wall overlay effect in this video?
walabot can using for concrete wall?
watched another vid where he used the ios wiht the walabot 2 and it didnt detect his pvc pipe and wasnt always accurate on wiring. that said, i think im gonna look into this for myself.
At $180, it’s a hard no. Ridiculous price when the Android version was $74 just a couple years ago.
What I appreciated:
1. No background sound track. Thank you.
2. Overall quality of the video production - I liked the "ghost view" you used. Totally instructional.
3. Addressing the positive and potentially negative features of each product
4. Demonstrating the usefulness of each product pertaining to safety
5. Using a straight-forward rating scale
6. Not selling or degrading any one product
7. Listing the prices etc. for each unit
I am glad I watched. Please keep up with publishing quality DIY videos.
A really good "no nonsense" presentation. Much appreciated - thanks.
I fully agree with everything Neil wrote. Thanks for the video and cheers.
I agree with everything, especially the absence of annoying music.
you had me at no background track
Agree 100% with Neil. ESPECIALLY when it comes to background sounds. WHO NEEDS THAT NOISE ANYWAY! My personal opinion is: that ANY background sound(s) is degrading: when one is trying to study what the product is; or listening closely to the narrator. Others will disagree I am sure. Oh well.
Liked how you put the transparent studs, wiring & pipes on the video. Great presentation, help me decide which one to use for my project.
How the hell did he do that?!
@@zloungeact the magic of editing, I think he took a picture of the back then remove useless portion of the image then slap the picture on the video and made it transparent
Translucent
I've had the Walabot for a couple of years now and really like it. I've used it mostly on drywall but once I took it to work to show a co-worker. Our walls are concrete block so I scanned one where I knew there was an electrical wire. It found the wire, and even found the metal post of our equipment rack on the other side! Very accurate device.
Just got a Walabot DIY2 (connects through Wifi) and it does a great job on my wallboard. The accuracy is best in expert mode (heat map view actually radio wave sensor). The simple image mode at present software version is off about an inch or so...
Sheetrock is often hung horizontally so the nails/screws are generally about 4 feet off the floor which makes finding them well. Good video evaluating the different instruments.
An incredible video! No doubt one of the very best reviews of a product I have ever seen and I watch an awful lot of them. So many of them are just selling products rather than being an unbiased review. Like others, I also appreciate that there is no background music and you go straight to the point. I rarely ever subscribe, but I will in this case. Thanks
Your x-ray vision presentation is brilliant. And good advice about being aware that studs are usually on 16" centers. But how well do these work on plaster walls? The only thing that reliably and accurately finds the studs in my walls and ceilings has been one of those low-tech swiveling magnets. It finds the nails holding the lath to the studs through at least a quarter inch of plaster. The android thing is cool though.
I haven't tried my Walabot DIY2 on plaster yet, but it works on concrete! It needs to be calibrated before use. I can see how the lath could be confusing, so not sure. It would be an expensive choice if it couldn't meet your needs... I do think with careful calibration it would work on plaster, though. And with the delays in getting one I bet you could resell it in a snap if it did not work out. I had to wait 12 weeks for mine!
I have a Hanson finder and I LOVE it! I just used it exclusively to do an entire closet renovation and did not miss a single stud. I use it along with a level to extend stud finding lines and it’s awesome. It’s a simple stud only finder and doesn’t need batteries. Plus you can attach it to 1/2” piping and get them level. Very useful for installing black iron pipe shelving. Plus you can tie a rope to the end and use it as a plumb bob. And for less than $8 it’s totally worth it!
I’ve collected several stud finders over the past 30 years. Different range of prices. I have thrown most out and still reach for the 30 year old Zircon.
Until I got my Walabot DIY2 my Zircon has been my go-to device for over 20 years. I may use both to check on each other.
THANK YOU!!! Good info, great production value, not annoying, just straight informative. This guy knows how to make a quality, super helpful video!!!
The xray visual of what’s behind while finding studs and stuff was a great presentation! Nice fair comparison of tools to use and decide on.
it's kinda crazy that we don't have more advanced tools this day in age. Good video.
Something else that comes in handy is if you're looking for studs on a wall with an outlet or light switch those are nearly always attached to a stud. Use that as a starting point and go typically 16 from there and you should be able to map out the rest of that wall and avoid having to guess what else is back there.
I like to remove the dry wall, sketch out on the drywall where everything is, replace the drywall, do whatever i needed to do, then rub out the sketches from the drywall
@@matttzzz2 I prefer to get the blueprints of the home. 3 of them , the electrical, the plumbing and the structural framing ones. I Then track down each individual worker from each trade that worked on the home and confirm with them everything is correct. As a added safety I try and get in contact with the inspection company that was assigned to the home and get them to share any photos they may have of the building process before the sheetrock went up. I’ve found this to be the most accurate way as of yet
After having 3 Franklins die over 4 or so years, I went back to that model of Zircon and use a Master Magnetics for my magnetic style. Great video!
Hey, I appreciate your scientific effort. On the Zircon, however, at one point you said "It's not picking it up. Let me restart it." Then you restarted it and it found the conduit. That's a luxury you have because you already know where everything is, and can compensate for the false negative. In the real world we're using the stud sensor BECAUSE we DON'T KNOW what's back there, so we WON'T KNOW when it's a false negative and go restart it. Zircon is a fail.
Ehud Gavron I agree
I have a Zircon and this happens more frequently than I like. I don't feel confident using it. The Walabot seems like the way to go.
Just hung a TV with one. It said nothing was there, cut a hole for cabling and there was a huge pipe. Ran it back over it and it detected the pipe about 50% of the time.
Yeah, it’s complete garbage. I put a bunch of holes in my wall because of it. Thank goodness for putty and paint.
Zircon is almost worthless.
Great feature. This is the simple content that is needed. Not everyone is going to be able to look at each item on the shelf and make an educated decision based on anything other than price and what's on the box. Thank you.
Very informative video. The "x-ray" image was a great way to present this. Thanks!
You rule!!! Very detailed and love the background overlay of the inside of the wall. Very well done!!!
I've been using small neodymium magnets for decades.. with a handful you can leave them stuck, and map out an entire 10' x 20' wall very quickly.. plus you can just leave them all up and step back for visual planning.
I teach this to all my students, and demo the method to a potential borrower-of-tools, ie actual stud-finder.
As a side effect, I have a few 'projects' mapped out (magnets stuck to the walls) where I'll 'someday' get to it.
You can also just run duck tape. I think that's what the builders did or my Dad
.
Great video. Thanks for all the prep and work you put into it. I have used several Zircons and also the Franklin model previously sold at Costco. All seem to fail on textured walls. Knock down and splatter. Even with deep scan I am often unsure what is going on. Sometimes I feel like simply driving a line of nails and fixing it later. Am hoping the Walabot will someday be compatible with my phone.
Nicely done.
Great video! Any strong magnet will do to find the drywall screws, no need to spend $8 for the cheapest one in this video.
I just bought 1 at Home Depot yesterday $11 similar to the 2nd one in the video but didn't have the deep scan setting. Worked fine for our project. Hanging a couple of the 4' dowel rod type wall hangers like for a tapestry or something like that. I'm very impressed with the Walabot but $75 for a DIYer is a lot to pay. Then again one avoided mistake pays for itself😁😍😀 Thanks again for sharing your thoughts and videos, Rodney
I prefer a magnet on a string. Works great for demo, pull the screws for a clean job. I want to see that test with a wall full of insulation.
Add insulation (fiberglass & foam & paper) to the wall and run the same tests. Easy for sensors to work on empty hollow walls..
👍
Exactly. I have found nothing truly reliable in the "real world" where you know nothing about what's in a client's wall. They all help you with a guess.
Decent point. I'm guessing--though he didn't clarify--this was an *interior* wall demo. Most interior walls aren't insulated.
Wouldn't the Walabot be best there? That's what I got my husband for finding studs in the garage wall, as it's insulated between the garage & the house.
I have used the Walabot for 2 years and it has been a lifesaver-even in plaster/lathe walls. Use it to confirm what you think is there, but it also will surprise you when an unexpected stud spacing or doubler pops up. Well worth the investment!
So with plaster and lath do you need to do anything different?
Found out after buying about $200 worth of various brands of stud finders that none work reliably on old school lathe and plaster - the sand content in the plaster is too high to "see" through (Even the top (at the time) of the line "deep scanner" guaranteed to find pipes, wire, rebar, studs, etc, could not give the same reading from one pass to another.). Finally had to resort to the tapping method and drilling exploratory 1/16" holes to establish the stud interval (even 40's & 50's post-war built houses could have stud spacing anywhere from 16" to 24").
Well done comparison video. I would love to see more videos like this. Ones that help me when deciding which tools to invest into as an electrician/service tech.
Thank You! Subscribed!
You did a great presentation of these stud finders. This has been very helpful for next one I buy.
Good stuff! Thanks for the info! I have the Zircon and get frustrated with the false alarms and not consistently finding the edges of studs. I think I may purchase the Franklin after watching this video.
It might be a bit still but I have now purchased several new stud finders and am working on an updated version of this video. There are so many to choose from and so many technologies out there! Thanks for watching.
Not only is this a good review video, it's a good instructional video I own a Zircon, and this video was very helpful in teaching me how to better discern it's various signals.
same
I have a franklin and it is great. It is very accurate. Once you find a stud just move it slowly back and forth to get an accurate center of the stud.
I am also an inside wireman electrician so I have cut plenty of holes in walls.
Best stud finder review I've seen. Really like the xray vision. Very well done. Thanks.
I have the type shown at 7:30. Best type I'ever used. It is correct every time. $35 at Menards.
Very informative, with the variety of stud finders, and the layered image!
Another advantage of the first one (C.H. Hanson Stud Finder) is no battery to worry about (going dead, leaking in storage, having spare battery on hand, etc), ideal for the person only needing this capability occasionally.
Nice video. I liked the "X-Ray" idea. I think you can also turn that green Franklin LED unit vertical to catch horizontal studs and such. It might 'see' better.
You are great brother. Stumbled upon your drywall fix tutorial and I must say… you make it CLEAR!!! I subscribed.
Really good indicators for each project at home. It was a good video to learn each one, thanks!
Excellent, you gave me the confidence to make my decision. I got the cheap magnetic ones and the walabot. That way I can have a physical marker as well as a mental marker.
great work on your videos, I wish I had the space to do some of the vid's you do on my channel. I like the clean look you are getting, very concise and clear cut. I have been working on getting better on my video's to get the feel you are getting. Thanks. I've put you on my Featured List of my channel, I don't have the following you have, but hopefully it will steer some more traffic to you.
Mate, that was bloody brilliant! Well done.
Best video I've seen so for on the subject. Thank you!!
The CH Hanson is hands down the best for installing cabinets. For me. That or a very powerful neodymium magnet. Those electronic ones (all) never seem to work right in my experience and the other tradesmen I’ve talked to. Great video for explaining this! I also like the ghost view of the studs! Keep up this kind of content!
Nice video and thanks for taking the time. I find in modern drywall construction that my tool bag magnet is the best choice. Any drywall team worth their salt get the screws in the middle of the stud and the magnet leaves little to interpretation. My challenge is 150 year old plaster walls. I never have the advantage of knowing what's in the wall before hand and find stud finders add a lot of confusion. On top of what you've outlined, there may be shielded wire, buried boxes, heating pipes, miscellaneous blocking, construction debris not to mention just a large mass of plaster. A stud finder that can add clarity to that is worth paying for (a lot). Not trying to hate and thanks again for putting together a very nice video.
I have the magnetic one. Use it in commercial work where metal studs are used.
I always wanted to see one of the walabots work. Thank you very much.
Thanks so much for the work you put into this! Very informative and a great presentation!
I want to be exact, as the cost of repairing a mistake of electrical/plumbing/wall damage/re-paint-re-stain, (and the time lost) I'll spend the money on the Walabot any day of the week. This is a super great video. MANY thanks.
Fascinating. I know now which type I’ll be purchasing. Thank for the review.
I have always wanted to see a real time review of the Walabot. When it first came out, it was very expensive. Its great to see the cost has dropped and woyld be my choice of the ultimate stud finder.
You won't believe how much the cost has increased! Now $190.00 on Amazon!
Awesome presentation and imaging effects here! This aids me with my decision making. Thank you!
Ditto
Great demo, I would love to see one with 1 1/2" drywall.
Hansen magnet is my favorite by far. It’s always worked for me. I’ve used some of the digital stud finders. Never worked that consistently for me.
I was looking for some sort of sonar thing, thank you so much
I have the Zircon HD 900 and it does it all. Stud Scan, Deep Scan, Metal Scan and AC Scan. It works on plaster walls as well as drywall. It's costly too but safety is everything.
This is great, setting up a real life type of situation to test the stud finders 👏🏻 awesome!
Most instructional and helpful video I’ve ever seen on YT thanks man
Bought the Zircon today. Used it with no issues. I only a stud and that was a great thing! Cost=$19.95 at Lowe's.
Mark the edges with the zircon then screw in the middle. It's the most consistent way for me. I've hung thousands of tvs. It has a little trouble sometimes in old houses with plaster but I keep a magnet or different stud finder to help.
From my experience drywall screws are typically placed much closer together shown in the video. I use the Franklin and Hanson, but the walbot is very interesting
Thank you for the demo. I'm using your link to make my purchase.
Great video! Agree with everything Neil Hendricks said about this vid.
Thanks for making a great straight forward informative video. I am now a subscriber.
Thank you for this excellent review, very professional!.
I'm a fan of the magnetic one. It not only can be used for stud finding it is handy to have a magnet in your tool box. It can be used for retrieving stuff. I also used it when I was trying to make sure there weren't any nails present in a surface I was going to mortise. I don't think there are any solutions for lath and plaster walls except the tapping approach which I was never great at. If I was still doing a lot of handyman type work I would get the wall a bot immediately.
I’m always worried I’m going to drill into a wire going through a stud. I’ve also been looking at walabots, and now that I have a spare android phone handy, might actually get one (through your link). Good video!
Nowadays, there’s Zircon M1 available at Home Depot for around $30. It detects plastic, metal pipes and even ac wires, apart from studs and metal screws
Great video. Very illustrative. Nice to see pros and cons of each. Thanks. GREAT JOB!
Excellent review and professional video. Especially liked the transparent wall technique. Well done! Thank you.
Stud knows stud finders! Really though, the WAY to Produce instructional Videos! Truly a stud!
Suuper helpful! loved the X-ray overlay! thanks a lot!
I use a strong rare earth magnet to find nails or screws that are driven into the studs.
There's a thought! Thanks! 👍😉
I think this is the best way too. I wish they sold those half dollar size earth magnets (aka neodymium) with rubber on the sides not against the wall and some kind of retractable string or some way to avoid losing it. That’s probably the only thing I dislike about the strong magnets the most. If I’m not paying attention it’s will grab something metal and get lost.
Thanks for your work, great comparison
Thank you and it’s very useful information!
Fantastic Presentation!!! Very Professional
Absolutely top quality video and explanation. I hope you get over a million subscribers. You truly deserve it.
Excellent job explaining each product, I actually had doubts about the walabot I’ve read some of the reviews concerning it but after watching your video I’ll invest in getting one, I live in NYC and I do mostly home projects and I have an an older version zircon unit which served well for what I had to do !!!, the walabot price is $189 but thanks again for doing an amazing video.
Thank you. Helpful information. Until now, I did not know that my Zircon unit (bought 4/29/2014) has deep scan also. Thank you again.
I have the Franklin, the Zircon, some others, BUT the best one is CH HANSON for finding studs when you have to scew something on the wall. Nothing beat rare earth magnets to find screws already there on studs/drywalls. Go for the easier way!
Every morning my mirror finds a stud.
@Castlebury21 Lol!!
@Castlebury21 🤤🤤
Teehee! So, what'ch saying is, You're, semi-visually attractive, however, your smarts, and humor make up for this..!? 😉
Al Romero My wife calls me every day when she arrives safely to work. One day I pretended she was a girlfriend. I told her to stop calling, I was happily married and the wife would beat her up..... wife loved it. She never knows what I will say next. I have the best wife and marriage ever to exist. And she puts up with my stupid jokes. Lol
😂😂😂🙌👏👍
Good video. One improvement could have been to put some plywood sheathing on the back of part of the wall. Exterior sheathing can interfere with stud finders so it would be nice to know which ones are accurate in that scenario.
Awesome video. Loved the detail and speed of the video. I used ur link to buy from amazon. Was wondering about the black and decker stud finder with red light laser.
This was an excellent instructional video. Like many of the other commenters here I appreciate the lack of loud background music and the xray image was very cool and useful. I was especially interested in the Zircon; however, they actually have several different models (about 5, I think) and I was wondering if you could do a video where you show the differences amongst them and where they are useful. Or is this just a way for Zircon to take more money out of our hands for little net effect. Thanks again for the informative video.
The best stud finder is a strong magnet. It will find all the heads of the drywall nails. As you find the heads, place a small piece of masking tape. In a couple of minutes you can find all the nails and that will show you the location of the wood behind the Drywalls
Owned/used a zircon for years. Considering the price coupled with some common sense it does the trick.
Important thing to note when using it,,, DO NOT touch the wall with your free hand while using it, I'm not positive why but it will create false reading. (Grounded,??)
1/2" drywall is easy to find studs in. A lot of houses built from as early as 1900 to about 1965 have "rock lath" walls, consisting of 3/8" gypsum board, coated with a layer of mortar, then a layer of finish plaster. I'd like to see a test on that. FWIW, metal conduit is rare in residential construction. When it's used, it's mostly surface mount. The Walbot is pretty impressive! The Zircon looked pretty good. I had an older Zircon that I wasn't crazy about. This new version looks like it might be better. The price is right. When I'm specifically looking for nails or screws, I use a small rare earth magnet. That trick only works if they're relatively near the surface.
@IncognitoTorpedo Yep, I still have not found a good detector that works through plaster and lath.
Walabot rocks! had mine for 3yrs now, and its never failed!
Great review. I have the CH Hanson rare earth magnet stud finder. It's a great handy little gadget I bring with me at all times when I work on my rental properties. I also have the Franklin linear LED stud sensor. It's the easiest one to use by far, but it's not infallible. I also used to have a Zircon, but I gave up on the Zircon after using the much easier to use Franklin. I found the Zircon to be really challenged by surface imperfections on the sheetrock or plaster. Your video convinces me to put the Walabot on my shopping list for the future. The Walabot is probably the best overall based on your video, but it's also the most cumbersome to use. The bottomline is each of these sensors has its own unique strengths. I'd say if one can afford them all, buy them all.
One of the best produced videos on youtube! I have tried many over the years including the Zircon, Franklin, Walabot and the magnetic one. However I have what was once a 500 sq ft cabin on a lake in built in ~1945 that was expanded and renovated several times to 1200 sq ft. There is knotty pine under the drywall in nearly all of the original part of the house, window framing was covered with drywall in several areas, etc.. I won't even mention the fact that there is not one level surface or square corner in the place . . oops I guess I did mention it.
Anyway NONE of the stud finders work worth a damn. 'Deep scan' and 'x-ray' are a joke. I had high hopes for the Walabot but ended up almost throwing it on the floor and smashing my phone along with it but instead I threw it in a box and returned it to Amazon. Even on the newer parts of the home with more modern (mid 1980s) construction I find that they are constantly needing re-calibration over and over again. So in a word I would have to say they all suck when you need them and I end up playing hit or miss with a screw gun and a bucket of plaster patch to follow up with.
Nad Ragaw I have same experience with these 3 products. Walabot holding out on for the reasons you state. Hanson is surprising my most used for simple studs. All my walls have injection foam - not hollow. Very difficult for any of them to work. Seems a true XRay vision product called Clark Kent is needed.
What we need is a dedicated radar device which Zircon was supposed to have by now.
Depending on sensing method(s), the wires may need to be live (EMI, unless speaker wire) and the water pipe full (conductive solid fluid, unless for drainage)
This is absolutely a top-quality video and buying information/explanation. I hope you get over a million subscribers. You truly deserve it. Thanks a lot!!
Thanks so much, Bob! You're very kind :)
That Franklyn is hands down the best imo. 1 thing I like about it is it’s not a stud finder. It’s an “anything finder”. You can look through plywood subfloor to find the floor joists. Not sure why it didn’t find the plumbing here cause I find plumbing with mine everyday. And the directions say it’s set to find irregularities, not just wood so there’s no reason to slight it for thinking the electrical was a stud.
As a commercial electrician the best stud finder I have found is a very strong magnet. It is small and can be keeped in yourself in your tool pouch. All the other fancy gimmicks are just that
the franklin sensors make a smaller model called the t6 and its $25 and i love it. so accurate, only issue is it detects wires and stuff the same as studs so you gotta be more careful
Love my zircons! Been using them for many many years.. still work... you learn over time that the odd blips are indicators of something that’s not a stud even wo the deep scan model it will indicate something is near by. As for the walabot.. my phone is usually hooked to a radio when I’m working lol. Still pretty nice though. No clue why you would want to scan concrete though? Electrical, plumbing etc isn’t ran inside concrete walls (except some very rare specialty types of prefab commercial systems) it’s ran under the sheet rock in the face from either the ceiling or floor. Occasionally there is an inside out penetration but those will be obvious and you’ll be able to see them most times anyways. Normally there will be one plumbing and one electric main through the block wall then everything else is ran up to the attic then down inside each wall as needed.
Add- peck along with a hammer and listen for the tone change - drive a small finish nail to test spot - then measure over... most are along outside of switches/outlets & window openings
The Florida pool pump motor repair guy approved ! that was good info
I bought a ceiling fan that said 5 minute install. It took 5 hrs & 5 minutes. The problem was the joist was too far away . and the extension brace wasn’t long enough to reach the other joist. So I cut blocks of 2x4 to stack to the joist until the the fan support fit. The hole in the ceiling was just big enough to get my Dewalt impact drill up first then my hand. Then my wife bought ceiling hung pot racks. Got inventive again, back to Home Depot. Bought a 12’ 1x2 cut it half secured them to the ceiling 11” center parallel. Used the left over ceiling paint, patched the counter sunk screws. Hung the pot holders. My wife loves to cook but the kitchen was too hot for her sometimes & not much storage and the lighting was nasty yellowish we recessed fluorescent lighting. We boxed in where the fixture was had a master electrician run new wiring and then a sheet rocker do his art work.Then me, put in two tract lighting fixtures. Wa la easy money.
Great presentation, thank you!
I have plaster lath walls with 3/8" drywall on top. The only stud finder that can accurately find the studs in my house is the Franklin stud finder.
the walabot has a lath function.
The CT Hanson was by far the best stud finder in this grouping. It found a stud 100%, never gave false positives, and is by far the cheapest.