Best wall stud finder

Looking for studs in all the wrong places? After investigating over 28 of the best stud finders on the market, we compared the top 12 models side-by-side. We tested for accuracy, best wall stud finder, ease of use, and features, both in isolated tests as well as while working on home projects to get a feel of their real-world performance.

We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more. Jump to a Section. To find the best stud finders, we put 30 electronic and magnetic options to the test at our testing lab in Des Moines, Iowa.

Best wall stud finder

Knowing where your studs are is crucial for hanging up heavy items, like mirrors or mounts for flat-screen TVs. Some stud finders have other features, too, like deep scanning and AC wire detection. To test all the features, we put a selection of stud finders through their paces on a wall of our own making and walls in real homes. Magnetic stud finders work by waving the magnet along the wall until it catches on the fasteners that attach drywall to the studs. Since fasteners may be spaced over a foot apart on a single stud, it may take longer to locate one with a magnetic stud finder, but this is an affordable and simple option. If the builder missed the stud, so will the magnetic stud finder. In commercial construction, where metal studs are standard, you may find magnetic stud finders more useful. Most electronic stud finders work by sending out a signal from a sensor inside, then reading the signal that bounces back. Some also identify metal pipes or electrical wires. The most advanced stud finders use technology like ground-penetrating radar, which uses radar pulses to create a subsurface image. For most occasional home uses, like hanging pictures or bathroom mirrors, a magnetic stud finder will do the trick.

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We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more. Emily Estep is a plant biologist and journalist who has worked for a variety of online news and media outlets, writing about and editing topics including environmental science and houseplants. If you plan on hanging anything over about 20 pounds in your home, you'll need a stud finder to help you locate the studs and joists you'll need to anchor into to keep things secured in place.

Best wall stud finder

Affiliate Disclosure: We may be compensated if you purchase through links on our website. Our Reviews Team is committed to delivering honest, objective, and independent reviews on home products and services. Stud finders are used to determine where the studs and fasteners in your walls are located. You can also check out our tools buying guide for more critical factors to consider when shopping for tools for your home.

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For our evaluations, we built a four-by-eight-foot wall from common materials: wood and metal studs; drywall; copper, black, pex, and PVC pipes; and nonmetallic sheathed cable. During testing, we found this stud finder to be effective on drywall, paneling, and plaster. Best Heavy-Duty:. Points were deducted if the unit needed a power button to remain pressed on, if it lacked a physical marking guide or was not easily ambidextrous, if it required multiple scans or calibration, and if the instruction guide was successful in helping us achieve our desired results. Overall, we found this stud finder easy to use and to be the best stud finder for heavy-duty projects. Over the course of two days, we used a pre-determined methodology to score each pick based on four categories: performance, design, ease of use, and value. We found that while it was able to detect studs and wires on some walls—especially plaster—with fast passes of the stud detector, slow passes were better for other types of walls and detection modes, especially deep mode. Sure enough, it worked. Best Stud Finders. Despite the various technological advancements of density scanning that many wall scanners use, there is nothing more reliable than a magnet finding a screw holding the sheetrock to the stud. Key Specs Weight 8 oz. We found the metal and AC modes worked well enough, but the stud finder tended to pick up on both from several inches away. As much as we like the display and straightedge, its design requires you to pinch the device while holding the power button. Trevor Raab Clockwise, from left : The StudBuddy Magnetic Stud Finder; plumbing and electrical features in our test wall; locating a live wire running up the side of a stud.

Hanson Magnetic Stud Finder.

If there are light fixtures, switches, and outlets on a wall, you can make an educated guess as to where the wires might be. For most occasional home uses, like hanging pictures or bathroom mirrors, a magnetic stud finder will do the trick. Every inaccurate hole we drill into a wall is a hole that has to be covered up and repainted, so accurate sensing is paramount in a decent stud finder. Zircon MultiScanner We found that it was able to detect metal studs within a few seconds. During testing, we found this stud finder to be effective on drywall, paneling, and plaster. Moreso, its unique display left no question about where a stud was or was not. Looking for studs in all the wrong places? Most Portable. Our Testing Process To find the best stud finders, we put 30 electronic and magnetic options to the test at our testing lab in Des Moines, Iowa. Was this page helpful? Best Magnetic. Best Drill Brush. Use limited data to select content. Key Specs Weight 7 oz.