Stud finders

[dgbldr]

We haven't talked about stud finders in a while. Is there anything new and better out there?

I just bought a mid-priced (about $30) Zircon that works remarkably poorly. I'm returning it.

[Overbuilders]

I have a higher end Zircon that I love. I'll get the model number later but it was about $60.

[dave_k]

Being a commercial guy I've always had the best results with a rare earth magnet on a string. I just wave it in front of the wall and see where it sticks. It works pretty good in residential finding screws then using the hammer tap as a double check but not 100% by any means. It still works well enough for me though.

[S. Donato]

CH Hanson 03040 STUD4SURE Magnetic Stud Finder

its the best. along the same lines as dave's recomendation.

see my attached photo of it finding nail/screw heads through tile.

[David Meiland]

I guess if you want to blow some money you should get the Milwaukee. If you can save yourself one tube hit on a radiant job it'll be worth it, plus... it's kinda cool.

[Hoover]

Like Dave, I like the rare earth magnets. The work perfect every time on 1/2" material, whether just taped drywall or boarded and plastered walls. In my area older houses have thicker plaster walls and on those the magnets are not very good but the stud finders are no better. A nice thing with the magnets are they stay on the wall while you nail something off or mark it.

If you have an old computer hard drive or a new one that died, you can get the rare earth magnets from there. They are usually banana shaped and in the corner.

[colevalleytim]

Big fan of the Zircon Pros, about $60

They are the only thing that I've found I can use on plaster and rock over plaster walls (more common than you'd think in SF). Not 100%, but pretty reliable. Downside, they are more fragile than I'd like.

[BeachBoy]

How well do IR Imagers work for finding studs, particularly behind plaster?

[newman]

Like Dave, I like the rare earth magnets. The work perfect every time on 1/2" material, whether just taped drywall or boarded and plastered walls. In my area older houses have thicker plaster walls and on those the magnets are not very good but the stud finders are no better. A nice thing with the magnets are they stay on the wall while you nail something off or mark it.

If you have an old computer hard drive or a new one that died, you can get the rare earth magnets from there. They are usually banana shaped and in the corner.

that's what I use - a magnet from an old harddrive. I think they're neodymium magnets - super strong!

[Hoover]

that's what I use - a magnet from an old harddrive. I think they're neodymium magnets - super strong!

Yes, playing with two of them, you can get hurt.

I have a dozen of them or so (friends in the computer biz), so I use them for all kinds of things. Work great for finding the studs under house wrap when doing hardie siding, etc. and doing whatever throw one in your pocket and if you are up on a ladder you can stick a prybar to your leg or screws, etc.

[PCFCACarpenter]

Make sure you don't put those rare earth magnets anywhere near your wallet! Those things will kill your credit cards.
I have three things I use to find studs, the first is a conventional stud finder (not sure what brand and I'm not going out to my truck to find out) that cost me about $30. It works pretty good for me but maybe it's because I don't ask too much of it.
The second is a cow pill magnet that's made into a pendulum with some tape and the third and possibly best way (but it only works with drywall that has been screwed on with a magnetic tip) is to use 4ought steel wool. Take two pieces of the steel wool in your hands and rub them together as high and as close to the wall as you can reach and the small fibers of steel that fall off will attach themselves to the screwheads that are in the wall.
I'll try to post some pics later to clarify in case my description doesn't make any sense but this really is a good way to find studs.

[FramerTK]

I use the magnets on my Stabila magnetic torpedo level. I always have it in my tool belt so it is handy. If I had to find a lot of studs,I might try something else, but for finding a few studs it works great.

[RackMaster]

CH Hanson 03040 STUD4SURE Magnetic Stud Finder

its the best. along the same lines as dave's recomendation.

see my attached photo of it finding nail/screw heads through tile.

+1 and it doesn't require batteries :)

[Spike!]

I bought the Bosch, tried it once and haven't touched it since. Complicated and unreliable.

[Kgphoto]

The cow magnet on a chain (commercially available) is the best for me. The Tot-Lok magnetic key is also pretty good. I haven't tried the Hanson, but I will check one out if I can find it.

The nice thing about the cow magnet on a chain method, is that it swings free so it easily sticks to the screw and your hands don't hold it back, then the chain hangs down to show the path of the stud.

I have never had reliable luck with the electronic versions and have bought three different price ranges.