I own the Franklin Sensor and a couple of Stanley ones as well as a Zircon
whats the best stud finder others are finding I have found the Franklin to be the most reliable for me but if someone knows a better one I would be interested in looking
Occasionally I have to find studs with Soundbar or 2 sheets of 5/8 drywall and I have not found anything that consistently does this
I have used many zircons at work and they work well. Granted i dont use them āprofessionallyā as in i dont make my living using them. But i have this one stupid ryobi stud finder at my house which is my go to for home projects. Itās like 14 years old with the same 9v battery and keeps on ticking. I have to say its my most trusted stud finder lol.
While i didnt answer your question i thought iād share lol.
Iāve installed home theater systems for 20 years and have always used Zircon. Also some tips and tricks: studs tend to be 16" centers find a power outlet and stud should be on either side of it and measure from there, thump test is listen to the wall as you thump across it, use painters tape on finished walls to make layout, and if you just canāt find the below buggers use these http://www.toggler.com/products/snaptoggle/overview.php Iāve mounted 50" plasmas with them! But to be honest a sound bar is rather light weight and regular wall anchors work fine.
Another trick is to mout the sound bar to the TV itself, use the bottom mounting holes of the TV and use car stereo backstraps or use pipe hanging straps (may need to double or triple up) but this way you get a nice tight all in one TV and sound bar fit. https://goo.gl/photos/thibdQ4xPwVpFT5Z9 not a sound bar but you get the idea. Hereās one with sound bar https://goo.gl/photos/8ghZoCUdYtj8ezMNA and another. https://goo.gl/photos/ASZ6od2DVkpUX13dA
To expand on what @cr8ondt says, short of peering inside the wall yourself, I think the best way to make use of a stud finder is to become familiar with the way that houses are framed. A little bit of knowledge about how plumbing and electrical are run wouldnāt hurt either.
Most stud finders are pretty dumb and just show areas where the signal reflects back differently than an open cavity, even the ones that claim to be able to distinguish between a metal pipe and a stud can be fooled. Knowing the context, are you under or over an opening, is there a bathroom on the other side of the wall, etcā¦ will help you to determine what is going on --possibly better than buying better stud finder.
By soundbar I meant the sound proofing bars that are placed between the drywall and studs creating a 1/2" void between the stud and drywall
Iāve just got a cheap Stanley stud finder, but I often end up using small rare earth magnets to find the drywall screws in the studs. Theyāre strong enough that running them back and forth against the wall in a suspected stud area will allow them to grab on and hold if Iām using just a fingertip to move them. Then I can set up a āboundaryā box of several magnets marking stud locations, all without having to mark up the wall.
I agree with Benjamen though, knowing how walls are framed is one of the biggest enabling factors for being able to use a stud finder well.
If the framers that built my house ten years ago had known how to use a tape measure, level or speed square then it would also make finding studs a lot easier. I know where they are supposed to beā¦
If you have 50 yr old drywall like my house, just look for the puckered out nailsā¦
@Jacob_Edmond lmao my house is 96, lath+plaster in 50% and 1/4 drywall elsewhere, boy do I have some work! On the plus side the walls Iāve opened are all real 2x4 on 16s and no mortgage, its paid for!
Well, if weāre talking age, this is my house in the UK, http://www.mkheritage.co.uk/hdhs/buildings/buildingResult.php?buildingID=886, I live in Canada now but we still own it. The oldest part is around 450 years old and most of the walls were lath and āplasterā actually more like mud and horse hair than plaster I think. The exterior walls are solid stone and over three feet thick (it was really interesting drilling through that to run some electricity to my garage shop when we lived there). Needless to say the chances of anything being straight or square in that place are zero! There are some interesting picture, drawings and text on that page from the local historical society who surveyed the house a few years ago.
Iāve got a Zircon that I like, I think itās this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Zircon-StudSensor-i65-Center-Finding-Finder/dp/B000TCY0E6/
Canāt find it at the moment, and I need it this weekend. * grumble *
Finding studs in tub surrounds, shower stalls, commode enclosures etc. can be a particular challenge - with the pipes, tile etc. When we were renovating baths - weād often suggest adding (screws) 3/4 marine-grade plywood under the DensShield or other backer board - even if we were not installing grab bars - with the idea that the homeowner could come in and add them later if and when needed - without worrying about where the studs were located.