Best Overall
Franklin Sensors ProSensor M90 Professional Stud Finder
- Performance5/5
- Design5/5
- Ease of Use4.9/5
- Value5/5
- It’s accurate and easy to use.
It’s accurate and easy to use.
- It wasn’t able to detect PVC pipe under any of the tested surfaces.
It wasn’t able to detect PVC pipe under any of the tested surfaces.
Overall, the Franklin Sensors ProSensor is our top pick. During testing, it detected studs behind all three wall surfaces—plaster, drywall, and paneling—easily and accurately. In fact, it found the studs on the first pass. The metal studs were discovered the quickest, though it wasn’t able to detect any PVC pipes.
You won't find various modes on this electrical stud finder, but that’s not a bad thing—in fact, it just makes it even easier to use, which is great for newbie DIYers. It doesn’t need any calibration; all you have to do is hold it horizontally up against the wall—we did find that this might be a bit awkward if you have small hands.
This stud finder features multiple LED lights and sensors that illuminate when you’re at the center of the stud, so slow and steady passes are recommended for better accuracy. We think this pick was a good value based on ease and accuracy in doing its primary purpose. The stud finder was lightweight and comfortable to hold, so it's a good tool to have at the ready if you are doing more extensive projects.
Product Details: Type: Electronic | Weight: 0.44 pounds | Additional Features: 9 sensors and 9 enhanced precision LEDs lights, simultaneous center, and edge detection
Key Terms to Know
- Magnetic Stud Finders: These picks use a magnet to detect metal studs and other materials, like pipes, that are behind a wall.
- Electronic Stud Finders: Using an electric options makes it easy to sense a wider range of materials behind a wall, like wiring and PVC pipes.
- BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / HENRY WORTOCK
BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / HENRY WORTOCK
Best Heavy-Duty
Bosch Digital Multi-Scanner
- Performance4.8/5
- Design5/5
- Ease of Use5/5
- Value4/5
- It has three detection modes and it is easy to switch between each.
It has three detection modes and it is easy to switch between each.
- It’s more expensive than other options.
It’s more expensive than other options.
Overall, we found the Bosch Digital Multi-Scanner easy to use and to be the best option for heavy-duty projects. There are three different modes of detection—wood/PVC, metal, and electrical—and all it takes is a push of a button to switch between them.
The electric stud finder has a display screen with bars to show when you’ve detected the center of a stud—the more bars that appear, the closer you are to the center of the stud. The ring light also helps determine what’s beneath the wall—it stays green when there’s nothing detected, then turns to yellow as you’re getting closer, and then finally it beeps, flashes red, and says “center” when it comes across its mark.
Although it’s more expensive than other options, we found it was successful in detecting materials behind all three wall surfaces, so you’ll be able to use the stud finder around your home. For best accuracy, the trick is to pass it over the studs from right to left several times so that the sensors can recognize the edges of the stud and pinpoint its center.
Product Details: Type: Electronic | Weight: 1.1 pounds | Additional features: Continuous self-calibration, center finder, 3 detection modes, LCD display
- BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / HENRY WORTOCK
BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / HENRY WORTOCK
Best for Wood Studs
Vivreal 4-in-1 Wall Scanner
- Performance4.8/5
- Design4.5/5
- Ease of Use5/5
- Value5/5
- It finds wood studs quickly and easily with one pass.
It finds wood studs quickly and easily with one pass.
- It was less accurate with metal studs and couldn’t detect pipe.
It was less accurate with metal studs and couldn’t detect pipe.
Overall, we found the Vivreal Wall Scanner quite easy to use and the best choice for wood studs—a helpful feature when framing an interior wall. You do need to calibrate it, but it takes just a few seconds and you’re good to go. It quickly detected wooden studs and electrical wires behind the wall—it typically took just a single pass.
For wood studs especially, we found it worked regardless of whether you dragged it along the wall slowly or quickly. Although the stud finder is accurate in determining the location and width of the wood studs, it is less sure when it comes to detecting metal studs. It’s also not able to detect copper pipes.
Overall, the stud finder is lightweight and fits comfortably in one hand. Plus, to change between different stud detection modes, all you have to do is just flip the switch.
Product Details: Type: Electronic | Weight: 0.34 pounds | Additional Features: Deep scanning mode, auto-calibration, LCD display, and sound warning
- BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / HENRY WORTOCK
BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / HENRY WORTOCK
Best for Copper
Dewalt 1-1/2 in. Stud Finder
- Performance5/5
- Design4.8/5
- Ease of Use5/5
- Value5/5
- It doesn’t require calibration to find copper pipes.
It doesn’t require calibration to find copper pipes.
- It also only identifies the stud’s center, not the edges.
It also only identifies the stud’s center, not the edges.
Not all stud finders are made the same, so you need to choose one that is appropriate for detecting the materials you want to find (or avoid) in your wall. If you’d rather not set off a plumbing catastrophe by drilling into copper pipes, this Dewalt Stud Finder is the one you want.
There’s no calibration necessary for this electronic stud finder—all you have to do is install the batteries and you’re set. The Dewalt was able to locate the center of each stud no matter what type of surface it was on. It only took a single pass, too, though we found that it will only find the center and not the edges of the stud.
It was able to easily and consistently detect copper piping, though it did not recognize PVC pipes. There’s no need to switch between different modes; the stud finder is able to identify metal or wood studs automatically, and the same goes for wires. For a more accurate reading, it does help to move the stud finder slowly as opposed to quickly across the surface; when you do, the device lights up and beeps.
Product Details: Type: Electronic | Weight: Not listed | Additional features: Center marking channel, detection arrows, continuous calibration, and audible alerts
- BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / HENRY WORTOCK
BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / HENRY WORTOCK
Best for Wires
Mecurate Stud Finder
- Performance4.5/5
- Design5/5
- Ease of Use5/5
- Value5/5
- It has a deep detection mode for thicker walls.
It has a deep detection mode for thicker walls.
- With the exception of plaster, the scanner didn’t offer consistent readings during testing.
With the exception of plaster, the scanner didn’t offer consistent readings during testing.
Drilling into a wall without concern for the electrical wiring behind it could turn a DIY project into a disaster. That’s why you need a wall scanner, like this one from Mecurate, that can scan for wires as well as studs. You will have to recalibrate the stud finder each time you use it, but it only takes a few seconds to do it.
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. We did find, however, that not all readings were consistent during testing.
There are four modes of wall detection: wood stud, metal stud, deep mode (for thicker walls), and AC (wires). The tester found the edge and center detection feature to be very useful, especially when arrows on the display light up to point to the center of the stud. It beeps, too, so it’s quite easy to see what you’re detecting.
The display also features a battery indicator, which turned out to be helpful as the tester did have to replace the battery during testing—keep that in mind if you plan to use this stud detector often.
Product Details: Type: Electronic | Weight: 0.57 pounds | Additional Features: 5 modes (stud, deep, AC, metal, and buzzer alarm mode) and backlit LCD display
- BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / HENRY WORTOCK
BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / HENRY WORTOCK
Best Magnetic
CH Hanson 03040 Magnetic Stud Finder
- Performance5/5
- Design5/5
- Ease of Use4.8/5
- Value5/5
- The unit was able to detect both metal studs and screws within wood studs through every type of surface we tested.
The unit was able to detect both metal studs and screws within wood studs through every type of surface we tested.
- Though the compact option was easy to hold, it may be difficult for those with larger hands.
Though the compact option was easy to hold, it may be difficult for those with larger hands.
Sometimes basic is best for tools, which is indeed the case for this magnetic stud finder from CH Hanson. We found that it was able to detect metal studs within a few seconds. It was also adept at finding screws embedded in wooden studs, though take slower passes for greater accuracy if this is the case in your home.
When it comes to this stud finder, it doesn’t matter what type of walls you have. During testing, we found this stud finder to be effective on drywall, paneling, and plaster. Where it failed was in detecting copper piping, wires, and PVC piping, but keep in mind it simply wasn’t designed for this purpose.
There’s no calibration needed, so this stud finder will always be ready to do its job. It has a loop in the center so you can hang a plumb bob—a step that may or may not be necessary for your wall installation or project—plus a level for accurate and even hanging.
The compact option was easy to hold overall, though it may be difficult for those with larger hands. There aren’t any other features, but for a basic magnetic stud finder, we think it does its job quite well.
Product Details: Type: Magnetic | Weight: Not listed | Additional features: N/A
- BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / HENRY WORTOCK
BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / HENRY WORTOCK
Easiest to Use
Franklin Sensors ProSensor 710 Professional Stud Finder
- Performance5/5
- Design5/5
- Ease of Use4.8/5
- Value4/5
- It was able to detect both metal and wood studs under all tested surfaces.
It was able to detect both metal and wood studs under all tested surfaces.
- It’s more expensive than other options.
It’s more expensive than other options.
Stud finders aren’t the hardest tool to use, but if you’re just getting the hang of hanging things in your home, it helps to have one that’s super simple. Overall, the Franklin Sensors 710 Professional Stud Finder is the best product to consider for those who have never used a stud finder before.
There’s no calibration needed for this electric stud finder, which easily detects both metal and wood studs regardless of the wall material. The display lights up to indicate both the center and the sides of the stud. It was accurate whether swiped quickly across the wall or slowly, though again, we recommend slow swipes for best accuracy.
It did have some trouble detecting PVC piping—it had an easier time if the pipes were next to metal studs as opposed to wooden ones—and it did not detect the electric cords at all. Still, it’s good at finding actual studs, and its accuracy and ease of use make it deserving of a spot in your toolbox.
Product Details: Type: Electronic | Weight: 0.52 pounds | Additional Features: 13 sensors for multiple studs, simultaneous detection of center and edge, and no calibration required
BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / HENRY WORTOCK
Best Budget Magnetic
The StudBuddy Magnetic Stud Finder
- Performance4.3/5
- Design4/5
- Ease of Use5/5
- Value3/5
- It’s compact, lightweight, and easy to hold.
It’s compact, lightweight, and easy to hold.
- It doesn’t have any additional features, unlike some similar styles.
It doesn’t have any additional features, unlike some similar styles.
Stud finders are useful, but you might not have to use them very often. That’s why we like this very basic yet very budget-friendly StudBuddy Magnetic Stud Finder. Overall, we found that it’s a simple and quite effective tool.
It was able to find the studs easily, though we found that the device had to be directly over the screw for it to recognize it. While using, you’ll want to do slow passes across the wall for better accuracy. We also recommend moving the stud finder in a zig-zag formation since it’s only able to detect the screws or nails in the wall, not the studs themselves.
The StudBuddy is small, lightweight, and perfect to pop into your pocket when you’re working on a project. But at the end of the day, it’s really just a piece of plastic with two small magnets on it—no light-up displays or beeps here to help you find studs.
This pick is the best stud finder if you’re going to occasionally hang a picture or wall decor. If you’re looking to find wiring and pipes or hang something expensive like a flat-screen TV, however, you might want to “splurge” on a stud finder that has broader detection ability and other additional features.
Product Details: Type: Magnetic | Weight: 0.1 pounds | Additional Features: N/A
- BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / HENRY WORTOCK
BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / HENRY WORTOCK