What To Look For in a Stud Finder
The best stud finder should take all the guesswork out of checking for wall studs behind plasterboard walls and searching for electrical wire. The main stud finder feature to look out for is the number of detection modes. The best stud finder will be able to detect both ferrous and non-ferrous metals, wood or metal studs and live electrical wires. Not all electronic stud finders are built to detect all these modes. The maximum depth of scan for each mode is a big factor and it can vary between models.
An LED indicator will indicate when you are close to your target – some stud finders come with 3 LED lights and others with one. And the stud finder you choose should definitely incorporate an audio alarm – thankfully most of them do. The best stud finders come with an auto-calibration feature so you don’t have to reset your stud finder before using it every time. Finally, although most models come with batteries supplied there are a few stud finders that don’t, so factor this in when comparing prices.
For me, I wouldn’t start drilling into plaster walls without a stud finder, so I’ve brought together the best ones available right now. Here’s what I found out…