STANLEY Stud Sensor S160

Product Information

This simple stud finder uses a powerful magnet instead of battery-powered sensors to identify studs, making it our top choice for magnetic stud finders. The magnet’s plastic casing is easy to hold and won’t mar or scratch the surface of the wall. Since it has no batteries or moving parts, the stud finder is always ready to use. Stud detectors are either magnetic or electronic. The latter type can be further broken down into subcategories. Magnetic Added to the finding capabilities it already has, the BullsEye also contains patented auto-leveling technology and interior line laser. That means it can locate studs, pinpoint a level orientation to an existing stud, and project a laser level across a wall for hanging and mounting.

Know your finder. There are basic stud finders out there, but there are also some that are a bit more precise. There are some stud finders that are either a center finder or an edge finder. Some are equipped to do both. Marking only one edge is a common mistake that many DIY homeowners make. Truth be told, on the consumer market your primary forms of stud finder sensors are going to be magnetic and electronic–which is completely fine, as both kinds of sensors are more than adequate for day-to-day use. The primary factor in differentiating finder types is the project you have in mind and the needs you have for that project. Always remove any obstruction relative to the area you aim to work on, regardless of how proximal any rubbish or junk is to your chosen starting point. The magnets contained in the stud finders would locate metal behind existing walls and signal to the operator that a stud was nearby. The more metal contained in the stud, the easier it was to find. As you might expect, this caused several issues: As you might have noticed, however, is that there are literally hundreds of models of stud finders. And that doesn’t even take the higher end “wall scanner” models that do so much more. Did you know that new wall finders can scan for plastic pipes? Detect live wiring?First, what do you really need the unit for? Homeowners hanging pictures don’t necessarily need a heavy-duty stud finder to hammer their nails. Likewise, a commercial contractor needs something with more sensitivity. Yes, in fact there are many apps that allow you to use your smartphone as a stud finder. However, our team found that these apps aren’t known to be nearly as accurate or trustworthy as dedicated stud finders. Note that the app may not offer as many features as a true stud finder, such as detecting live wires or leveling the surface. How far apart are studs? Center: Center finders use multiple sensors to gauge the stud’s entire width and provide you with the location of the center of the stud. Over time, the sensitivity and accuracy of magnetic sensors improved, and new methods of looking for studs behind walls began to revolutionize these devices. Types of Stud Finders Many of us don’t know it, but stud finders have been around since the early 80s. These were simple devices that used magnetic force to sense the presence of a stud behind an already-built wall. Of course, they’ve come a long way in terms of accuracy.

The longer answer is a little more involved. Before stud finders were even a thing, construction workers used the “tap” method to locate studs. Simply put, they tapped on different sections of a wall and used the sound to determine if a section was hollow or connected to a stud. A hollow section of wall was obviously stud-free, and with their knowledge of stud spacing workers could more or less figure out where to drive nails. You can learn more about how to find will studs manually here.The shift from magnetic to electronic to sound also signal an advance in sensitivity and approach. Magnetic units will detect the metal in the studs, whereas electronic and ultrasonic units can detect shifts in density between studs and empty wall cavities while they also detect the metal present. If you’re trying to hang something heavy such as a mirror or T.V., but are struggling to find a stud, we recommend finding out if there’s a proper fastener for the situation that doesn’t require a wall stud. Drywall anchors and hollow-wall anchors are two of the most common options for studless load-bearing jobs. Why isn’t my stud finder working?

Stud finders are used to determine where the studs and fasteners in your walls are located. Once you’ve located a stud, you can mount heavy and fragile objects by drilling into the stud and installing the right hanging hardware. The truth is that commercial and industrial buildings require a different level of accuracy and usability than residential homes. Coordinating miles and miles of studs, piping, and electrical wiring is difficult enough, and that’s not considering the complexity of many commercial buildings. Professionals in this industry usually look for a tool with more advanced features, and with a sensor accuracy that exceeds the typical needs of homeowners. I focused primarily on stud finders that homeowners could use for more-or-less complicated household tasks. And while many of the electronic stud finders in the above listings are powerful, they aren’t necessarily suitable for more commercial or industrial applications. Likewise, DIYers who want to cut corners on every aspect of their project might buy the cheapest finder available simply because they can’t imagine paying out for something so simple. Then they see that the accuracy they needed isn’t represented in the money they invested in their tools, and following that they run into problems.Some customers thought that the stud finder was overpriced given its simplicity What Customers Are Saying Even though Stanley makes a line of reliable power tools and accessories, there is no such thing as a perfect tool. From time to time, even the most reliable tools can break down and stop working. Your stud finder is no different. At some level, the price of such scanners puts them out of reach of homeowners. But serious builders and contractors who are looking for tools that can help them easily do their job should consider investing in a unit with more commercial uses.

And that’s fine. I’m not going to criticize something that works for others. At the same time, if I was a homeowner and a contractor needed to hang support for a heavy fixture, I wouldn’t trust the fact that they started tapping on the wall. All electronic stud finders use sensors to measure the change in density in the wall. Typically, you must place the stud finder on a part of the wall without studs to ensure it gets calibrated before sliding it across the wall to find studs. Once the finder locates a stud, the results are displayed on an LCD screen. Some more advanced stud finder models also include center-finding capabilities. These allow you to pinpoint the location of the stud edges and the center of the stud. Really good models will have a graphical interface that can show you where you are over the stud (whether it is center or edge), which makes mounting and hanging all the easier. But what is a “good” stud finder? One that finds studs, of course, but more than that it is one that does all the things that you need it to do to make your project go off without a hitch. Magnetic stud finders use large magnets to find the nails that are holding the studs together. Some magnetic stud finders we researched are molded into a plastic casing, while some are left loose. With molded ones, you can feel the magnetic attraction as you push it along the wall. With loose ones, we find you’ll hear a “thunk” noise when it finds something or see a bright piece of plastic pop up. Notably, the downside to this type of stud finder is that you can’t guarantee that it found a stud and not some other magnetic piece behind the wall. ElectronicIf you are willing to put that money up, however, this is a great unit that can serve as the go-to tool when you need it. Know the materials. Believe it or not, stud finders are not meant to be used universally. Typically, they are meant to work with plywood and drywall (which are the most common materials used in home construction). When it comes to plaster, lath, or another type of material, you may need a different solution to locate the studs. Magnets can’t detect wooden studs outside of the metal contained inside them, and because of that locating wooden studs in a home proved difficult.