Wall scanners: three electronic stud finders from $60 down to $14

Tools of the Trade, July-August, 2002 by Rick Schwolsky

I don't know about you, but for some reason my stud-seeking abilities with a hammer are decreasing. The old "tap tap tap" turns into "miss miss miss" the older I get. Either they don't frame them the way they used to, or I need help. So I turned to electronic gadgetry (no, not a hearing aid) to get myself back on course, and chose these three electronic stud finders to try out. I picked them based on features and price; testing one in each price range. Here's what I found.

Zircon MultiScanner[TM] Pro

The next best thing to radar vision, this easy-to-use scanner uses four settings to find wood, metal, and live AC wires in walls, floors, and ceilings. Between the LCD window graphic, light-beam pointer, and audio signal that identify framing members from edge to edge--it's hard to miss. The deep scan mode senses wood or metal through materials up to 1 1/2-inches thick--handy for finding floor joists--and 1/2-inch rebar in concrete up to 3 inches thick. An AC icon warns of live wires no matter what you're looking for. And the AC setting locates wiring within 6 inches laterally behind 2-inch thick material. You can actually locate and trace the path a wire takes to switches and outlets. Handy on/off thumb switch and easy calibration complete the package.

MultiScanner[TM] Pro: $59.99. Zircon Corp; (800) 245-9265; www.zircon.com. Circle #219.

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Stanley IntelliSensor Pro 77-220

Stanley's scanner checks for wood, metal, and live wires, but is not as graphics-based as Zircon's, and uses various combinations of flashing LED lights and audio signals to identify the material. Calibration is easy for wood, but harder for metal---and confusing wiring. You've found wood when green light flashes while the four red lights come on, and the audio signal double-beeps. Metal causes the same signals, and the yellow "metal" indicator lights up. Run across a live wire and the red lights cascade while the signal triple-beeps. You have to activate the "live-wire" feature, and it would be a good idea to have this on all the time. Pin marker and pencil hole let you mark your target once you find it.

IntelliSensor[TM] Pro 77-220: $19.99. The Stanley Works; (800) 782-6539; www.the stanleyworks.com. Circle #220.

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Gardner Bender Stud Seeker[TM] GSS-500

If you're simply looking for studs, you can't get much more basic or easy to use than this one. Gardner Bender's Stud Seeker[TM] fits in your tool pouch or shirt pocket and can locate wood and metal framing lurking behind drywall, plywood, and flooring up to 3/4-inches thick. One button turns the tool on and calibrates it. Move it across a surface, and the LED lights up when you hit the edge of a stud--and stays lit until you cross the other edge. Stud Seeker 6SS500: $14. Gardner Bender; (800) 624-4320; www.gardnerbender.com. Circle #221.

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