The best stud finders
Hang a TV, a shelf or a heavy mirror on a stud wall without guesswork: five stud finders compared on what they detect, how deep and what powers them.
A stud finder is for hollow walls: plasterboard fixed to a frame of timber or metal studs. Screws hold best in the studs, and knowing where cables and pipes run behind the board matters just as much before drilling.
There are two kinds. A magnetic finder like the StudBuddy simply sticks where the screws holding the plasterboard are; it needs no batteries but warns of nothing else. Electronic finders sense the change in density as they pass over a stud, and most also scan for metal and live cables. Zircon, for one, says its warning picks up live, unshielded wiring, so a cable that’s switched off won’t register.
What matters
- What it finds: studs, metal, and a warning for live cables.
- Depth: about 30–38mm for studs on the electronic finders.
- Power: magnets need none; electronic finders take AAA, AA or 9V batteries.
- Display: LEDs, a screen or a light pointer to mark the spot.
#1 of 5
Best overall
Bosch Professional GMS 120-27 Wall Scanner
£100.15 RRP
A builder’s scanner that names what it has found, whether magnetic metal, copper, a live cable or a timber stud, and picks up copper pipe up to 120mm deep. The shock-absorbing rubber casing and IP54 dust and splash rating are made for building sites.
What owners say: Owners say it feels solidly built and gives them a useful check on a wall before drilling.
A closer look: It always looks for metal and live cables; press the wood button to add timber studs to the scan. When the ring turns red, mark through the hole in the middle, which sits over the centre of whatever it has found. The marker pen comes in the box.
- Wood, metal and live cables
- Tells you what it has found
- Copper to 120mm, cables to 50mm
- Marking hole with LED ring
- IP54, 2 AA batteries included
Best for: Knowing what’s in the wall
- Wooden studs
- Yes
- Metal scan
- Yes
- Live-wire warning
- Yes
- Stud depth
- Up to 30mm
- Batteries
- 2 x AA, included
- Display
- LED ring, material icons
#2 of 5
Best value
Zircon MultiScanner A200
£50–£75 Price range
Three scan modes, for studs, thicker walls and metal, with a live-cable warning in all of them and a SpotLite that shines an arrow onto the wall over the find. Zircon made the first electronic stud finders, from a 1977 design that used a capacitor to sense changes in a wall’s density.
What owners say: Owners rate its accuracy and build, find it easy to use, and like being able to trace pipes before drilling.
Heads up: It runs on a 9V battery, which isn’t in the box, so add one to the order.
A closer look: Hold it flat against the wall and slide it slowly; its auto-correcting feature copes if a scan starts over a stud. Switch to DeepScan for thicker boards, and pencil the spot through its lit V-shaped groove.
- StudScan and DeepScan to 38mm
- Metal scan: copper 38mm, rebar 75mm
- Live-wire warning to 50mm
- SpotLite arrow pointer
- Backlit LCD screen
Best for: Studs, pipes and cables
- Wooden studs
- Yes
- Metal scan
- Yes
- Live-wire warning
- Yes
- Stud depth
- Up to 38mm (DeepScan)
- Batteries
- 9V, not included
- Display
- Backlit LCD, light pointer
#3 of 5
Franklin Sensors ProSensor M150
£30–£50 Price range
Nine sensors under a row of 15 LEDs light up the whole width of a stud at once, double studs included, with no calibration: press the button and start scanning anywhere, even over a stud.
What owners say: Owners like that it points out live cables as well as studs, and find it straightforward to use.
Heads up: It needs two alkaline AAA batteries, which aren’t included; Franklin says rechargeables won’t work.
A closer look: Keep the button held down while sliding it along the wall. The middle LED turns green over the centre of a stud, the spot to mark for a screw, and a yellow lightning-bolt light is its warning of a live cable.
- 9 sensors, 15 LEDs
- Shows the full stud width
- Wood and metal studs to 38mm
- Live-wire warning
- No calibration needed
Best for: Seeing the whole stud
- Wooden studs
- Yes
- Metal scan
- No
- Live-wire warning
- Yes
- Stud depth
- Up to 38mm
- Batteries
- 2 x AAA, not included
- Display
- 15 LEDs
#4 of 5
Best budget
The StudBuddy Magnetic Stud Finder
£10–£20 Price range
No batteries and nothing to calibrate: slide it across the wall and its neodymium magnets stick where the screws or nails go into a stud, then it hangs there while you mark the spot or put something up.
What owners say: Owners find it simple and effective on plasterboard walls, like that it needs no batteries, and say it sticks well to the wall once it finds a screw.
A closer look: Plasterboard is screwed along the length of each stud, so once it sticks, slide it up or down to find the next screw and confirm the line. It’s made for plasterboard walls, not older lath and plaster, and it won’t warn of cables or pipes.
- No batteries needed
- Neodymium magnets
- Finds screws in wood or metal studs
- Hangs on the wall
- Plastic that won’t mark walls
Best for: Simple, battery-free
- Wooden studs
- Via screws and nails
- Metal scan
- No
- Live-wire warning
- No
- Stud depth
- Screws under plasterboard
- Batteries
- None needed
- Display
- None (magnetic)
#5 of 5
HANMATEK SF1 Stud Finder
£20–£30 Price range
A screen that shows how deep a find is, in inches or millimetres, with modes for wood, metal and live cables and a centre finder, and a 9V battery and a carry pouch in the box.
What owners say: Owners say it’s simple to pick up and use, and handy to have in the drawer for DIY jobs around the house.
A closer look: Calibrate it on a patch of wall with no nails, cables or metal behind it, as HANMATEK advises, or the readings will be off. It switches itself off after five minutes without use, which saves the battery between jobs.
- Wood, metal and live-wire modes
- Depth shown on the LCD
- Inch or mm readout
- Centre finding
- 9V battery and pouch included
Best for: Depth readings
- Wooden studs
- Yes
- Metal scan
- Yes
- Live-wire warning
- Yes
- Stud depth
- Up to 38mm
- Batteries
- 9V, included
- Display
- LCD with depth readout
How they compare
| Feature | #1Bosch GMS 120-27 | #2Zircon A200 | #3Franklin M150 | #4StudBuddy | #5HANMATEK SF1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Best value | Best budget | |||
| Picked Rating | 8.7 | 8.6 | 8.5 | 8.4 | 8.0 |
| Price | £100.15 RRP | £50–£75 Price range | £30–£50 Price range | £10–£20 Price range | £20–£30 Price range |
| Wooden studs | Yes | Yes | Yes | Via screws and nails | Yes |
| Metal scan | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Live-wire warning | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Stud depth | Up to 30mm | Up to 38mm (DeepScan) | Up to 38mm | Screws under plasterboard | Up to 38mm |
| Batteries | 2 x AA, included | 9V, not included | 2 x AAA, not included | None needed | 9V, included |
| Display | LED ring, material icons | Backlit LCD, light pointer | 15 LEDs | None (magnetic) | LCD with depth readout |
| Best for | Knowing what’s in the wall | Studs, pipes and cables | Seeing the whole stud | Simple, battery-free | Depth readings |
| Check price | View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon |
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