CH Hanson 03040 Magnetic Stud Finder
by CH Hanson
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List Price: Our Price: $5.42 You Save: $10.57 (66%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Category: Tools See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of CH Hanson 03040 Magnetic Stud Finder
Customer Review: Easy to use when looking for studs behind drywall
Summary: 5 Stars
This little magnet device is exactly 3 inches long including the protruding ring, and a little over 2.5 inches otherwise. It's 1.25 inches wide. The magnet seems fairly strong.
The packaging says it contains rare earth material and while that's an interesting selling point, I doubt it has more than an irrelevant amount of rare earth metals. Rare earth metals would be too expensive to use in a material way.
In general, magnet stud finders are for locating studs behind drywall, and battery powered stud finders are for finding studs in any situation including behind plaster. If a house is genuinely old, it probably has plaster and you wouldn't be able to use this little stud finder.
There are limitations to using this stud finder even with drywall. Namely, this stud finder actually finds nails. Those nails will be in a stud to be sure, but they might not be in the middle of the stud and they are vertically spaced. Even so, this is a reliable way to locate studs. Moreover, this unit actually does stick to the wall when the magnet locates a stud, freeing up the hands to use tools, screws and such.
I think this is a great tool for its purpose. It may be overpriced considering its size, but it would not benefit from being any bigger. I recommend it for the purpose I outlined.
Customer Review: A Building Contractor's Dream
Summary: 5 Stars
Simple, straightforward, and pretty much idiotproof, this little tool is a delight to use - not only because it works, but because it's actually *fun*! The tiny little magnets are amazingly strong, and can locate the nails or screws used to hold sheetrock or lath to studs every time. Once the stud is located, the tool can be left to hang magnetically from the fastener it found and act as a guide to locate the stud in the wall using the built in level vials. I used to hate trying to locate studs in walls - now I love it! An added bonus is that the tool is small, and won't fall out of your tool box, thanks to those magnets. Also, forget about finding your stud finder can't be sued because of a dead battery, since this doesn't use any. Only possible drawback is that the small size, coupled with the fact that it will hold against the wall while you work, means the chance that it'll get left behind or covered over by a cabinet being installed. No matter - these are inexpensive enough to lose and not cry over. Great idea, CH Hanson!!Customer Review: CH Hanson 03040
Summary: 5 Stars
This stud finder was marked down to $5 the other day in a local big box store but no one was buying it. I'm such sucker for tools, and for $5, I gave it a try. Wow this is really nice! The magnets are super strong and had no problem finding nail heads right away. I have another type of magnetic detector, two other electronic stud finders and a metal detector wand for extracting nails in recycle wood but this one is my favorite for now.
To find a stud sometimes you need to use every trick in the book - magnetic, electronic, old school tapping for sound, drilling small holes and/or sticking in an inspection camera.
Both electronic stud finders, even setting for deep penetration, were useless in old buildings with lath and plaster but this Hanson 03040 did not have any problems finding iron nails attached to the studs.
Its just couple of small strong magnets in a plastic housing but it works! For $5 each, I'm going back to get a few more to leave at various job sites.
Customer Review: This is like magic!
Summary: 5 Stars
Tried a couple of electronic finders but they kept giving me results I couldn't trust. Read the reviews on this gizmo, and figured it would be worth a shot. Magic, I tell you! Of course, since it finds the nails, one assumes the nail is in a stud -- who knows some joker drywall guy just hammered random nails in to fool us! ;-)
A couple of my nephews saw me use it and now, each of the kids that visits our place wants to do a stud-finding trip around the house, giggling all the while. I have to be on top of things or they'll mark dots on all the walls where they have located nail heads.
The product arrived without packaging, so I did not have any instructions on usage, but having read others' reviews here, I already knew how to use it.
Buy this product, and it will have you smiling! Unless you don't want to become the Pied Piper of Studsville with kids trailing you whilst begging to use your Stud 4 Sure, in which case get a Zircon.
Customer Review: small and reliable
Summary: 5 Stars
This little guy, and I do mean little - it would get lost in your toolbox if it weren't for it's strong magnetic pull, is great. My apartment is a mishmash of crap behind the drywall. Shoddy construction everywhere. Plaster, wood, brick, space then brick. Ugh. This studfinder has already made my life easier in the couple jobs I put it to the night I received it in the mail. With no batteries to worry about, you'll never have to search for batteries before starting a job.
Move it in a tight S-shape and it'll snap-to at a stud. You can let go and it'll stay put. I put the magnet on the freezer door and when I asked my wife to hand it to me later on, she pulled the whole door open with the magnet still attached. Granted, it's not a very heavy door, but still, we were both surprised.
As an added bonus, the little level is quite handy. It's finder rotates 360 degrees in 90 degree stops so you can go from level to plumb in either direction.