anyone have comments on the Stanley Fatmax stud finder ?
2 Likes
Hi @alan4, welcome to community.
Just a quick question, how do you plan to use the stud finder. For your own home that has timber/steel studs and/or to find studs and AC wiring. Also, what if the wall sheeting/finish you wish to use it on (gyprock/drywall, masonite, lath covered with plaster, fibre/horsehair plaster, FC sheeting, tiled surfaces etc). All these can impact on the suitability and use of a stud finder.
While I don’t have a Stanley Fatmax studfinder, I have a 30 year old Stanley model which works okay. It is generally reliable, providing the wall surface sheeting is uniform and there isn’t anything expected (diagonal bracing, plywood bracing etc). Often when I am unsure, I drill a very small pilot hole to confirm the result of the stud finder.
6 Likes
It would want to work several times better than my dated original - Stanley (not a FatMax) version. I’d rate the original dumb version 75% effective at finding pine studs behind plasterboard, and less than 50% at getting the centre within 1cm. Technology is supposedly improving all the time. Admittedly the latest model makes some very bold promises including depth of scanning/penetration and accuracy of stud centres. Being a ‘bells and whistles’ device I’d hope it minimises needs for operator skill to get the right outcome.
The customer feedback on Bunnings website is far from flattering. I’d want to see a couple of demos first hand before buying, although retailers such as Bunnings have been good with any returns we’ve made.
Worth a request for a Choice product test? They are not expensive, useful for all home handy persons including picture hanging, and a great foil for all those kitchen aids that make cakes.
P.S.
I’ve recategorised the post to ‘Request a Test’ to seek further interest.
6 Likes
Ditto.
It’s when the one wee hole becomes a conga line the embarrassment sets in.
6 Likes
I have a very dated stud finder which is much more accurate than the Stanley FatMax one. I can not get reliable or replicable results from it in many attempts in different locations, over a considerable time. I’m not sure why I have kept it, apart from the forlorn hope that one day it will work.
One to avoid in my opinion.
6 Likes
My Stanley stud detector is about 30 years old now, and could generally detect studs through single layers of plaster, but was pretty unreliable though the double layer in the bathroom.
I was going to say that it went off every time I picked it up, but that would be stretching the truth somewhat 
6 Likes
A common user error having it turned the wrong way… No wonder it kept going off! 
5 Likes
thanks for your reply. Alan
3 Likes
I have had no joy with stud finders. There may be models on the market that do work well but I now stick to the tap method which gets me the right answer less than 100% of the time but more than the stud finder. I have also got it quite wrong at first (usually when there are non-orthogonal members behind the wall) and had a little row of holes to fill.
3 Likes
You don’t see many tradies using them.
2 Likes
We had a wall installed mid 2020 and the tradie had one to try and find the trusses to screw the wall into. Due to wiring, insulation etc, he found it difficult to reliability find the exact centre of the trusses. After much cursing, he ended up getting into the roof space with a cordless drill and punched holes along a stringline hard up against the trusses.
2 Likes
For studs you can start from the corner and look, tap or scan every 45 or 60cms. There may be fixing dimples.
1 Like
I have been looking at buying a stud finder for some time. Stanley’s are the main ones we see here in my area. There was a Bosch Pro - it was about AUD$140 but from a more upmarket creator so thought it would be better.
It seems stud finders are seen as not the best from my readings so far on Choice. Getting 4 out of 5 stars yet the comments appear to be mainly negative.
Would be great if CHOICE could do TEST instead of relying on Customer inputs only.
Love what you do - my main go to these days when looking at spending on serious stuff.
Got a great fridge due to you - and with a special price.
All the best
Lorraine B
1 Like
Welcome to the Community @EllieBee,
I merged your request-a-test into this existing topic requesting a test, ie in the Request A Test category.
1 Like
Steel frame house and internal walls of gyprock - stud finder works fine. Also works fine in bathroom areas which have moisture resistant internal cladding.
Ditto for hardwood frame house and internal walls of gyprock.
Do stud finders have difficulties with softwood frame houses?
1 Like
