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When it comes to DIY projects, my enthusiasm and willingness to dive in have always compensated for a certain lack of what some would call \u201cskill\u201d\u2014I\u2019m a guy who has to cut twice no matter how many times I measure. Finding studs in the wall is a perfect example: This should be the easiest part of any project, but fancy digital stud finders have always let me down\u2014in fact, the fancier they are, the less useful I find them to be.That\u2019s why the StudPop is so great. It\u2019s an incredibly simple stud finder\u2014and incredibly cheap. It\u2019s made locating the studs in my walls such a breeze that I\u2019ve tossed those digital stud finders into the trash.
\nStudPop uses powerful magnets to locate studsUsing expensive, fancy stud finders was always a confusing experience\u2014they always seemed to light up right after I\u2019d swept past a screw, or mysteriously indicated there were no studs in my house at all. The StudPop ditches all the fancy stuff and uses a simple system: A powerful magnet attached to a plastic indicator. I\u2019ve had magnetic stud finders before, but their magnets were usually pretty weak, and they were as frustrating as the fancy electronic finders because they would give a lot of false positives.
\nIn contrast, the StudPop is so powerful, it will stick to the wall when it hits some metal. This makes it easy to identify the studs. You move the StudPop along the wall in a lazy S-shaped pattern until the indicator pops up (you\u2019ll feel it when it hits something\u2014the magnet is pretty strong). Once you have one mark, you move the StudPop down vertically in the same S-shaped motion until you hit a second spot. This is how you know you\u2019ve got a stud instead of a safety plate or a wire\u2014three hits along the same vertical means you\u2019ve got your stud.<\/p>\n
What do you think so far?<\/p>\n
Marking off a stud on the wall
\n Credit: Jeff Somers<\/p>\n
The whole process takes about a minute, with (in my experience) zero false positives. The fact that it sticks in place when it hits a nail or screw is awesome, leaving your hands free, and the simple plastic indicator is easy to interpret\u2014it\u2019s either standing up or it\u2019s not. Tools just don\u2019t get any easier than this, and there are no batteries to replace or charge up, no user manual to read, and it\u2019s tiny, so it doesn\u2019t take up precious storage space. I haven\u2019t drilled into an empty space since picking this up.<\/p>\n