Customer Reviews

Zircon 58052 StudSensor Pro SL Wood and Metal Stud Sensor

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

I needed to replace my old stud finder and went looking for the 'latest and greatest' on the market today. For the price, you can't beat this product! The visible beam marking the edges of studs is dead-on. The audible sound feature, in conjuction w/ the light-scale gauge make locating nails/screws/anchors in studs a snap. On top of that, all of these features come in a compact package that even includes a pocket/belt clip.
If you need a small but feature-full stud finder, this is the one to get.

We want to give the explanation for why Zircon stud finders are not well suited for lath and plaster applications.

Zircon (and all) stud finders measure "density" or "capacitance" behind a wall, floor or ceiling. For them to function correctly, they need to move from a point of lower density to one of higher density. You can think of it as going from a place that is more hollow to a place that is less hollow. Stud finders don't work well in lath and plaster for that exact reason -- because there are multiple pieces of wood (lath), coupled with the fact that plaster inconsistently leaks through the laths to create varying depths (or densities). So, because of the constantly varying depths, the stud finder is constantly trying to recalibrate, and therefore will not find the studs.

They do work in concrete, by the way, because the material is of a more consistent density than lath and plaster.

This is NOT something that is particular to Zircon stud finders, however. Any manufacturer's product will produce the same results. And we do try to alert users to this in the operating instructions.

There is a work-around. Use a TriScanner or MultiScanner (not a Pro SL) and turn on "Metal" scan. Then, you can locate nails behind your wall. By locating a vertical row of nails, you have a pretty good, although not certain, idea that you've found a stud. Then switch back to "Stud" scan to verify. As I said, this isn't foolproof, but many owners of lath and plaster walls have found it effective.

Dan Harrell, Director of Marketing, Zircon Corporation

I spent a great deal of time attempting to get results on a ceiling to install my new Dutch Oven Copper Pot Rack. No go, after trying every tip they mentioned for 45 minutes, I gave up. Works fine on walls, though be careful you don't have interference from wiring or perhaps switch boxes that may reside on the opposite side of the wall.

The PRO SL was purchased to replace a very old Zircon Stud Finder. This one consistently gives false readings or stops working, and has to be switched on and off. Just used it again and it missed the stud by several inches. I am a professional cabinet maker, and have installed many cabinets etc. with the aid of the old stud finder. This one is useless. Will try to contact the company and update these comments on their response.

I am highly disappointed with the reliability of this unit. This device produces way too many false readings. As I am slowly sliding it against the wall, a lot of times it will just start flashing all of the leds with beeping. This requires 2 power cycles to start over (the first one puts it in Deep-Scan mode).

I was attracted to the "Zircon" and "Pro" in the name at such a low cost. I guess you get what you pay for. This $20 is going in the trash!

I used one of these for a while and at first it wasn't too bad. Eventually for some reason it just kept giving false readings. I changed the battery but it still didn't work right.
I ended up using a nail to fuind my studs. I returned it and I am trying the Zircon Multiscanner Onestep. Unfortunately there are no reviews here for that item. If that doesn't work I'm trying a new brand.

I bought this one cause the Zircon I had for two years (with maticulous care) just stopped working. I wrote to the people at Zircon and they wrote back "What are you disappointed about? How can I help?" leading me to believe they stand by their products, but that was the last communication in over two weeks. I hope that this one lasts more than a couple of years, however the quality of this one does not seem to be as good as the old one which broke. I get more mysterious false indications with the new model. I am thinking that the one which just detects the metal in the screws might have been the better choice.
***update*** The zircon is now completely useless. I get false readings consistently. I had to borrow my neighbors stanley Intellisensor and had absolutely no problems with it. I have been burned my zircon twice. There will not be a third

Zirconiums are to diamonds what Zircon is to studfinders! I wish I had read other reviews before buying this pathetic piece of garbage. The probability of finding a stud with this device is about as high as hitting the bull's eye with a dart after drinking 5 pints of beer...blindfolded. It's inaccurate, imprecise, and beeps randomly for no apparent reason. This was 2 mins. after taking it out of the box with a fresh battery. Wow the engineers at Zircon must be top-notch rocket scientists (in reality probably underpaid high-school coop students)! After painstaikingly dragging it across the wall for about 15 mins (yes I was very determined), I finally got one edge of a stud! Alas finding the other edge of the same stud proved beyond the amazing powers of the deepscanner (the walls are made of regular gypboard). Considering we're now in the 21st century, Zircon should either hire new monkeys to redesign their technology or move on to greener pastures - like crystal ball divination or predicting the weather.

I didn't buy this unit at Amazon but purchased at Lowe's about 2 years ago. I have yet to find a stud with it. Just a simple sheetrock wall and it can not locate a stud. I have better luck with a nail and a tape measure. Total junk.

I have the Zircon Studsensor Pro SL. Most of the time, as soon as you move it it will start beeping (means it needs to reset). Its very frustrating to work with.

If you like products that make you want to throw them at a wall, this is the sensor for you.