I finally stopped following the stud finder app blindly

Been hanging shelves in the new place last weekend. App said there was a stud at 16 inches. Trusted it, drilled in, hit nothing but drywall. Patched 3 holes before I grabbed my old magnetic finder. Found the real studs in 5 minutes. The apps are fine for a rough idea but they keep getting fooled by pipes and old wiring. My place was built in 1978, so maybe newer homes are different. Anyone else trust the magnet over the phone these days?

2 comments

2 Comments

wadeyoung1mo agoMost Upvoted

Grabbed my dad's old stud finder from the 80s that's just a magnet on a stick, it never lies. My phone app once told me there was a stud in my ceiling where I definitely have a light fixture.

the_lucas1mo ago

Ha! That magnet on a stick is the only tool that's ever been honest with me. I once spent an hour patching a drywall hole from an app that swore there was a stud, then the patch fell out and my cat used it as a scratching post for a week. Honestly, the 80s tech knew what it was doing, my phone just wants to make me feel productive while I drill into nothing.