Zircon MultiScanner i520

The Zircon MultiScanner i520 is a center-finding electronic stud finder and wall scanner powered by a 9-volt battery. It's designed to locate metal wiring, conduit and water pipes as well as wall studs, making it a good choice for remodeling jobs where the inside of a wall is fairly unpredictable. Like other electronic stud finders, the i520 emits an electronic field that can penetrate a wall more deeply than a magnetic stud finder, making it more versatile. The LCD display is supplemented by an audio tone and a visible red beam, so you can watch the work surface rather than the tool, yet still know when a stud is found.

This model scans in four modes: one for studs behind wallboard up to 0.7 inches deep, a deeper scan for walls up to 1.5 inches thick, a scan for electrical wiring up to 2 inches behind the wall, and a metal mode for copper pipes, rebar and other metals in the wall. In both wiring and metal modes, the Zircon i520 warns about any live wiring. The warranty is for one year.

Comparison tests at Fine Homebuilding find the i520 accurate in finding studs and wiring (except in tiled walls) but not in detecting copper pipes. However, at least one owner-reviewer at Amazon.com reports that it detected copper pipes in his wall just fine. Accuracy with studs and wiring is also confirmed in tests by an independent testing company, SGS. Reviewers note that this model's size is a drawback if you need to locate studs in a corner or cramped area (it measures 7.25 inches high by 3.2 inches wide by 1.4 inches thick). It's overkill, too, if all you are interested in doing is finding studs behind standard half-inch drywall where the simpler and less expensive C.H. Hanson Stud4Sure Magnetic Stud Finder (*Est. $15) can easily do the trick.

The Zircon MultiScanner i520 is among 12 stud finders tested and compared at Fine Homebuilding -- on four different types of test wall. Independent testing company SGS also includes this model in more technical comparison tests for accuracy, though only in half-inch drywall. We also found ratings and detailed comments from owners at Amazon.com, plus one review at HomeDepot.com. Bestcovery.com recommends the i520 as the best of five stud finders covered there, but testing and usage by the reviewer isn't well documented there.