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I bought this “studpop” gadget a while back and I know for a fact that the ball “pops” to the center (see picture) when it finds a stud behind the wall. Now my question is - does this position indicate the center of a stud? I’ve tested it on the drywall above my fiberglass shower wall as I’m looking to install a grab bar (here’s my original post Installing a grab bar on a fiberglass shower wall).

enter image description here

Update: I tried this experiment further:

first, I put the Studpod in direct contact with the wall and moved it from right to left and the ball “pops” to the center when it detects a stud. I see this on three different positions on the wall (so there are three studs across the wall). I marked these three locations with a pen.

However, I noticed that when I did the above step I could feel the magnetic pull (presumably, from the stud screw) from behind the wall only from each of the first two stud “locations” from the right. I don’t feel any pull from the leftmost stud location at all (though the ball did pop to the center of that location).

So, I did the next experiment by running the Studpop across the wall with the Studpop hovering 1/4- 1/2-inch off the wall surface (ie., the studpop DOES NOT TOUCH the wall at all) and I can STILL feel the magnetic pull with the ball popping dead center when it passes through middle and right studs. And this time studpop ball did not react as it hovers over the leftmost stud location, unlike the other two stud locations. **this may be due to the leftmost stud location being the farthest from the drywall/ fiberglass ** compared to the other two studs.

This time for the middle and the right studs I marked the range of location where the ball pops up for each stud. Pic below shows the markings for the rightmost stud where the ball pops at the center as I ran the studpop hovering over the drywall I believe the center of the markings should determine the location of the screw - though it’s NOT a guarantee that the screw itself is at the center of the stud. enter image description here

I’m trying to locate an ideal location to install the grab bar for my 80 yo mom, and from my above experiment I think I should install it on the middle and rightmost studs and ignore the leftmost stud altogether.

Your helpful inputs are very much appreciated.

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    Does it really find studs, or just nails/screws? if nails/screws, it likely shows where those are, but they can be centered, off-center, or have missed the stud entirely.
    – Ecnerwal
    Commented Mar 12, 2023 at 18:45
  • @Ecnerwal- I ran this Studpop across the wall horizontally and it does “pop” at every 16 inches increment.
    – punsoca
    Commented Mar 12, 2023 at 18:47
  • Don't know sensitive they are, but if you move it from side to side, can you see a difference in how high the ball moves? Does it start out low and moves higher as you go from the edge of the stud to centre or just pops?
    – crip659
    Commented Mar 12, 2023 at 18:47
  • 2
    Googled it. Found them on Amazon. TL;DR Fancy magnet.
    – manassehkatz-Moving 2 Codidact
    Commented Mar 12, 2023 at 18:59
  • 1
    Search says they are magnet, so they find nails/screws instead of the stud itself. If the drywall was installed horizontally, then the screws at the four foot mark should be close to the centre, the installers can see the stud there.
    – crip659
    Commented Mar 12, 2023 at 19:00

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