Franklin Sensors ProSensor M210 vs Kreg Magnetic Stud Finder (KMM1000)

The M210 gives you the whole stud in one go instead of hunting for two edges, and Franklin does not ask you to calibrate it. The Kreg magnet does less but does it with no batteries, no calibration and no false reads to interpret.

Franklin Sensors ProSensor M210

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Thirteen sensors read the wall simultaneously and light up the full width of what is behind it, with no calibration step to get wrong.

• Franklin's instructions state that no calibration or tuning is required, which removes the single biggest source of user error with capacitive tools.
• The 21 LED strip shows the full width of a stud, so you can see double studs and odd framing rather than inferring a centre from two edge beeps.
• Franklin publishes a detection depth of 1.7 in and its manual is unusually candid about moisture, foil-backed insulation, metallic wallpaper and lath and plaster.

• The Live Wire Meter has no published detection depth, and the manual warns that the product may not detect all live wires or all hidden objects.
• Franklin says it does not recommend the M210 for tile, flooring, roofing or exterior surfaces because the density of those materials varies too much.
• The manual tells you to hold it only by the handle, because gripping the sides can make it read inaccurately, and to stay about 3 in away from trim, outlets and switches.

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Kreg Magnetic Stud Finder (KMM1000)

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Two rare earth magnets latch onto the screw or nail holding the board to the stud and hang there hands free while you mark.

• No batteries, no calibration and nothing to interpret: it either sticks to a fastener or it does not.
• Kreg's own product answers give a real number, saying the magnets detect a fastener buried up to 0.150 in below the wall surface and that a typical drywall fastener sits roughly 0.035 in to 0.050 in deep.
• A hi-viz bubble level and centred marking notches let you find the fastener and draw the line in one step, and Kreg lists a three year limited warranty.

• It finds a fastener, not a stud, so it tells you nothing about stud width, which edge you are near, or whether the framing runs where you assume.
• Kreg's stated 0.150 in magnet reach is measured to the fastener head, so a skim coat, thick texture or a deeply set screw can put the target out of range.
• Nothing stops it latching onto a pipe strap, a corner bead, conduit or a nail plate, and it gives you no warning that it has.

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Side by side

The bottom line

Our overall pick is the Franklin Sensors ProSensor M210 - Thirteen sensors read the wall simultaneously and light up the full width of what is behind it, with no calibration step to get wrong. Choose the Kreg Magnetic Stud Finder (KMM1000) instead if homeowners who mostly need to hit framing for a shelf, curtain rail or picture, and would rather have a tool that never lies than one that guesses.

Want the full picture, including the other options we compared and the popular one we'd skip? Read the complete The Best Stud Finders: 4 Compared (and One to Skip).