REVIEW – As I mentioned in previous reviews, I am a serious DIYer, and I make sure that I have every tool for every task. That is an expensive approach, so I am very pleased when I get the opportunity to test and review tools. Since I have been remodeling my basement including building walls with studs and putting up shelves, the Walabot DIY 2 Visual Stud Finder should be a great addition to my tool bag.
The Walabot DIY 2 is an advanced Wall Scanner/Stud Finder for Android & iOS Smartphones. It provides the ability to find the center of wood and metal studs, to detect and track the paths of pipes and wires, and can even show movement within walls, making it ideal for exterminators.
1 x Walabot DIY 2 visual stud finder 1 x USB Charging Cable 1 x User Manual
The Walabot DIY 2 is a small compact device with a footprint about the size of a smartphone. On the top, there is the name and logo and a “bump-out” circle in the middle. The other side is flat other than the two scanning strips that interface with the wall that is being scanned. On one of the thin edges, there is the power button with the LED status indicator next to it, and the USB charging port in the middle next to the power button. There is also a LED indicator next to the charging port.
I am finishing off the construction of a pantry in a newly built laundry room and I needed to install 3 shelves. I have already framed using metal studs including framing crossbars for me to attach shelf supports. Once the sheetrock was installed and the walls were painted, it was time for me to install the shelves. I decided that this would be a good test for the Walabot to find the metal studs I had installed. Connecting the Walabot to my phone is easy. It has a built-in wifi hotspot for connectivity. So, once I fully charged it, I followed the connectivity process and it was ready to go.
The photo below shows the space where I installed the shelves.
The main screens in the app show the types of materials the Walabot DIY 2 visual stud finder can work with and also the choice of Image or Expert mode. This photo shows the Walabot DIY 2 visual stud finder in Image Mode accurately identifying the metal stud in the correct location.
The following photo shows the view in Expert Mode also identifying the center of the wall stud.
This next photo shows the Walabot identifying a wooden stud in Image mode albeit that there are no wood studs nor is there any wood anywhere in the wall.
This last photo shows the successful installation of the shelves.
As you can see from the photos above, the Walabot DIY 2 visual stud finder was somewhat successful when identifying studs. On several occasions, it did identify metal studs as wood. Also, I do have a couple of PEX-A lines in a wall behind Rockwool insulation, and the Walabot could not see them. The mandatory process to calibrate the device each time it is used is a bit annoying, and despite the strips that are on the device to protect the wall, the device did seem to scrape my walls at times. Maybe I was pressing too hard. It would be nice if the next version had a built-in screen that shows the image right on the device eliminating the need to connect to a secondary device for visual. The built-in hotspot could remain to allow the user to provide a visual for a larger audience via a large TV screen, etc.
When I first heard about the Walabot DIY 2 visual stud finder, I was really excited and felt that it would make the task of identifying studs or in the rare case for me copper pipes within the walls. After using it for about a month, I have to be honest that I am a bit underwhelmed. I think that it should be designed as a standalone device if possible, with a screen on one side and the scanning surface on the other. In addition, I lost trust in it when it started identifying my metal studs as wooden studs. This might seem like no big deal, but for me, it speaks to my overall confidence in the device that it might cause me to screw or drill into a pipe or electrical wire because of a false reading. When it does identify the studs, my simple and much cheaper stud finder appears to be just as accurate.
Price: $159.95 Where to buy: Walabot website Source: The sample for this review was provided by Walabot.
we have three stud finders…cheap to too expensive
they all work…when they do
accuracy is, of course, the issue they will all find studs but not always to the degree a of accuracy we need
one does locate power lines, as well…as long as the aren’t in conduit it has saved us from catastrophe on occasion
sometimes i think rapping a wall with my knuckles (which i did for the first twenty years i worked) is as accurate
i liked the idea of this product until i got to the price 🙂
however we live in the hope that we’ll find something better than we have now
I had the first version of this – they’ve improved it by adding wireless connectivity, but sounds like the ability is still underwhelming.
I have the first version too, it was neat at first but only works ok on big simple walls. In the back of a closet where I know there’s cross bracing, plumbing and electrical on the other side it just found some studs and it was sporadic at best. I doubt the new one is much better. I would rather it be self contained too, I don’t need yet another app I only use a few times a year, so I have to it attached to an old phone now which is nice to if I want to loan it out.
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