Customer Reviews for Zircon SuperScan M4 Stud Finder

Single handedly the worst stud finder I have ever used. The thing cant find the jam on the side of the door. It constantly will give off false studs and passes right over the real ones. The different modes change absolutely nothing and just straight up does not work. I don't know if the company needs to up their quality control to stop putting out lemons or they're all bad. DO NOT BUY

First off I already owned a Zircon HD800 that was quite unreliable to say the least, but decided to give the newer M4 a shot based on it using some new technology. Right off the bat after installing a brand new 9v battery it only reconsider a stud located next to an outlet with half inch drywall on the wall, at best 50% of the time. Even my older HD 800 had a better batting average than that. I will never wast my time with another Zircon product again. Most definitely not recommended.

I want to love this stud finder, and I kind of do love it for finding studs. It's certainly the best I've owned in this department. It accurately finds the center of studs and the graphic LCD display is helpful. I also appreciate the backlight. My problems with this device lie elsewhere: It is exceptionally large and cumbersome to hold, at least for my hands. The instructions are complex, and the system of icons is not always intuitive. Electrical wiring detection did not work at all even where I know there is live, Romex-type cable behind the wall, and I am following the instructions precisely.

Zircon Super Scan M4 Stud Finder seems to do exactly what its meant to do. the four modes are handy to have although I did have a difficult time locating studs through old plaster walls. The one feature I really like is how it identifies unshielded electrical lines in the wall which can literally be a life saver. The edge finder and arrow light on the wall is another big time saver. the only knock I have is the size of the tool.. its big maybe too big to find a home in your tool belt

This Zircon SuperScan M4 Stud Finder it's a great tool to have around the house, this it's another solid product by Zircon. This stusld finder comes with four modes target control that will help you detect ac wire warning indicator, and metalli warning indicator for metal. The stud finder is easy to use, make sure that you calibrate it before each use. I was able to find the stud edges and center with ease. Excellent tool and great to use every time you need to find a stud. Highly recommend it.

After many years of relying on “simple” stud finders for occasional use, and being frustrated by inconsistent results, I decided that it was time for an upgrade. This Zircon Superscan is quickly making me wish I’d done it sooner. After only one week, I am already relieved from the stress of double checking the readings and sometimes going as far as drilling a 1/64th pilot hole just to confirm stud location.

Absolutely impressed. My other stud finders will now be collecting dust. My observations: • Simple to use with 5 modes. Take a moment to read the instructions/overview, but really the usage is straight-forward. I can see in some of the existing comments that many people simply don’t understand how to use the device correctly. This works great if you take a moment to understand it and then apply this knowledge to the usage. • The 5 modes for M4 are Target Control, Stud scan, Deep stud scan, Metal Scan, and AC scan. I tested all modes where I know that wires, metal, plastic pipes, and studs existed, and this picked them up. Once I calibrated myself to how this works, I found it to be very accurate and it was almost enjoyable seeing how well this detects objects. • The TC scan is nice since provides the edges and centers of the studs (with a colored readout screen to assist) with a red arrow so you can mark the center. • Low-level indicator was handy when plastic pipes were located. • This runs off a 9-volt battery which should provide years of battery life on one battery. • I like the wire warnings when I scan live electrical wires. • I like the different colors on the screen to ensure you remember the mode you are in. I’m really impressed with this. Again, my other stud finders are not even close to the technology and accuracy this achieves. I recommend.

Over the years I have had good and not so good stud finders, mostly multi function ones like this Zircon M4 and I had high hopes for this latest state of the art stud, deep scan, metal and AC scanner. In summary, I am very disappointed! When I built my house I photographed every surface at the pipes and wires stage so I could "see" through the walls if I needed to. Lining up the right piece of outer wall with the corresponding pipes and wires photo I was able to see the effectiveness and accuracy of this tool. It is inconsistent to say the least. The stud scan was totally ineffective most of the time, the deep scan was better but still variable in its accuracy. The metal and AC scans did not inspire confidence either. The full exercise is shown in the video if you want to see how the M4 performed.

I received the Zircon M4 stud detector in good condition. I read the instructions and brochure in detail, and remove the battery tab as directed. This is a rather large unit but it is easy to hold. It is made in Mexico. It has a limited lifetime warranty. I put the unit in the TC StudScan mode, which is supposed to be used to detect studs up to 3/4” . I found it rather inconsistent and insensitive in its ability to detect studs. It behaved as if the studs were very thin or the drywall was thick. Often it would not detect studs when I knew there was a stud. I couldn’t find a difference between the TC or StudScan modes. I did note that it would detect metal or electrical cables underneath the wallboard quite well. I tried the stud detector using the DeepScan mode for deeper studs up to 1-1/2” away, and it was much better at detecting the studs. I will use this in the DeepScan mode.

I have relied on now ancient stud finders. First was one of those little magnetic boxes that requires a search by putting the thing on a wall and hoping that it will locate a nail or screw in the drywall. The magnet "acts up" and one can guess the stud is centered beneath the screw or nail. Then, along the way, I graduated into modern technology and bought a Zircon stud finder, equipped with red and green lights, a dial and two buttons on the side that turned the thing on. It has done a great job for me over many years. Now Zircon makes a Superscan stud finder that beats them all. Not only does it locate a stud, but can warn you about water pipes and electrical lines. It even can find studs behind another outside layer of wood, like siding or ship lap. The display is fabulous and it also gives an audible signal when the stud, water line or electrical line is present. So I am retiring my old Zircon with a bit of my tear in my eye. It has served me well but time for a stud finder that does so much more.

The Zircon M4 Supercan Advanced Stud Finder With Target Control (TC) featuring its Safe Drill Zone technology makes this tool srand out. The M4 prevents you from hitting Metal objects, Pex and AC. This tool has 5 Modes, Target Control (TC) up to 3/4" deep, Studscan up to 3/4" deep, Deepscan up to 1-1/2" deep, Metal up to 3" deep, and AC up to 2" deep. Always verify the distance between studs before drilling and visually scan the area. Rule of thumb, If something doesn't feel right its probably not, rescan and move the device slowly. This scanner allows the user to locate stud edges and stud centers easily With TC "on" the scanner will exclude false positive targets such as plates, duct work, screws, nails, straps etc. With TC "off" everything within the target range will show on the display. The Strength indicator let's the user know approximately how deep, the size, or density of an object. Each mode has a different display color, pale blue for TC mode, green for Deepscan mode, blue for Metal scan mode and red for AC scan mode. The SpotLite pointing system projects an arrow onto the surface showing target location. The Backlight can be turned on or off in Studscan mode. During testing the TC mode worked well. Studscan mode worked average. It located studs most everytime. However, it didn't always locate both sides of the stud without having to keep calibrating it (cycle power). Corner studs which are behind pvc corner bead weren't seen in either mode. The sensitivity indicator did show a low density object which was probably the pvc corner bead. Using the Deepscan mode, everything was found when I scanned horizontally across a wall and vertically up and down a wall with the exception of rounded corners. In Metal mode the scanner found plates, screws, nails, straps, mesh and pipe. In AC mode I was able to trace wiring from junction box to junction box fairly accurately. I'm always looking for a really good stud finder. Foresure the M4 model seems to be better than most. The manufacturer offers a useful life warranty not to exceed 20yrs against defects and craftsmanship for the original owner.

This Zircon M4 superscan with Target Control is a handy scanner; it has several different modes that work well in various situations. The Zircon M4 resembles my Zircon M2, with a few more essential features. I like that besides locating the edges and centers of wood or metal studs, you can also find live wiring, metal (ferrous and non-ferrous), and plumbing. You will get good at locating studs, plumbing, and live A/C wires with some practice. I even found a live junction box someone left in a wall with my Zircon M2 scanner. I like that this is a simple scanner to use anytime; you need to be sure you are only drilling into a stud and the bright arrow that projects on the wall once the stud is located. Overall, this Zircon M4 superscan tool is a go-to scanner that will replace my M2, which I will keep in another one of my tool carts.

This review is for Zircon SuperScan M4 advanced Wall Scanner. The product is red-orange in color and large, about 8 inches long and 3-1/2 inches wide taking a bit more space in my tool carrier than my old simple stud scanning device. It came a 9-volt alkaline battery already installed. To activate requires pulling a battery isolator tab. Use of the scanner requires removal of the printed plastic film over the displace screen area. This advanced scanner comes with well-written, easily understood instructions. One of the issues I had with this device is that most of the walls in our home are knock-down textured. For more reliable stud-finding under that condition, the documentation instructions call for using the deep scan mode through a thin layer of cardboard placed under the detector, an inconvenience, but workable. One of the very handy features is the metal detecting mode which is the main reason I wanted this tool.. My intention was to install shower grab bars in our two main bathrooms that have walk-in showers with ceramic-tiled walls. I was able to locate the wood studs reliably by detecting the rows of steel screws holding the concrete backer boards in place, making for a successful project. This is an excellent addition to my tool collection. This tool has a limited lifetime warranty backed by Zircon of Campbell, CA.

I am always using finish nails repeatedly until I happen to find what I'm looking for - whether it is a gap or a stud behind sheetrock. This has several settings and I have tried the stud finder and the wire finder in a place where I know if it is accurate. It was. The arrows tell you whether to move right or left. I was pretty confused at first because there is a plastic film over the screen that has emblems on it which I didn't realize must be removed before use. I'm also perplexed that it always says low battery even when I give it a new one, but it continues to work anyway. I'm still going to double check my results before I drill a big hole in my wall, but so far this seems to do the trick.

I remember using my dad's horseshoe "floating" magnet stud finder that located nails and screws in the walls that were hopefully in a stud. Of course I have had several electronic stud finders since but this one has impressed me with how well it found metal studs behind tile and concrete board. I was not as impressed with it missing conduit with live wires behind drywall. As always, caution is still a prerequisite for drilling into walls.

This stud finder has several features that are very helpful, including marking the middle of a stud, finding fasteners in a stud, and indicating electrical wires. The unit is fairly sensitive, although I did get a few 'false positive; readings and was unable to determine why sometimes the same spot would record a study but other times it wouldn't. This works like every other stud finder, hold it against the wall, press the button, wait for the beep, and start moving the scanner. It generates a very bright arrow when it finds the center of a stud. it also turns the display red when it senses an electrical wire.

I have an older (10 yr+) stud finder and this new one is leaps and bounds ahead. There does not seem to be any false alarms and it graphically shows when you are at the edge - center - edge of a stud. It also indicates the presence of wires and changes to red so it really catches your attention. I was putting up a bunch of closet shelves and it really made it easy to locate my fasteners. You can feel confident about where to drill when using this.

I have a decade (or more) old Zircon Studsensor Pro SL stud finder that I've used many times over the years and been quite pleased. Therefor I had great expectations that this new, more sophisticated stud sensor from Zircon would be worlds of improvement over my old model, congruent with the price differential. Sadly, like a fair number of other users, I was greatly disappointed. First off, it's much bigger and bulkier. That makes it harder to handle while in precarious positions like on a ladder or laying on one's back inside an enclosed space. The on/off button must be held down after the initial calibration with each use. No different that my old model and sometimes difficult to do while holding the unit in one's hand and scanning across a large section of wallboard. If there is even a bit of texture or unevenness on the surface, it's easy for one's finger to slip off the button and you have to start all over. The M4 did FIND studs. I scanned some wall areas covered in 1/2" sheetrock with very light, knock down texture, that I have actually seen inside of and know where the wiring, pipes and metal protectors are. In TC mode, it would usually show the studs. For some reason, it showed them as being way too thin from side to side. Much less than their 1-1/2" width. The M4 also did recognize 14 gauge, NM wiring. But frequently, when it indicated live electricity, that indicator - a red screen - would stay on no matter where I slid it on the wall. I had to move it away from the wiring that triggered it, and let up on the on/off button and start over. Now, maybe it was just me. Maybe I wasn't doing something right. But, I read and reread the instructions several times and spent a good half of an hour scanning walls to see how each of the modes worked while referring to the instructions to be sure I was doing it right. The results were inconsistent. And that is even more frustrating than bad results. Overall, IMHO, this instrument is not ready for prime time and I can't recommend it.

I needed to mount a TV to a wall in the house and I knew there were electrical and water lines in the wall that I didn't want to hit. I set the stud finder to locate the studs to find my mounting options and marked them. I them switched settings and marked out the electrical lines and changed the settings one more time to find the water lines. With a couple of minutes work I knew exactly what was in the wall and where I could safely mount my TV. My favorite feature of this stud finder is the laser line to give you an easy spot the center of what you are looking to find.

I tested the Zircon SuperScan M4 Stud Finder on wood stud walls with 1/2 inch drywall. The Target Control mode, which should detect only wood studs, did not detect anything (studs, electrical, etc.). Once I shifted the product into StudScan mode (wood and metal studs) it found my wood studs but the center indicator was not accurate. DeepScan mode also detected the studs but would get overwhelmed in some areas and cause the display to flash on and off. This flashing is supposed to indicate oversaturation of exposure to metal but there was no metal in the area I was scanning when the error occurred. Electrical detection was hit or miss in most of the modes. AC Scan did indicate electrical presence consistently. If the indicated features actually worked, this would be a wonderful product. Unfortunately, it does not work as advertised. My 30 year old stud scanner works much better than this expensive product.

I've owned a basic stud finder for years. It worked great for finding 2 x 4 studs behind sheetrock. However, I needed on that found more than just studs. In the past, I've driven into nails and have almost driven into both electrical wires and water pipes. Not being able to locate these have kept me from hanging things or mounting items I could really use in locations where they could be close to those things. With this Zircon finder, I could locate everything I needed to find very easily. It is excellent and I am very pleased with it. I will be using it exclusively going forward.

I am installing can lighting and am relying on Zircon's M4 Stud Finder to cut in the right place. I chose the M4 because I have to install a light between a rafter and bathroom sink drain with mere inches of clearance. I was able to figure out the basic layout, but it was the M4 that gave me confidence to cut the sheetrock. First, I found the rafter edge and marked it with painter's tape. Next, I found the 1/2" copper water pipes and guesstimated where the drain would be. Sure enough the M4 located the drainpipe, and I made a successful cut. I worried a lot about that cut and am happy I had the M4 to help me out.

The first thing I noticed about this stud finder is its size. It is much bigger than other stud finders I have used. It measures 3.5" x just short of 8." It runs on one 9v battery. There are 4 modes which you can change by sliding the mode switch. Starting at the left, the modes are: Target Control (TC) StudScan, DeepScan, Metal Scan and AC Scan. No matter which mode you use, you start them all the same way; hold the sensor against the wall and press the power button on the side. The sensor will beep when it is ready. Then you simply slide the sensor along your wall. When it senses the stud, the unit lights up a red beam shaped like an arrow up above the top of the sensor. In StudScan mode, the LCD display background lights up in a light grey color. In DeepScan mode, the LCD display background lights up in a green color. In StudScan mode, the LCD display background lights up in a blue color. In StudScan mode, the LCD display background lights up in a red color. As for the different modes, I did have several false positives for studs. Not surprising, as I have yet to find a stud sensor that is perfect. The DeepScan mode is supposed to allow you to slide the unit up and down once you find the stud to show you where a clean area is (void of nails/screws). I didn't really see any difference when trying to use this mode. The metal mode seemed to work pretty well when I tested it on known pipes in the walls. I didn't try the AC mode which is for locating electrical lines. Overall, a competent stud finder, but not perfect.

Over my 40+ years of serious DIY I've owned or tried pretty much every stud finder out there. Most are decent at locating framing studs behind standard 1/2 or 3/8 inch drywall, but start to fail in surfaces with heavy texturing or tile. This SuperScan M4 Stud Finder from Zircon performs it's basic task better than any I've tried, which is to say not perfect, but close. The display is clear and easy to read, and the tool indicates the stud center accurately in most cases. The walls of our home have a fairly heavy texture, not uncommon in this area. The texture varies in thickness, which seemed to confuse the tool so that it missed several studs I knew were there, even when set on deep scan. That's OK, as I never use just the stud finder as my locating tool. What I really like is this tools ability to find other objects behind the drywall, such as wiring and plumbing. It will even pick up plastic plumbing such as PEX. I have an ideal testing area in one bathroom adjacent to a heated basement space. The wall contains multiple electrical runs and several plumbing feeds of both copper and PEX. Thus, I'm able to test on the finished side and see clearly from the open side where everything is located. The Zircon M4 found everything of concern in that wall - no easy task. That peace of mind alone is reason enough for me to make this my go-to stud finder. I highly recommend it!

Zircon Super Scan M4 advanced stud finder works great and is very easy to use. Having 5 different detection modes this tool will save you a lot of headaches and time by letting you find what’s behind that wall before you start your project. {requires a 9-volt battery included} This is an advanced super scanner with an enhanced LCD screen that is clear and bright and easy to see. Now you find metal, {both ferrous and non-ferrous metal} plastic pipe, hot unshielded ac wiring, wood studs and tell the difference. This finds the center of the target quickly and the safe areas. It is 1 ¾’’ tall 3 ½’’ wide and 8’’ long so it fits in my toolbox or work belt for quick access. There is a great video on this at Home Depot that explains the target control technology to stop those false positives that you can get with other scanners. This works for me get it at Home Depot

This Zircon SuperScan M4 Stud Finder is far and away the best stud finder I have had, and I've had many. I have done several serious home improvement projects and knowing what is on the other side of the drywall in essential. This stud finder does it all. It finds not only studs but also metal. like plumbing, conduits, metal protectors and HVAC and it also finds electrical lines. When set for "Target Control" (the default mode) it looks for all of these at once. If there is a lot of stuff back there and it looks confusing it has a mode that only looks for studs without the other background noise. For example, it will find "metal" and a stud at the same time if it passes over a drywall screwhead. This thing is very sensitive and gives exactly the same indications time after time. It has slick nylon(?) slides on the back that glide smoothly over the wall. The visual and sound signals are clear and loud.

This stud finder has several modes and is quick to set up and use. With a little practice/use, I will master the color scheme and options. I was able to use this on an interior wall that I knew had 1/2" OSB plywood as a sheer wall with 1/2" drywall over that and I quickly located clear studs without trouble in the TC mode. I then was able to also locate both low volt data Cat5e cable and Romex AC wires.

This is the first real stud finder I have owned, and I can't imagine a better one on the market. The Superscan M4 have 5 settings that let you find your stud for hanging pictures or other decorations. It will differentiate between studs and electrical wiring, or show where plumbing is so as not to be confused. Thermostat wire for the AC unit will not be confused with other stud nails, etc. It will show the center of the stud as well as the edges, so there is no guessing or wrong nailing. This will be my go to tool from now on when "looking" behind the wall.

I have an older model Zircon stud finder, that was one of the best products available at the time. I’m including a picture of it with this review. It did a great job detecting studs but when looking for metals or electrical wires, it required a process of “zeroing in” on the target that was time-consuming. Unfortunately, the process has been simplified somewhat but still requires locating two points and then picking the midpoint. Calibration is much easier now, however. 5 Scanning modes: 1. Target Control Mode (TC): Zircon has added a mode called Target Control (TC) that filters the results of what is displayed if anything other than wood is scanned. In this mode, the display has a pale blue background. 2. StudScan mode: What you would expect – indicates edges and center of studs. This is the most accurate mode that I observed. 3. DeepScan mode: Indicates edges and center of objects up to 1.5” behind the drywall – in case there are multiple layers of drywall. In this mode, the screen is backlit with a green light. 4. Metal Scan Mode: Locates metal studs / other metal up to 3” behind the drywall. In this mode, the screen is backlit with a dark blue light. 5. AC Scan Mode: Indicates live electrical wires up to 2” behind the drywall. In this mode, the display is backlit with a red light – indicating danger. One feature that the older model had that is missing from this model is the capability to mark the location of studs or other objects with a built-in pencil lead. Despite that, the improvement in the ergonomic design (the scanning head (bottom part) of the stud finder is no longer required to be pushed down while being moved across the drywall) makes the unit much easier for me to use. Once the power button is released, there’s a slight delay before the power turns off. The older model had a setting on the mode switch in order to do this. No more forgetting to turn the stud finder off when you put it down to drive a drywall screw! Overall, I’m very pleased with this tool and have no problem recommending it.

My garage has framing that that approximates post and beam construction and this stud finder worked well. That garage was built in 1950 and has undergone renovations that added wiring, making it non-obvious where AC wiring has been run. This finder also located wiring in know locations and indicated where wiring was in previously unknown locations. The instructions make it clear that this device's correct use is with drywall. I have knotty pine in some areas and that is over 3/8 inch plywood and that construction gave inconsistent results regarding stud locations but this finder did locate what appeared to be some wiring. The instructions are very clear that this device is to be used with abundant common sense and clear thinking. My use so far has found it to be a very useful aid and it sure beats pounding on a wall in attempting to locate studs. Getting an idea of where AC wiring is located is perhaps this device's most useful safety feature. Getting an idea where plumbing is located is perhaps its most useful major goof avoiding feature.