The Precision Sensors Profinder 5000 stud finder doesn’t look like other stud finders, nor does it work exactly the same way. Rather than detecting studs with a single narrow sensor window, the Profinder 5000 scans the wall along its entire 7″ width. And when a hidden stud is detected, a series of LEDs across the top of the Profinder 5000 will light up to show you its location.
Also unlike most other stud finders, the Profinder 5000 can detect multiple studs at the same time. Precision Sensors claims it can detect wood, metal, and other materials up to 1.5″ deep behind the wall.
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I have not found a definitive source, but a few people who have tested Precision Sensor’s Profinder 5000 say it is just the Franklin Sensors ProSensor 710 but repackaged for Costco. I cannot verify whether that is true, but the two products look very similar and are very similarly featured.
To activate the Profinder 5000, just push and hold the button on the top of the handle. You don’t even need to be touching the wall when you turn the sensor on, which is one more way it’s different from traditional stud finders.
When you place the stud finder on the wall over a stud, the LEDs corresponding to the position and width of the stud will light up. Then, you just slide the Profinder 5000 along the wall to find other studs.
I first saw this stud finder at Costco, where they had a demo model chained to a test wall. The wall had a few different stud configurations so you could see the stud finder work over an empty bay, one stud, or two studs. After playing with the demo model, I thought it beat the heck out my old Zircon, so I purchased one for myself.
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Packaging
Rather than a box or blister pack, the Profinder 5000 comes in a carded package. Removing the stud finder was as simple as pulling a tab on the back of the package to get under the cardboard, and then pretty much destroying the rest of the package to get it out. This is not a product you are going to return with intact packaging.
Another problem was that they used booger glue (aka fugitive glue) to attach the instructions to the bottom of the stud finder. I successfully removed the instructions from the stud finder, but not without ripping the paper while trying to remove the last bit of glue.
Batteries
To install or replace the batteries, you simply slide the black part of the handle to the left and lift it off the body of the stud finder. Precision Sensor was kind enough to ship real Duracell AA batteries with the stud finder rather than cheap off-brand batteries that last about a quarter of the time and are more prone to leaking.
Test Scenario One: Hanging a Cork Board
After I played with the Profinder 5000 on just about every wall of my house, I let my daughter try to find some studs. She has never used a stud finder before, although she has seen me use one. After a few tries she was quickly locating the studs in our kitchen wall.
We were both ready to put the stud finder to a real test, and used it to hang a large cork board in her room. I let my daughter use the stud finder while I marked the location of the studs with some blue painters tape.
When I drove the lower right screw, instead of a triple stud like the stud finder shows above, I hit air. We assumed the triple stud higher on the wall would continue all the way to the plate. So my daughter tried the stud finder closer to the screw and found two separate studs with a space in between them.
Test Scenario Two: Laying Baseboard
We’re in the process of remodeling our family room, so I used the Profinder 5000 to help me find the studs for the baseboard. One place in the wall, the Profinder 5000 indicated a single stud next to a double stud. So I drove some nails into the wall above the sill where they would still be hidden by the baseboard. This time the Profinder 5000 was dead on.
Just over to the left of the last spot, the Profinder 5000 showed another stud. As you can see in the picture I tried 5 different locations, but I could not hit a stud with a nail. I think it may have been detecting a wire for a switch above it that had been added after the construction of the room. Since it was added later the wire won’t be stapled to the stud and could be resting on the drywall.
Testing Different Materials:
I have a section of wall in my basement that is finished with 1/2″ drywall on one side and open on the other, so I decided to test the Profinder 5000 on a few different materials.
First I tried a few metal studs. I found the Profinder 5000 does indeed detect metal studs. Strangely though, it will not show a wooden stud at the same time as a metal stud, but when I slid the finder off the metal stud the wood stud would suddenly appear. It will however detect two metal studs simultaneously.
Next I tried some black gas pipe, 3/4″ copper pipe, and 1/2″ conduit. If the metal was farther than 1/2″ to 3/4″ from the drywall the Profinder 5000 wouldn’t detect them, but as soon as I brought all three materials closer, the stud finder lit up three LEDs just like a wooden or metal stud.
I held a section of 12 gauge romex inside the wall cavity and found the Profinder 5000 started to detect the wire about same distance away from the drywall as the metal pipe.
Finally, I tried 1-1/2″ schedule 40 PVC pipe. The Profinder 5000 wouldn’t detect the PVC pipe no matter how close to the drywall I put it.
Conclusion
In my experience, stud finders can be finicky beasts. The Profinder 5000 is no different, but there are some of the things it did well.
No calibration: Unlike other stud finders, the Profinder 5000 requires no fore-knowledge of where an empty bay is in order to calibrate it. Turn it on, put it against the wall, slide it around, take it off the wall, and put it against the wall again. It didn’t matter, the Profinder 5000 simply worked.
Marking studs: You don’t have to slide the Profinder 5000 back and forth across the wall to mark the edges of the stud to find the center, For a 2×4 stud, just pick the middle LED that is lit and you’ll be in the meat of the stud.
Ease of use: My 10 year old daughter could – and did – use it successfully. You don’t have to be careful about keeping it tight to the wall – no hitting a lump in the drywall and having to start over.
There are also some things it didn’t do so well.
Complicated framing: With all stud finders, there is a bit of experience required to figure what is going on in all but the simplest 16″ on-center stud bays. The Profinder 5000 can get confused around door and window headers, at first showing a few LED’s lighting on the edge as you move over the header, then suddenly all the LED’s go off as you are completely over the header.
Consistent results: It also seems to have problems with closely spaced studs. Sometimes a continuous string of LEDs will light showing no space between the two studs and sometimes it will show two separate studs. Because it scans the wall so deep, it can pick up a bunch of different things that aren’t studs, essentially showing you a stud where there is none.
Recommendation
In conclusion, if you’re a homeowner with little experience trying to hang a picture in the middle of a flat expanse of wall, it seems like the Profinder 5000 would be a great tool. If you are trying to put up trim around an entire room, you’re probably going to get frustrated a few times. Then again, I have yet to find a stud finder that hasn’t frustrated me at some point.
Availability
I found the Precision Sensors Profinder 5000 stud finder at Costco for $35. I think I just got in on the tail end of that deal, because I could not find it again during my last trip there. You’re going to pay almost $50 if you want to buy it from Amazon. You can also buy the seemingly identical Franklin Sensors Prosensor 710 for $50 on Amazon.
Buy Now (Precision Sensors Profinder 5000 via Amazon)
Buy Now (Franklin Sensors ProSensor 710 via Amazon)
More Info(via Precision Sensors)
More Info(Franklin Sensors)
Nathan
minor curiosity- I wonder if the more expensive device works just a bit better? it would require direct testing – but I wonder if those 12 or so extra dollars get a better finder.
great review
Jeff
The blue one was packaged for Costco. This allowed Franklin to market it at a lower price without appearing to undercut the retail price of the 710. They are no longer bothering to do this. My local Costco no longer carries the blue one but their computer says they are getting the regular Franklin 710+ in September, that will sell for $29.95. So much for paying more to get better precision. Sams Club also sold a yellow one branded as a Stanley 5000, bundled with a Stanley tape measure for less than most places charge for the Franklin. It is all marketing. I have the blue 5000+ that is still available from Costco.com., where I just bought mine. It could not work any better. The address on the Prosensor 5000+ packaging is the Franklin address in Idaho. Surprisingly their is no brand name on my tool but it does say to visit http://www.precisisiostudsensors.com for complete instructions.
Daniel Lawson
I have same unit only used it once andvit worked well yesterday. I hate the other type where you have to guess.
Josh B.
Had my eye on one of these for a couple of months. Here’s a review on it from Woodstockva of Garage Journal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=464AQpJrc_E
Derek
I’ve owned the Franklin Sensor for over a year now, and use it nearly every week (i’m a electrician). Is it perfect…no, no stud finder is, but that said, it is by far the best stud finder I have ever used. On job sites everyone who sees me use it, is pretty impressed by it. I’ve had several people say they thought it was a sanding block for drywall, lol.
Doc
> I have not found a definitive source, but a few people who have tested Precision Sensor’s Profinder 5000 say it is just the Franklin Sensors ProSensor 710 but repackaged for Costco. I cannot verify whether that is true, but the two products look very similar and are very similarly featured.
They are the same, with the Precision Sensor being a rebrand of the Franklin Sensors product.
Websites for both products have the same contact phone number listed at the bottom. Plus check out this article from a local news source in Idaho, where Franklin Sensors is based: http://www.idahopress.com/members/locally-made-stud-finder-proves-popular/article_efda2bec-f2a4-11e3-b48e-0019bb2963f4.html
Benjamen
Thanks. I missed checking the contact info, but your other source really cinches it.
Chris
I was impressed by mine. Sure any stud finder will have difficulties in difficult situations but after using the old style too many times I found this new technology much easier to use. I recommend it, just use it with a little smartness and you’ll be fine. Anyone wanna buy my older stud finder?
John
I bought one a few months ago and really wanted to like it. Its “almost” there hopefully in future revisions it will get better but I ended out returning mine. For the most part it worked fine, but I found, while great that it does up to 1.5 inches deep, there is no way to turn that deep scan off and do a regular low depth scanning. In particular it would actually pick up, for instance, shelves behind the wall on the other side i was trying to find studs in making the scans completely inconsistent. I also didn’t like the led placement, there was too much “fudge factor” in where exactly center of studs where. I would have liked to seen maybe smaller and more LEDs to help with the accuracy with that particularly for those “things” it finds that rant studs like pipe, multiple studs, fire breaks etc.
All in all very cool idea, but $50 for this while I can get a pro-grade multiscanner with features like live electricity sensing, metal detection, adjustable depth scanning, etc for the same price it left me wanting more.
RKA
About the fudge factor…as you slide it across the surface, stop as soon as the LEDs “shift”. The 2 outside LEDs will mark the edges of the stud and the center LED is your spot. So even with the course resolution, you can still work with it.
Caleb
My Costco still has it. I did not notice if it had an “*” indicating it was on closeout, but the price was still more than I was willing to pay to see if it would work on my screwy mega textured walls.
Benjamen
Interesting that your Costco still has it. I found it odd that I never saw a “*” either, maybe they just ran out of stock and are waiting for a new shipment.
caleb
They still had some when i was there yesterday still. No “*” either. $35.
Benjamen
Back in stock at my Costco in Coon Rapids, MN
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-XJznZ59wRJU/VOO_4UfOBCI/AAAAAAAAGJw/gEhBhmPQxRI/w681-h908-no/IMG_20150217_111858.jpg
Benjamen
When I visited Costco this week (April 28th, 2015) there was a “*” on the tag. Looks like they are clearing them out.
Steven Bone
I picked one up as well. I have two other stud ‘finders’ that are pretty horrible. One of them detects electrical lines. Using this one in addition to the one that detects electrical outlets (and has depth adjustment) gives me much more confidence. By far, the Precision device is better than the old standard ones, especially like in Stuart’s case with the corkboard, when the studs are not laid out like you expect them to be (or should be).
One place where all three of my finders fail is on my outside walls. Based on experience with other projects, my outside walls have foil backed drywall, and it is hit and miss with insulation. All three of my sensors fail to function in this environment. An online review of the Franklin branded one on Amazon also states the same limitation. I use the 1/16″ drill bit finder method. I suppose the rare earth magnet finder for detecting screws is the way to go here.
Does anyone know about other finders out there that work on foil-backed drywall?
D
I can verify that the Franklin can’t work when walls are filled with foil-faced insulation, but haven’t found any finder that works for that, so I second the request if anyone knows of one.
Alan Clarke
I just bought this studfinder.. I am not the smartest dude in the world… so I was glad to see the instructions glued straight onto detector plate that goes against the wall… Question.. am I suppose to remove these instructions before use… my intuition says yes… or are they meant to stay on… for future reference.. I did check out the website and the written detail instructions for this product but could not find any reference to this
Benjamen
It’d probably work just fine with the instructions left on the detector plate as long as the stud finder can sit flat against the wall and slides without the instructions snagging.
But yes, remove the instructions. If you want to save them be careful not to rip them. The “glue” they use really sticks to paper.
Once you get familiar with using the Profinder 5000, you probably won’t reference them again.
tillamooktim
I have been in construction for over 40 years. During that time I have owned many stud finders mostly zircon. When I saw the profinder 5000 I was skeptical, like many professionals here I know no stud finder is perfect. This tool has preformed well and I would recommend it for any DIY’er and professional in the trades. I picked up a soft case at my local goodwill store for pennies that fits it fine.
MK
Hi,
I just wanted to know if the Stud finder detects a double stud, should we consider the middle of the entire stud as the meat, or consider it two separate studs, each having its own middle.
Thanks.
Benjamen
The Profinder doesn’t detect each individual stud, it just shows one continuous string of LEDS. So you really can’t tell if it’s double studs, a stud that’s sideways, a 4×4 or something else. You have to use a little deduction like if you are near a window opening, it probably will be a double stud.
As for hitting the meat of a stud, if you detect what looks like a double stud you probably don’t want to sink a fastener directly in the center anyway.
Sandy Sandstone
Pros: The Franklin appears to be the ONLY electronic one that has done it right….
Cons: but it’s $50+ and pretty big. That’s a lot of money for something that needs batteries and (for the most part) really doesn’t do any better than a good magnetic stud finder like my studpop. Being magnetic, it won’t give you a false positive. Its magnet is 1″ diameter and the indication that it provides is very obvious and not fooled by bumps on the wall. It also has enough juice to be able to detect the little screws under lath and plaster and the screws underneath tile. I love it. I can use it in any house that I do work in. I’ve yet to find an electronic one that works everywhere. Did I say I like cheap? 10 bucks. http://www.studpop.com
Sandy Sandstone
https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/studpop-inexpensive-magnetic-stud-finder/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Jeff Deutsch
I was in Costco yesterday looking for the Profinder 5000 and neither they or any nearby Costco had any stock They checked the computer and told me they will shortly be recieving Franklin 710’s that will sell for $29.95. There is little doubt it is the same unit They used to sell Kirkland batteries, that were Duracells. Now they just sell Duracells. I guess it does not always pay them to have items rebranded with a house brand.
Jeff Deutsch
The blue 5000+ was at Costco. Another yellow 5000+ was at Sams, branded Stanley, with a Stanley tape measure thrown in. They are both gone. According to a computer check at my local Costco, they are awaiting delivery on the Franklin 710+, to sell for $29.95. The bad news is that they will not arrive at the depot until 9/11/17. The plus represents the addition of the spirit level in the handle in all models. The warehouse models had the warehouse handle warranty claims. The Franklin has a Franklin phone number for any problems.
William Rodgers
This stud finder worked very well – until it just stopped working completely. It’s out of warrenty (1 year warranty) but used very, very little as it was only for personal use at my home. I’ve very surprised that after a little over 2 years it just stopped working completely, and the paper guide that came with it has no information about potential causes of failure, how to test, etc. At least a Zircon will last for many years with no problems encountered.
Ed Jaworski
Had my stud finder for use around my house. I lasted a few years then just stopped working. I found that the power switch was not working , are these switches or the board they are mounted available for its repair?