Walabot. Usefull? Useless?

[andyvh1959]

Is a Walabot a worthwhile tool option for home DIY work? I doubt it has any trouble finging studs as many a cheapo stud finder will do that. But what about piping, 120v wiring, comm wiring etc. Does it really work or generalize the presence of something in the wall? Only through drywall, or will it work through tiles on drywall? Does it only "see" live powered wiring or can it trace/locate wiring in the wall cavoty that is not powered. I'd like to buy one but I'd like to know that it really caan help me trace wiring in wall cavities. Anyone use one and can report on results?

Its not cheap, for sure, at $170 to $235 depending on where you shop. With anything like this I always look up the reviews and generally I look more for percentage of ok to negative reviews versus the "WORKS GREAT" percentage of five star reviews. Seems the Walabot scores around 20 to 30% for less than three of five stars reviews. And around 12 to 20% for one star "Dont waste your money" reviews. Based on all that I am leery to buy one unless there are some real world reasonable review here with those of us that do build and repair more than just changing a light bulb.

 

[M.Wong]

I have had a Walabot DIY2 since 2022 ($135 back then). It seems to work well for studs, but I am not 100% confident in it for avoiding wires or pipes, even less confident in detecting PEX.

I prefer my old Franklin, and the newer Franklin M210 ($60). I will break out the Walabot to double check the Franklin, but I use it so infrequently I have to check that it's charged and do a quick calibration each time. I only have experience through drywall, not tile as well. I believe it 'sees' wires whether hot or not, but I actually have not tested that.

I'd say good but not great, maybe?

 

[cgrutt]

My buddy who does networking/cameras etc keeps one in his tool kit I've used it a few times on different projects and it seems to work pretty good for the price. I was considering the Bosch standalone version but its significantly more expensive and not convinced its any better. Only drawback IMO is its another app on your phone if that matters to you.

 

[JerseyBoatBuilder]

I have been using it in a 5 year old house we had built. It has worked great for me.
Walabots site states not for Tile, Stucco and Metal.