Franklin ProSensor M210 Review: Thirteen Sensors for Plasterboard Walls

A$119 from Franklin's Australian seller

Amazon Australia listed the M210 at A$119.00 on 5 November 2026, in stock, shipped by Amazon and sold by Franklin Sensors Australia, with a typical price of A$124.97 printed beside it. The listing says the unit was made in the USA and needs two AA batteries that are not in the box, so budget for a pair.

Franklin's nine-sensor M150 sat on Amazon AU at A$89.97 the same day from the same seller. The A$29 between them pays for four more sensors, a deeper rated read, a graded wire meter and the level and pencil caddy, covered section by section below.

What thirteen sensors put on the strip

The M210 reads with 13 sensors and reports through 21 LEDs. The strip shows the full width of a stud rather than one point, so edges and centre appear together, and the middle LED turns green at the centre. Franklin's sheet gives the depth as 1.7 inches; the Australian listing states it as 4.3 cm through plasterboard.

There is no calibration step. Hold the button, keep your fingers on the handle and the LEDs flow to the centre to show the unit has power. The Live Wire Meter runs while the button is held, its yellow LEDs lighting in sequence as the field strengthens, and Franklin says it is optimised for wires on or near studs.

The bubble level sits in the top grip and the pencil caddy in the housing. When the second LED from the right flashes, the two AA cells need replacing, and the sheet asks you not to mix old and new cells.

Plasterboard yes, brick and tile not promised

Franklin's FAQ says its finders are designed for interior surfaces, particularly sheetrock, which is what Australians call plasterboard, and are not designed for exterior walls, roofs or tile. The Amazon AU listing adds that the M210 finds both timber and steel studs, so an internal plasterboard wall on either frame is the job it is made for.

Solid brick, an external wall scanned from outside or a tiled splashback sits outside that promise. For tile, the FAQ suggests scanning from the other side of the wall or from an untiled patch above or below. Older lath and plaster is covered up to 1.7 inches, but plaster with metal mesh reinforcement may go undetected.

Foil-backed insulation can cause inconsistent readings 'with all electronic stud finders, including the ProSensor', and wallpaper with metallic content can block the signal. Texture and pipes light the LEDs too: scan up and down, and a stud stays steady while an irregularity flickers. Keep the unit 7 cm from trim, power points and switches.

The nine-sensor M150 for A$29 less

The M150 reads with nine sensors through 15 LEDs at a stated 1.5-inch depth, against the M210's 13 sensors, 21 LEDs and 1.7 inches. Its manual lists two AAA batteries and a Live Electrical Warning that lights one yellow lightning-bolt symbol, where the M210's meter lights its LEDs in sequence as the signal strengthens. Neither the M150's page nor its parts list mentions a bubble level or pencil caddy.

For one floating shelf or a curtain rail on plain plasterboard, the M150 still shows where the stud sits. The extra A$29 buys the wider strip, a little more depth, the graded meter and a level you do not have to carry separately.

The lifetime warranty and the missing numbers

Franklin's sheet carries a Limited Lifetime Warranty: defects in materials and workmanship are covered for the life of the product, Franklin decides whether to repair or replace, and incidental or consequential damage is excluded. The same sheet states that 'the function of the products is not guaranteed', and its contact address is in Meridian, Idaho.

Bought from Amazon AU, the unit also comes with Amazon's 30-day change-of-mind returns for items it fulfils and your rights under the Australian Consumer Law, which the listing says that policy does not affect. Franklin publishes no accuracy test, weight or battery-life figure, and the sheet gives no mains voltage for the Live Wire Meter.