Bosch Detector Truvo 2nd gen. (Easy one-Button handling, Simple Detection of Live Cables & Metal Wall Scanner up to 70mm, in Cardboard Box)

There is a knack to getting the best out of this unit, and unlike other such devices I've used before I had to actually read the manual to get the best out of it. But once you establish a consistent way of holding it, and a consistent sweeping pattern, then you get perfectly accurate identification of metal and electrical current in a cavity wall.Like I say, it has two detection capabilities it alerts on: metal and current. I was trying to trace and verify the exact location of a mains cable to avoid drilling into it, and was bemused as it seemed to pick up a second cable a handspan to the right which had no current. This second cable turned out to be a satellite coaxial cable. So I'm very happy that I didn't drill into either cable.Great tool, but a bit more fiddly than the ones I used to use about ten years ago... But also more accurate once you get the hang of it. Expect lots of beeping while you trace your way to safety. Definitely staying in the top of the toolkit.

So I read the 1 star reviews and the general vibe is that it goes off randomly so can't reliably tell where the wires and pipes are.Sure enough, when I received it, I followed the quick guide and took off my Apple Watch, kept my feet bare and started testing - it was going off wildly at places that shouldn't have anything. I was testing this at my in law's house, my FIL rewired the house himself over the years and knew exactly where the wires and pipes were, and the Truvo definitely picked those up, but also going off where there shouldn't be anything.He suggested that we should put our hands on the wall, and it definitely made a difference, but we were still getting weird readings at places.Finally I pulled out the thick instruction manual (not the diagram only quick guide), and read through the instructions. There are still no mentions of putting your other hand on the wall, even though it clearly made a difference. But what interested me was when I got to the recalibration instructions.I followed it, made the mistake of doing each step at a time first try when one of the steps required 0.5 seconds timing; second try also didn't work as I waited half a second and probably went over the time; third time, flicked the switch off and on and it started blinking to indicate recalibration.Tried it after, the reading's much more stable now. The light switches, outlets, etc. all worked as expected. Empty wall no longer triggered readings. There's still one socket we're not sure about but FIL said maybe he was wrong about it as it might have come through the back of the fireplace. Everything else seems to check out.So yeah, my advice: Dig out the manual and recalibrate it first. Then when using it, in additional to the instructions, put your other hand on the wall as well - like in all the photos (but not the instructions).

Very good. Very accurate.

Love this little tool. Very simple to use. DIY in an old house is always a bit scary as you never really know what you're going to hit when you drill into a wall...will it be water, wood, gas or electricity?! This tool has definitely helped reduce the chances of screwing things up & may even have saved my life on one or two occasions!

Absolutely useless, this will detect metal and cables in a spot then say it’s fine minutes later, we tried all sorts to get this to work properly, following the instructions carefully, recalibrated numerous times. The final straw was checking it on a pane of glass, which it decided had live cables and metal in it… returned for a refund, don’t waste your time

I like the simplicty but the meter doest perform very well. Stud and or elecs/metal found where there is none. Instructions say to hold it in a particular way and with other hand on the wall. (Standing on one foot while wearing a funny hat too for all the difference it makes) Back face has plastic studs and will leave marks on the wall if you run it over the wall. My old beat up meter is still better than this one.

it did its job well

Did exactly what was expected of them. Would like a bit more info as to how to get the best out of them. But practice makes perfect. Got these as new house has many wood framed sections with hollow walls.