Bosch Cable Finder Truvo (Maximum Detection Depth Live Cable/Non-Magnetic Metal/Magnetic Metal: 50/60/70 mm, in Cardboard Box)
Digital detector
Truvo
How can we be certain where supporting elements, pipes or cables are routed in walls? The Truvo detector from Bosch detects ferrous and non-ferrous metals and live cables at depths of up to 7 cm.
Auto calibration
Practical auto-calibration for direct start-up and safer drilling.
Marking aids
Conveniently use the lines on the side of the tool to accurately mark results during operation.
Single-button operation
One-button principle with automatic calibration – simply use the ON/OFF button and begin scanning without further steps.
LED light
The LED traffic light system lights up red when an object has been detected, yellow when one is nearby and green when no object has been found.
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Switching on the tool
Switch on the Truvo by pulling down the slider and placing your hand against the wall.
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Keep moving
By moving back and forth, the Truvo memorises the course of the material and becomes more accurate.
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Detecting the materials
Live cables and metals can be detected (see next step).
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Traffic light system
Green: No object found
Yellow: Object nearby
Red (continuous tone): Metal
Red (flashing): Cable
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Setting the marker
Using the marking slots, the target areas can be easily and accurately marked.
The Truvo
Why does the tool indicate live cables everywhere?
The construction of commercially available cables causes fluctuations in the electric field strength at the surface, which influence signal detection, through to complete elimination.
What should I do if the tool displays different results for the same measurement?
Follow the step-by-step guide when using the tool and make sure that all measurements are performed in the same way. In particular, move the tool three times in each direction – under constant external conditions.
Why does the signal change when the tool is moved along a live cable?
The construction of commercially available cables causes fluctuations in the electric field strength at the surface, which influence signal detection, through to complete elimination.
Why do I have problems locating three-phase power cables?
In the case of live three-phase power cables (e.g. power connection for the cooker), the different phases of the cable cancel each other out so that the detector cannot detect the signal.
Why does the tool indicate metal objects on the entire wall?
The tool detects certain construction materials as metal due to the high iron content (e.g. aluminium foil on underfloor heating systems or metal-clad thermal glass wool insulation).
| Weight: | 150 g |
| Dimensions: | 14.3 x 6 x 2.9 cm; 149.99 Grams |
| Model: | 0603681200 |
| Part: | 0603681200 |
| Colour: | Green |
| Pack Quantity: | 1 |
| Batteries Required: | Yes |
| Batteries Included: | Alkaline |
| Manufacture: | Bosch |
| Colour: | Green |
| Quantity: | 1 |
4.0 out of 5 stars easy to use
It is a metal detector, so it will find cables, pipes and stud wall nails, got to sweep the are a few times slowly to get the most accurate reading, its a budget device but better than guessing where to drill.
4.0 out of 5 stars Touch a radiator to avoid false positives
Like many others, I had many false positives, especially over external brick walls. It flashed crazy like all wall was a live wire.
I found that touching a radiator while holding the detector completely removes false positives. Unfortunately, that only works near radiators unless you have very long hands 🙂 I think an antistatic wrist band would be very helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Good senso
Nice product , well made , helps with works, unfortunately sensor is very basic, with proper discount is 100% good buy , it’s work on batteries why not usb charge? Overall good quality product with small things to improve
Good produc
I bought this a bit cheaper as it’s secondhand but good as new. Does exactly what it’s meant to do and still had the batteries in it. Pleased with it.
It works
I have needed this to detect where a ceiling joist is. It picked up the nails / screws to the plaster well and therefore showed where the joist was by inference. Pulley clothes drier installed without a problem.
All my staff have one of these…they are simple to use robust and cheap..and saves me at least two cable or pipe strikes per week so saves repair time and protects my staff and the propertys we work in..of your drilling walls then you have to have one of these in your tool box
As a retired electrician I used this tool many times. Easy to use, good quality, good brand but it never fully had my confidence. A few times it didnt pick up a buried pipe. Maybe the pipe was buried too deep. Thankfully I never hit a water pipe.
Being Bosch there is something of quality confidence that comes with buying their kit.
The tool is designed to use one handed and self calibrates.
Yellow and red lights are hits, with an audible warning.
Avoid touching the wall with your free hand as you will get false results.
You cannot mark the spots easily
It seems sturdy. Seems accurate enough if you approach from all directions to be clear on where the wire is. Whilst it shows a cross hair it makes yo think yo can mark the spot that is either clear or a wire, but you can’t.
Easy to use
Arrived in super fast time. Had a specific job for this. I needed to track the run of my heating pipes under a concrete floor and it found them no problem so I could mark where they ran
Excelle
Accurate and easy to use
I hesitated before buying a Truvo given the mix of positive and negative reviews.
I live in a Victorian house that has thick walls. My Truvo has been without fault to help me find wires and pipes. As mentioned in other reviews it pays to read the instructions and to calibrate before using. For example there is a specific place on the Truvo to hold it while scanning.
Does what it says on the ti
Basic device to test if a powered cable is nearby.
Better than electrocuting yourself though.
Does not test fir studs in walls in case you wondered.
A good quality product.
A good quality product. Simple to use. Easy to follow instructions.
Pretty reliable
A pretty good value detector. Fairly accurate and it will prevent major accidents but it does need to be used in combination with common sense and what you believe to be in the wall
Excellent piece of ki
Does exactly what it says it does! Well made, easy to use and 100% accurate. Great piece of tech for your tool bag.
Very useful indeed
There are cheaper options aplenty, but I’ve used this a lot in two flat renovations, and haven’t regretted it one bit. I even noticed the professional electrician installing a new circuit board had ‘borrowed’ it for a little while. It’s sturdy, very easy to use and seems highly accurate too.
The product really works, unlike the last detector that I bought that insisted that the entire wall harboured electric cables, this one will find electric and metal in the wall. Sometimes you have to ground the circuit/yourself by placing your hand on the wall about a foot away from the unit to get it to settle but it has worked fine on stud and solid walls. Happy
Good ki
Takes a little understanding but is a really useful piece of ki
works well
ideal for the dii’r good cable finder, but still need care after locatio
Essential tool
It’s so important to check for cables before drilling. I’ve been using this extensively. The trick is to read the manual fully before using. Also, make sure you earth yourself to get correct results. I try to hold onto a radiator (or get my partner to and maintain contact with him). I’ve drilled dozens of holes and haven’t hit a cable or water pipe yet!
Great simple to use
Simple to use, seems very sensitive. Able to confirm things I knew were there so knew it wasn’t missing things in unknown locations.
You get what you pay for.
Went for this after two cheaper purchases which gave dubious results.
The Bosch was far more consistent in giving reliable readings.
My Grandson loves i
We’ve just moved & my Grandson wants to start learing about decorating etc., so I’ve started to buy tools for him to help us around the house. He’s only 12 & so far He’s fitted a key safe & solar light outside, put pictures up & now he’s in the middle of putting up a metal shed.
Useful beepe
This seems to work pretty well. I need to hammer some picture hooks into the wall and I was nervous to do so as my house’s wiring is… interesting. The place I want to put one picture up is above a plug socket, too.
This cable finder has shown me where the cables should be. I have no idea what the wall’s made out of — it’s quite hard/solid, so it could be brick. The finder emits a continuous tone for metal etc. and beeps for live wires. It’s quite sensitive so now I know where stuff is, I can hammer a few inches to the side.
I suppose if it’s missed anything, I might not be around to amend my review.
Such a useful bit of ki
Easy to use and very accurate, even detects pins in plasterboard behind plaster – so very sensitive
Great tool and easy to use
Ordered for diy job and it was arrived on time with a good package and easy to use.
Lovely product but not too sensitive
Had to move a fridge as it kept setting it off. Sometimes a little bit inconsistent.
Does exactly as said in its introduction.
It indicated metal and electric cable beneath an area I wanted to fit a bracket. It is a must for D I Y work.
Needed recalibrating
Out the box it seemed to be faulty, it was beeping constantly and wouldn’t settle down. After reading the instructions I recalibrated it and it worked much better. I think having a rest button would help. Just one switch is possibly over simplified
Not the most accurate, check other sources of information before use
Does the job, need to calibrate even though it says doesn’t, still not the most accurate on the market.
Hopefully it does what it claims
Cannot provide any info as I have not yet used it in anger, but item does appear to work as claimed
Everyone should own one
I advise all people who DIY to purchase one of these. You never can be 100% certain of hidden cables or pipe work. This identifies both with ease and makes drilling into your wall stress free. Budget friendly, so I definitely recommend you buy one to keep in your tool kit.
Very aggravating to get working. I have found the solution is to put your hand on the wall right next to the unit. I assume this discharges the wall from a build up of static. Seems to work so far.
Works perfectly. Good value.
I don’t get where the negative reviews come from. Bosch don’t make rubbish and this cable detector is not some mad exception.
The tool works perfectly, with no difficulties. Insert the batteries supplied. Switch on. Run over wall. The steady green light turns red, with a whining sound, when it detects a metal object such as a pipe and flashes red when it detects a live cable. It gets more precise if you go back and forth over the detected item.
I had no false or random hits but then I only ran the gadget over walls, as intended, and didn’t just haphazardly wave it around.
I only wish I’d got one before I had stupidly drilled into a live cable (fortunately I didn’t get a shock). That won’t happen again.
I don't know what these other reviews are abou
This seems to work fine. I bought it as I need to drill holes in a wall which I know has cables in it.
I know where a number of my cables are around the house so I tested it first.
It’s not idiot-proof – you need to read the instructions for what each colour/beep means, and you need to understand the change in sensitivity when you hold the device – the cables in my walls aren’t deep (25mm) so finding them is easy but interference from nearby screws, tacks, nails etc needs to be negotiated.
Works but needs operator knowledge of constructio
I must admit that I was sceptical about buying this after all those negative reviews. However I needed a device in a hurry and went elsewhere, so was a little more expensive.
Now I am not a builder but am a confident capable diyer. I tested the detector and it showed what I expected and knew. Pipes, cables etc.
I fitted a cooker extractor hood and we have gas and electric in close proximity and didn’t want to chance a mishap. As others have said it takes time to use and understand, as do all metal detectors. Of course it picks up plaster/batten nails and this needs taking into account. If you have foil lined insulation inside your walls, forget it.
Overall happy with purchase.
Generally OK
Its ok. I don’t have anything to compare it to and I don’t think any of them are perfect
Live wires detection is good.
Works well
There are a few negative reviews about this product, but I found that it works well, as long as you don’t have any jewellery on the hand that you hold it with, and you scan back and forth a few times to pinpoint the cable or stud.
Batteries completely dead
Works as it should, so far have found no issues eith the products function. Only annoying issue was the batteries supplied were completely dead do additional cost incurred buying new ones.
Worked
Have just used it once. Bought for a wall I needed to drill that had sockets pipes and a fuse box. It detected all the wires where expected them to be and the pipes where I was unsure. Checked many times to be sure and it gave the same readings each time so I felt safe drilling and didn’t hit anything. Seems a good produc
Helps prevent disaster!
After moving to a new property, my parents came over to put up shelves for me. Accidentally drilling through the water mains and turning my beautiful new kitchen/lounge into a lake.
Bought this device to stop this happening again, been nearly 6 weeks and so far so good.
Super easy to use, pop the batteries in, flip the switch and move along the points where you would like to attack the wall. Green if good to go, Amber if close to something and red with intermittent or high pitched noise.
Definitely would recommend to preventing creating lakes in homes.
works fine IF you hold it at top!?
Bought elsewhere but thought this useful info for other buyers – worked fine at first then beeped at everything. We sorted it by holding it at the top end (i.e., not where the battery is). Then it worked as before – maybe the batteries are interfering? You’d think the company could protect that from happening lol
Was looking for something more accurate
It probably covers most of someone’s DIY needs but one of my walls was complex so I had to call a professional.
Much improved over my 28 year old Black and Decke
We have moved into a modern home with stud partition walls and for the first time in years I have been faced with the uncertainty of where pipes and cables may lie within wall cavities on a plasterboard wall.
The unit is reasonably compact, very easy to operate following the simple instructions if required and simply works at identifying cables, pipes or anything lying underneath the surface which drilling into might cause harm to you or it.
Reasonable value in terms of the fact that it is manufactured by a reputable supplier – there are cheaper on the market, but perhaps not as well made or as accurate.
5 star for the fact that having installed over 30 wall hangings so far in our new home I have detected every cable or pipe which otherwise I might have drilled into.
Great cable detecto
Very accurate even at a depth of two inches. Excellent accuracy.
Overall very good
So it’s not perfect, and yes it does sometimes appear to beep a bit randomly, but I reckon it’s 90% accurate. I bought this after drilling through a wire- I tested this on that area, and it picked it up perfectly, so would never have made that mistake. I’ve been told they can’t be fully trusted, but definitely worth getting for just a bit of extra piece of mind!
Great tool
Easy to use and very precise cable and pipe finder – would not risk not using this when drilling holes in walls – fabulous value for money for an easy to use piece of safely equipment.
Do not buy!
As with some other reviews alarms different depending on how you hold the machine. Was more certain there was no cables or pipes in the wall before I used the cable finder. Alarmed for cables at the two locations I wanted to drill, checked them with another cheaper machine which indicated no cables, drilled and confirmed that there was no cables. Definitely not worth the money.
Cable/pipe finder works well
Very pleased with this cable/pipe finder. It works well and gives a good single when cables etc are found. Instructions must be followed to achieve best accuracy.
Good value
I’ve not used it that much but largely accurate when I have. However, it is also quite sensitive and occasionally gives a false positive.
It works
For the money this is a good product if you’re a professional then get something more expensive but for the home DIY-er this is good enough. It’s reasonably accurate and I haven’t got any of the false positives that some reviewers reported. Just re-calibrate each time you use it and it’ll do the job.