Walabot DIY - Review

[chrrris]

A few months ago, I saw an advert for this thing:-
https://walabot.com/diy
It's basically a multi-antenna, RF-based stud/pipe/cable finder, about the size of a mobile phone. It connects via USB to an Android phone. You run an app on the phone and, if you watch the videos, you'll see how apparently amazingly effective it is at locating pipes (metal or plastic), cables, studs, even rodents behind skirting.

At the time I first saw it, I think it was about £160.00. A bit too rich for me for such a product.

But I saw an updated advert the other day with a discounted price of £80.00. This turned out to be a bit of a con, as the shipping charge was £20, and I also had to pay import duty fees of £22. So basically it ended up setting me back a few pennies under £122.00, but I went for it anyway.

It is basically useless. A really, annoyingly, poor and unreliable piece of junk. It will not consistently locate pipes or cables buried just an inch or so in plaster, even though I actually know the location of them beforehand. I am so annoyed by how trashy it is that I'm considering making a youtube video about it. However, I'm not a youtuber and I won't have much of a reach if I make a video myself, plus it'll probably take me weeks to get around to doing it. So before I have an amateurish go at it, I just wondered if Chez wanted to do a review for UHM? If so, I will post the wretched thing over, as long as I get it back at some point (I dunno, maybe it will end up being a collectors item or something!).

So Chez, if you want this thing for review - please DM me and I'll post it over. If not, I'll have a crack at doing a video myself at some point. But in the meantime, if my experience is anything to go by, DO NOT BUY ONE OF THESE!

[chrrris]

And, just to be clear, I *do* feel like a complete mug for being taken in by the promotional bullsh*t for this thing. I'm usually really good at swerving that sort of thing and seeing it for what it is. They got me hook, line, and sinker, though. I think that's probably what annoys me the most.

[Someone-Else]

I know it doesn't help you now, but if you had of googled it, you would have found the following
Click here

[Rorschach]

Hopefully Chez will take you up on the offer, his previous tests with a proper test rig were awesome (and shocking)

[Argyll]

You know the have a 14 day money back guarantee?

[Cantseeitfrommyhouse]

Demand your money back. If it's not fit for the purpose for which it was sold they can be taken to court.

[chrrris]

Yeah, I did ponder that. The money back guarantee wouldn't include the shipping (£20.00) or the import duty (£22.00) and I'd have to package it up and return it to the USA (I'm guessing another £15.00 at least). So I'd still be £57.00 down on the whole deal. More aggro than it's worth, plus I'd rather UHM did a fair and honest review of it and, essentially, told everyone how crap it is so no other poor sap ends up with one

[ultimatehandyman]

Thanks for the offer Chrrris

Unfortunately I don't have an Android phone (mine's a Iphone).

I have seen these in the past and wondered if they worked, it's really unfortunate that some companies can make products look great which do not work anywhere near as well as they should do.
I have never seen any detector that works with any degree of accuracy, although a proper wall scanner should work if you could justify the cost.


There is a chance that you could sell it on ebay