All the Tools Apprentice Electricians ABSOLUTELY Need!
When it comes to tools, there are so many choices available!! Almost endless and the task of choosing what you should buy can be daunting! But, if you are starting out as an apprentice electrician, what tools should you have? In the latest episode of Electrician U, Dustin talks about what tools are a must have for apprentices.
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A good cordless drill is very important to have, as you will be constantly screwing something to a stud or drilling a hole (among a plethora of other items), and Milwaukee offers some of the best cordless tools around! If able, purchasing a combo set of drill/hammer drill & impact driver would be optimum as they both have their individual strong points. Cordless platforms come in a few different voltages (although 18v would be best to use in a field environment all day long, with the 12v being next best) to suit the use of the individual. A good selection of bits, tips, and drill bits are invaluable to using your drills!
A good tape measure is next on our list as you will be gathering measurements quite frequently! A 25’ wide bladed tape measure with a magnetic tip seems to be the most common for electricians. The wide blade stands out far without breaking and the magnetic tip allows you to stick the tip on something metallic to start your measurements with (in addition to being able to pick metal items up off the floor without having to reach down for them!!).
When it comes to pliers, there are many variants out there but here are a few that are necessary for you to have. A pair of wire strippers are necessary as that is what us electricians do most days; terminate wires. Try to get a good pair of ergonomic handles, ranging from 10-20 gauge (at least), and with the screw cutting option (trust me, you will thank me for that later!). Lineman type pliers allow us to cut, pull, twist, and bang on things so a definite must have. They are definitely going to be the largest pair of pliers in your tool pouch as that heft helps in cutting wire. Diagonal cutting pliers are a bit like lineman’s pliers, but have only the cutting edge only with no plier tip. Useful when cutting or prying metal. Needle nose (much like the name implies) are skinny snouted pliers that allow you to reach into a slim space to manipulate an object or loop a wire. One should consider a multi plier that combines several of the ones mentioned above into one tool, so you don’t have as many tools in your pouch at once!
A level is important so we can install things on the level (see what I did there?!). As us electricians are constantly working with something metallic, a small torpedo level with magnets is very helpful. An electrician’s level is handy as it has several bubbles on it to assist when bending conduit to get to an accurate degree of bend! Super handy!! A good selection of screwdrivers is a must also. A large and medium flat head and a Phillips are ones you should always keep on you. A multi screwdriver is handy to have as it allows you to have several different screwdriver tips in one package.
A tester is a tool that every electrician should own and know how to use! There are many different types available, so research should be done, as long as it is applicable to the type and voltage you are working with. As a note, since you will be testing to make sure voltage is OFF before putting your hands on it, make sure that you choose a meter from a reputable company and take care of it!! Keep it separate from the rest of your tools, keep the leads in good working order and make sure you have fresh batteries in it!
We hope this has been helpful in determining which tools you should have to start your electrical career. There are many different choices out there, but what you carry should be tailored to the individual electrician and the tasks that you are performing! Is there a topic that you want to see a video for? Leave a comment in the comment section below and let us know! Please continue to follow Dustin and Electrician U as we are constantly updating our content to help our followers along in their career!!
#electrician #electrical #electricity #terms of trade #journeyman tips #power issues
When it comes to tools, there are so many choices available!! Almost endless and the task of choosing what you should buy can be daunting! But, if you are starting out as an apprentice electrician, what tools should you have? In the latest episode of Electrician U, Dustin talks about what tools are a must have for apprentices.
SPONSOR: Milwaukee Grid ⚡️ https://www.milwaukeetool.com/Grid
🤘⚡️MEMBERSHIP⚡️🤘
JOIN ELECTRICIAN U – become a member and get:
FREE Continuing Education every year
FREE Practice Exams
FREE Monthly Video Courses
FREE Weekly Live Instructor-Led Classes
FREE Monthly Educational Newsletter
Premium Members-Only Content
Private Discord Channel
Monthly Members-Only Discord Chats
Sign up here — https://www.electricianu.com/electrician-u-membership/
🎧🎹MUSIC AND VIDEO:🎹🎧
https://www.facebook.com/descantmv
🎬✍️ART AND ILLUSTRATION:✍️🎬
https://www.daverussoart.com
A good cordless drill is very important to have, as you will be constantly screwing something to a stud or drilling a hole (among a plethora of other items), and Milwaukee offers some of the best cordless tools around! If able, purchasing a combo set of drill/hammer drill & impact driver would be optimum as they both have their individual strong points. Cordless platforms come in a few different voltages (although 18v would be best to use in a field environment all day long, with the 12v being next best) to suit the use of the individual. A good selection of bits, tips, and drill bits are invaluable to using your drills!
A good tape measure is next on our list as you will be gathering measurements quite frequently! A 25’ wide bladed tape measure with a magnetic tip seems to be the most common for electricians. The wide blade stands out far without breaking and the magnetic tip allows you to stick the tip on something metallic to start your measurements with (in addition to being able to pick metal items up off the floor without having to reach down for them!!).
When it comes to pliers, there are many variants out there but here are a few that are necessary for you to have. A pair of wire strippers are necessary as that is what us electricians do most days; terminate wires. Try to get a good pair of ergonomic handles, ranging from 10-20 gauge (at least), and with the screw cutting option (trust me, you will thank me for that later!). Lineman type pliers allow us to cut, pull, twist, and bang on things so a definite must have. They are definitely going to be the largest pair of pliers in your tool pouch as that heft helps in cutting wire. Diagonal cutting pliers are a bit like lineman’s pliers, but have only the cutting edge only with no plier tip. Useful when cutting or prying metal. Needle nose (much like the name implies) are skinny snouted pliers that allow you to reach into a slim space to manipulate an object or loop a wire. One should consider a multi plier that combines several of the ones mentioned above into one tool, so you don’t have as many tools in your pouch at once!
A level is important so we can install things on the level (see what I did there?!). As us electricians are constantly working with something metallic, a small torpedo level with magnets is very helpful. An electrician’s level is handy as it has several bubbles on it to assist when bending conduit to get to an accurate degree of bend! Super handy!! A good selection of screwdrivers is a must also. A large and medium flat head and a Phillips are ones you should always keep on you. A multi screwdriver is handy to have as it allows you to have several different screwdriver tips in one package.
A tester is a tool that every electrician should own and know how to use! There are many different types available, so research should be done, as long as it is applicable to the type and voltage you are working with. As a note, since you will be testing to make sure voltage is OFF before putting your hands on it, make sure that you choose a meter from a reputable company and take care of it!! Keep it separate from the rest of your tools, keep the leads in good working order and make sure you have fresh batteries in it!
We hope this has been helpful in determining which tools you should have to start your electrical career. There are many different choices out there, but what you carry should be tailored to the individual electrician and the tasks that you are performing! Is there a topic that you want to see a video for? Leave a comment in the comment section below and let us know! Please continue to follow Dustin and Electrician U as we are constantly updating our content to help our followers along in their career!!
#electrician #electrical #electricity #terms of trade #journeyman tips #power issues
![[목공 / Woodworking] 트리머 사용법 / Using A Trim Router / Palm Router](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/udQ1FHrci0w/hqdefault.jpg "[목공 / Woodworking] 트리머 사용법 / Using A Trim Router / Palm Router")
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Milwaukee makes a stripper needle nose plier combo that are about 20-25 bucks. It's super convenient because you don't have to switch between needle nose and strippers. Less weight on your bags
No thanks on the power tools. Contractor provides all the power tools I’ll need. IBEW
14:50 bug. goddamn run!
Get a craftsman 4v electric screwdriver if you’re putting it a lot of receptacles/ plates, it fits in your back pocket and it’s a whole lot better than carrying around a big impact driver
My arms are weak and feeble. I’ll stick with my 16oz hammer 😂
Unless you’re an IBEW apprentice and the contractor supplies the power tools and bits 😛
This video is great. Very helpful as I’m finishing out my kit.
In commercial two other must haves for me are twos sets of channel locks, and a couple of speed wrench’s. For conduit securing and rack building stuff.
The company will be supplying all the tools.
Lads cmon now… fully insulated snips, pliers, long nose pliers, full insulated screwdrivers (only tip is metal) drill/hammer drill! You are not a carpenter to use only impact ffs
You have some great points but all my apprentice wouldnt make on site with all your advice! Safety first
A really common practice for the waffle face hammers is to sand the corners on the face and round them over so it’s not such a sharp edge.
What pouch is this?
What kind of tool belt are you wearing?
Man I wish I saw this video before I started. I’m on my 5th day of apprenticeship and am needing to borrow tools too often, even after following the tool list I was given. Being in the field and knowing what you need vs. what you’re told or think you need is a game changer.
I don't need Milwaukee.
How can I get a Electrician apprenticeship in California?
What about a stud finder or fishing tape?
What tool bags are those?
Join a union apprenticeship.
Union contractors provide battery drills and power tools.
Those are long nose pliers, rather than needle nose. 😉
They need to add a #10 machine screw to the strippers because of fan boxes.
what pouch is that my belts getting to be 50 pounds I need ones with suspenders as well as one that I can put my impact drill, Im especially looking to get slots for my tools.
Huge tip, leave the Milwaukee tape measures at the home depot where it belongs, ive been threw multiple of them and im a milwaukee or die type of guy. All my tools are milwaukee except my tape measure. I bought the klien tape measure and it doesn't break till about 14ft and has been one of the best investments I've made in tools.
Make sure you always use the impact driver on the highest setting whenever you have to install some self-tapping sheet metal screws. It's the only way to stir-friction weld them in place so nobody else can ever work on that thing again.
That milwaukee multi tool….I have the harbor freight version and I LOVE them. I took the giant handles off and put on a few coats of plastic dip so they're a little more streamlined. They strip from I think 18 to 8 wire. The cutter is the perfect size for stripping the sheathing from romex. And FYI, the Doyle line of pliers at HF are a home run.
2 drills?? i’m good, union agreement means that contractor supplies power tools. save your money kids, go union.
Who makes the tool belt you are wearing ? I haven’t seen that one before but it looks handy. Is there one you’d recommend more ?
You need to try the knipex strippers. I cant go back to anything else after using them the past 7 months
How do you deal with hot wheather? During the summer it's not good to work outside. I try to drink more water than usual.
Big hug from Portugal.
Small wire brushes scotch Brite sandpaper also super handy when working on older equipment cleaning up landing surfaces or even cleaning off the conductors themselves getting off corrosion or any junk built up.
Lol, i guess i must be a self thought apprentice.