When you talk to electricians, tools become a sort of sacred thing. Everyone has their favorites. Still, we have swayed more than one journeyman by placing a new tool in his hands. Our electrical tool reviews aim to reveal what electricians think about new products coming to market. Those might include a Klein non-contact voltage tester, Southwire RB1000 BendStation, or even hand tools. The new Milwaukee Gen2 combination wire pliers made a particularly big impact with some of our guys. Hands-on Electrical Tool Reviews Our hands-on electrical tool reviews take things like press tools and metal hole saws and find out if they work faster than existing products. Manufacturers are quick to make claims, but testing those claims is what helps Pros and know if a tool can cut it in the field. Our Pro electricians work with us to determine whether or not new tools are accurate, ergonomic, and/or just plain helpful.
Milwaukee Delivers Rust Resistance with Stainless Steel Milwaukee stainless steel fish tapes expand their line of steel and polyester options. Stainless steel tapes extend tool life, particularly in high-humidity working conditions. Its anti-rust and anti-corrosion properties give it an edge—if you want to pay for it. What’s the Big Deal? Material selection looks like the […]
With measuring 1500V DC solar panel installations, electricians have come across a new question: Most current AC/DC clamp meters carry a safety rating of CATIII 1000V. Can you use these tools to measure a 1500 V DC solar panel installation? The answer has some caveats. Fortunately, Fluke plans to bypass the problem with the Fluke […]
Any decent electrician worth his Romex has an arsenal of electrical testing tools in his collection. With the recent proliferation of new electrical tools and devices hitting the market, we wanted to share our thoughts on buying the right tools for testing and troubleshooting. Hopefully, this shopping guide helps both professionals and apprentices building up […]
Klein Tester Displays Wiring Problems on Helpful LCD Screen The Klein GFCI Receptacle Tester detects common wiring problems, displays voltage, and inspects GFCIs. It’s small, handy, and with its LCD screen, convenient and simple to take a reading from quickly. Klein on the GFCI Receptacle Tester The RT250 was designed with unique features to make […]
Southwire SIMPush Conduit Fittings Make EMT Connections Easy If you find that you’ve grown weary of the more traditional methods of installing conduit fittings, Southwire now has SimPush Push-To-Install fittings available for when you’re working on a variety of install environments. Pros Super-fast and simple press-in connection that requires no tools Reusable (tested up to […]
Wire Stripping Redefined How many different ways can we really reinvent the wire stripper, really? If the Knipex Forged Wire Strippers are any indication…at least one more time. However, in this case, the classic electrician’s hand tool might not need to go through any more refinement. We really like the choices Knipex made with this […]
The redesigned Milwaukee M18 Fuel Hole Hawg (2807-20) boasts more power and speed than its excellent predecessor with a shorter tool length and just a skosh (0.3 pounds) more heft. Our crew loves the Super Hawg we’ve used for years but having a smaller Hawg is certainly an advantage. Here are the details! Pros Highly […]
Milwaukee Conduit Bender Targets Improvements in Durability and Visibility Milwaukee Tool’s lineup of conduit benders for electricians is designed to tackle bending jobs with better functionality, durability, and visibility throughout the whole process. The improvements they’ve made are genuinely helpful and you have a choice between iron and aluminum. Key Improvements The Milwaukee conduit bender […]
The Southwire Surge Guard 50A provides a fortress of protection for your RV’s electronics—and inhabitants. It protects against both inconsistent power delivery and power surge events at the site. I’ve been using it to monitor the service and protect my Highland Ridge Open Range 427BHS fifth wheel RV. Pros Total protection with both line and […]
Klein Borescope Unlocks Android Potential The Klein ET16 Borescope pairs a 9mm digital camera to a 10-foot armored gooseneck cable. It also includes USB-C and micro-USB connections for viewing the image on most Android smartphones and devices. We like compact camera heads and good flexibility. Klein seems to have hit both with the ET16—and at […]
