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.
We often get contacted about new products by inventors—but rarely do we have a relationship with the inventor. In this case, I was recently contacted by a friend working closely with the owner and inventor of the Vulcan Line Tools Wave Timer. From what I’ve been able to learn, this tool might save linemen a […]
Take Milwaukee’s Chain Vise Anywhere Chain vices see a lot of use in the field for electrical, plumbing, and mechanical contractors. But, according to Milwaukee, most of the vices we see on the market are difficult to transport, inefficient to deploy, and become unstable as the joints wear down from use. The Milwaukee Portable 6-Inch […]
Klein Cable Identification Boots Help You Keep Everything Sorted and Functional We’ve all likely experienced the joy of trying to sift through a bunch of identical-looking cables. Those of you in the VDV and computer networking fields likely get to deal with that particular joy multiple times a day. Klein Tools has come up with […]
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 […]
Professional Tool Reviews for Pros
