Whats your favorite electrical tools?

I wanted to know whats everyones favorite electrical tools. In my school there are all kinds of tools from different manufacturers that we use. So far my wish list is fluke for the mutimeter, klein for the nut drivers and lineman pliers, greenlee for strippers, knipex for pliers and irwin for diagonal cutters. I ve only been using these tools for 3 months now. Figured i would ask everyone whose been using their tools longer.

I love the Milwaukee Band Saw, Irwin slip’s, Fluke meters, Klein everything,,(ratchet screwdriver). And my Sears hammer. I use Rigid Gangboxes and Tripod’s love em.

I always wondered whats the benefit of using a gangbox?

Fluke meters

Wera screwdrivers

I’d probably go with Klein or Milwaukee for nut drivers for the full length hollow shaft

Knipex pliers, strippers, cutters, and linesmen(maybe NWS or Irwin NWS)

Lindstrom for precision cutters

Milwaukee for power tools

BTW, the Fluke 117 is on sale for $135 on Amazon right now. I’d personally rather buy used Fluke for the money but if you want to buy new, you can’t beat that price. It’s cheaper than the 114 and only $5 more than the 110 Plus!!!

Can’t really argue with BMack. Certainly solid picks. I don’t know what your needs are, but if you need insulated tools, Facom has an extensive and good quality selection. 

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jeffmcmillan wrote:

1 hour ago, jeffmcmillan said:

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I like those mixed with this style:

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The Irwin is good with super thin wires but it can struggle where the Knipex/Felo shines. For coax cable RG-6 I use a Knipex cable shear to score the insulation and the Irwin to strip, otherwise it has a lot of trouble. I don’t do coax enough that I want a dedicated tool. I’d recommend the Irwin and a traditional style for someone starting, the Knipex/Felo style is more of an easy of use and nicer feel/lighter package.

BTW, the Knipex is better than the Felo. The red portion is grippy rubber and it’s super comfortable. Also the jaws strip and open to release the cut insulation, the Felo’s jaws remain closed and sometimes the insulation sticks. The Irwin sometimes has the insulation stick also.

I love my Kleins for electrical. And Fluke for my go to meters. 

my favorite electrical tool is my cell phone, I use it every time an electrical issue arises I call my brother, he is the electrician….I’m no electrician nor try to be……ouch….son of a…. 

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Klein CL800 002 by Edward Durbin, on Flickr

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IMG_0489 by Edward Durbin, on Flickr

Has anyone tried those knipex strippers?

grampage wrote:

6 hours ago, grampage said:

Has anyone tried those knipex strippers?

BMack37 wrote:

10 hours ago, BMack37 said:

 

I like those mixed with this style:

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The Irwin is good with super thin wires but it can struggle where the Knipex/Felo shines. For coax cable RG-6 I use a Knipex cable shear to score the insulation and the Irwin to strip, otherwise it has a lot of trouble. I don’t do coax enough that I want a dedicated tool. I’d recommend the Irwin and a traditional style for someone starting, the Knipex/Felo style is more of an easy of use and nicer feel/lighter package.

 

BTW, the Knipex is better than the Felo. The red portion is grippy rubber and it’s super comfortable. Also the jaws strip and open to release the cut insulation, the Felo’s jaws remain closed and sometimes the insulation sticks. The Irwin sometimes has the insulation stick also.

I’ve used those and hate them compared to the Irwin style. The problem for me is the cutter is a set depth from the grabber so if it doesn’t work you’re stuck.  The Irwin style adjust the two individually by pressure and the pressure is easily adjustable from almost nothing (works on 30AWG) to pretty high, and most importantly when it maxes out you can manually apply pressure to strip pretty much anything that fits in the jaws.  That’s particularly useful for teflon insulation or multiple wires.  Not to mention you can much more easily get to the middle of a cable to strip a foot or so of sheathing.  I’ve even used a ziptie on the handle to hold insulation open and tap into the middle of cables.  That’s all ignoring that I can get three Irwins for the price of a Knipex.

Grew up using a Simpson meter and just got use to it.  It’s not digital, but it can handle phase to phase on with 480 volts and I’ve learned to trust it.  Klein cable cutters and strippers always served me well also. 

Klein is coming out with strippers like the irwins but with the kleins you can adjust the amount of tension to strip smaller wires

I had a pair of the Irwins, but they were finnicky and I stopped using them and going straight for my standard Channellock strippers. The Irwins also wouldn’t work on wire with any kind of moisture, dust, slime, sludge, oil or miscellaneous on them. Those are the times when you really want the tool to work the first time.

Stercorarius wrote:

I had a pair of the Irwins, but they were finnicky and I stopped using them and going straight for my standard Channellock strippers. The Irwins also wouldn’t work on wire with any kind of moisture, dust, slime, sludge, oil or miscellaneous on them. Those are the times when you really want the tool to work the first time.

jeffmcmillan wrote:

5 hours ago, jeffmcmillan said:

 

I’ve used those and hate them compared to the Irwin style. The problem for me is the cutter is a set depth from the grabber so if it doesn’t work you’re stuck.  The Irwin style adjust the two individually by pressure and the pressure is easily adjustable from almost nothing (works on 30AWG) to pretty high, and most importantly when it maxes out you can manually apply pressure to strip pretty much anything that fits in the jaws.  That’s particularly useful for teflon insulation or multiple wires.  Not to mention you can much more easily get to the middle of a cable to strip a foot or so of sheathing.  I’ve even used a ziptie on the handle to hold insulation open and tap into the middle of cables.  That’s all ignoring that I can get three Irwins for the price of a Knipex.

It’s virtually the same thing with the Irwins; when it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work and the Knipex/Felo will work. If you have insulation that stretches the Irwin doesn’t work because it only cuts a small part of the insulation. This is why i use the cable shears to pre-cut the RG-6 cable. The price is definitely a down side but between the two, you can easily strip all common wires.

BMack37 wrote:

19 minutes ago, BMack37 said:

 

It’s virtually the same thing with the Irwins; when it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work and the Knipex/Felo will work. If you have insulation that stretches the Irwin doesn’t work because it only cuts a small part of the insulation. This is why i use the cable shears to pre-cut the RG-6 cable. The price is definitely a down side but between the two, you can easily strip all common wires.

My point with the Irwin style was if they don’t work you can manually press on the jaws a bit for certain wire.  Maybe it’s bad luck or couple bad pairs from knipex but they just don’t work for me.  Side by side the Irwins have stripped wires the Knipex wouldn’t.  It could also be good luck with the Irwin pairs because I’ve heard of some having the wrong tension and won’t strip anything.

Most of my classmates just go for the reagular klein and greenlee strippers mainly cause of the tension issue with the irwins. I def wanna try the klein version.

I’ve had the Irwins for a good 5-6 years. I’ve used the exclusively in residential settings on 10,12, and 14 gauge and have never really had an issue with them failing to strip a wire. The only problem I’ve ever ran into was having enough space to use them. They’ve either been slick as can be or totally useless.

My favorite is my Klein hammer [External image (uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com), not copied]


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Klein, Wiha, knipex mainly in my bag


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Knipex for anything pliers or cutter related, Wiha for all the screwdrivers as well as a set of insulated nutdrivers. As I get older, my impact has become my go-to tool for any fastener driving so insert bits, holders, and nut-drivers are important to me as well. I’ve been very impressed with some Wera PH2 S.S. inserts I bought, but I also get a variety of stuff from local tool vendors. I am particularly fond of the Irwin 9-in-1 driver tool (2051100) that has the Robinson 1 and 2 sizes most used in devices here in the US. 

The exception to Knipex for cutting are my cutters/strippers, which I buy the US made stamped steel ones which are branded by almost all the big players (Ideal, Klein, Greenlee etc.). None of the gadget type cutters/strippers do as clean a job for the day to day stripping as those tools do, and they’re relatively cheap. I keep two strippers in my bag – one for 18-8 AWG and a second for 12/2 and 10/2 Romex and 12 and 10 AWG. They are especially handy in older homes where that chunky-assed PVC Romex or cloth covered Romex was used.

For test equipment, one option to look at is the AEMC store where they sell both new and refurbished test tools which they make themselves (unlike Klein, Milwaukee, Ideal, Greenlee etc) You can get some really decent test equipment for very affordable prices from time to time. Start out with a medium sized versatile clamp meter that can do TRMS AC readings and which fits in your tool bag or isn’t a PITA to carry around, then work your way towards expanding the collection as you need better testers.

Here’s a good, not-too-expensive clamp that will do a lot of what you need in a meter and has way higher specs than a Fluke 323 starter toy:
http://store.aemc.com/Clamp-on-Meter-Model-203_p_1152.html

I bought a Klein “starter” kit from HD and I love all the tools in it except I like my Milwaukee strippers better.


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Peter Argyropoulos wrote:

15 hours ago, Peter Argyropoulos said:

Knipex for anything pliers or cutter related, Wiha for all the screwdrivers as well as a set of insulated nutdrivers. As I get older, my impact has become my go-to tool for any fastener driving so insert bits, holders, and nut-drivers are important to me as well. I’ve been very impressed with some Wera PH2 S.S. inserts I bought, but I also get a variety of stuff from local tool vendors. I am particularly fond of the Irwin 9-in-1 driver tool (2051100) that has the Robinson 1 and 2 sizes most used in devices here in the US. 

 

The exception to Knipex for cutting are my cutters/strippers, which I buy the US made stamped steel ones which are branded by almost all the big players (Ideal, Klein, Greenlee etc.). None of the gadget type cutters/strippers do as clean a job for the day to day stripping as those tools do, and they’re relatively cheap. I keep two strippers in my bag – one for 18-8 AWG and a second for 12/2 and 10/2 Romex and 12 and 10 AWG. They are especially handy in older homes where that chunky-assed PVC Romex or cloth covered Romex was used.

 

For test equipment, one option to look at is the AEMC store where they sell both new and refurbished test tools which they make themselves (unlike Klein, Milwaukee, Ideal, Greenlee etc) You can get some really decent test equipment for very affordable prices from time to time. Start out with a medium sized versatile clamp meter that can do TRMS AC readings and which fits in your tool bag or isn’t a PITA to carry around, then work your way towards expanding the collection as you need better testers.

Here’s a good, not-too-expensive clamp that will do a lot of what you need in a meter and has way higher specs than a Fluke 323 starter toy:
http://store.aemc.com/Clamp-on-Meter-Model-203_p_1152.html

 

If I was stripping the same size or few size wires every day, I’d agree with you about the wire strippers. If I’m using 16AWG, I will grab my Klein pliers to strip the wire instead of the automatic. I think it’s more in what you’re doing on which tool is the best for you. I use a bunch of different sizes and different coatings of wire so I tend to gravitate towards automatic strippers. If I was a professional electrician I would probably go with a regular stripper…but the electronics I do don’t have standard sized wires/sheathing. I probably should have added that to my original post but your post sent me on a thought train.

Anyone ever used these RJ45 crimpers from Legrand? They were $100 ?

Stercorarius wrote:

2 minutes ago, Stercorarius said:

Anyone ever used these RJ45 crimpers from Legrand? They were $100 ?

I have … fairly stout if I remember correctly, I have a really old ratchet style I bought 20 years ago from Jensen that have held up well. Of all the crumpets I have used,….. As long as the crimp feels smooth, you shouldn’t have any troubles 

My dad was a linesman for a few phone companies so all my life Klein has been the go to for him and is for me. I also like snap on electrical tools. 

Stercorarius wrote:

Anyone ever used these RJ45 crimpers from Legrand? They were $100 [emoji30]

Those look exactly like the platinum tools crimper that I have. Regularly half that price at adi iirc

They work great.

https://m.adiglobal.us/h5/pdp?encodedPath=%2FPages%2FProduct.aspx%3Fpid%3DTS-100004C%26category%3D7210

BababooeyHTJ wrote:

1 hour ago, BababooeyHTJ said:

Those look exactly like the platinum tools crimper that I have. Regularly half that price at adi iirc

They work great.

https://m.adiglobal.us/h5/pdp?encodedPath=%2FPages%2FProduct.aspx%3Fpid%3DTS-100004C%26category%3D7210

Oh wow those are identical. 

I’m fairly certain that they’re the oem. Looks like a lot of companies sell the same tool.

I’ve had my southwire autoranging multimeter So i would have to say that it is my favorite elec-chickens tool, but hopefully when i have a well paying job i would like to buy a high end fluke meter like the fluke 87 and some other thing like and oscilloscope. Im more of like a hobbyist than a house electrician even though i still have some basics of changing out outlets and installing dimmer and stuff like that.

NicolasRamos wrote:

On 12/11/2016 at 9:40 AM, NicolasRamos said:

My favorite is my Klein hammer [External image (uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com), not copied]


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That’s not a hammer…..lol

(p.s. I totally get the joke, I do the same thing)

Surfer (aka Nalu) wrote:

 

That’s not a hammer…..lol

 

(p.s. I totally get the joke, I do the same thing)

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Im not an electrician but I do some small repairs, new sockets, plugs etc my favorite tool is the Knipex Electricians pliers

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has anyone tried any green lee hand tools?

grampage wrote:

has anyone tried any green lee hand tools?

 

grampage wrote:

has anyone tried any green lee hand tools?

 

I think I have 2 electrician tools.. Ideal wire strippers and wiha 4pc insulated screwdriver set. make it 3 if electrical tape counts. lol

rrich1 wrote:

I think I have 2 electrician tools.. Ideal wire strippers and wiha 4pc insulated screwdriver set. make it 3 if electrical tape counts. lol

Picked up some replacement Klein tools the other day. Should have gone with Channellock like before. The only thing that Klein seems to do very well with are their nut drivers.

grampage wrote:

has anyone tried any green lee hand tools?

 

grampage wrote:

2 hours ago, grampage said:

has anyone tried any green lee hand tools?

 

Not much.  They’ve all been good quality but nothing to write home about.

NicolasRamos wrote:

3 hours ago, NicolasRamos said:

Also Greenlee’s K/O punch tools are untouchable. They have a lot of high quality tools out there, so I think they would be worth giving a shot.


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I gotta agree with the hole punch tool, eventhough its the only hole punch I have been training with, i love it.

I like greenlee hand tools nut drivers an screw drivers comparable to Klein good quality.


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I get great pleasure when using the product from Milwaukee, but for the use they are very expensive homes. I use only a service tool at work.

boyddavid wrote:

7 hours ago, boyddavid said:

I get great pleasure when using the product from Milwaukee, but for the use they are very expensive homes. I use only a service tool at work.

Yes, the Milwaukee are very expensive homes? You only use a service tool at work? Are you a robot? Does not compute

I have Klein strippers for wiring in ballast and what not but dont do much electrical beyond sign lighting. 

I’m in the industrial and commercial side of things and a few of my favorite tools are 

1. Channellock 440 tongue and groove pliers. They are cheap and solid. I use them as a hammer sometimes (beating on locknuts). I use them for 1/2″ to 2″ pipe.

2. Ideal reflex super T-strippers

3. Klein demolition screw driver.

4. Klein 11 in 1 screwdriver 

I buy mostly American made and think Klein and Ideal are great, but Milwaukee has a lot of affordable innovative options that are made overseas.