Insulated tools

I am getting in to a new trade and I will be needing insulated tools. I am looking for quality on a budget. Ware is the best place to shop? What are good brands that I can rely on? I am well aware of Kline but looking at outher brands also.

I cant recommend any of these, but heres a small list     knipex, snap-on, Milwaukee, gearwrench, wiha.       you can google them to see prices and stuff like that

Check out Facom. They have extensive insulated offering that includes sockets and ratchets as well. I have a Proto set that’s rebranded Facom stuff and it’s good shit. I use insulated stuff any time I fuck with anything 220V or higher

I have Knipex insulated tools I got from Lowes on clearance a 2 years ago. I have become a big Knipex hand tool fan though now after buying them. I love the Pliers Wrench and Cobras I have. I will never go back to cheap grove lock pliers now. The Milwaukee hand tools are pretty nice if your on a budget.

I’ve got some Milwaukee screw drivers, price wasn’t bad. They feel really nice but haven’t done any work with high voltage with them yet. Happy to have them though

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Tapatalk

I have some Wiha insulated stuff that I love,i also have some insulated Gearwrench tools that i like too. Knipex are awesome and worth the dough for some of your kit.

Look on amazon.com for ideas and pricing,there is tons of stuff on there.  Dont skimp on your volt meter 😉

i can second the gearwrench brand for insulated pliers i have some and they’re great. i also like klein and i really like the new milwaukee hand tools, i pick up the milwaukee wire stripers and there great.

I’m just a little bummed out on GearWrench. I got some of the pivot force pliers and the finish was absolutely horrible grind marks burs I was really disappointing considering the sockets I got were in top shape.

From your user name i can only guess you’re shopping in the US, so some of the German brand ones might be more expensive/harder to get your hands on. Those being brand like Knipex, Wera, and Wiha.  All good brands and are making some slow headway into the US.  The most popular US brand for electrical tools (even though some of the tools are made in china) is like you said, Klein. Kline is tried and true but unfortunately seems to be slow to innovate.

I personally like what Milwaukee is starting to bring to the table, just the feel and look of it.  Currently for insulated screw drivers they offer a 3/5/or 10 piece sets, starting at around 20$ for the 3 piece. I have no idea on their longevity, but they have some cool new things coming out all the time.  Most of their non insulated electrical tools will preform more than one function, so you don’t have to switch between tools as often.

As far as WHERE to buy them, I pretty much exclusively shop on Amazon. Local Home Depot and Menards. 

Something like this might be a good starting point for you    http://www.amazon.com/Wiha-32985-Insulated-Industrial-Drivers/dp/B007HGNUY8/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1435543236&sr=8-6&keywords=insulated+pliers

I use CK tools (German tools) and they are great. Very good quality. Same price range as Wera, Bahco.

As mentioned above, the Facom range is excellent. I am stocking up on their anti-static handtools for my career. Worth every last penny. Especially VDE tools when your life is on the line.

The only thing I have used is Wera so I can’t comment on the other brands. I probably won’t go with any other brand for no other reason than I like the feel and the laser etching. I think you can grab a set of six on Amazon for about 35 to 38 bucks. Knipex is great too.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

Wera are great and Bahco

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Funny fact/story;

When I was just a little kid, I always enjoyed building my own tree-shack, using my father’s tools. Hammer usually went great, but always struggled a bit bith the screws. Either they rounded the screws or the screwdriver.

Until one day, on my way to school, I found a magic screwdriver on the side of the road. It was fantastic, got all the bad screws, and screwing suddenly became a breeze. SO easy, even a kid like me could use it. After some years, I guess I stopped playing with my shack(s), and my father silently just adopted the screwdriver. And over the next ten years, I could get my hands on that one screwdriver, mostly building computers and opening up random electronics. 

Until the day I moved out, remembering that it was I who found it, tok it with me to collage. And finally, as I graduated and started working, it ended up in my workshop. But all the time I had it, I never registered what brand it is. So guys, guess what brand it was? 😉

Yupp, it wasn’t actually magic, just a Bahco (philips head – PH1). 😀 Neithless to say, Bahco is one of my favorites, and soon I’l get my hands on 29 more of em.

 

Edit: Here’s the champ, guessing around 18 years old (++) now

 

Also invested in som Wera, and they are also great. A bit more “modern”, having some ekstra “functions” and finesse.