Top 20 Electrical Tools! DON'T do DIY electrical work WITHOUT these
Summary
TLDRIn this video, the host outlines essential electrical tools for DIY enthusiasts or professionals. The list includes multimeters, non-contact voltage testers, outlet testers, and circuit breaker finders for safety and testing. Pliers, screwdrivers, and general tools like headlamps and flashlights are also covered. The host recommends specific tools like MC cable cutters, conduit reamers, and benders for commercial work. The video promises upcoming content on actual electrical work.
Takeaways
- 🔌 The presenter is undertaking electrical work and will share a series of videos on the subject.
- 🛠️ Essential electrical tools are categorized into testing, pliers, screwdrivers, and general purpose tools.
- 🏗️ Testing tools are crucial for safety, ensuring correct wiring and preventing electrical accidents.
- 🔍 A multimeter is indispensable for checking voltage, amps, continuity, and other electrical properties.
- ⚡ Non-contact voltage testers are handy for checking live circuits without direct contact.
- 🔌 Outlet testers are necessary for verifying correct wiring and GFCI functionality.
- 🔧 Pliers are versatile and essential for various electrical tasks, including wire stripping and twisting.
- 🪛 Screwdrivers are frequently used in electrical work, with specific types for different screw and nut sizes.
- 👷♂️ General purpose tools like headlamps, flashlights, and battery banks are important for visibility and power during work.
- 🏭 Commercial tools like MC cable cutters, conduit reamers, and benders are necessary for larger electrical projects involving conduits.
Q & A
What is the first category of electrical tools mentioned in the script?
-The first category of electrical tools mentioned is 'testing', which includes tools to ensure safety and correct installation of electrical work.
Why is a multimeter considered indispensable in electrical work?
-A multimeter is considered indispensable because it can check various readings such as volts, amps, continuity, and more, which are essential for ensuring electrical work is done correctly and safely.
What is the purpose of a non-contact voltage tester?
-A non-contact voltage tester is used to check if an outlet or circuit is live without direct contact, which is handy for safety when working away from the electrical panel.
What does GFCI stand for and why is it important to test it?
-GFCI stands for Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter. It is important to test it because it protects against electrical shock by interrupting the circuit when a ground fault is detected.
What is the purpose of a circuit breaker finder?
-A circuit breaker finder is used to locate which breaker controls a specific circuit by emitting a signal that can be detected near the breaker with a receiver.
Why are wire strippers essential in electrical work?
-Wire strippers are essential for removing insulation from electrical wires in a controlled and safe manner, which is a common task in electrical installations and repairs.
What are lineman's pliers used for in electrical work?
-Lineman's pliers are used for twisting wires together, cutting cables, and sometimes putting on crimp connectors, making them versatile for various electrical tasks.
Why is it recommended to have a good quality headlamp when doing electrical work?
-A good quality headlamp is recommended for electrical work because it allows for hands-free lighting in areas with poor lighting or where the power is turned off, enhancing safety and efficiency.
What is the benefit of using a precision screwdriver in electrical work?
-A precision screwdriver is beneficial for working with small screws commonly found in electrical components, allowing for precise and careful assembly or disassembly.
Why are MC cable cutters recommended when working with MC cable?
-MC cable cutters are recommended because they make cutting MC cable clean and fast, which is important for efficient and professional installations.
What is the role of conduit benders in electrical work involving metal conduit?
-Conduit benders are used to shape metal conduit as needed for installations, saving on costs by reducing the need for additional fittings and ensuring a clean, professional finish.
Outlines
🛠️ Essential Electrical Tools for Safety and Efficiency
The speaker introduces a video about essential electrical tools needed for home or shop electrical work. They emphasize the importance of proper tools for safety and efficiency. The tools are categorized into testing, pliers, screwdrivers, and general purpose tools. The speaker discusses the necessity of testing tools to ensure electrical work is done correctly and safely. They recommend a multimeter for checking voltage, amps, and continuity, a non-contact voltage tester for checking live circuits, and an outlet tester for verifying correct wiring and GFCI functionality. An honorable mention is the circuit breaker finder for locating specific breakers in a panel.
🔩 Pliers: The Workhorse of Electrical Tools
The speaker discusses various types of pliers used in electrical work, highlighting their versatility. They mention wire strippers, which are crucial for different wire gauges and types, including a set with a built-in Romex stripper and a V-cutter. Automatic strippers are also recommended for their consistency and ease of use. Lineman's pliers are noted for their utility in twisting wires and other tasks. Diagonal cutting pliers are praised for their usefulness in tight spaces, and needle-nose pliers are mentioned for their precision. Lastly, adjustable pliers or channel locks are highlighted as multi-purpose tools for tightening connectors.
🔩 Screwdrivers: Driving Productivity in Electrical Work
The speaker covers the importance of screwdrivers in electrical work, starting with a multi-bit screwdriver set for various screw types. They recommend a stubby screwdriver for tight spaces and an insulated screwdriver for safety around live circuits. A precision screwdriver is suggested for small screws, and a large flathead screwdriver is noted for its utility in knocking out knockouts and prying tasks, especially with metal boxes.
🔦 General Purpose Tools for Versatile Electrical Work
The speaker recommends general purpose tools for electrical work, including a headlamp and flashlight for visibility in dark spaces, a battery bank for powering tools when outlets are not available, and fish tape for pulling wires through walls or conduits. A utility knife is highlighted for cutting tasks, gloves are advised for hand protection, and a set of Allen keys is mentioned for working with panels. Lastly, a quality tool belt is suggested for organization and accessibility of tools.
🏭 Commercial Electrical Tools for Advanced Work
The speaker discusses tools for more commercial electrical work, such as MC cable cutters for clean and fast cuts, conduit reamers for smoothing metal conduit ends, and conduit benders for shaping metal conduits without additional fittings. These tools are particularly useful for those working on larger-scale projects or in commercial settings.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡electrical work
💡multimeter
💡wire stripper
💡pliers
💡screwdriver
💡GFCI
💡MC cable
💡EMT conduit
💡tool belt
💡conduit bender
Highlights
Introduction to the video on recommended electrical tools for DIY enthusiasts and professionals.
Emphasis on the importance of testing tools for electrical safety.
Recommendation of a multimeter for checking volts, amps, continuity, and other electrical properties.
Advantages of a non-contact voltage tester for safety.
Usefulness of an outlet tester with a GFCI tester feature.
Introduction of a circuit breaker finder for identifying live breakers.
Necessity of wire strippers in various electrical tasks.
Benefits of lineman's pliers for twisting wires and other applications.
Utility of diagonal cutting pliers for cutting and removing staples.
Functionality of needle nose pliers for accessing tight spaces.
Versatility of adjustable pliers or channel locks in electrical work.
Importance of a good quality screwdriver set for various screw types.
Value of a stubby screwdriver for working in confined spaces.
Necessity of insulated screwdrivers for safety when working with live circuits.
Precision screwdrivers' role in handling tiny screws.
Use of a large flat head screwdriver for knocking out knockouts and prying.
Recommendation of a headlamp and flashlight for visibility in low light conditions.
Utility of a battery bank for charging tools and devices without power.
Importance of fish tape for pulling wire through walls and conduit.
Usefulness of a good quality utility knife for cutting tasks.
Value of gloves in protecting hands during electrical work.
Utility of Allen keys for working with electrical panels.
Importance of a well-organized tool belt for easy access to tools.
Recommendation of MC cable cutters for clean and fast cutting of metal-clad cables.
Use of conduit reamers for deburring metal conduit after cutting.
Importance of conduit benders for creating bends in metal conduit without additional fittings.
Conclusion and anticipation for upcoming electrical work videos.
Transcripts
all right guys so next up on the shop
renovation to-do list is the electoral
work which I'm going to be doing myself
and I'm gonna have a couple more videos
covering the electrical work but I
figured before that I should probably do
a video showing you my recommended
electrical tools in case you're
interested in doing some of your own
electrical work at your house or shop or
whatever and so I've divided it into a
few different categories first I have
testing which is obviously going to be
pretty important that's going to make
sure you did everything correctly and
aren't going to burn your house or shop
down next is pliers which you know
probably about half of all electrical
tools I think fit in the plier category
after that is screwdrivers which make up
most of the other half of the tools and
then last I have some general purpose
tools as well as a few bonus kind of
more commercial oriented Tools in case
you're working with stuff like MC cable
and EMT conduit like I am here so let me
clear off my workbench and let's get
started
foreign
so again category number one is testing
and in my opinion you should not be
doing any electrical work without at
least most of these tools because these
are going to be what keep you safe
they're going to be what keeps you from
getting shocked or electrocuted and
hopefully what keeps you from burning
your house down if you do something
wrong so number one on the list and a
tool that took me way too long to get
was a multimeter or multimeter depending
on what part of the world you're in but
these are indispensable you can check
all kinds of different readings here
this one checks volts amps continuity
and a whole bunch of other stuff
honestly this one is probably even more
advanced than I really needed but I
figured you know buy one's cry once but
what I use it for the most is to double
check that a panel is actually dead not
turned on and live because I can check
the hot and neutral and ground wires
coming in to see what kind of currents
going through them you can also use this
to check Outlets after they've been
wired to make sure you're getting the
correct voltage and as I mentioned it
can do a whole bunch of other stuff this
one has a clamp built in you can put
this clamp around a larger wire and even
without contacting it it can figure out
how much Ambridge is moving through that
wire which is pretty cool and this one
came with this really nice case and it
also even came with a thermocouple so I
could measure temperature if I needed to
[Music]
next up on the list is a non-contact
voltage tester and these are what I
started with even though I probably
should have bought a multimeter a little
earlier but these are super handy too
the one problem with them is that they
can be inaccurate like this one here I
bought and kind of cheaped out on and it
has one kind of fatal flaw let me show
you if I turn it on if I tap a surface a
little bit too hard
it tells me it's hot which obviously my
wooden workbench is not hot right now
whereas this one from Klein Tools is a
lot more robust I can you know hammer on
it but these are super handy for
checking to see if an outlet is live or
a circuit is live if you're away from
the panel and they're a little easier to
handle than something like a multimeter
although I forgot to mention this
multimeter even has a non-contact
voltage tester built into it
last in the testing category is going to
be an outlet tester and there are a
whole bunch of different varieties of
these but I would just make sure to get
one with a GFCI tester on it so that way
if you're wiring up any GFCI protected
circuits you can plug this in push the
GFCI button and it should trip the GFCI
outlet or breaker and so you'll know
that it's wired correctly this one will
also tell you if the actual wiring is
correct including whether you have an
open ground an open neutral open hot or
the hot neutral reversed or hot and
ground reverse so those are all super
handy the thing I like about this tester
is this little switch allows you to turn
on an audible sound and that's really
handy if you're trying to figure out
what breaker a circuit's on plug this in
the sound is loud enough to hear it you
know from a room or two away and then
just go start flipping Breakers until
the sound stops in that same category
kind of an honorable mention is going to
be a circuit breaker finder and these
are super cool this transmitter plugs
into any outlet and also came with an
adapter for a lamp holder and it also
even came with this adapter with some
alligator clips so you can test exposed
wires but basically you plug this guy in
and then take this the receiver back to
your panel and then just start kind of
sliding it up and down across your
Breakers when it senses a signal from
the transmitter it will start beeping at
you and there are fancier models in this
and I actually don't love this one
because this power button is so easy to
accidentally turn on every time I get my
electrical tool bag out this thing seems
to accidentally turn on so Klein if
you're listening that would be a major
Improvement on this tool but it is very
very handy especially in a building like
this where it's 50 years old there are
four panels a whole bunch of circuits
going God knows where and so this thing
was pretty handy and that's it for
testing so let's move on to pliers
so as I mentioned these plier variations
make up probably about half of this list
and for good reason there are a lot of
uses for these kind of tools in
electrical work so number one the tool
you can't do much electrical work
without is the wire stripper and these
come in a whole bunch of different
varieties I have four different versions
here and you really just need to decide
what features you want built in and
usually there's going to be a trade-off
between the size of the strippers and
the amount of features so I started with
this very basic set of strippers and
then upgraded recently to this set which
the main reason I upgraded is that it
can strip larger wire so it can go up to
six gauge which some of the stuff I'm
going to be doing during the shop
renovation is going to be with larger
wire for some of my 220 circuits this is
a really cool set of strippers from
racketeers is there Croc strippers but
this one's great if you're doing more
residential work because it has a
built-in section to strip Romex and it
also has this optional V cutter that you
can use to strip Romex as well both
super super handy if you're doing a lot
of Romex work which I'm doing none of
here at the shop because again this is
more of a commercial space the last the
strippers are these automatic strippers
from canipix and that is how you
pronounce that I looked it up on their
website it is knippix
okay nipx
uh but these are awesome because you can
set the amount of sheathing you want to
remove and so I'm using Wego connectors
to make up a lot of the outlet boxes
here and so I could just set the depth
based on the recommendations from Waco
and in one quick motion it strips the
wire and removes the sheathing super
super easy very consistent every time
it's very comfortable trigger grip and I
just find these a lot more consistent
than your kind of standard wire
strippers this one even has a cable
cutter built in
moving on from strippers next up are
lineman's pliers and these are obviously
super super useful they've got these big
flat Jaws which are great for twisting
together wires if you're using standard
wire nuts that said I'm moving over to
mostly juegos at this point so I've been
using my lyman's pliers as much but
they're super handy for other stuff
they're great for cutting cables some of
them have a fish line puller built into
them and some models also have the
ability to put on crimp connectors which
is very handy and just saves you another
tool in your tool bag next up on the
list are these diagonal cutting pliers
and these are just one of the more handy
pliers to have in any shop they're great
for obviously cutting stuff good for
pulling Staples out these are great for
getting into more tighter quarters like
cutting inside of outlet boxes you know
removing Romex treating but definitely
invest in a good pair of these I also
have this smaller set of diagonal
cutters and this is great honestly I use
this probably most for removing zip ties
which you know can be super challenging
especially if it's wrapped around a air
hose or wiring something you don't want
to cut this is great for getting into
those tight spots and this one is spray
ring loaded which I wish all of these
were I don't know why that's not more
common but it just makes it super easy
to use next on the plier list is a set
of needle nose pliers these are also
great for getting into tighter quarters
obviously they've got a very long pointy
tip so you can get into outlet boxes and
all that kind of stuff great for pulling
and grabbing things I don't really use
the cutting functionality on needle nose
pliers as much but that is an option
there as well and last on the plier list
is going to be a good pair of adjustable
pliers or channel locks channel lock is
the kind of de facto brand for these but
obviously tons of different companies
make these but this is going to be great
for tightening connectors onto outlet
boxes all kinds of stuff it's just a
super handy multi-purpose set of pliers
alright so that covers pliers and now
let's move on to screwdrivers so
obviously in the world of electrical
work there are going to be a lot of
screws and nuts to drive so probably my
most used screwdriver in the electrical
tool kit is this 11 in one multi-screw
driver from Klein it's got all the bits
you need and none of the ones you don't
so you've got a mini flat head a mini
Phillips an even smaller Flathead for
all those outlet cover screws a number
two square or Robertson Drive which a
lot of electrical connectors are using
these days also when you remove the bits
you have nut drivers in a whole bunch of
different sizes and then if you flip the
whole thing around you've got your two
kind of gold standard phillips number
two and again Square Drive Number Two
Robertson so between all of those bits
you can do a lot of work but there are a
few other screwdrivers I'd recommend a
stubby screwdriver this is also a kind
of multi-bit screwdriver for getting
into those tighter spaces which a lot of
times when you're doing electrical work
you are going to be in tighter spaces
whether that's in panels or in boxes
another thing especially when you're
working in panels especially if you have
any live current in there is a good
insulated screwdriver this one from
Klein features a interchanging I guess
it you would call that blade I don't
know but they sell a whole bunch of
different versions of this insert so
then you can have all your different
tips and just have one of these and then
a handful of these rather than like five
or six of these taking up a bunch of
room in your tool belt next on the list
is a good Precision screwdriver which
this one is not uh my good Klein
Precision screwdriver is at home because
that's where I do most of that kind of
finer electrical work I don't really
have much of that here at the shop but
for any of those teeny tiny little
screws it's great to have kind of a
smaller Precision screwdriver and last
but certainly not least in the
electrical tool belt is a big flat head
screwdriver and this mostly is used for
knocking out Knockouts prying you can
use it for a chisel if push comes to
shove but you know a big beefy one that
you don't mind just pounding on this is
going to get a ton of use especially if
you're doing a lot of metal boxes
they're just a ton of Knockouts to deal
with so get yourself a good big old
flathead screwdriver so that's it for
screwdrivers so let's move on to some
general purpose tools all right so first
up in the general purpose category is a
good headlamp and and flashlight
obviously a lot of times when you're
doing electrical work you're going to
either have the power off we're going to
be working in areas that don't have good
lighting attics crawl spaces basements
that kind of thing being able to see is
pretty important when you're working so
I would definitely get a good hopefully
rechargeable headlamp and flashlight and
those stay in my electrical tool belt at
all time in that same vein I'd also
highly recommend some sort of battery
bank that you can plug in tools or
lights or your phone whatever you need
to charge because again A lot of times
when you're doing electrical work you're
not going to have any power so I really
like this one from 70 my I've shown it
on the channel a couple times here
recently this is the power station Terra
1000 it's plenty powerful enough to
charge anything I would need to use in
the course of a day I can run lights off
of it but it's also very lightweight
it's super easy to carry to and from my
truck and it has a ton of ports on front
for charging all of my various cameras
phones all those kind of devices so I'll
link to this in the video description
below in case you're interested next up
on the list is going to be fish tape or
fish wire or fish rods or pull line I
think those all kind of fall in the same
category in case you're not familiar
fish wire is usually going to be metal
and it is a lot stiffer Oh wrong holding
the wrong way it's a lot stiffer so it's
great for you know pulling wire through
walls like if you're going behind
drywall or that kind of thing this stays
a lot straighter whereas the other
option will be something like this
fiberglass fish line and this is much
better for going through like EMT
conduit which I'm going to be doing a
lot of here in the shop and so I've got
two different links here a 50 foot and
100 foot obviously that's going to
depend on the kind of work you do but
definitely super handy to have those you
can also get fish rods which you can
assemble into kind of one long stick
those are also great for feeding wire
behind walls or also up in drop ceilings
if you've got drop ceilings in the space
you're working in you can kind of
assemble the rods as you go reach
something super far away some of them
have a hook on the end you could hook
onto a wire and pull it towards you
which is going to save you a lot of
trips up and down a ladder last thing in
that category is pull Line This is
really only going to be useful if you're
doing something like PVC conduit as I
found out the hard way when I was doing
the EMT conduit for the Mini Splits
unless it's an airtight seal on the
connections between your pieces of
conduit you're not going to easily be
able to get this pull line through but
my electrician used this a whole bunch
when he was wiring up the tiny house
with a very long run of PVC conduit
dude
that's insane
next up is a good utility knife and I
mean really what is there to say it's
for cutting stuff I really like this
Milwaukee Fastback very quick and easy
to deploy I do wish it had some blade
storage and actually the project Farm
channel in case you guys don't subscribe
to him definitely go do so he does some
awesome tool testing he just did a huge
test on a whole bunch of different
utility knives and his favorite was this
Fiskars model so I need to go pick up
one of those but definitely get yourself
a good quality utility knife and some
good quality utility knife blades to go
along with it next up is a good set of
gloves electrical work is really rough
on your hands especially when working
with metal boxes there's a lot of sharp
edges obviously wires themselves are
sharp I find that having a good set of
gloves on really helps to keep my hands
from just getting torn up these are
touch screen capable made by Klein but
obviously there's tons of brands of
glove manufacturer out there next is a
good set of Allen keys and this is going
to be more useful if you're putting in
new panels and that kind of thing but
this is a pretty cool set comes with a
bunch of individual Allen Keys kind of
as normal but then this handle opens up
and say any needed a 10 millimeter Allen
you could slide it through the handle
close the top and then I have a t-handle
allen wrench so I can get a heck of a
lot more torque on there so that's
pretty cool and still a very compact set
last but certainly not least in this
general purpose category is well let me
just go put it on
a good quality tool belt so this one is
from Diamondback tools this is a
electrical specific tool belt that I set
up because I knew I was going to be
doing a whole ton of electrical work
here at the shop and let me tell you it
is so handy having a tool belt where I
know where all of these various tools
are at all times I'm not leaving them
all over the place losing them I know it
kind of seems like a lot of electricians
don't use tool belts for some reason I
would definitely recommend either a tool
belt or a tool bag some way to keep your
tools organized because otherwise
believe me you're gonna lose them all
right let me take this thing off and
we'll move on to the last category
alright so the last category is going to
be for kind of more commercial oriented
electrical tools and that's obviously a
lot of the work I'm going to be doing
here but it's also probably some of the
stuff you'd be doing if you were adding
Outlets to let's say your garage and
unless you want to do a bunch of drywall
work which I know I don't you'll
probably be using stuff like MC cable or
EMT conduit so if you are going to be
working with MC cable I would highly
recommend picking up an MC cable cutter
I know you can technically do it without
one of these but this just is so much
easier super clean super fast my other
tip is to buy an extra blade for this
thing because I broke one couldn't find
one locally easily and had to go buy an
entire another tool just so I didn't
have an entire day of downtime next on
the list is a good conduit reamer if
you're going to be working with metal
conduit cutting it to length all of
those cuts need to be reamed out
afterwards because they can leave little
sharp edges that can cut the insulation
create shorts this one fits into an
impact driver it has this little
spring-loaded connection here and the
cool thing about this particular one is
it also has a bit holder so if you're
installing a bunch of conduit you can
make your Cuts ream them and then fasten
them super super quickly with one bit on
One impact driver so I really like this
thing they do sell handheld versions but
just seems like in this day and age why
not throw it on an impact driver and do
it in about three seconds and last on
the commercial list is a good set of
conduit benders if you're going to be
working with metal conduit unless you
want to spend a ton of extra money on
fittings you're going to have to learn
how to bend your conduit I've already
had to do probably two dozen box offset
bins just in the first row of outlets
I've installed here or so getting to
know your conduit Bender is very
important this one from Klein is pretty
cool because it comes with a stop for
your angle so you basically just bend
your piece of conduit until it hits the
Stop and you know you've got your
correct angle but I have this in half
inch and three quarters I don't really
do anything with any larger conduit but
you can also buy a one inch Bender if
you need to but I think that's pretty
much it as far as my list of tools of
course I can go on and on there's just
tons of different options and more
specialized things you could pick up
hopefully you guys enjoyed this one look
forward to the electrical work coming up
in the next couple of videos going to
get subscribed and ring the notification
Bell if you don't want to miss those as
always I'll link to all these tools I
talked about in the video description
below and last if you want to support me
I sell merch I have plans available for
a lot of my woodworking projects and I
also have YouTube members and patreon
setup alright thanks for watching y'all
and until next week happy building
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