Best Tools For a Startup Electrician

[Zack McCoo]

Hey everyone,
Just been looking around for a decent priced startup kit and cant find anything. Can anyone tell me what they carry around and what sort of price they came to? Obviously tools aren't cheap but a beginners set up would be great!
Cheers, Zack!

 

[Gavin John Hyde]

VDE screwdrivers and Pliers.
A decent knife for cutting insulation (decent stanley knife will do)
A small torpedo level.
A decent set of cutters for tails and larger cables.
A decent set of drill bits for masonry, timber etc...
A nice hammer, and a separate lump hammer and scutch chisel.
A hacksaw (doesnt have to be a large one)
A drill/driver - best you can afford and the driver bits for screws.
A lockout kit (can buy the bits on ebay cheap and some cheap padlocks for them)
Small tenon saw is useful as is a small wrecking/crow bar for floorboards.
Tape measure or two
Adjustable spanners.
Some holesaws for entry holes and glands etc..
In terms of a multifunction tester there are some decent ones around for £440ish new.. if starting out the kt63 will do the trick.
Get yourself a led worklight or decent torch. I got a good worklight of ebay for £20 and its as good as some several times the price.

Knock yourself up a letter head and a business card and pop along screwfix and join the electric fix side of the store, they will give you 10% off your first order and a week or two later you'll get several vouchers for £5 and £10 off future purchases - no minimum spend which will pay for quite a few little bits you need.

I carry my stuff around in a tote bag, I cna stand drivers and pliers up in loops on the side and other larger stuff in the middle laid down. can find what i need quite quickly.

If starting out buy the best you can afford and shop around, some of the steel forge stuff in screwfix is actually quite good and very reasonably priced. have a look at some stuff in toolstation - again go for the best you can afford and buy better when possible.

 

[SparkyChick]

As with everything... you get what you pay for.

I use Knipex pliers and cutters, CK Dextro VDE drivers (PZ1, PZ2, various flat blades and a set of their modulo drivers) and some other bits (indent crimpers large and small, ratchet cable cutters and one of their SWA prep tools), various bits of Stanley Fatmax kit, Bosch Professional power tools, Armeg box cutter and torque driver.

If you buy cheap tat, you'll be buying it many times.

With screwdrivers, try and find local wholesalers that sell different brands and (keep it clean fella's) go and have a feel of them. See how they feel in your hand because what suits someone else may not suit you.

 

[Zack McCoo]

Have you guys got any experience on Wiha? They seem to be a go to on tools?

 

[Pete999]

As with everything... you get what you pay for.

I use Knipex pliers and cutters, CK Dextro VDE drivers (PZ1, PZ2, various flat blades and a set of their modulo drivers) and some other bits (indent crimpers large and small, ratchet cable cutters and one of their SWA prep tools), various bits of Stanley Fatmax kit, Bosch Professional power tools, Armeg box cutter and torque driver.

If you buy cheap tat, you'll be buying it many times.

With screwdrivers, try and find local wholesalers that sell different brands and (keep it clean fella's) go and have a feel of them. See how they feel in your hand because what suits someone else may not suit you.

Smutty inuendos, not like you SC!

 

[SparkyChick]

Smutty inuendos, not like you SC!

Don't know what you mean

 

[SparkyChick]

Have you guys got any experience on Wiha? They seem to be a go to on tools?

I only have one item of Wiha kit, that I bought from a now reformed tool tart on these very forums. It's one of their interchangeable VDE drivers. It's pretty dam fine, useful if you're travelling light, but a bit tiresome during normal installation work. PZ2 for fixing screws, small flat for terminal screws, bigger flat for box screws, even bigger flat for big terminal screws.... changing the blades takes time. But as I say, if you're travelling light it's very handy.

 

[Andy78]

I use Wiha VDE drivers, both the standard soft finish and the slimfix sets. Really good drivers for everyday use that regularly come on offer at screwfix.
I also have a VDE plier set for my second tool kit which is also a really good quality and value set. I do prefer Knipex for my everyday pliers and cutters though.

All my battery tools are Milwaukee and I'm very happy with all those

 

[SparkyChick]

One thing I will add... include a couple of decent files (I generally find a flat, a half round and a small square are sufficient). The flat for general use (including tidying up the ends of faceplate screws so they don't ruin the back box - so many sparks don't bother, it really bugs me) and the small square for tidying up the raggedy edges of pattress box knockouts which are essentially a myriad of little knives just waiting to cut into your cable. A dedicated deburring tool (one with a blade rather than a glorified countersink) is useful for tidying up the edges of holes and cleaning burrs of plastic containment when you cut it.

Gavin mentioned holesaws, I highly recommend the Bosch Progressor with it's quick change arbor. My only complaint is they don't seem to have the right size blade for a lot of the downlights I install.

I also use a tote bag (Stanley Fatmax) for which I've made some honeycomb stands (from 20mm and 25mm conduit) to stand up more tools to make organising the bag easier.

If your budget will stretch to it, an earth leakage clamp meter is very useful.

 

[Zdb]

These are very useful for larger cables.

 

[littlespark]

What you need above everything else is a really good radio. Something that can drown out the joiners choice of Radio 2.

 

[Adam W]

Presumably you'll be working with someone else?
I started off with a cheap set of insulated screwdrivers, a Stanley (type) knife which I already had, a hammer which a former housemate left behind when he moved out, and cheap (£12) VDE pliers and sidecutters, then whenever I borrowed a tool off someone else I went out and bought my own, that way I knew I wasn't going to be buying tools which I wouldn't need.
The 'cheap' sidecutters and pliers I got were Stanley, and I still use them every day.

I have a set of Wera screwdrivers which seem really good; I say "seem" because they're my 'best' screwdrivers which rarely leave my kitchen drawer. On site I use Aldi screwdrivers. They're fine. At around £12 a set I won't be too disappointed if and when I lose them or someone "permanently borrows" them because I already have a reserve set.

I have a Stanley FatMax rucksack, which makes my tools easier to carry, doesn't put too much strain on my back and leaves my hands free to open doors, carry other stuff or pick my nose.

 

[Adam W]

What you need above everything else is a really good radio. Something that can drown out the joiners choice of Radio 2.

10:30 - 11:00 is always your window of opportunity for doing things without the wood butchers getting in the way because at that time you can guarantee they'll all be stood around drinking copious amounts of coffee and listening to Pop Master.

 

[Octopus]

Thick skin if you stay around on here

Tools are very personal ..... think long and hard about battery tools and don’t skimp on the cheap stuff

I am a Dewalt battery tool tart - great bits of kit ....

 

[Gavin John Hyde]

If you are after a cheap but decent set of screwdrivers then toolstation have some wera vde 6 or 8 piece sets for £18 here
Or they have a half decent CK screwdriver set for £27... screwdrivers though are very much a personal preference, as people like different feel/fit in their hands.