The Best Tools For Electricians: An Ultimate Toolkit for Pros

You press a switch, unscrew a knob, or pull a trigger — a light turns on, your TV starts showing you movies, and a hairdryer blows hot air to dry your hair easily, with no trouble. But behind the scenes, there are hidden wires and complex circuits, all installed by an electrician with the assistance of many tools specifically made for this job. But what are the ideal and best tools for electricians that make their jobs clean and accurate? How do they help electricians perform perfect and safe work in the world of sparks and currents? This article is an answer to these simple but critical questions.  First, let’s take a look at the hand tools that excel in this field.  

The Best Hand Tools for Electricians

Here, we’ll explore 12 essential hand tools that come in handy for any electrical task, from cutting and crimping to measuring and more.

• Cable Cutters

When an electrician wants to install wiring in a new place, they need to cut through thick electrical cables to precisely fit them into junction boxes or connect them to electrical outlets. Here, a cable cutter can be one of the Best Tools for Electricians. They consist of sharp blades designed to cleanly sever cables without damage. They come in various sizes and designs to cover different types and thicknesses of cables, providing versatility for various electrical tasks.

• Wire Strippers

Wire strippers are essential for electricians to remove the insulation from electrical wires without damaging the underlying wire conductors. There aredifferent situations in whichelectricians have to connect wires from a fixture to the existing electrical wiring. Here, wire strippers allow for making secure connections between wires, removing insulation from the ends of the wires. Therefore, wire strippers play a crucial role in ensuring the efficiency, accuracy, and safety of electrical installations and repairs.

• Fish Tape

Fish tapes consist of a long, flat metal or fiberglass tape with a flexible tip, which is used for navigating through tight corners. They work like this: electricians typically attach wires to the end of the fish tape and then send it through the pathway. When the fish tape reaches its destination, the wires can be pulled through, making it possible to install or repair. Fish tape is considered one of the best tools for electricians that can enhance the electrician’s ability to navigate complex wiring routes, saving time and effort while maintaining the integrity of the building.

• Diagonal Cutter

Diagonal cutters’ function is cutting wires and small components as their name suggests. Their sharp, angled jaws allow for clean and precise cuts, making them ideal for trimming wire ends or snipping off excess material during electrical installations or repairs. Electricians use diagonal cutters to efficiently cut through various types of wires, including copper, aluminum, and even thicker gauge cables.

• Crimping Tools

Crimping tools connect materials and components by pressing or compressing them together. Electricians usually use it to attach stripped ends of wires into connectors by deforming them around the wire. Crimp pliers, rachet crimpers, and modular plug crimpers are some of the crimping tools and the best tools for electricians.

• Conduit Bender

As the name suggests, these hand tools are made for bending angles in conduits containing electric wires. Sometimes, electricians need to change the form of the conduits to make them fit in non-linear paths or navigate around obstacles. In these situations, conduit benders can be one of the best tools that electricians need to have at hand.

• Adjustable Wrench

Adjustable Wrenches are versatile tools that can easily loosen or tighten bolts in different sizes. In the case of electric equipment, they can be used as well. Electrical fixtures, conduit fittings, and panel enclosures all include bolts and nuts. So, for repairing or installing them you need to use a wrench and adjustable wrenches.

• Utility Knife

Wherever you go as an electrician, you should have a compact hand tool in your pocket to handle several cutting tasks at a glance, with no need to search for complicated tools. A Utility Knife can be one of the best tools for electricians in this case. Having it, you can easily do precise cutting tasks such as trimming the insulation around the wires, the plastic conduit, and wire ends, or remove adhesives and cut through drywall neatly when installing electric fixtures.

• Hacksaw

For delicate jobs like stripping insulation or trimming wire ends a handy knife is enough for you as an electrician, but there are still tougher cutting tasks in this field. Cutting through metal conduit bolts or brackets is more demanding, so they need a stronger hand tool. Hacksaws are the tools! with their ergonomic, easy-to-work structure, they make every tough job smooth.

• Hammer

Hammers are always-around tools for every handy person. They accompany them in every task demanding manual labor, including electric work. Driving nails for mounting fixtures, securing cable clamps to keep them in place, or demolishing or removing old materials to replace them with new ones are not done fully but with a high-quality hammer.

• Screwdrivers

Like hammers, screwdrivers are one of the most necessary tools for every handyperson including electricians. An electrician will neatly and professionally install switches and outlets, connect wires, assemble equipment, and attach fixtures simply with a screwdriver.

• Measuring Tools

No accuracy-demanded job can be completed without a precise measuring tool, and electric jobs are no exception. Multimeters (that measure different electrical factors like current, resistance, and voltage), voltage testers (that measure potential variation, and voltage), and clamp meters (the current of wires) are some of the must-have measuring tools that every electrician should have at hand.

The Best Power Tools for Electricians

After a dive into the hand tools world, let’s get back and check the power tool shelves in a professional electrician’s workshop. Guess what is our first pick?

• Drills

Regarding power tools, drills are the main actors in most fields. They drill holes in various materials, through which help install anchors, fasteners, outlets, and switches, run wires across obstacles, and assemble components. In choosing the proper one you need to consider the bit sizes and types and the functions it provides. A drill driver is a practical drilling machine that can be one of the best tools for electricians, due to its versatility. Combining drilling and fastening capabilities, eliminates the need for using separate tools, making it a convenient and efficient choice for various electrical tasks.

Read More: The Best Power Tools for Electricians: Fuse Safety with Quality

• Electric Saws

Electric Saws can be among the best electric tools for electricians, providing more speed and precision than manual tools. Two main types of electric saws that apply to electric tasks are reciprocating saws and circular saws. The first one is flexible enough to cover different functions for electricians due to its capacity to use various sizes of blades. The circular one helps cut through surfaces and install boxes or make openings for panels. 

•  Rotary Hammers

Rotary hammers come in handy when installing electric fixtures on tough surfaces. Their extra power makes them ideal tools for making holes in concrete and masonry. So, for installing conduit clips, junction boxes, and cable trays on tough walls, they can be one of the best tools for electricians.

• Electric Screwdrivers

Last, but not least, electric screwdrivers are among the power tools that will make electric work easier and change the game. They boost the speed and efficiency of driving screws in panels, outlets, and fixtures, and save time and reduce fatigue. Their adjustable torque makes the jobs more precise and damage-free. 

For a deeper study of power tools for electricians, you can take a look at the following article:

The Best Power Tools for Electricians: Fuse Safety with Quality

The Best Insulated Tools for Electricians

To ensure safety, electricians need to work with tools that are insulated properly so they are protected from electrical shock if accidental contact occurs. Standards such as ASTM or VDE are the factors that can ensure you of a well-insulated tool.

Thick rubber coating that covers parts to prevent accidental contact with live wires is another feature that you should have in mind when choosing a tool for electric works. 

A clear and easy-to-read marking that shows the voltage rating of the insulation is a factor that you shouldn’t overlook.  

The Tool Brands for Electricians

Along with the big names like Milwaukee, DeWalt, Hilti, and Bosch that provide tools for electricians along with other tools, some brands provide these products in a more professional line. Here are some of them.

• Fluke Corporation

Among the best tool brands for electricians, Fluke Corporation is a market leader in electronic test tools. They produce professional electronic test and measurement equipment, including multimeters, clamp meters, and thermal imaging cameras. Their tools are famous for their safety, precision, and high performance. As they declare on their website, their tools are ideal for fields like “electronic design, manufacturing, and network troubleshooting, as well as in electrical, industrial, medical, process and calibration applications.”

• Klein Tools

With its comprehensive insulated hand tool kits (including pliers, cable cutters, and screwdrivers) Klein Tools seems to be one of the Best Tool Brands for Electricians. These tools are not only highly durable and high-performing but also are equipped with insulation coatings that minimize the risk of damage when in contact with voltages of up to 1000V. Additionally, they are anti-flame and impact-resistant. Klein Tools adheres to ASTM F1505 standard for insulated tools.

• Greenlee

Greenlee is another tool brand specializing in electricians’ tools. They provide a wide range of insulated hand tools like pliers and screwdrivers, however alongside, they run a line of equipment specially designed for electrical works including cable pullers and conduit benders. Safety is their main commitment and accuracy as they claim.

• Ideal Industries

Electrician’s Champion is how Ideal Industry INC. introduces itself. They have been in the industry since more than 100 years ago and that’s what makes them confident enough to claim so. They provide an extensive selection of tools in this field, from cut to test, but they are mostly known for their wire connectors, fish tapes, and conduit bending.

• Ronix Tools

Ronix is an international tool manufacturer that can be categorized as one of the best tool brands for electricians. Along with its colorful variety of tools, which go beyond 2500 tools and 34000 spare parts, Ronix has developed a great array of tools for electricians, from cutting tools to diagnosing equipment, including different types of insulated wire strippers, crimping tools, pliers, test pens, and voltage detectors.

Ronix is committed to providing high-quality tools (enriched by an expert team with the latest technologies and field-tested by a professional QC team in the production process) that are offered at fair prices. 

Read More : Best Tool Brands: From Weekend Warrior to Master Craftsman

Top 7 Essential Tools for Electricians

We talked about the best tools for electricians including power tools and hand tools. But let’s cut the long story short and choose the most essential ones that you cannot work without.

FAQ

What brand is the best for electricians?

Several brands are working specifically on tools for electricians; Klein Tools, Greenlee, Fluke, Ideal Industry, and Ronix are among the best.

What tools do electricians need most?

There are many different tools in the market but wire cutters & strippers, adjustable wrenches, hammers, pliers, measuring tools, drills, and conduit benders are the most essential ones.