Electrician Tool List

[Marc]

LEAD MAN REQUIRED TOOL LIST

Tool Pouch Klein 5165 or equivalent
Tool Pouch Belt Klein 5415 or equivalent
Parts Bag or
Canvas Nail Apron As available locally. For carrying wire nuts, cable
staples and conduit fittings on the person.
Lineman’s Pliers Klein D213-9NE or equivalent
Straight Screwdrivers:
Big Klein 600-8 or equivalent
Medium Klein 600-6 or equivalent
Small Klein 600-4 or equivalent
Screw Holding Vaco K38 or equivalent
Phillips Screwdrivers:
#1 Klein 603-3 or equivalent
#2 Klein 603-4 or equivalent
#3 Klein 603-6 or equivalent
Screw Holding Vaco K19 or equivalent
Center Punch Klein 66-385 or equivalent
Wire Strippers Ideal 45-124 or equivalent
Crimpers:
Crimp Sleeves Buchannan C-24 or equivalent
Sta-kons/Fast-ons Greenlee 45500 or equivalent
Cable Hex Greenlee 46801 or equivalent
Cable Snap-n-Seal Thomas and Betts SNS or equivalent
Telephone Ideal 30-696 or equivalent
Nut Drivers:
9/16 Hollow Shaft Klein 630-9/16 or equivalent
½" Hollow Shaft Klein 630-1/2 or equivalent
7/16 Hollow Shaft Klein 630-7/16 or equivalent
3/8 Hollow Shaft Klein 630-3/8 or equivalent
11/32 Hollow Shaft Klein 630-11/32 or equivalent
5/16 Hollow Shaft Klein 630-5/16 or equivalent
¼" Hollow Shaft Klein 630-1/4 or equivalent
Tap Tool Klein 627-20 or equivalent
Power Tap tool Greenlee DTAPKIT or equivalent
Tape Measure, 25’ Stanley 33-599 or equivalent
Tape Measure, 100’ Stanley 34-790 or equivalent
Folding Rule, 6’ Lufkin X46 or Equivalent
Folding Rule, 8’ Lufkin X48 or Equivalent
Utility Knife Stanley 099 or equivalent
Coax Stripper Ideal 45-165 or equivalent
Knockout punches Greenlee 7235BB or equivalent
Non-Contact Voltage Probe Fluke 1AC-A1 or equivalent
Neon tester As locally available
Solenoid voltage Tester Wiggington Industries 6610-VT1 or equivalent
Amp Meter Amprobe RS3 or equivalent
Digital MultiMeter Fluke Model 73 or equivalent
Phase Rotation Meter or equivalent
Analog MultiMeter Simpson 260 or equivalent
MegaOhm Meter Biddle Instruments MJ159 or equivalent
Needle Nose Pliers Klein D203 or equivalent
Adjustable Wrenches:
8" (2 pairs) Crescent AC-18V or equivalent
12" Crescent AC-112V or equivalent
Hammer Klein 807-18 or equivalent
Hammer Holder for
tool belt As locally available
Jab Saw Lennox BAS3636 or equivalent
Chalkline Strait-Line 64110 or equivalent
Plumb Bob Johnson 116 or equivalent
Adjustable Pliers
Medium (2 pairs) Channellock 430 or equivalent
Large Channellock 480 or equivalent
Cable Cutters:
Ratchet Klein 63-060 or equivalent
Large Klein 63-041 or equivalent
Hand Greenlee 727 or equivalent
Pipe Wrenches:
14" (2) Rigid 14/31020or equivalent
24" (2) Rigid 24/31030 or equivalent
Hexagon Rigid E-110 or equivalent
Hacksaw Frame Milwaukee 48-08-0320 or equivalent
Squares:
Combination Square Starrett 11HC-12-4R or equivalent
Framing Square Johnson CS7 or equivalent
Levels:
Torpedo Level Klein 931-9RE or equivalent
2’ Level Johnson 3824 or equivalent
4’ Level Johnson 3848 or equivalent
Fish Tape, 200’ Greenlee 438-20 or equivalent
Hole Saws:
Electrician’s Kit Milwaukee 49-22-4086 or equivalent
3-3/8" Lennox Bi-Metal
4" Lennox Bi-Metal
4-1/8" Lennox Bi-Metal
4-3/8" Lennox Bi-Metal
Hole Saw Pilot Bits As locally available
PVC Cutter Greenlee 864 or equivalent
Square Drivers:
#1 Klein 661 or equivalent
#2 Klein 662 or equivalent
#3 Klein 663 or equivalent
Torx Drivers:
T15 Klein 19542 or equivalent
T20 Klein 19543 or equivalent
T25 Klein 19544 or equivalent
T27 Klein 19545 or equivalent
T30 Klein 19546 or equivalent
Rotary Cutout tool RotoZip Solaris or equivalent
Reciprocating Saw Milwaukee 6527-21 or equivalent
Cordless Hammer Drill Milwaukee 0624-24 or equivalent
Cordless Drill/Driver Makita 9.6V or equivalent
Hammer Drill Milwaukee 5377-6 or equivalent
Rotary Hammer Milwaukee 5321-21 or equivalent
Right Angle Drill Milwaukee 3701-6 or equivalent
PortaBand Milwaukee 6232-6 or equivalent
Socket Sets:
3/8" Drive Craftsman or equivalent
½" Drive Craftsman or equivalent
Torque Wrench, Inch pounds Craftsman or equivalent
Service Cable stripper Utility Tool 4x4 Plus or equivalent
Pry Bars (2) Stanley Wonder Bar or equivalent
Files:
Half Round Norton or equivalent
Rat Tail Norton or equivalent
File Handle(s) As locally Available
Stud Finder Zircon 56990 or equivalent
Hex Keys:
L Handle Eklind 10213 or equivalent
T Handle Eklind 53910 or equivalent
Flashlight Milwaukee 49-24-0160 or equivalent
Putty Knife Stanley 28-140 or equivalent
MC cable splittler SeaTek RotoSplit or equivalent
Conduit benders:
½" EMT Klein/Benfield 51211 or equivalent
¾" EMT/½" Rigid Klein/Benfield 51212 or equivalent
1" EMT/¾" Rigid Klein/Benfield 51213 or equivalent
Lineman’s Butt Set Harris/Dracon TS-30 or equivalent
Punch Down Tool Ideal 35-487 or equivalent
Telephone Banjo adapter Harris 10220-100-6 or equivalent
Tin Snips:
Left Malco AV1 or equivalent
Right Malco AV2 or equivalent
Straight Malco AV3 or equivalent
Offset Bender, ½" Greenlee 1810 or equivalent
Offset Bender, ¾" Greenlee 1811 or equivalent
Cold Chisel, ¾" Stanley/PROTO 86034 or equivalent
Drilling Hammer, 2lb. Estwing B3-2LB or equivalent

[Jacksnap]

Being retired telco, I can relate to lots of tools on this great list. What's interesting though, is the number of times I have had to loan my 'hammer drill' to not only my fellow telco brothers/sisters but since retirement, to the cable, satelite and telco techs that I have run into just for normal installs/changes at my home.

If you don't have a hammer drill, in my personal opinion, it's in my top 10 'make my life easy' tools.

[Speedy Petey]

I don't know who's list that is but it is WAY overkill for any "lead man". Some of it is overkill for a self employed journeyman.
Not everyone needs both offset benders at $150 each. As well as every torx driver size, two folding rules, phase rotation meter and a megger(?!). Many of these items are truck stock which the company should supply.

I do hope this list is for a company owner. In the past, if a potential boss told me I had to have everything on this list I would tell him with all that stuff who needs you, I'm going out on my own.

[Jacksnap]

Speedy Petey, you sure do have a point. I mentioned it was a great list (it's not my posting) looking at it from the 'what could I possibility do with or without' standpoint. I don't mean to discourage or discredit the poster, as the list is worthy of a draft for opening your own shop and the expense associated. Eespecially for me, it was interesting to see for a heads-up on what to tell my wife I want for Christmas.

It is quite extensive, and having had 20 years working in electirc supply distribution and construction before my telco career (retired from both), I can say with confidence that you could not find all these items in 1, lone, electrical supply house (maybe a Super Walmart, though...LOL).
Here's a list I found on 'survial' for the electrician. It is just as much overkill, but in a different way. Kind'a humorous, too.
http://www.electricianeducation.com/survival.htm

jack

[mdshunk]

I posted that list. Although I own all the stuff on the list, and I called it "required tool list", I certainly don't think that every guy should own all that crap. I'm a tool junkie, and my service truck bears that out. I had to make a tool list for the various levels of electrician where I work (long story there), so I started with my inventory. From there, I could pare it down to what each level of guy should have. There's no doubt that the only thing the list lacks is the mechanical and hydraulic benders, ladders, and maybe some hot line tools and you could open up shop.

I posted the "great list" mainly because of the frustration that I felt when I did internet searches for any electrician's required tool list. Granted, with 90% of companys, you'll only need your pouch tools. Like Speedy said, if this was actually required, you really wouldn't need an employer. I just thought that the big list would generate discussion, and give some of the search engines some keywords to latch onto.

[Jacksnap]

Mark,

I truly meant the list was "great" as in 'very good and first rate'; not meaning 'large' by no means. Hope I did not offend you.

jack

[Speedy Petey]

Myself as well Marc. If I knew that was you I think I would have known the intent.
It is a good list to work from to see what I am missing. I am trying to build my specialty tools list and there are a few things on there I could use.

Do you use the megger very often. I see alot of guys mentioning them and wonder how useful they are.
Not ever being in the union and not having worked for a large shop I have never used one. I'd like to get one for those times nothing else will do.

[Ron]

With regard to the megger:
Many of the EC's I chat with just use a standard ohm meter to prove out a circuits integrity, and don't put much weight on a "higher voltage ohm meter" such as a megger.
I have to pull teeth to get them to use a megger to prove the integrity of the circuit, and it is only very very few times that the megger will show a faulty circuit where a regular fluke ohm meter didn't show it as faulty.

BTW, for those that want to know what a megger is, it is actually the brand name of an insulation tester (and other stuff too), it really should be called by its trade name of high voltage insulation tester.
http://www.avointl.com/us/products/Index.php

[mdshunk]

There are a few times when a megger is a very valuable troubleshooting tool. :

1) Motors and compressors that occasionally trip the breaker. Taking a megger reading between each motor lead and the motor case will give a very clear picture of the condition of the motor's windings.
2) After pulling large feeders in conduit (especially metal conduit), I always megger check between each wire and from each wire to the metal conduit. This keeps me from powering up a feeder that may have gotten scuffed. Some scuffing of the conductor insulation will only show up on a megger, and it will not trip the breaker.
3) Underground lines that occasionally trip GFCI's or occasionally trip a breaker. A megger check between all the wires of the cable will give an idea whether the cable is bad, or whether it's the device connected at the other end.
4) Before turning on the breakers, but after the final wiring is done (all except putting in light bulbs), I do a quick megger check of all the circuits to make sure that none of the wiring got a nail or screw in it or got otherwise abused.
5)Before installing used equipment like large panels, disconnects, switchgear, etc. (typically in industrial establishments where equipment is torn out and reinstalled in many places, many times) I do a quick megger between all the line and load terminals and between all the terminals and the metal case. This keeps me from installing something that may be unfit to use, but may seem okay by only giving it a visual inspection.

If you're in the market for an "entry level" megger, there's a real dirt simple one made by SUPCO (Sealed Unit Parts Company) that's super easy to use. It's marketed to HVAC guys for checking AC compressors, but it does a 500 volt megger check up to 1000 megaohms. Check out this link (http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/productdetail.jsp?xi=xi&ItemId=1611766300&ccitem=) to read about it. It's priced right to get your feet wet on using a megger, without spending the 500 bucks on a FLUKE or Biddle megger. It'll pay for itself the first time you troubleshoot a circuit that was intermittantly tripping a GFCI or a breaker.

[mdshunk]

With regard to the megger:
Many of the EC's I chat with just use a standard ohm meter to prove out a circuits integrity, and don't put much weight on a "higher voltage ohm meter" such as a megger.
I have to pull teeth to get them to use a megger to prove the integrity of the circuit, and it is only very very few times that the megger will show a faulty circuit where a regular fluke ohm meter didn't show it as faulty.


I think it would be crazy to commission equipment or circuits that use voltages greater than 480 without doing a megger check at about twice the operating voltage. ESPECIALLY on indoor type substations and higher voltage switchgear equipment. A Fluke meter will not jump a spark out of a bad termination the way a megger will.

I have found a megger to be the only tool to use to check suspect underground cables. I suspect that the slight corrosion that builds up on the exposed "short" often offers enough resistance that it will not show up on my Fluke 73 (especially when the earth is dry), but put a little voltage on it with the megger and the fault shows right up.

[Ron]

I would agree the test is important and more accurate than a simple 9V ohm meter. It's making sure the field guys use it......

[Ohm1]

Great List!

Taking the time to list all those tools is dedication! Reminds me of myself!

[Mr Fixit eh]

Great list.

I was a bit surprised not to see a digital infrared thermometer like the fluke. I would have thought this would be a great tool for checking for hot spots hidden behind walls and panels. I was thinking of getting one in order to do a periodic check of outlets and devices around the house. It would be a quicker form of preventive maintenance than having to physically inspect device boxes and panel connections, etc.

[ceramicbrad]

With regard to the megger:
Many of the EC's I chat with just use a standard ohm meter to prove out a circuits integrity, and don't put much weight on a "higher voltage ohm meter" such as a megger.
I have to pull teeth to get them to use a megger to prove the integrity of the circuit, and it is only very very few times that the megger will show a faulty circuit where a regular fluke ohm meter didn't show it as faulty.

BTW, for those that want to know what a megger is, it is actually the brand name of an insulation tester (and other stuff too), it really should be called by its trade name of high voltage insulation tester.
http://www.avointl.com/us/products/Index.php

As a side note, where I used to work, some SMP's(standard maintenance procedures) REQUIRED the use of an insulation tester and state the needed test values to pass the cables.
Tech's were not allowed to wing it with what they "thought" was best. These procedures were mainly "mission critical" military and "engineers" had a required test tool list to be used for each of these procedures(I know, so what?). My take on it is in certain routine tests, its always best to use an accepted designated tool for the job to get consistent results. Perhaps in the future, the NEC will require megOhm-meter cable checks for now certain AHJ do require it prior to closeout(Ithaca,NY) in household wiring.
BTW:
Megger is short for MegOhm-meter in many techs minds. Megger did become a brand name in 1889 and it was named for the short form of the original MegOhm-meter. The short form caught on because it was easier to communicate. Interestingly, there are high and low voltage megOhm-meters available for sale.

[junkcollector]

As a side note, where I used to work, some SMP's(standard maintenance procedures) REQUIRED the use of an insulation tester and state the needed test values to pass the cables.
Tech's were not allowed to wing it with what they "thought" was best. These procedures were mainly "mission critical" military and "engineers" had a required test tool list to be used for each of these procedures(I know, so what?). My take on it is in certain routine tests, its always best to use an accepted designated tool for the job to get consistent results. Perhaps in the future, the NEC will require megOhm-meter cable checks for now certain AHJ do require it prior to closeout(Ithaca,NY) in household wiring.
BTW:
Megger is short for MegOhm-meter in many techs minds. Megger did become a brand name in 1889 and it was named for the short form of the original MegOhm-meter. The short form caught on because it was easier to communicate. Interestingly, there are high and low voltage megOhm-meters available for sale.

Any reason why you are bringing a 4 year old thread back to life?

[ceramicbrad]

Any reason why you are bringing a 4 year old thread back to life?

If I broke any rules I will be glad to remove it and start a new thread-just seemed like I had some information to provide that value added information to the original post.

[junkcollector]

If I broke any rules I will be glad to remove it and start a new thread-just seemed like I had some information to provide that value added information to the original post.

It's fine, I'm just giving you a hard time...:lollypop:

[ceramicbrad]

It's fine, I'm just giving you a hard time...:lollypop:

You had me going there for a bit. :laugh: I know some "moderator types" are a little different. But besides, you do bring up a good point, about reviving old posts. In a way, the guys who did the original may not be here anymore, so they have no way to respond. :idea: