Recommendation points
- What an electrician has to work with
- Everything for the inside: screwdrivers, pliers, cutting tools
- Electric tool for the electric master
- Required instruments and indicators
- Tool for working in panel rooms
- Useful piece products
Do you want to be a professional electrician? This is hardly achievable without the appropriate equipment, so today the topic for discussion will be a working case with electrician tools. From self-picking to top-end “toolkits” of an electrician – all this is in our review.
What an electrician has to work with
At every facility, the electrician is a kind of universal soldier. Most electricians can proudly state that they are the ones who are approached with all sorts of specific problems, ranging from minor repairs to a power tool and ending with a request to borrow pliers or side cutters if someone from the team is faced with a difficult installation task.
This is because only an electrician has the most complete set of tools for fine work. In the course of your business, you have to handle a lot of small wiring and parts in hard-to-reach places. And all this under the unwritten rule: do not take anything with your bare hands.
Before proceeding to the description of the electrician’s case, it is worth mentioning the most important elements of the working arsenal, which everyone forgot. You should always have three pairs of gloves on hand: thin and coarse to protect your hands from damage, as well as rubber gloves for working on open live parts under voltage up to 1000 V. The second mandatory part is light goggles; in practice, yellow glasses are the most convenient.
Everything for the inside: screwdrivers, pliers, cutting tools
An internal wiring tool forms the basis of each kit. The lion’s share of the work falls on cutting and cutting cables, laying them, installing installation and distribution boxes, assembling connections, modular switchboards and installing electrical fittings – sockets, switches and others like them.
A set of screwdrivers for work should include:
- Phillips cross recess in sizes 2, 3, and 4 is the most common type for tightening screw contacts.
- Pozidriv cruciform in sizes 1 and 3 for handling different types of fasteners.
- Straight slot for 2.5, 5 and 8 mm. Straight screwdrivers are best for tightening connections, work with most screw blocks.
Working with a cable requires three types of tools:
- Belt stripper knife (with protective heel).
- Stripper, aka “skinner” – for stripping cable veins.
- Good section knife for small jobs, cutting sheaths and more.
Finally, you need to have several types of swivel tool:
- Long nose pliers with straight and curled mustaches are the main tool for manipulating small details..
- Pliers. Powerful, solid.
- Side cutters of three types: large and small, as well as end.
Please note that the electrician’s tool differs from the usual one in insulated handles with wide protective-persistent rings, while screwdrivers have an insulated tip. There are a huge number of sets in tool stores, but their purchase is not always justified. This is, first of all, a matter of convenience: most kits do not include everything you need and, at the same time, nothing of your own can be added to the standard kit. Therefore, it is better to purchase a convenient empty suitcase or case and fill it at your own discretion..
Briefly about KNIPEX: it is a really expensive ultra-class tool, and it is definitely worth the money if:
- You are serious about pursuing a career in electrical installation.
- The tool has original origin, confirmed by the kit passport.
Electric tool for the electric master
Up to 70% of the work volume falls on cable laying and installation of installation products. Without a power tool, these tasks are performed not only for a long time, but also extremely poorly..
Get two rock drills first. Lightweight – with a horizontal anchor – is necessary for convenient one-handed work on securing the cable and cleaning the strobes. Heavy or “barrel” is needed for drilling through holes and working with core drills. The tool must be of high quality, in cheap rotary hammers the cartridge quickly breaks, and drilling an even row of holes with a crown turns into real flour.
Most assembly pieces have screw connections and require a cordless screwdriver to work with them. The network is not suitable, it does not have an instantaneous spindle stop function, and it is also difficult for them to work on non-electrified objects.
Required instruments and indicators
Charting and designing diagrams requires several types of measuring tools. Forget about indicator screwdrivers, professionals never use them. Two-stylus voltage indicators such as “Search” or “Contact” are preferred. For operation in three-phase networks, phase sequence indicators are indispensable.
Measurements of network parameters are carried out by two types of tools. The first is a current clamp for instantaneous measurement of current values without breaking the circuit. Although most clamps have means for measuring voltage and resistance, it is best to purchase a multimeter. Just do not take the cheapest one, it is better to pay attention to the device in a protective silicone case with a stand-leg. They are not only much more convenient to use, but also have a wider range of possibilities..
When repairing electrical networks, devices for finding hidden wiring can be of great help. Unfortunately, most inexpensive alarms, such as the Woodpecker, detect wires only under a 5–10 mm layer of plaster and do not go deeper. Only Bosch, Yato and similar devices are guaranteed to detect wires.
Tool for working in panel rooms
Not all power distribution systems are modular. Working in switchboard substations, you will encounter panel circuit breakers and contactors. To do this, you need to have at your disposal several additional tools, first of all – a set of portable grounding.
The main group of contacts, one way or another, is made with bolted connections, so you need to have a set of heads with a ratchet wrench and a pair of adjustable open-end wrenches. Do not forget about safety: the body and handles must be isolated from voltages up to 1000 V. Of the types of heads, it is better to prefer a twelve-sided star, they are most convenient for working in cramped conditions.
Often you have to change the layout of the equipment, which simply requires a good powerful drill with a set of metal drills or a collet chuck for a hammer drill. There should certainly be a set of precision tools for tapping the panel posts. Also useful angle grinder for 120 mm disc.
When working with panel cabinets, it is often necessary to re-press cores with ferrules. The choice of a crimper is quite difficult: hand-held ones are less expensive, but working with them in a narrow panel is not always convenient, besides, cores with a cross section of more than 35 mm2 they do not compress well enough. The hydraulic tool is more expensive, but it will cover all crimping needs up to 120 mm2. It is advisable to spend money on a pressure operator, divided by a hose into a foot pump and a working head with a press.
Useful piece products
A good electrician is determined by the abundance of all sorts of little things that help in work. First of all, these are different means for applying and restoring insulation. Of electrical tape, you need to have several skeins of the cheapest in different colors for marking cable lines, a roll of good quality lavsan and vinyl for insulating exposed parts.
Heat-shrinkable tubes have become an indispensable attribute of many craftsmen. It is recommended to always have on hand different diameters – from 3 to 25 mm, often it is convenient to group wires in shields with small rings from these tubes.
Bubble micro-levels will help with aligning outlets and modular shields. It is recommended to give preference to devices with magnetic inserts on the body.
It is better to use nylon and metal cable ties to secure the wires. Hold two to three dozen reusable temporary suspension loops and a pack of disposable cables of different sizes for individual attachment.
It is highly recommended to choose the fastening clips for the cable, sockets, boxes, terminal blocks and all the rest of the little things yourself. Do not forget that it is you who will work with these products, and the productivity of your work entirely depends on such trifles as the quality of plastic and molding, the strength of the bushings in the pads and the quality of stamping of screw heads..
What are the essential tools needed in an electrician’s wiring tool set?