Five Essential Hand Tools Apprentice Electricians Need!

As electricians, we need tools in our hands to perform most of the tasks that we do. Over the course of an electrician’s career, most of us end up with a staggering number of tools! We just need a lot of tools to perform our jobs. But with almost an infinite number of tools available to us, which are the tools that we need the most? While most of the tools in an electrician’s arsenal are multi-purpose, some of our tasks require specific tools to accomplish. In the latest episode of Electrician U, Dustin gives some explanation to 5 hand tools that are essential to an electrical apprentice.

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The first tool to consider are lineman’s pliers. This is the electricians multi-purpose tool, and usually the tool we tend to grab first. They can cut wire (among many other items!) and have knurled jaws to grab onto items like bolts, screws, wire etc. They have long handles that provide extra leverage and have considerable heft to them to assist the electrician. Lineman’s pliers also come with a variety of options from crimpers to fish tape pullers, even spring-loaded jaws. A definite must have!
Needle nose pliers are also essential to the electrician. While closely resembling lineman’s pliers, they are smaller in size, and the head is tapered to a point on the end. We use them to loop wires around the screws of devices, cut wires, and grab smaller items. Needle nose pliers allow us to reach into smaller more crowded areas like junction/device boxes. They come with several options on them from wire crimpers, to screw cutters, even stripping holes if you needed to strip a wire without having to swap tools. Another essential tool for us electricians!
Diagonal cutting pliers are the next tool on our list. This tool again resembles a pair of lineman’s pliers but lack the part of the tool used to grab onto things. This tool is generally meant to cut only. While we normally use them to cut copper wire, they can also be used to cut aluminum, mild steel, or anything non hardened. In addition, they tend to be handy when prying smaller items like nails or staples. You can get them in several different sizes as well as flush cutting for the finer work (or cutting tie wraps flush). A pair of these pliers are a must for the electrician!
A good pair of wire strippers are a necessity for electricians to have. Wires tend to not be as effective without exposing the copper (or aluminum) on the ends to terminate to a device! Wire strippers come in a variety of sizes, with some being for smaller conductors and some being able to strip and cut larger conductors we use, and have several holes allowing us to strip a range of wires. They can also be used on either solid or stranded wires and do have a small set of jaws on the leading edge to grab onto things or bend a loop in a wire. This tool also has options available like crimpers or screw cutters to trim down device screws during installation. Different physical sizes are available to fit most hand sizes and ergonomic versions are also out there to help combat hand fatigue from hours of constant use.
The last tool is an electrician’s tool. This type of tool is a variation/combination of some of the tools above. Not specifically like any one of them, but rather a mash up of all of them. They are smaller than lineman’s pliers, but still have some heft to them. They have stripping holes in them to strip wires and have a snout on the end that allows you to twist wires together or grab items. These are great for carrying to a task if you do not want to carry ALL the other tools mentioned above. A multipurpose tool that is good for general use.
We hope this has been insightful and helpful to determine what tools are essential to an apprentice. Please continue to follow Dustin and Electrician U as we are constantly adding new content to improve our followers’ careers!