Professional Tool Reviews for Pros

Menu
Breaking
Keeper Kwikfeed Ratchet Tie Down Strap Review Metabo HPT Miter Saw: Save 38% on Amazon! Milwaukee’s Newest Heated Jackets Are Different: Why it Matters More This Year Hilti Cordless Band Saw Review SB 6-22 Amazon Deal: Save 46% on This DeWalt Drill/Impact Driver Kit!

Electrician Tool Reviews & Buying Guides

When you talk to electricians, tools become a sort of sacred thing. Everyone has their favorites. Still, we have swayed more than one journeyman by placing a new tool in his hands. Our electrical tool reviews aim to reveal what electricians think about new products coming to market.
Our hands-on electrical tool reviews take things like press tools and metal hole saws and find out if they work faster than existing products. Manufacturers are quick to make claims, but testing those claims is what helps Pros and know if a tool can cut it in the field. Our Pro electricians work with us to determine whether or not new tools are accurate, ergonomic, and/or just plain helpful.

Milwaukee M12 600 MCM Cable Cutter Preview
0

Milwaukee M12 600 MCM Cable Cutter Preview

by Clint DeBoer

My electrician friends frequently tell me of their exploits cutting large-diameter cable. It’s almost a right of passage with some of these guys and I have yet to find anyone who enjoys the process, particularly those who buy their own tools… and everyone I know owns their own tools. Apparently, Milwaukee must talk to the same people – of course they have rapid prototyping and a few factories, so they could actually, you know, do something about it. The new M12 600 MCM Cable Cutter is what happens when Milwaukee “does” something about a problem.

Max-Lok Carbide SDS-Max Bit Extension System
0

Milwaukee Max-Lok Carbide SDS-Max Bit Extension System

by Clint DeBoer

So Milwaukee is into innovation – everyone who is even remotely familiar with the company and its product lines can attest to that. But what’s always surprising (to me, at least) is the diversity of areas that innovation touches. Take their new Max-Lok Carbide Extension System, for example. This falls smack dab in the lap of serious concrete professionals who use SDS-Max bits day in and day out. The Max-Lok system is designed to extend SDS-Max rotary hammer bits up to 82.5″. That means you can take your existing SDS-Max bits and bore deeper and into more places than ever before. And you’re not buying expensive and dedicated extended length bits to do it.

Newer Tech Power2U USB outlet Review
0

USB Outlet Review – Newer Tech Power2U

by Clint DeBoer

It seems like every portable consumer device needs a USB power supply these days. So how does the rampant availability and use of iPads, smart phones, and Kindles affect how we build homes? Since it’s very likely that your own office, your kitchen – possibly even your bedroom – is littered with a myriad of power adapters, accommodating this new trend is something that would be convenient to you, and certainly beneficial to your clients. Newer Technology’s Power2U is an innovative device that combines two USB charging ports with a standard electrical outlet or receptacle. That means you eliminate those bulky power adapters and can, instead, plug in a USB cable directly to the outlet’s accessory ports. And the 2A (2000mA) rating means that it delivers enough power to charge even high-current devices like the new iPad.

Milwaukee Diagonal Pliers 48-22-4106 Review
0

Milwaukee Diagonal Pliers 48-22-4106 Review

by Ben Parker

As an electrician, diagonal pliers are definitely a tool I use a lot in the field. This is especially true with commercial work where you have to cut a lot of cable and wire. Milwaukee’s Diagonal Pliers (48-22-4106) made a clean cut every single time I went to use them. This week we’re working on a remodel job on a commercial building built in the 1930’s. While some walls have been torn down and rebuilt, there are still some that are the original concrete block. On these I have had to put conduit and electrical boxes. Normally, this would be easy, but the wall was literally riddled with nails and screws. I found that these pliers were able to cut through the nails and screws with little to no difficulty. It sort of became my go-to tool for getting through the nitty gritty of clearing my area.

Milwaukee 6 IN 1 Long Nose Pliers 48-22-3068 Review
0

Milwaukee 6 IN 1 Long Nose Pliers 48-22-3068 Review

by Ben Parker

Having just taken a look at Milwaukee’s 6 IN 1 Combination Pliers, we weren’t too thrown off guard by the 6 IN 1 Long Nose Pliers, which are a different tool, but similar in many ways. If anything, the 6 IN 1 Long Nose Pliers feel like they are meant for things that are a bit more heavy duty. These pliers are 1/4″ thicker than the combination pliers, which is good since they can be used to pull nails. We found that the design – particularly, the head of the tool which is squared off – does a pretty decent job at pulling nails out of wood. This really is a good tool if you are an electrician and need something heavy duty in the field. I really enjoy having it in my tool pouch at work and have recommended to other electricians to go buy one as well.

Milwaukee 5317-21 1-9/16" SDS Max Rotary Hammer Preview
0

Milwaukee 5317-21 1-9/16 SDS Max Rotary Hammer Preview

by Clint DeBoer

Continuing their expansion of their rotary hammer line, Milwaukee has introduced a new 1-9/16″ SDS Max Rotary Hammer. This new rotary hammer delivers the durability users have come to expect from Milwaukee, with a 10.5-amp motor and 5.5 ft-lbs of impact energy. We’ve picked up and used several of Milwaukee’s rotary hammers and they are a force to be reckoned with. The new hammer is an improvement in that it offers new features to increase efficiency and lower the amount of work (effort) you have to expend in order to achieve the results you need.

Milwaukee 5316-21 1-9/16" Spline Rotary Hammer Preview
0

Milwaukee 5316-21 1-9/16 Spline Rotary Hammer Preview

by Clint DeBoer

Continuing their expansion of their rotary hammer line, Milwaukee has introduced a new 1-9/16″ Spline Rotary Hammer. This new rotary hammer delivers the durability users have come to expect from Milwaukee, with a 10.5-amp motor and 5.5 ft-lbs of impact energy. We’ve picked up and used several of Milwaukee’s rotary hammers and they are a force to be reckoned with. The new hammer is an improvement in that it offers new features to increase efficiency and lower the amount of work (effort) you have to expend in order to achieve the results you need.

Klein J2000 Side-Cutting Lineman's Pliers Review
0

Klein J2000 Side-Cutting Linemans Pliers Review

by Ben Parker

If you ask ten electricians which company makes the best lineman’s pliers, all ten would say ‘Klein’ (trust me, I actually asked ten… and I’m an electrician). In fact, most electricians call any lineman’s pliers “Kleins” – though they probably shouldn’t. They have set the standard for lineman’s pliers in the way that Xerox set the standard for copying machines back in the day, or Kleenex did for tissues. Klein tools are on the top of the list for electrician’s tools because it’s their specialty – and when that’s all you do, you tend to get good at it. The Klein lineman’s pliers are said to be the best made. With all of the recent competition, and years of other manufacturers crafting competing products, we were curious to see if they still held the title.

MENU