Just like any other tradesman, an electrician has his ‘go to’ tools that are specifically used in that trade. While this may be a matter of opinion, let’s look at the 5 tools that a professional electrician will probably have in his tool kit.

Flashlight

As silly as it may sound, this requirement lends credence to the saying: Let there be light! Even if the job the electrician is called out to may not need a flashlight, a certain situation may arise where there is a need to see inside something. Electrical outlets and sockets, fuse boxes, conduit and other badly lit areas need some illumination. Even in a well – lit area of work an electrician should not be working inside confined spaces or be reaching inside electrical panels without adequate light. In these days of LED torches, the sparky doesn’t need to be weighed down with a large flashlight.

Voltmeter

This item is both useful and a safety requirement. A voltmeter measures the difference in power between two points in an electrical circuit. An electrician learns very early in their trade that assuming no power in a circuit can be a rather deadly assumption. The voltmeter will let the electrician know whether a circuit is ‘live’ or not. Using the readings on the meter allows the electrician to safely work on the necessary repairs.

Wire Strippers

Not only is this a handy tool for the sparky, it’s a pretty useful one for the DIY handyman as well. While stripping wires and reconnecting to power supplies should always be a job left for a licensed electrician, there are times when some of the small electrical jobs can be done by the ordinary bloke. The stripper allows you to remove the insulation from wires without cutting the wire, and then reconnecting to switches or anything that requires to conduct electric current.

Pliers

This is about as vital a piece of equipment in a toolbox as a screwdriver. The functions of a pair of pliers can be anything from tightening, loosening, gripping, cutting, pulling wires, twisting wires and in some cases, hammering. Leaving home without a pair of pliers in your tool kit is like walking out without your shoes on!

Draw Wire

Sometimes this is called ‘draw tape’ or ‘fishing wire’ as it’s a tool the electrician uses to guide and pull new wiring through pipes, walls and conduit. It’s a long, narrow band of tape made of carbon-steel, usually on a reel. Because of its bending ability, it can be pushed through curves and pipe bends. By attaching string to one end, wiring can be attached and then the draw tape can pull the new wiring through the spaces, behind walls. It’s an essential tool for rewiring jobs or new installations.

Over the years, an electrician acquires a lot of tools that are needed to do the work. Power tools and special instruments will eventually fill the tool box. The 5 items listed would certainly make up part of the ‘critical’ list.