Tools needed for apprenticeship

[olliep]

Hi,
I am going to be starting an electrical apprenticeship in September and I want to know what basic tools that I will need.

cheeRS
Oliver

 

[supasparxs]

a box of tea bags

to be honest as a first year apprentice you shouldn't need any.
saying that it will also depend what part of the industry your going to be working in.

For example if you are doing ne build housing, a sharp pair of cutter would be enough

if you will be work in existing domestic properties, a club hammer and bolster (a bolster with a hand shield would be advised)

If your going to be working in offices, or factories (where alot of steel conduit, trunking and tray woulf be installed) tape measure, set square, marker pen, hacksaw and a file.

you should ask the company who you will be working for what tools you'll need

Good luck

 

[TaffyDuck]

Well done on getting an apprenticeship mate they are rare as hens teeth at the moment. It may be that your employer will supply all you need but if not I would suggest a good pair of sidecutters ( CK ones with the stripping groves is what I use), a basic set of good quality screwdrivers, a pair of long nose pliers, a knife with a retractable blade, stanley do a good one, a set of voltage probes, Fluke T100 are good. that should be about it. VDE obviously. Buy good kit, better off spending a bit more and getting quality tools. CK are my favourite.

 

[jase]

how much you wanna spend? If you google CK Electricians toolkit, you can get a good quality set of tools to start you on your way with everything you will need in your first year and a quality toolbag to carry it aroung in all for £150

 

[mickys86]

Im halfway through my apprenticeship and what i did worked out very well fro me.

Good set of screwdrivers, I bought wera kraftform plus vde of amazon for a very good price.

Good pair of cutters, I like the wiha croppers but personal choice takes preference.

Pair of pliers, I still got my first draper set.

And then any tool that I had to borrow from boss I wrote down on a piece of paper and bought when I could. Slowly but surely week by week I've managed to fill my van with all the tools i need And now It's very rare that I don't have the right tool for the job

Good luck mate and all the best

 

[mickys86]

@ taffy duck. How do you get on with the CK terminal? At college they snapped quite quickly and I thought it was down to first years not using them properly, but an experienced guy I work with has recently snapped 3. I got a draper one which seems rather solid

 

[jase]

Ive been doing this 10 odd years now and i still buy tools as and when i need them, didnt get a cordless SDS till last year :drunk:

 

[TaffyDuck]

@ taffy duck. How do you get on with the CK terminal? At college they snapped quite quickly and I thought it was down to first years not using them properly, but an experienced guy I work with has recently snapped 3. I got a draper one which seems rather solid

Had a couple last year that did that tbh but I assumed that was a bad batch and my wholesaler replaced them under guarentee. No probs before or since. Its just what your used to I guess. CK sort of fit my hands if you know what I mean, anything else seems uncomfortable

 

[Dcf]

right a good jacket with nice pockets to keep ur hands in,also it has to zip up to right under ur chin regardless if its 30 degrees celsius outside/inside
a smartphone on contract with unlimited texts so u are constantly in touch with your mates.... all day
jokin aside
u will need a claw hammer about 20 oz about right,a set of decent screwdrivers, a pair of pliers 8" about right, pair of snips n maybe a voltage tester of some kind that should do u fine .best of luck with the career.

 

[Adam W]

Again, well done on getting an apprenticeship!

I'd start with the bare essentials:
stanley knife, hammer, pliers and sidecutters with slipguards (Stanley are fine),
screwdrivers (CK are fine).
Then as mentioned build up the tools you need but haven't got - hacksaw, combination square, bell set, pipe cutter, waterpump pliers, adjustable spanner, allen keys, battery drill etc.

Brands such as Stanley and CK might not be as good as something like Knipex, but they're good for the price, which is a factor to consider if you're new to the game and if you haven't got much cash to spare.
It's worth only taking on site tools which you can afford to replace - nice tools have a habit of growing legs.

 

[Carl Molyneux]

This is what i bought in my first year it had everything i needed apart from a good lump hammer a bolster and you get over £250 worth of equipment 595003 CK Tools Electricians Premium Tool Kit

 

[sjj84]

Do you know what type of work you'll be doing? Maintenance? Installation? Is it all on one site, or will you be travelling from site to site? Will the company supply any tools?

To start with I'd get a decent set of screwdrivers, some side cutters, a junior hacksaw, an adjustable spanner, a stanley knife and a tape measure. Not sure if the domestic boys would think of anything else that you might need.

To be honest, to start with you aren't really going to be let loose on anything and the people that are looking after you will have tools. I've always gone by the rule of, if I have to borrow a tool twice, then I need my own.

 

[Andy78]

I've always gone by the rule of, if I have to borrow a tool twice, then I need my own.

Great rule of thumb here !

Another I try to go by is..... spend more and buy quality for the things that come out of your toolbox every day. Spend less on stuff that only comes out once a month.

For a first year apprentice however, I would buy all cheap until you have the funds and a better idea of what you want to spend your money on. Some tools come with a lifetime guarantee so are worth spending that bit extra on.