I’ll say this once… train anyone to work it as if it was live at all times EVEN when the power is off.. develop this habit as a trainer it’s very smart to pass it down the exact same way and there’s never an accident
Yeah literally I hate the "You SHOULD never be working when it's hot" okay but what happens when you have to or someone doesn't know for some reason? It's a stupid thing to be stubborn about and costs nothing to use a little more precaution.
There is absolutely no way to avoid working on live circuits. If you do any kind of service work or troubleshooting, they have to be energized. You need to be able to check for voltage or current while they while equipment is in use. It shouldn’t even be a debate. It’s just a risk we understand & accept in our line of work.
Agreed, the majority of the time there isn't a need to work on energized circuits. But when it is needed it's best to have the proper PPE and proper electrically rated tool.
In a way I disagree when you say the majority of time there isn't need to work on energized circus ,it really depends on the line of work that you are doing for instance I do a lot of troubleshooting and let me just say that working live it's a must on the everyday that I serviced trouble calls. I must work live to take measurements and to find and locate the shorted or grounded wires of course when you find the problem it is much faster to open the circuit so that you can make the repair but for my line of work working live is over 90% every day
Regarding asking the customer to shut down to allow you to power off a circuit or an entire panel... My father worked in the chemical industry. Many of their chemical manufacturing processes take time (days, weeks, or months depending on the process) to safely shut things down without causing damage. Conversely it may take days, weeks, or months to then restart their process from a safely shut down production line. No way would they say "yeah, we'll shut down for you to install an outlet (or change out a panel)"... While this type of work (emergency electrical work) is a corner case in all the jobs an electrician will do, they still exist.
What you are describing is terrible electrical distribution. This means if you artery MCB failed when there is a fault in a receptacle, the whole panel will trip leading to millions of dollar of damage because you were too cheap to have 2 separate panels.
Anything that helps increase safety (without impacting ability) is a positive in my books. I never work on live circuits, but you never know what may or may not be energized due to mistakes made by others. I always use them when working in and around panels where there are live portions present. I own and use insulated screwdrivers/drivers, cutters and pliers and they are in my main kit... my favorite being the Wiha 38051 as an every day carry in my bag at all times.
Your channel has been an immense help for me. I started my apprenticeship this week, and I'm pretty green to this kinda stuff. I was hesitant to even start, I didn't know the first thing about working as an electrician. And while I still don't know a lot, you gave me a confidence to start learning.
The very best of luck in your career, seems like poverty forever but the apprenticeship does end. Keep your chin up , your ears open to danger and knowledge, and for the love of smooth sailing…your mouth closed. Thirty -five years in, I’ll retire in December….it’s a bigger life and it goes by so fast. Try to enjoy.
Strongly recommend a few quality insulated screwdrivers, linesmen pliers & cutters. 40;years ago installed half a dozen klien maroon colored handle grips. Not rated for voltage but have used them hundreds of times on hot 277 & 480 volt circuits without any problems. Always worked in large plants that often ran 24/7 so it was very difficult to secure & LOTO power. Years ago would use two pairs of fuse pullers & quickly remove two 600 volt fuses at the same time due to not wanting to single phase one of the few motors on them. Would not do it today. You must have rubber & canvas gloves tested every 6 months.
I started using insulated tools when I would get shocked through the unrated plier insulation. Klein has insulated tools that are meant for everyday use. Yes, you must still inspect and treat them with care, but they’re tough. Thanks for videos man, keep things safe and simple guys 👍
I see the VDE as an insurance, where if it so happens that the circuit IS live, you don't get shocked... Or if you're working on something that might have some live parts or you can short circuit something... that insulation will save you and the equipment. Sure, you want to make sure the circuit is never live when working on it, but stuff happens. Excceptions obviously the times when the circuit has to be live... :)
I was working with wire strippers as you mentioned your spring removal tip. I popped it right off and now I’ll no longer struggle to put them back in my tool bag. What an awesome little tip that had nothing to do with the video
They really should have just put the locking latch they have on their non-insulated one. I guess it was too difficult to insulate the nub or just make it plastic; kind of a bummer though.
I’m just getting into electrical in my country even though there is a difference in 110/220 these videos have helped me a lot into getting started on what to buy and help me understand how things work.. I didn’t go to school for it or anything it’s just more of you learn on the job
Youll be alright bro that's how I got started I also have no schooling been doing this so far for 5 years and am ready to be a journeyman I have a uncle who is a master electrician and he just gave me an opportunity 5 years ago and I have stuck with it ever since I was lucky enough to come across another master electrician on my journey in this field who taught me how to use and navigate the code book I am forever grateful if someone is willing to teach you code and calculations and just how to be a better electrician soak as much of it as you can because it's very rare and most dot want to see you succeed
Completely understandable about pressures of working live in limited cases but even in those cases as NFPA70E suggests PPE is the last thing to consider. If you go through the NFPA podcasts there are some remarkable stories from electricians having to work live and when accidents happened how much that increased costs for the companies including compensation insurance and greater OSHA scrutiny. That’s aside from the mental and physical scars from the arc flash incidents. In industrial settings when the demand for working live is highest with high voltage, 3-phase power incident energies are much higher. The risks are much greater in those settings and PPE itself and on its own won’t cut the mustard. Other factors have to be accounted for to reduce risks.
Coming from a UK electrician, it seems baffling why you wouldn’t use VDE rated tools, literally every spark here uses insulated tools, it’s even taught in colleges that you should only use insulated tools on the off chance something might be live (especially when working in boards)
Larger established clients may have safety & EHS requirements that require LOTO. Asking an electrical contractor to work on live circuits would open them to a massive lawsuit if something went wrong. I'm sure the low-level line managers don't want to shut down, but the higher-ups are very lawsuit-aware. Good practice when you arrive on site is to ask their safety officer what the procedures are. Be safe, don't risk your future livelihood! Certainly if hot work is allowed then these these tools would be a necessity. (In this case, the client issues a "hot work permit". Be suspicious if they don't give you one, it establishes responsibility & liability.) Really great content as usual Dustin!
'Hot work permit' in every plant I've been in means welding/ grinding or torches. I've really never seen a 'live electrical work' permit. But, yes, there are definitely times especially on control circuits(120V) that you work on them live. And, yea, insulated tools are damned handy for that. Consider yourself the 'local' lineman and working on live circuits in that case. Not particularly dangerous if you're careful and aware.
@@nhzxboi I worked as PM tech in the semiconductor industry, and I had to take a "on the job" training class specifically named Hot Work. It was an in depth training class on live 220v to 1kv circuits. The equipment I worked on stayed energized 24/7. Most of it at 480v, with multiple power sources, along with various types of gases. We did have a LOTO protocol we also had to follow. We could isolate certain portions of the equipment we were preforming the PM on.
Thanks for this video/reminder/instruction. Utility companies/suppliers work on energized circuits all the time - with the proper PPE and safety steps in place. It doesn't take a commercial setting to have the "need" to work on an energized circuit or distribution/breaker panel. This condition could occur in a private home if you are replacing a single breaker in an energized box, especially if there is some type of medical or computer equipment that needs to stay operating while repairing a circuit that is not directly connected to said equipment. Not to mention the DIYers who work on energized stuff because they "can" or don't know better - knowing about insulated tools is helpful to them, also.
I definitely have been taught the safe way and seen my journeyman and non union guys use regular old screw drives in panels and basically said you gotta know what is what
My company pretty much only buys insulated tools for us, which is pretty nice. The main problem I've had working with like insulated nut drivers is the insulation can be too thick to fit inside certain places like to de-term MCC bucket. I need to get one of those insulated 10-in-1's.
One of my journeymen just took his regular Klein screwdrivers and put some heat shrink over the metal shaft, he said that it's not technically rated for live work but he hasn't had any problems. I personally have the Klein insulated multibit set (exactly like the one you showed) and even though I haven't used it much yet, I absolutely love it.
I wld use a cple wraps of 3m tape to be sure but ya I've been wraping my uninsulated tools with tape in a pinch for 25 yrs+ (use wd-40 to remove adhesive and add some oil as well no corrosion or stickiness and squeak free too
I do construction residential work and I've found all my tools have some insulative properties to them. I can't think of a situation where I would be touching 240v with a tool and so far all of my tools not rated for insulation haven't shocked me with 120v, including my impact gun. The only time a tool has shocked me was when I thought a circuit was off (2 circuits in 1 box at a staircase) I was still learning and out of habit I grabbed my demo screwdriver to tighten a terminal and touched the strike on the end with the palm of my hand. After that I immediately went and bought a 3 piece milwaukee insulated hand tool set.
In residential your not likely to get shocked by 240 since most residential applications only use 240v single phase. The 120 in the outlet is half of the leg and shocked you by shorting through you to ground. To actually get shocked by 240v if only 240v single phase is supplied you'd need to be working on the panel live, the HVAC system, electric dryer or oven, or some other power hungry appliance and youd have to touch both of the two hot leads at the same time. If you touch a single hot leg from one of those appliances it'll hurt more as they have higher current breakers and lower voltage drop thanks to larger conductors. Even with 208 and 240 three phase if you only touch one leg it's only 120v. You have to hop up a level to 480v for one leg to be 240v. Worked on an AC that was 480v for the first time a few days ago and reached my hands into the electrical area to check some things before verifying power supplied and took a bit of a step back when my meter read 497 at the terminal lugs. TLDR if you only do residential you probably won't get shocked by 240 stay safe out there
@@jetthardin4927 No worries. It is 277V phase to neutral and 277 is often used for commercial/industrial lighting. You definitely need to beware while working on 277/480 if you want to live. Lol
Excellent advice and A must when working on Live OR neutered (dead) circuits. Even with meters you could encounter A back feed that could end your career!
Fantastic. Best take-away, in my opinion -- take care of your gear so it can take care of you. I've seen so many examples of folks not respecting their gear and even some example of where people got bit by that. Well done.
Hello my good sir, i just got accepted to IBEW Local 26 Apprenticeship class of 2027.. and your videos help out alot, i just started the trade brand new 3 months ago and im liking it so far, thank you for bringing informative and enjoyable videos to watch!
In europe, most sparks use insulated 100% of the time even when working on non-live circuits. My cable cutter is the only tool that's just dipped, and it does perfectly fine cutting live 400v wires.
When I buying my first set of electricians tools for my apprenticeship i bought mostly insulated. When doing the math it was only $10-$20 then the dipped handles and $30-$40 cheeper the buying the journeyman tools. I think it was worth getting the more comfortable handles for however long they end up lasting me
I like to do my own DIY electric work. I've watched many videos about doing electrical work that does not cover electrical safety clothes. How about making a video to show us what we need to buy to protect us from getting shocked?
i’ve honestly been using vde as a main for multiple years. The insulated wera screwdriver set is like $4 more than the standard. knipex pliers are pretty much the same price for insulated. No regrets, the knipex insulated grip is very comfy
I work on coax cable and these work good for set screws on amplifiers. Stops you from shorting out a device down the line when your messing with a power leg.
Those meters that are so expensive are so expensive not exactly because they're extremely accurate (that part can be done for relatively cheap with a $50 multimeter), the part that makes it cost a whole lot of money is the various safety features and certifications these meters have. Just look at the fuse used for the high-current amps range in your typical Fluke meter aimed at electricians. It's a physically large, explosion-resistant, silica sand filled thing, so if it actually goes across something dangerous (like a dead-short across a 240v circuit you caused by accident because you weren't paying full attention and set it on amps (with the leads also set up for amps) and not volts), then it won't hurt YOU by making the meter explode, instead the fuse will make a (frighteningly loud) noise but the meter itself (and you) should probably both come out of the experience relatively unscathed (of course you'll need a new fuse for the meter, and they're not exactly cheap, but you're still alive and unhurt). Compare that to the high current amps range fuse in that no-name $50 meter I was comparing it with. Chances are that the fuse in that meter is also "rated" for 240v, but if it's any upgrade over a standard glass tube fuse it will be only a ceramic tube fuse, with no silica sand filling, and no explosion resistance of note. So if you dead-short that thing it's gonna turn into a little firecracker and probably put pieces of the meter housing into your face (seen it happen in some testing videos, the test dummy took most of the impact in both hands and face). So to be perfectly honest, I'm saving up for that Fluke meter even tho I'm just an auto mechanic. Because I can count on it to withstand harsh conditions (aside from harsh chemicals like engine oil and coolant, and obviously gasoline but I'd be doing my best to avoid gasoline in the first place because outside of the cylinder of an engine or a fuel pump, gasoline and electricity don't mix), be accurate when I need it to be, and if I have to take it home to fix something on the house over a weekend I can count on it to have my back if I mess up.
I keep BOTH sets of my insulated hand tools in the large, canvas pouches KLEIN sells - one stays in my toolbox at home in the garage till I NEED to work on something live and the other stays inside of a Milwaukee Packout XL box with my test instruments on my work van. Keeps them CLEAN, DRY and ready to use when it MATTERS. Drives me up the wall when I see co-workers (who are otherwise very intelligent) using something like that double-sided insulated screwdriver to pry and see that they've damaged the insulating jacket of the tool. For HVAC work, especially tightening lugs on contactors, breakers, and other live circuits during maintenances - that double-sided P2/Slotted driver is my go-to. Great for getting to screw on boards while the equipment is running to reduce the risk of causing a short - because basically every RTU or system that we 'inherit' from 'that other company' has been turned into a rat-nest by the time we get called to get it going.
Thanks for sharing the video. If I get a quality insulated driver set, do I need another non-insulated set? For DIYer, I would think I only need the insulated set to save money and space.
When working in the parkade, we have to work on live sometimes because you can’t just flip the breakers since other trades also working at the same time needing lighting or power.
OSHPD work is usually live for maintenance and troubleshooting. Life safety so you cant shut power off. You can isolate your circuit but not completely shut the breaker off.
Not for Resi but I dont like to risk it on commercial jobs, 1st one I was on my boss got hung up on a energized T-bar ceiling and I had to kick the ladder out from underneath him. insulated tools would not have have helped the situation but it gave me a healthy respect for the voltage in that environment.
@@tomtom7955 I know the feeling I got hung up in a grid ceiling before was not fun. But was able to move legs so I kicked the latter out from under me. Let the body weight break me off the circuit. Was scraped up a bit a shookin up. Almost switched trades lol but still there brother
Pittsburgh 1000 volt insulated screwdriver set at HarborFreight. $17. The best bang for your buck set. I’m a 24 year electrician and I’ve owned Klein and Greenlee and the Pittsburgh are better at a fraction of the price. Plus , they don’t walk off like Klein and greenlee. Oh and they are magnetized as well.
Something that I spotted as a bad habit that you were (probably unintentionally) demonstrating. When you were handling the plier-type tools, you kept putting your index finger over the bump on the handle. Those are supposed to be finger guards to keep your fingers from getting too close to the exposed metal. By putting your index finger over them (on the bare metal side of them) you are violating the air-gap and creepage distance that the bump is supposed to help enforce.
I'll go buy a set. I've been using a 6" mag 5/16 for taking off live breakers and while I feel safe doing it, it's just not smart. I do have the Klein insulated Philips/ flathead flip screwdriver and it's fantastic, super convenient.
Irish here, insulated cutters, needle nose and screwdrivers are a basics, most use them as their daily tools. Easy to prove dead in industrial and new builds, but rewire, fault finding, minor works, you can never be sure there is no back feed, alternate supplies, ect.
My husband works as a building maintenance technician. . . Often he has to deal with urgent problems that almost cost him his life. . Once he almost had an accident because while working on a 3 phase transfer pump panel, someone turned on the panel without paying attention to signs that the panel was being maintained. . . "It was like being struck by lightning," he said. . From there he was very careful and always gave instructions to his subordinates not to play stupidly in dangerous situations. . . Sometimes people here are a little crazy. . They dare to connect 220 V electricity with their hands without safety. . From there he saved to buy better electrical equipment for safety
Yes. I worked DC Plant in Telco Central Office. Very hazardous voltages. I worked hot ckts a lot. Don't forget your rubber gloves. I had a set like that. Very expensive.
6:27 - those are actually both slim tipped… the insulation isn’t wider than the tip of the Philips head. Those are just 2 different sized Phillips heads. Probably a #1 vs #2.
6:35 - This one actually is not the slim tipped… You can see the diameter of the insulation is way bigger than the head of the screwdriver itself, making it hard to fit into circuit breaker lugs for example.
I think where the bigger argument is is for insulated vs VDE rated insulated. A lot of older electrical tools will have an insulated handle of some degree, but without the VDE rating, generally this means it won't carry the finger guards/flared handle, will only be tested to 1000v AC vs 10000v. For me, as a control panel spark who works live 80% of the time, I carry insulated linemans & diagonal cutters, as I very rarely, if ever, chuck these into an energised circuit, however my needlenoses & my screwdriver it's VDE rated all the way, both of these tools get used in place I don't want to put my fingers, so VDE rating is serious piece of mind.
There is a clip on the front of the strippers to hold it closed specifically because of the spring but my insulated don't have it so I agree with ripping the spring out.
In ireland all we use is insulated tools. Like I've never seen an electrician without insulated screw drivers. And we mostly work on dead circuits too. Pliers snips the lot. The UK is the same I'm sure too
I've been an electrician for 30 years (residential only) and never needed insulated tools, other than pliers and large wire cutters when I need to work on an energized service drop from the POCO. I also have a screwdriver that I've wrapped the shaft in electrical tape.
You may want to check workplace safety regs. Canada and the US require use of rated, insulated tools when working on or near live electrical equipment.
Dustin, 98% blanketed is really high as an estimation. It depends mainly on what area of the industry you might be in. Like industrial and commercial electricians work on live circuits/equipment every day. Residential sparkies, probably not so much. The key I believe is to have the right tools and equipment for the sphere of work/job you're in or might find yourself in. As electricians, "proper tools are more than half the job."
I’m a huge fan of that last Klein insulated twist/swap screw driver. I’m actually using it today (I think it’s way better than a 10-in-1) as the bits stay in very well the only issue I have is having to carry the flat/Phillips or s1/s2 or whatever but you’re NOT using in the handle, in my pouch and it’s kinda awkward. So I mainly use that with the s1/s2 bit and have other screw drivers with flat/Phillips. I also have a full set of Wiha insulated tools past down from my father. It stays in a bag, in my truck for when the time comes to use them! (Hopefully never!) Great video man!
I thought I would like the Klein insulated twist/swap driver set too until the first time I used it. My finger tip was on the twist collar and as I tightened the terminal the collar turned as well and ejected the bit shaft into the panel. Of course, it had to fall down and land right behind the main lugs (bottom feed panel). It is still there. But every other Klein tool I totally love. Great performance and quality for hand tools.
No matter what you do....safty is #1. I used dipi it on all my electronics tools mini cutters etc... however on big electronics and home electrical equipment and etc I am in the process of purchasing the specialized equipment ppe.
I only clicked on this video because I have all the Klein drivers/pliers/side cutters in the thumbnail. I’m a mechanical/combustion engineer working in an industrial background, and take my safety very serious. My toolkit is almost exclusively Klein ( which I purchased out of my own money ), if I’m going to work live I want the best kit My screwdrivers ( I have a set like the ones on the left of the screen ) cost me £230 for 5 about 7/8 years ago, 2 x Posi and 3 x flat heads and came with a lifetime guarantee, of which I’ve had 2 replaced - no questions asked. I work with electricians who’s tools I wouldn’t touch with a bargepole, I’ve worked with electricians who work really dangerously, I’ve work with electricians who I’m surprised they haven’t killed anybody. My old supervisor from 15 years ago, a lovely guy but one who was a bugger to cut corners, killed himself in an accident replacing his parents boiler in their house. His elderly dad found his sprawled across the boiler dead. Where I work now, before I joined 5 years ago a guy working on street lighting was killed when there was a mix up cutting power to a streetlight, he was up in a bucket and got a shock and was ‘stuck’ on a live 230v current for 30 minutes with his team of another 3 people stuck on the ground watching. Both these guys left behind young daughters - tragic. I used to work in a factory maintenance team, there was 11000v incoming ( 11 thousand volts ) If I removed anything ( usually our kit was 415v ) I’d isolate locally and lock off, I’d go to the panel and switch off the circuit, and pull the fuses. I’d remove the pump/fan/motor and tape off the connections. Some of my colleagues would just turn off a 415 supply at the local isolator, no locking the isolator off, no taping the ends they’d leave it like that, it would be like that for days, sometimes weeks whilst parts were sourced - frightening. Never leave your safety to chance, never leave your safety to others, check and double check, it may be your last time if you don’t.
Well I didn’t really have the luxury when I first got started in this trade with affordability with 1000 volt insulated tools to do hot work. All we did was use some heat shrink or double wrap it with super 33.
People who say "never work on live circuits" aren't electrcians. Proper training, proper tools, and sound practices can make live work reasonably safe.
One time I was in a rush to wire up a recepticle live and was using only my Leatherman, all went well until I had to tighten the hot terminal screws and safety finally prevailed over lasiness
The truth of the matter is that sometimes, no matter what you need to kill a circuit. Especially if someone wired a junction box wirh loose nuetrals. I dont care what application it's in or what environment it's in. I've worked in ambulance facilties in dispatch centers where people lives are literally on the line and had to shut down circuits because loose neutrals were starting to melt a wire nut. My general concensus is, if you can turn it off, turn it off to work on. Of course you have to test things live and figure our circuitry but once you figure it out, turn it off and fix it. Especially working with 277/480 in t-bar grids or environments where you can easily be grounded.
I knew an old timer in the 80s who used to lick his thumb and index finger and use them as a tester. Getting a good buzz meant something totally different to him.
Cool Video Dustin, The one thing OSHA cant understand, is you can not fault find electrical problems on a dead circuit. But i would never work live. I do not own any klein tools, For my CA electrician apprenticeship, I really invested my money in Fluke 87V meter and Knipex tools, rated at 1KV. The First time I bought professional tools to last.
When it comes to mag/demag tools, I have not found anything that works as effectively as the Klein mag/demag tool. I’ve tried others, and they do work, they just don’t magnetize/demagnetize as effectively. And the Klein isn’t much more expensive, so don’t waste time with the others, just get the Klein.
I won’t lie. My Klein journeyman 2000. I use on live ccts . I just check the handles . I tape up the shaft of my drivers and check the handles. I wonder if wire nuts have the same insulation as the Klein 2000s ? Probably same poly
In Germany you have to usw insulated Tools while working on electric systems. It does Not matter If there ist no living circle. Our Rules for the work are demanding this.
I work with industrial controls. I always try to shut down the cabinet. One thing I can say I haven’t seen anyone mention is the risk of capacitance. Even de-energized, it’s imperative to treat it like it’s live. Shit happens, have your reasonable PPE and be careful.
I know a guy who touched the main bussing with his bare elbow and survived!! don't mess around with your lives boys. you're heroes risking your lives every day❤️
I work non enegize circuit as if they are energize, just incase the unexpected happens. I'm not an electrician, but being a handyman"woman" I work on electricity inside and outside on houses and meter so i need all the insulated tool I can afford.
I find this such a bizarre idea to not use them, being in the eu market (ROI+UK) we use VDE tools almost exclusively from snips(diagonal cutters) to screwdrivers, it's rare to see someone using non VDE even on tested dead or pre-commission circuits. Personaly wouldn't touch a board without VDE even knowing it's dead. But then again it's all 230v or 400v
You should check out Matt Risinger of the Build Show Network. He is also in Austin. You guys would make a great match to appear on each other's channels. Keep up the great work!
Does Klein Tools make Slim Insulated *Combo-Tip* Screwdrivers 🪛 yet? You think Klein would, because they’re specifically designed for electrical ⚡️ applications. Thanks
here is what i learned working with electricians as aprentice. Never work on live circuits unless absolutely necessary which means avoid working on live cruits whenever you can. If you have to work on live ciruits never ever do so without insulated tools. I you love to work as electrician and value your life and lives of people at job site follow rules that speak of proper protection at jobsite to the letter especially if you work with electricity on jobsite. Old saying: It's better to prevent rather than treat is something worth keeping in mind while you work.
Thanks for the great video, again, but I have a random Question. I installed 7 new outlets in my home, used my circuit plug tester to make sure they were wired correctly. But my question is, why are the grounds on the new outlets soo tight, I had to force the plug tester in each one and actually around the 4th one, it ripped the ground out of my tester. I was able to put it back in to finish the testing, but it pulled out in each plug after. Is it that tight because its new? Did I install them incorrectly? Should they be THAT tight? Or did I have a cheap tester? Thanks. Love these vids, learning a ton!
Could be that the new outlets would want it good and tight so there is a guaranteed ground. Also after Covid and manufacturing changes it could be that there just making them to tight.
That sounds like you got a maybe not so great tester, it shouldn't be possible for the receptacle to grip the ground prong so tightly that it removes it from the plug (any plug, including the one in your tester). Either way if the tester is the kind I'm thinking of with the 3 little neon bulbs in it (or maybe these days LEDs) and a go/no-go chart on the side, then they're cheap enough that you should be able to just get another one to replace the one you have. Test equipment is one of those things that's hard to shop for, because you can't really afford to cut corners but there are also many products out there that have more features than you need (and therefore cost more).
Sounds to me as though the plug tester you were using either wasn't good quality, was defective, or was very old & worn out. If you were using a less expensive tester, you should be able to replace it without too much cash. Klein has GFCI testers for less than twenty bucks. Their testers that don't have a GFCI test button can be had for less than ten bucks. As far as the grounds being tight, that's a good thing. It'll ensure your plug stays seated correctly in the receptacle.
Good vid. Most of my tools are vde as i do fault finding on machines and the are usualy live. Better to be safe than sorry. The price differance is not that much.
Do those insulated Klein nut drivers have a torque indicator on them? Sure would be handy if they did... Any Kline reps reading this? Sure would be cool if you passed that on to the R&D department.
Definitely need for lineman who work live secondary in tight spaces. These situations are not protected by breakers. Would be straight fault current from the tub.
I am not an electrician but I work on control equipment. Systems costing tens of thousands of dollars. I use the insulated tools to protect the equipment.
Most of the time, I find I need to use insulated tools because of a mistake on someone else's part. As an example, because of a mistake made 30 years earlier, someone attached a temporary new install to the hot side of a service breaker, so when it needed to be disconnected and attached to the proper power service, there was no way to de-energize it.
Had pair of Klein’s 1000v lineman’s ended up getting a small crack in insulation couldn’t even tell - was hot day sweating my ass off in electric room and workin on 277v - Got shit knocked out of me and linemen’s wound up flying out back door into dumpster
OUCH!!! I got hung up on 277 once years ago. I couldn’t let go. It almost killed me. Luckily most of the current went through my left hand. I had 3 fingers and my thumb wrapped around the spiraled armor of some MC and my pinky contacted the hot terminal of a switch as an apprentice made it hot in the ceiling outside the office I was working in. I was also leaning against a metal modular wall on my right side so some of the current passed through my heart. It’s pretty painful and it feels like it’s happening in slow motion. Like I could almost count the sine waves passing through me
Good idea too. Side cutters and needle nose .. wire cutters. Cut a hot while touching metal together. The short circuit will vaporize the metal of your pliers at the point of cut. rms..no resistance causes this, blue fireball, metal melts and vaporizes, thousands of amps.
There’s no reason not to buy them over non-insulated tools especially if you only can have one set. The cost difference is low(considering the value of your life), You’re set to go if you ever need to work live but regardless, you’ve got that safety buffer in case somehow something is or gets re-energized. When I bought all of my apprentice tools starting out, I got all insulated Klein and Knipex gear. The bonus is that the larger handle grips are extremely comfortable
The old style electricians of fifty or more years ago never used insulated tools. When they had to work something hot they first taped up all the tools they needed so they trusted the insulation that they had freshly put on their tools.
I'm not an electrician and I have had the pleasure of being shocked by 120 volts. So when I work with electricity I don't take nothing for granted, and my company provides insulated tools and ppe I wear it happily
Way I see it, if there is any single possible way to avoid working hot, don't work hot. I've seen plenty of guys complaining that their foreman asked them to work hot "to save time", which is crap.
I cut a 240v (live line not attached to anything, side of house i was on was dead except this line, was removing it) 10-gauge line with my regular kline journey side cutters. I didnt get shocked at all, but i do have a hole the size of a wire on my snips now. Was a little deaf and blinded though. Always wondered why that was, not like im trying to replicate it to find out. Do some tools offer some form of insulation even though they're not rated to do so?
Actually you just shorted the circuit through your cutters, no current went to the part of your cutters where it has insulation. For that to happen you would have to be cutting only one line and short the circuit through your body.
I have all insulated hand tools but I'm having a hard time finding a tool belt with pouches that accommodate the extra size of these tools, any tool belt recommendations that will fit them?
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I’ll say this once… train anyone to work it as if it was live at all times EVEN when the power is off.. develop this habit as a trainer it’s very smart to pass it down the exact same way and there’s never an accident
This is what i teach to kids in the trade!
Yeah literally I hate the "You SHOULD never be working when it's hot" okay but what happens when you have to or someone doesn't know for some reason? It's a stupid thing to be stubborn about and costs nothing to use a little more precaution.
This is stupid
This is stupid
Anyone who thinks like that is gonna get fired for being slow af just be smart and use your hot stick
There is absolutely no way to avoid working on live circuits. If you do any kind of service work or troubleshooting, they have to be energized. You need to be able to check for voltage or current while they while equipment is in use. It shouldn’t even be a debate. It’s just a risk we understand & accept in our line of work.
My HVAC textbook literally stated that to properly diagnose a malfunction a technician needs to be comfortable working on live circuits safely
Facts
Testing and trouble shooting is separate from working on something. As soon as you reach for something other then a measuring tool you are working.
Still don’t need insulated tools
@@jetthardin4927 shut up go use some duct tape or something
Agreed, the majority of the time there isn't a need to work on energized circuits.
But when it is needed it's best to have the proper PPE and proper electrically rated tool.
In a way I disagree when you say the majority of time there isn't need to work on energized circus ,it really depends on the line of work that you are doing for instance I do a lot of troubleshooting and let me just say that working live it's a must on the everyday that I serviced trouble calls. I must work live to take measurements and to find and locate the shorted or grounded wires of course when you find the problem it is much faster to open the circuit so that you can make the repair but for my line of work working live is over 90% every day
Save desiccant packs, keep them in your box with your insulated tools.
Regarding asking the customer to shut down to allow you to power off a circuit or an entire panel... My father worked in the chemical industry. Many of their chemical manufacturing processes take time (days, weeks, or months depending on the process) to safely shut things down without causing damage. Conversely it may take days, weeks, or months to then restart their process from a safely shut down production line. No way would they say "yeah, we'll shut down for you to install an outlet (or change out a panel)"... While this type of work (emergency electrical work) is a corner case in all the jobs an electrician will do, they still exist.
What you are describing is terrible electrical distribution. This means if you artery MCB failed when there is a fault in a receptacle, the whole panel will trip leading to millions of dollar of damage because you were too cheap to have 2 separate panels.
Anything that helps increase safety (without impacting ability) is a positive in my books. I never work on live circuits, but you never know what may or may not be energized due to mistakes made by others. I always use them when working in and around panels where there are live portions present. I own and use insulated screwdrivers/drivers, cutters and pliers and they are in my main kit... my favorite being the Wiha 38051 as an every day carry in my bag at all times.
Your channel has been an immense help for me.
I started my apprenticeship this week, and I'm pretty green to this kinda stuff.
I was hesitant to even start, I didn't know the first thing about working as an electrician. And while I still don't know a lot, you gave me a confidence to start learning.
Ayo same here, loving these videos, looking forward to what the trade has to offer.
The very best of luck in your career, seems like poverty forever but the apprenticeship does end.
Keep your chin up , your ears open to danger and knowledge, and for the love of smooth sailing…your mouth closed.
Thirty -five years in, I’ll retire in December….it’s a bigger life and it goes by so fast.
Try to enjoy.
Strongly recommend a few quality insulated screwdrivers, linesmen pliers & cutters. 40;years ago installed half a dozen klien maroon colored handle grips. Not rated for voltage but have used them hundreds of times on hot
277 & 480 volt circuits without any problems. Always worked in large plants that often ran 24/7 so it was very difficult to secure & LOTO power. Years ago would use two pairs of fuse pullers & quickly remove two 600 volt fuses at the same time due to not wanting to single phase one of the few motors on them. Would not do it today. You must have rubber & canvas gloves tested every 6 months.
I do 98% work on live 200a PPC (Power Protection Cabinet) circuits on Cell Tower sites. Love your channel. Ive learned sone stuff from you. Thanks
Hey Dustin post some of your service calls again those are good to watch while drinking coffee in the morning
Totally agree
I baby these..
I grinned and nearly chuckled
We all remember tools/toys we treated that nicely. And we remember why.
I started using insulated tools when I would get shocked through the unrated plier insulation. Klein has insulated tools that are meant for everyday use. Yes, you must still inspect and treat them with care, but they’re tough. Thanks for videos man, keep things safe and simple guys 👍
thanks for saying exactly what he said in his video.
@@mrthiefy it must suck to be bothered so easily
The old style klein red grips are the best for durability..
I see the VDE as an insurance, where if it so happens that the circuit IS live, you don't get shocked...
Or if you're working on something that might have some live parts or you can short circuit something... that insulation will save you and the equipment.
Sure, you want to make sure the circuit is never live when working on it, but stuff happens.
Excceptions obviously the times when the circuit has to be live... :)
I was working with wire strippers as you mentioned your spring removal tip. I popped it right off and now I’ll no longer struggle to put them back in my tool bag. What an awesome little tip that had nothing to do with the video
They really should have just put the locking latch they have on their non-insulated one. I guess it was too difficult to insulate the nub or just make it plastic; kind of a bummer though.
I’m just getting into electrical in my country even though there is a difference in 110/220 these videos have helped me a lot into getting started on what to buy and help me understand how things work.. I didn’t go to school for it or anything it’s just more of you learn on the job
Youll be alright bro that's how I got started I also have no schooling been doing this so far for 5 years and am ready to be a journeyman I have a uncle who is a master electrician and he just gave me an opportunity 5 years ago and I have stuck with it ever since I was lucky enough to come across another master electrician on my journey in this field who taught me how to use and navigate the code book I am forever grateful if someone is willing to teach you code and calculations and just how to be a better electrician soak as much of it as you can because it's very rare and most dot want to see you succeed
Completely understandable about pressures of working live in limited cases but even in those cases as NFPA70E suggests PPE is the last thing to consider. If you go through the NFPA podcasts there are some remarkable stories from electricians having to work live and when accidents happened how much that increased costs for the companies including compensation insurance and greater OSHA scrutiny. That’s aside from the mental and physical scars from the arc flash incidents. In industrial settings when the demand for working live is highest with high voltage, 3-phase power incident energies are much higher. The risks are much greater in those settings and PPE itself and on its own won’t cut the mustard. Other factors have to be accounted for to reduce risks.
Semiconductor manufacturing here, work on live circuits quite a bit, we have grounding mats and insulated tools for it when we have to do hot work.
Coming from a UK electrician, it seems baffling why you wouldn’t use VDE rated tools, literally every spark here uses insulated tools, it’s even taught in colleges that you should only use insulated tools on the off chance something might be live (especially when working in boards)
The reason is 1776 lol
Larger established clients may have safety & EHS requirements that require LOTO. Asking an electrical contractor to work on live circuits would open them to a massive lawsuit if something went wrong. I'm sure the low-level line managers don't want to shut down, but the higher-ups are very lawsuit-aware. Good practice when you arrive on site is to ask their safety officer what the procedures are. Be safe, don't risk your future livelihood! Certainly if hot work is allowed then these these tools would be a necessity. (In this case, the client issues a "hot work permit". Be suspicious if they don't give you one, it establishes responsibility & liability.) Really great content as usual Dustin!
'Hot work permit' in every plant I've been in means welding/ grinding or torches. I've really never seen a 'live electrical work' permit. But, yes, there are definitely times especially on control circuits(120V) that you work on them live. And, yea, insulated tools are damned handy for that. Consider yourself the 'local' lineman and working on live circuits in that case. Not particularly dangerous if you're careful and aware.
@@nhzxboi I worked as PM tech in the semiconductor industry, and I had to take a "on the job" training class specifically named Hot Work. It was an in depth training class on live 220v to 1kv circuits. The equipment I worked on stayed energized 24/7. Most of it at 480v, with multiple power sources, along with various types of gases. We did have a LOTO protocol we also had to follow. We could isolate certain portions of the equipment we were preforming the PM on.
Thanks for this video/reminder/instruction.
Utility companies/suppliers work on energized circuits all the time - with the proper PPE and safety steps in place. It doesn't take a commercial setting to have the "need" to work on an energized circuit or distribution/breaker panel. This condition could occur in a private home if you are replacing a single breaker in an energized box, especially if there is some type of medical or computer equipment that needs to stay operating while repairing a circuit that is not directly connected to said equipment. Not to mention the DIYers who work on energized stuff because they "can" or don't know better - knowing about insulated tools is helpful to them, also.
I definitely have been taught the safe way and seen my journeyman and non union guys use regular old screw drives in panels and basically said you gotta know what is what
Yes until you drop that screwdriver across two incoming legs that’s fed from an 800 amp main. That’s the biggest reason I use them
@@gregpartain4307 nope he is a god amongst men who could never make a mistake like that. Everything he does every day is 100% perfect
My company pretty much only buys insulated tools for us, which is pretty nice. The main problem I've had working with like insulated nut drivers is the insulation can be too thick to fit inside certain places like to de-term MCC bucket. I need to get one of those insulated 10-in-1's.
One of my journeymen just took his regular Klein screwdrivers and put some heat shrink over the metal shaft, he said that it's not technically rated for live work but he hasn't had any problems. I personally have the Klein insulated multibit set (exactly like the one you showed) and even though I haven't used it much yet, I absolutely love it.
Your journeyman might have an idea. Not osha. But i use it....hahaha.
I have the milwalkee insulated set. I only use the square number 2
All others i just use whatever.
No fucks given
I wld use a cple wraps of 3m tape to be sure but ya I've been wraping my uninsulated tools with tape in a pinch for 25 yrs+ (use wd-40 to remove adhesive and add some oil as well no corrosion or stickiness and squeak free too
I do construction residential work and I've found all my tools have some insulative properties to them. I can't think of a situation where I would be touching 240v with a tool and so far all of my tools not rated for insulation haven't shocked me with 120v, including my impact gun. The only time a tool has shocked me was when I thought a circuit was off (2 circuits in 1 box at a staircase) I was still learning and out of habit I grabbed my demo screwdriver to tighten a terminal and touched the strike on the end with the palm of my hand. After that I immediately went and bought a 3 piece milwaukee insulated hand tool set.
In residential your not likely to get shocked by 240 since most residential applications only use 240v single phase. The 120 in the outlet is half of the leg and shocked you by shorting through you to ground. To actually get shocked by 240v if only 240v single phase is supplied you'd need to be working on the panel live, the HVAC system, electric dryer or oven, or some other power hungry appliance and youd have to touch both of the two hot leads at the same time. If you touch a single hot leg from one of those appliances it'll hurt more as they have higher current breakers and lower voltage drop thanks to larger conductors. Even with 208 and 240 three phase if you only touch one leg it's only 120v. You have to hop up a level to 480v for one leg to be 240v. Worked on an AC that was 480v for the first time a few days ago and reached my hands into the electrical area to check some things before verifying power supplied and took a bit of a step back when my meter read 497 at the terminal lugs.
TLDR if you only do residential you probably won't get shocked by 240 stay safe out there
@@jetthardin4927 One leg of 480V is 277V, not 140V.
@@illestofdemall13 my bad only worked around 480 a couple times so Im not super familiar with it. My points still valid tho
@@jetthardin4927 No worries. It is 277V phase to neutral and 277 is often used for commercial/industrial lighting. You definitely need to beware while working on 277/480 if you want to live. Lol
Excellent advice and A must when working on Live OR neutered (dead) circuits. Even with meters you could encounter A back feed that could end your career!
Fantastic. Best take-away, in my opinion -- take care of your gear so it can take care of you. I've seen so many examples of folks not respecting their gear and even some example of where people got bit by that. Well done.
Hello my good sir, i just got accepted to IBEW Local 26 Apprenticeship class of 2027.. and your videos help out alot, i just started the trade brand new 3 months ago and im liking it so far, thank you for bringing informative and enjoyable videos to watch!
DMV represent
In europe, most sparks use insulated 100% of the time even when working on non-live circuits. My cable cutter is the only tool that's just dipped, and it does perfectly fine cutting live 400v wires.
Used mine today,changed out a 30 amp double pole screw in while hot,take care of them there handy.
(Once again) Awesome editing-- can't stop myself from chuckling. Especially on the zoom-ins
😄
When I buying my first set of electricians tools for my apprenticeship i bought mostly insulated. When doing the math it was only $10-$20 then the dipped handles and $30-$40 cheeper the buying the journeyman tools. I think it was worth getting the more comfortable handles for however long they end up lasting me
I like to do my own DIY electric work. I've watched many videos about doing electrical work that does not cover electrical safety clothes. How about making a video to show us what we need to buy to protect us from getting shocked?
i’ve honestly been using vde as a main for multiple years. The insulated wera screwdriver set is like $4 more than the standard. knipex pliers are pretty much the same price for insulated. No regrets, the knipex insulated grip is very comfy
I work on coax cable and these work good for set screws on amplifiers. Stops you from shorting out a device down the line when your messing with a power leg.
Those meters that are so expensive are so expensive not exactly because they're extremely accurate (that part can be done for relatively cheap with a $50 multimeter), the part that makes it cost a whole lot of money is the various safety features and certifications these meters have.
Just look at the fuse used for the high-current amps range in your typical Fluke meter aimed at electricians.
It's a physically large, explosion-resistant, silica sand filled thing, so if it actually goes across something dangerous (like a dead-short across a 240v circuit you caused by accident because you weren't paying full attention and set it on amps (with the leads also set up for amps) and not volts), then it won't hurt YOU by making the meter explode, instead the fuse will make a (frighteningly loud) noise but the meter itself (and you) should probably both come out of the experience relatively unscathed (of course you'll need a new fuse for the meter, and they're not exactly cheap, but you're still alive and unhurt).
Compare that to the high current amps range fuse in that no-name $50 meter I was comparing it with.
Chances are that the fuse in that meter is also "rated" for 240v, but if it's any upgrade over a standard glass tube fuse it will be only a ceramic tube fuse, with no silica sand filling, and no explosion resistance of note. So if you dead-short that thing it's gonna turn into a little firecracker and probably put pieces of the meter housing into your face (seen it happen in some testing videos, the test dummy took most of the impact in both hands and face).
So to be perfectly honest, I'm saving up for that Fluke meter even tho I'm just an auto mechanic. Because I can count on it to withstand harsh conditions (aside from harsh chemicals like engine oil and coolant, and obviously gasoline but I'd be doing my best to avoid gasoline in the first place because outside of the cylinder of an engine or a fuel pump, gasoline and electricity don't mix), be accurate when I need it to be, and if I have to take it home to fix something on the house over a weekend I can count on it to have my back if I mess up.
I keep BOTH sets of my insulated hand tools in the large, canvas pouches KLEIN sells - one stays in my toolbox at home in the garage till I NEED to work on something live and the other stays inside of a Milwaukee Packout XL box with my test instruments on my work van.
Keeps them CLEAN, DRY and ready to use when it MATTERS.
Drives me up the wall when I see co-workers (who are otherwise very intelligent) using something like that double-sided insulated screwdriver to pry and see that they've damaged the insulating jacket of the tool.
For HVAC work, especially tightening lugs on contactors, breakers, and other live circuits during maintenances - that double-sided P2/Slotted driver is my go-to.
Great for getting to screw on boards while the equipment is running to reduce the risk of causing a short - because basically every RTU or system that we 'inherit' from 'that other company' has been turned into a rat-nest by the time we get called to get it going.
Thanks for sharing the video. If I get a quality insulated driver set, do I need another non-insulated set? For DIYer, I would think I only need the insulated set to save money and space.
When working in the parkade, we have to work on live sometimes because you can’t just flip the breakers since other trades also working at the same time needing lighting or power.
The white layer is a warning layer that the tool has been damaged and needs to be replaced, even though it continues to provide some shock protection.
OSHPD work is usually live for maintenance and troubleshooting. Life safety so you cant shut power off. You can isolate your circuit but not completely shut the breaker off.
Never felt the need for insulated tools on resi, but definitely will consider if I'm elbow deep inside a 480-600v switchboard
Not for Resi but I dont like to risk it on commercial jobs, 1st one I was on my boss got hung up on a energized T-bar ceiling and I had to kick the ladder out from underneath him. insulated tools would not have have helped the situation but it gave me a healthy respect for the voltage in that environment.
@@tomtom7955 I know the feeling I got hung up in a grid ceiling before was not fun. But was able to move legs so I kicked the latter out from under me. Let the body weight break me off the circuit. Was scraped up a bit a shookin up. Almost switched trades lol but still there brother
Pittsburgh 1000 volt insulated screwdriver set at HarborFreight. $17. The best bang for your buck set. I’m a 24 year electrician and I’ve owned Klein and Greenlee and the Pittsburgh are better at a fraction of the price. Plus , they don’t walk off like Klein and greenlee. Oh and they are magnetized as well.
Something that I spotted as a bad habit that you were (probably unintentionally) demonstrating. When you were handling the plier-type tools, you kept putting your index finger over the bump on the handle. Those are supposed to be finger guards to keep your fingers from getting too close to the exposed metal. By putting your index finger over them (on the bare metal side of them) you are violating the air-gap and creepage distance that the bump is supposed to help enforce.
I'll go buy a set. I've been using a 6" mag 5/16 for taking off live breakers and while I feel safe doing it, it's just not smart. I do have the Klein insulated Philips/ flathead flip screwdriver and it's fantastic, super convenient.
Irish here, insulated cutters, needle nose and screwdrivers are a basics, most use them as their daily tools. Easy to prove dead in industrial and new builds, but rewire, fault finding, minor works, you can never be sure there is no back feed, alternate supplies, ect.
I was under the impression electrician in the UK and Europe and Australia were required to use insulated tools.
My husband works as a building maintenance technician. . . Often he has to deal with urgent problems that almost cost him his life. . Once he almost had an accident because while working on a 3 phase transfer pump panel, someone turned on the panel without paying attention to signs that the panel was being maintained. . . "It was like being struck by lightning," he said. . From there he was very careful and always gave instructions to his subordinates not to play stupidly in dangerous situations. . . Sometimes people here are a little crazy. . They dare to connect 220 V electricity with their hands without safety. . From there he saved to buy better electrical equipment for safety
Yes. I worked DC Plant in Telco Central Office. Very hazardous voltages. I worked hot ckts a lot.
Don't forget your rubber gloves.
I had a set like that. Very expensive.
6:27 - those are actually both slim tipped… the insulation isn’t wider than the tip of the Philips head. Those are just 2 different sized Phillips heads. Probably a #1 vs #2.
6:35 - This one actually is not the slim tipped… You can see the diameter of the insulation is way bigger than the head of the screwdriver itself, making it hard to fit into circuit breaker lugs for example.
I think where the bigger argument is is for insulated vs VDE rated insulated. A lot of older electrical tools will have an insulated handle of some degree, but without the VDE rating, generally this means it won't carry the finger guards/flared handle, will only be tested to 1000v AC vs 10000v.
For me, as a control panel spark who works live 80% of the time, I carry insulated linemans & diagonal cutters, as I very rarely, if ever, chuck these into an energised circuit, however my needlenoses & my screwdriver it's VDE rated all the way, both of these tools get used in place I don't want to put my fingers, so VDE rating is serious piece of mind.
There is a clip on the front of the strippers to hold it closed specifically because of the spring but my insulated don't have it so I agree with ripping the spring out.
In ireland all we use is insulated tools. Like I've never seen an electrician without insulated screw drivers. And we mostly work on dead circuits too. Pliers snips the lot. The UK is the same I'm sure too
I've been an electrician for 30 years (residential only) and never needed insulated tools, other than pliers and large wire cutters when I need to work on an energized service drop from the POCO. I also have a screwdriver that I've wrapped the shaft in electrical tape.
You may want to check workplace safety regs. Canada and the US require use of rated, insulated tools when working on or near live electrical equipment.
Very essential insulated tools.
Dustin, 98% blanketed is really high as an estimation. It depends mainly on what area of the industry you might be in.
Like industrial and commercial electricians work on live circuits/equipment every day. Residential sparkies, probably not so much.
The key I believe is to have the right tools and equipment for the sphere of work/job you're in or might find yourself in. As electricians, "proper tools are more than half the job."
I’m a huge fan of that last Klein insulated twist/swap screw driver. I’m actually using it today (I think it’s way better than a 10-in-1) as the bits stay in very well the only issue I have is having to carry the flat/Phillips or s1/s2 or whatever but you’re NOT using in the handle, in my pouch and it’s kinda awkward. So I mainly use that with the s1/s2 bit and have other screw drivers with flat/Phillips.
I also have a full set of Wiha insulated tools past down from my father. It stays in a bag, in my truck for when the time comes to use them! (Hopefully never!)
Great video man!
I thought I would like the Klein insulated twist/swap driver set too until the first time I used it. My finger tip was on the twist collar and as I tightened the terminal the collar turned as well and ejected the bit shaft into the panel. Of course, it had to fall down and land right behind the main lugs (bottom feed panel). It is still there.
But every other Klein tool I totally love. Great performance and quality for hand tools.
No matter what you do....safty is #1. I used dipi it on all my electronics tools mini cutters etc... however on big electronics and home electrical equipment and etc I am in the process of purchasing the specialized equipment ppe.
I only clicked on this video because I have all the Klein drivers/pliers/side cutters in the thumbnail. I’m a mechanical/combustion engineer working in an industrial background, and take my safety very serious. My toolkit is almost exclusively Klein ( which I purchased out of my own money ), if I’m going to work live I want the best kit My screwdrivers ( I have a set like the ones on the left of the screen ) cost me £230 for 5 about 7/8 years ago, 2 x Posi and 3 x flat heads and came with a lifetime guarantee, of which I’ve had 2 replaced - no questions asked.
I work with electricians who’s tools I wouldn’t touch with a bargepole, I’ve worked with electricians who work really dangerously, I’ve work with electricians who I’m surprised they haven’t killed anybody. My old supervisor from 15 years ago, a lovely guy but one who was a bugger to cut corners, killed himself in an accident replacing his parents boiler in their house. His elderly dad found his sprawled across the boiler dead. Where I work now, before I joined 5 years ago a guy working on street lighting was killed when there was a mix up cutting power to a streetlight, he was up in a bucket and got a shock and was ‘stuck’ on a live 230v current for 30 minutes with his team of another 3 people stuck on the ground watching. Both these guys left behind young daughters - tragic.
I used to work in a factory maintenance team, there was 11000v incoming ( 11 thousand volts ) If I removed anything ( usually our kit was 415v ) I’d isolate locally and lock off, I’d go to the panel and switch off the circuit, and pull the fuses. I’d remove the pump/fan/motor and tape off the connections. Some of my colleagues would just turn off a 415 supply at the local isolator, no locking the isolator off, no taping the ends they’d leave it like that, it would be like that for days, sometimes weeks whilst parts were sourced - frightening.
Never leave your safety to chance, never leave your safety to others, check and double check, it may be your last time if you don’t.
Well I didn’t really have the luxury when I first got started in this trade with affordability with 1000 volt insulated tools to do hot work. All we did was use some heat shrink or double wrap it with super 33.
I absolutely love my insulated tools.
Great videos! Could you make a video of how to safely work when the circuit still needs to be energized?
People who say "never work on live circuits" aren't electrcians. Proper training, proper tools, and sound practices can make live work reasonably safe.
What is reasonably safe?
One time I was in a rush to wire up a recepticle live and was using only my Leatherman, all went well until I had to tighten the hot terminal screws and safety finally prevailed over lasiness
Wear insulated rubber gloves, I have worked on a few circuits live using rubber or leather gloves.
The truth of the matter is that sometimes, no matter what you need to kill a circuit. Especially if someone wired a junction box wirh loose nuetrals. I dont care what application it's in or what environment it's in. I've worked in ambulance facilties in dispatch centers where people lives are literally on the line and had to shut down circuits because loose neutrals were starting to melt a wire nut. My general concensus is, if you can turn it off, turn it off to work on. Of course you have to test things live and figure our circuitry but once you figure it out, turn it off and fix it. Especially working with 277/480 in t-bar grids or environments where you can easily be grounded.
I knew an old timer in the 80s who used to lick his thumb and index finger and use them as a tester.
Getting a good buzz meant something totally different to him.
Cool Video Dustin, The one thing OSHA cant understand, is you can not fault find electrical problems on a dead circuit. But i would never work live. I do not own any klein tools, For my CA electrician apprenticeship, I really invested my money in Fluke 87V meter and Knipex tools, rated at 1KV. The First time I bought professional tools to last.
When it comes to mag/demag tools, I have not found anything that works as effectively as the Klein mag/demag tool. I’ve tried others, and they do work, they just don’t magnetize/demagnetize as effectively. And the Klein isn’t much more expensive, so don’t waste time with the others, just get the Klein.
I won’t lie. My Klein journeyman 2000. I use on live ccts . I just check the handles . I tape up the shaft of my drivers and check the handles. I wonder if wire nuts have the same insulation as the Klein 2000s ? Probably same poly
In Germany you have to usw insulated Tools while working on electric systems. It does Not matter If there ist no living circle. Our Rules for the work are demanding this.
I work with industrial controls. I always try to shut down the cabinet. One thing I can say I haven’t seen anyone mention is the risk of capacitance. Even de-energized, it’s imperative to treat it like it’s live. Shit happens, have your reasonable PPE and be careful.
I know a guy who touched the main bussing with his bare elbow and survived!! don't mess around with your lives boys. you're heroes risking your lives every day❤️
I work non enegize circuit as if they are energize, just incase the unexpected happens. I'm not an electrician, but being a handyman"woman" I work on electricity inside and outside on houses and meter so i need all the insulated tool I can afford.
Dude the editor had to zoom in each time you magnetized lmao
I find this such a bizarre idea to not use them, being in the eu market (ROI+UK) we use VDE tools almost exclusively from snips(diagonal cutters) to screwdrivers, it's rare to see someone using non VDE even on tested dead or pre-commission circuits. Personaly wouldn't touch a board without VDE even knowing it's dead. But then again it's all 230v or 400v
You should check out Matt Risinger of the Build Show Network. He is also in Austin. You guys would make a great match to appear on each other's channels. Keep up the great work!
I love this video and I can see the tools now!
Does Klein Tools make Slim Insulated *Combo-Tip* Screwdrivers 🪛 yet? You think Klein would, because they’re specifically designed for electrical ⚡️ applications. Thanks
here is what i learned working with electricians as aprentice. Never work on live circuits unless absolutely necessary which means avoid working on live cruits whenever you can. If you have to work on live ciruits never ever do so without insulated tools. I you love to work as electrician and value your life and lives of people at job site follow rules that speak of proper protection at jobsite to the letter especially if you work with electricity on jobsite. Old saying: It's better to prevent rather than treat is something worth keeping in mind while you work.
I've always held that working on live circuits should never be "Plan A", but it is the only option some times.
in order to troubleshoot our equipment , i have to work on the 480v equipment while it’s live … i also keep my hot tools separate from my other tools
Thanks for the great video, again, but I have a random Question. I installed 7 new outlets in my home, used my circuit plug tester to make sure they were wired correctly. But my question is, why are the grounds on the new outlets soo tight, I had to force the plug tester in each one and actually around the 4th one, it ripped the ground out of my tester. I was able to put it back in to finish the testing, but it pulled out in each plug after. Is it that tight because its new? Did I install them incorrectly? Should they be THAT tight? Or did I have a cheap tester? Thanks. Love these vids, learning a ton!
Could be that the new outlets would want it good and tight so there is a guaranteed ground.
Also after Covid and manufacturing changes it could be that there just making them to tight.
Sounds like a tester error unless you got a random bad batch of receptacles . Yes there tighter new but not tight to where it’s breaking your stuff
That sounds like you got a maybe not so great tester, it shouldn't be possible for the receptacle to grip the ground prong so tightly that it removes it from the plug (any plug, including the one in your tester).
Either way if the tester is the kind I'm thinking of with the 3 little neon bulbs in it (or maybe these days LEDs) and a go/no-go chart on the side, then they're cheap enough that you should be able to just get another one to replace the one you have.
Test equipment is one of those things that's hard to shop for, because you can't really afford to cut corners but there are also many products out there that have more features than you need (and therefore cost more).
Sounds to me as though the plug tester you were using either wasn't good quality, was defective, or was very old & worn out.
If you were using a less expensive tester, you should be able to replace it without too much cash. Klein has GFCI testers for less than twenty bucks. Their testers that don't have a GFCI test button can be had for less than ten bucks.
As far as the grounds being tight, that's a good thing. It'll ensure your plug stays seated correctly in the receptacle.
For some reason I have found that the plugs on the receptacle testers fit tighter than normal plugs in Tamper-Resistant outlets.
Good vid. Most of my tools are vde as i do fault finding on machines and the are usualy live. Better to be safe than sorry. The price differance is not that much.
👍👍 I am very pleased with this info. Godspeed.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge
Yes, If you do service or high voltage work
it would be good to have.
Do those insulated Klein nut drivers have a torque indicator on them? Sure would be handy if they did...
Any Kline reps reading this? Sure would be cool if you passed that on to the R&D department.
For the most part i use non insulated tools but doing demo or service at the minimum insulated screwdrivers are used
Definitely need for lineman who work live secondary in tight spaces. These situations are not protected by breakers. Would be straight fault current from the tub.
I am not an electrician but I work on control equipment. Systems costing tens of thousands of dollars. I use the insulated tools to protect the equipment.
The pinkeye thing I love it I do the same thing
Most of the time, I find I need to use insulated tools because of a mistake on someone else's part.
As an example, because of a mistake made 30 years earlier, someone attached a temporary new install to the hot side of a service breaker, so when it needed to be disconnected and attached to the proper power service, there was no way to de-energize it.
Had pair of Klein’s 1000v lineman’s ended up getting a small crack in insulation couldn’t even tell - was hot day sweating my ass off in electric room and workin on 277v - Got shit knocked out of me and linemen’s wound up flying out back door into dumpster
OUCH!!! I got hung up on 277 once years ago. I couldn’t let go. It almost killed me. Luckily most of the current went through my left hand. I had 3 fingers and my thumb wrapped around the spiraled armor of some MC and my pinky contacted the hot terminal of a switch as an apprentice made it hot in the ceiling outside the office I was working in. I was also leaning against a metal modular wall on my right side so some of the current passed through my heart. It’s pretty painful and it feels like it’s happening in slow motion. Like I could almost count the sine waves passing through me
Good idea too. Side cutters and needle nose .. wire cutters. Cut a hot while touching metal together. The short circuit will vaporize the metal of your pliers at the point of cut. rms..no resistance causes this, blue fireball, metal melts and vaporizes, thousands of amps.
Your sign language is pretty good. 2.35
There’s no reason not to buy them over non-insulated tools especially if you only can have one set. The cost difference is low(considering the value of your life), You’re set to go if you ever need to work live but regardless, you’ve got that safety buffer in case somehow something is or gets re-energized. When I bought all of my apprentice tools starting out, I got all insulated Klein and Knipex gear. The bonus is that the larger handle grips are extremely comfortable
The old style electricians of fifty or more years ago never used insulated tools. When they had to work something hot they first taped up all the tools they needed so they trusted the insulation that they had freshly put on their tools.
I'm not an electrician and I have had the pleasure of being shocked by 120 volts. So when I work with electricity I don't take nothing for granted, and my company provides insulated tools and ppe I wear it happily
Way I see it, if there is any single possible way to avoid working hot, don't work hot. I've seen plenty of guys complaining that their foreman asked them to work hot "to save time", which is crap.
I cut a 240v (live line not attached to anything, side of house i was on was dead except this line, was removing it) 10-gauge line with my regular kline journey side cutters. I didnt get shocked at all, but i do have a hole the size of a wire on my snips now. Was a little deaf and blinded though. Always wondered why that was, not like im trying to replicate it to find out. Do some tools offer some form of insulation even though they're not rated to do so?
Actually you just shorted the circuit through your cutters, no current went to the part of your cutters where it has insulation. For that to happen you would have to be cutting only one line and short the circuit through your body.
I have all insulated hand tools but I'm having a hard time finding a tool belt with pouches that accommodate the extra size of these tools, any tool belt recommendations that will fit them?
Great information.
Thank you.