1. Candy canes
   Fiberglass fish sticks
2. Safety robs
   Pixie Stix

These fiberglass fish sticks are part of what electricians sometimes call a fishing kit. When you need to run some wires behind a wall already stuffed with insulation, attach them to these sticks and you can pull the wire up just like you're fishing for it.

1. Step bit
   Reamer
2. Sawzall bit
   Hammer drill

When used in conjunction with your handy electric drill, a step bit is a handy tool for an electrician to bore a hole into something like a junction box or a panel. This combination works much faster than a knockout set.

1. Flashlight
   Pulse beam
2. Voltmeter
   Headlamp

Electricians often need to have a light handy, considering they're going to be working in places without power. A headlamp is a good alternative to a flashlight as it allows you to keep your hands busy elsewhere.

1. Multimeter
   Voltmeter
2. Circuit breaker finder
   Tone generator

Looking for a specific circuit in a panel that isn't labeled can be a pain, but a circuit breaker finder really makes it easier. Rather than randomly flipping circuits while a second person checks to see if the power goes out, a circuit breaker finder allows one person to pinpoint the correct circuit right at the panel.

1. Side-cutting pliers
   Tongue-and-groove pliers
2. Linesman pliers
   Needlenose pliers

Side-cutting pliers are one of the few tools that every electrician is likely to have handy at all times. They're used for cutting wire to size, and it's unlikely an electrician could get much work done without them.

1. Hatchet
   Awl
2. Hammer
   Pliers

A hammer may not be the most obvious tool for an electrician, but it's a necessary part of the toolkit. One example of how an electrician might use a hammer: nailing brackets around an electrical box into place on a support beam.

1. Crimper
   Circuit breaker finder
2. Lockout kit
   Voltage tester

A no-touch voltage tester is an essential tool to use before going to work on an outlet or device to see if it's actually carrying a charge. Hold the tester near the device, and it will detect the presence of electricity so you know how to proceed safely.

1. Ar-rated shirt
   Insulated shirt
2. Fire shirt
   Safety shirt

An arc-rated shirt is personal protective gear that can protect you from serious harm if you are exposed to an electrical arc. Flame resistant shirts are also available, but while all arc-rated shirts are flame resistant, not all flame resistant shirts are arc-rated.

1. Fiberglass fish stick
   Rescue hook
2. Linesman tool
   Roto split

A rescue hook is a pole made from fiberglass. Despite how simple it sounds, this tool could be a lifesaver. Because it's non-conductive, a rescue hook can be used to pull someone away from a live wire without putting yourself at risk of electrocution.

1. Tongue-and-groove pliers
   Knockout tool
2. Linesman pliers
   Needlenose pliers

Needlenose pliers are surprisingly versatile items that can have any number of uses for an electrician. From holding wires to picking up dropped screws to holding those same screws as you drill them in place, needlenose pliers get the job done.

1. Side-cutting pliers
   Wire stripper
2. Hex key
   Reaming pliers

Since electricians obviously need to work with wires, a good wire stripper is essential. This tool can strip the insulation off any standard sized wire. It can be used to cut wires down to size too.

1. Riser
   Ladder
2. Steps
   Climber

There are any number of occasions when an electrician will need a ladder. Get one that's made of fiberglass if you want it to last a while and still be useful. Fiberglass can stand up to weather and also isn't conductive.

1. Side-cutting pliers
   Linesman pliers
2. Tongue-and-groove pliers
   Wire stripper

Tongue-and-groove pliers are also called adjustable pliers, pipe spanners, multi-grips and a few other names. They're useful for tightening cable clamps or yanking out knockouts from electrical boxes.

1. Fish tape
   Roto split
2. Tone generator
   Level

As with just about any kind of construction work, you need a level to make sure things line up. If you're installing switches or a new electrical box, you want to make sure everything is on the level, right?

1. Tone and probe kit
   Multimeter
2. Labeler
   Flashlight

A tone generator and probe kit is something of a unique device, but it's also super helpful. if you're dealing with a bunch of wires and want to trace a specific one, attach the tone generator to one end of that wire and the probe will make a sound when it's near the other end of the same wire.

1. Screwdrivers
   Nut drivers
2. Pliers
   Crimpers

A set of nut drivers can be pretty important in the toolkit of an electrician. You can use them for all kinds of things, like installing breakers in an electrical panel or, you know, driving any other nuts you come across.

1. Sawzall
   Circular saw
2. Step bit
   Sheetrock saw

A sheetrock saw is an indispensable tool for an electrician. When you need to cut in new electrical boxes, this is how the cutting gets done. It's also handy for cutting into a finished ceiling to install recessed lighting.

1. Labeler
   Torpedo level
2. Multimeter
   Electrical lockout kit

It may sound silly that a labeler is useful to an electrician, but anyone who's ever had to deal with a circuit panel that was not labeled knows that a labeler is 100% necessary for ensuring that work is well organized.

1. Measuring tape
   Roto cutter
2. Fish tape
   Conduit bender

Fish tape is a pretty useful little item when you're wiring a house because it makes the jobs go a little faster. If you need to pull wiring through a pipe, for instance, attaching the wire to the end of the fish tape will allow you to pull it right through lickety-split!

1. Wire crimper
   Hammer
2. Chisel
   Screwdriver

Pretty much anyone working in construction is going to need a screwdriver at some point. Electricians can use them for literally dozens of jobs, including securing plates over outlets, screwing down clamps, removing switches and more.

1. Linesman pliers
   Wire crimper
2. Conduit bender
   Tone generator

As you might guess from the name, the wire crimper is a helpful tool for crimping things like terminals onto wires. Once you strip the wire, you insert the metal end into a terminal, and then, on most crimping tools, you can match the color of the terminal to the tool size and squish 'em together.

1. Step bit
   Conduit bender
2. Hex set
   Roto-split

A roto-split is an essential tool for dealing with thick, steel-coated MC cable. Cutting that cable with a pair of normal wire cutters is not impossible, but it's not easy. The roto-split can shear through a cable in no time.

1. Kneepads
   Rubber boots
2. Headlamp
   Insulated gloves

You may not immediately think of kneepads as equipment electricians are going to need, but these can be extremely handy given how much time an electrician may have to spend under things and low to the ground on hard floors.

1. Hydraulic knockout
   Voltage tester
2. Multimeter
   Conduit bender

A hydraulic knockout kit is an interesting time-saver when you need to get a perfectly cut hole in a steel or aluminum box for running wires or setting a fixture. Line up the cutting tool on one side of the surface to be cut with the tool on the other, pump and bang! Hole gets cut.

1. Electrical lockout kit
   Hex set
2. Toolbelt
   Tone generator

If you're going to use tools, then you should probably have a toolbelt. A toolbelt keeps essentials like your drivers, your cutters, your crimpers and your pliers organized and right at your side.

1. Sheetrock saw
   Electrician's knife
2. Reciprocating saw
   Step bit

An electrician's knife is one of those invaluable items that have a multitude of purposes. A proper electrician's knife should have some wire stripping abilities and, of course, should have a non-conductive handle as well.

1. Headlamp
   Conduit bender
2. Labeler
   Multimeter

A multimeter is a useful tool as it's kind of an upgrade to a voltmeter. You can use the multimeter to measure voltage levels, but also amperage levels and resistance, as well as direct currents.

1. Rubber-soled boots
   Clogs
2. Steel-toed boots
   Safety shoes

A good pair of rubber-soled boots is a key safety item for anyone working with electricity. Rubber is the best insulator against getting a shock, and you should always have rubber on your feet when working with electricity.

1. Pipe reamer
   Nut driver
2. Wire crimper
   Hex set

A pipe reamer is a helpful tool any time you need to cut conduits made from metal that leaves jagged, sharp edges. The reamer can smooth all those sharp edges off and ensure the wire feeds through and no one gets cut.

1. Fish tape
   Electrical lockout kit
2. Tape measure
   Multimeter

Every tradesperson probably has a tape measure because it just makes sense. The spring tape measure as we know it today was patented way back in 1868 by a man named Alvin J. Fellows.

1. Side-cutting pliers
   Linesman pliers
2. Hex set
   Tongue-and-groove pliers

A good pair of linesman pliers can really help out in all kinds of situations for an electrician. The flat tips are helpful in grabbing and twisting wire together. There's a cutter for snipping wires and a grip in the middle for pulling wire too.

1. Screwdrivers
   Nut drivers
2. Lockout kit
   Hex set

Your set of hex keys are pretty important for whenever you run across hex-head screws. A lot of standard screwdriver sets can't manage this type of screw. Hex keys typically come in both standard and metric sizes.

1. Vice grips
   Insulated gloves
2. Circuit breaker finder
   Hand Flanges

Like you need boots to protect your feet and goggles to protect your eyes, as an electrician you also need insulated gloves to protect your hands. A good pair of insulated gloves will have rubber liners and some kind of leather on the outside to provide traction and grip.

1. Circuit breaker finder
   Knockout tool
2. Tone generator
   Electrical lockout kit

Reciprocatings aw

1. Conduit bender
   Wire crimper
2. Rescue hook
   Hex set

To protect wires, you often need to run them through thin metal tubes or conduits. If your conduit needs to bend around a corner in a wall, you need a way to make that happen. That's where a conduit bender comes into play.

1. Wire crimpers
   Labeler
2. Utility knife
   Step bit

A utility knife or box cutter is pretty standard across different industries. As an electrician, you can use it to cut your electrical tape, strip sheath from non-metallic wire or for any general cutting and slicing of boxes.

1. Safety goggles
   Face mask
2. Tone generator
   Monocle

Safety on the job site is always important, and safety goggles should be worn by anyone working with electricity. An arc or a spark could shoot at your face, and it's wise to protect your eyes when working with drills and other power tools.

1. Sawzall
   Reciprocating saw
2. Hole saw
   Hammer drill

A hole saw can be a lot of help when you need to make a hole from here to there to run wire. They're great for cutting into PVC boxes. Also, if you can't get a hole through with a knockout kit, a hole saw will get the job done.

1. Roto-split
   Reciprocating saw
2. Electrical lockout kit
   Voltage tester

A reciprocating saw is a key piece of the heavier equipment an electrician might use. Sometimes you really need to bite into materials like struts or conduits. The best way to get this done in a hurry is with a reciprocating saw.

1. Sawzall
   Hammer drill
2. Reaming bit
   Wire crimper

A hammer drill can be useful any time, but the hammer function is especially useful for electrical projects if you're working with cement walls and you need to mount anchors for fixtures.