Power Tools for Electricians: What You Actually Need

A small set of power tools covers most of what an electrician needs day to day. The bigger decision, before choosing individual tools, is which battery platform to buy into: cordless tools lock you into a battery platform, so electricians usually standardise on one system before buying more tools.

This guide covers the core tools worth owning and what each one is actually for. For hand tools and test equipment, see our electrician tools guide.

Combi Drill

The everyday drill and driver, used for everything from pilot holes to driving screws. For most electricians this is the first cordless tool bought, and it is worth picking your battery platform carefully here, since it is usually the first tool on it.

Impact Driver

Built specifically for driving fixings, an impact driver copes with long screws into joists all day without the wrist strain a standard drill causes when used for the same job.

SDS Plus Drill

For masonry work, chasing, box sinking and drilling through brick, an SDS drill does the job far faster and with far less effort than a standard combi drill would manage.

• ✓Combi drill: everyday drilling and driving, usually the first tool bought
• ✓Impact driver: fixings and long screws without wrist strain
• ✓SDS drill: masonry, chasing and box sinking

Beyond the core three, a handful of accessories and a smaller cutting tool handle the jobs that come up regularly around cable runs and fittings.

• ✓Hole saws: clean holes for downlights and cable glands
• ✓Flat wood drill bits: fast holes through joists for cable runs
• ✓A cordless multi-tool: notching joists, trimming trunking and cutting in awkward spots

Apprentices and learners need less than they think when they are starting out. During structured training courses the centre provides tools and equipment, which means you can learn the trade before making any decisions about which cordless platform to invest in.

Once you are working and buying your own kit, the combi drill and impact driver are usually the first purchases, with an SDS drill and the smaller accessories added as the work demands them. For the hand tools and test equipment that come first, see our electrician tools guide.

A sensible starting kit covers a combi drill, an impact driver, and the hole saws and bits needed for cable runs, with an SDS drill added once masonry work is a regular part of the job.

Related Course

Level 2 Diploma (2365)

During your diploma training, all tools and equipment are provided. You build up your own power tools once you start working.

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