atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums General General Telephone & Systems Information Tools for the trade for the new guy

I agree with SSPhone, Gotta be a bag. Leave the belts to the CO techs. You can get a good assortment of bags from Jensen tools, Specialized Products, Tecra tools, and many more. Buy a belt pouch for your scissors, scrap the cable knife, and put in a pair of needled nose. Knipex makes an electricians set of needle nose with a flat end. I carry one all the time, and it is real handy. The Fluke Microscanner is a great cable tester, and it can help you ID some network problems as well. Last, I just picked up one of the new Harris T-25 test sets. Built in caller ID and digit grabbing among other things. $200 wasn't a bad price. Not as sturdy as the older T-22s and such, but a real handy tool.

I have to disagree with the bag, I have used a belt for over 15 years and not once have I ever wore the belt around my hips. I carry it over my shoulder, it holds every trool I could possibly need. if I come across a job that requires a tool other than what I carry, I send the cable crew in!

Well,

I purchased a couple of small pouches from Jensen and Time Motion, although one was back ordered.

I can say this: I had about 10 screw drivers in my belt for the first few days, and after seeing what I actually use in the field -- I went with an 8 in 1 screw driver from Jensen -- totally the way to go. Every driver you need, super small, and practically no weight. I also picked up a Harris punchdown tool, I can't remember what model number, 914 I think. Anyhow, it has a probe and a pick built into it, pretty neat. I got a few small pouches from Ripoffs, they seem to work well.

I also got a backup pair of snips from Jensen, they say "Heritage" on the side -- and they're not at all as high of quality as my Klein pair, they seem quite a bit more dull, who knows.

I still have one question pending: What brand of cordless drill?

My alarm buddies all say Milwaukee, and I consider alarm installers to be the kings of using massive drill bits for fishing stuff in.

However...

My electrician buddies remain firm with DeWalt.

So what do you guys think?

One of the guys I work with has a Craftsman contractor's series, and he's had it for 6 years with no problems... so maybe it doesn't even matter.

Nick

I would go with Porter-Cable cordless drill (I use a 3/8"). Between my next-door neighbor (a roofer/carpenter) and a couple others in my neighborhood, we've used, abused, and broken most every other brand, but have had generally great results with the P-C. May be a little more money up front than some others, but worth it.

I have Makita and Dewalt, but love my new 24 volt Dewalt (lots of power and torge). Looking at getting a dremil cordless for cutting holes in drywall and ceiling tiles.


Good Luck!!

From what I've seen the Milwaukee seem to be the most durable. I got too good of a deal on a Black & Decker and have been impressed with it's power and durability. I think the quality has gotton much better for every manufacturer.

I have a couple of Dewalt 14.4 volts, and a couple of Makita 9 volts, both have been really good to me. My favorite however, is a small 2.4 volt cordless screwdriver made by Milwalkee. It has a high and low setting, variable torque, and a removable battery. It has enough power to drive screws into backboards no problem, but light enough when you have to put a bunch of faceplates on, or just general purpose screwdriver. Get the kit that comes with the extra battery and you can't go wrong.

Zman, I use the small cordless driver and drill from Skill. It also is lightweight, has replacable batteries and cheap. Not to durable, but mine is about 6 years old. Great for faceplates and attaching the cabinet to backboard.

Love my Dewalt for big jobs!

[This message has been edited by JJ (edited March 28, 2003).]

I use a Craftsman 12 volt cordless. I mostly install stuff in my house and for a couple classmates at school so I don't use my drill all the time. I also do work in theaters (building sets) and we only use Dewalt drills. Nice stuff but very expensive.
I am looking for some glow rods to fish cable through ceilings. Does anyone know of a good source to get these from or anything else like them that I can use?

Try Graybar
https://www.graybar.com/