Year two and three: what to add to your electrical kit
By second year you're doing more on your own and the day-one kit starts to show its gaps. Add these as the work calls for them, not all at once.
Still ask first. Test equipment and power tools are usually supplied by the firm. Check what you're expected to own before you buy.
Your own safe isolation kit
In first year you may have borrowed a tester. Once you're isolating circuits yourself, you want your own voltage tester, proving unit and lock-off gear, kept together and looked after.
A proper cable knife
Stripping the outer sheath on larger cables with side cutters is slow and risks nicking the cores. A folding electrician's knife is cheap and makes a real difference on armoured and larger twin-and-earth.
A head torch
Lofts, risers, ceiling voids and plant rooms. You need both hands and you can't hold a phone in your teeth all day. Rechargeable saves a fortune in batteries.
A hammer
Clipping cable, knocking in fixings, persuading back boxes. A 16oz claw hammer covers it.
What to hold off on
- A multifunction tester. You'll need to know how to use one, but most apprentices use the firm's until they qualify.
- A full power tool set. Wait and see which battery platform your firm runs, then buy into the same one.
The full list
These are all in the Electrical Pro starter kit, with a running total. If you're just starting out, read what a first-year needs first.