Five inventive tools that make an electrician’s life easier

We identify five simple solutions that were invented to make an electrician’s life that little bit easier.

Time is a luxury that many electricians don’t have. That’s why any tool or solution that can shave a few precious minutes off of a job is worth its weight in gold. All singing and dancing testing equipment and power tools are great but sometimes it is the simple solutions that can make the big difference.

We have found five solutions, available today, that are designed to save an electrician time and make life on site a bit easier.

Gekko Gripper

The Gekko Gripper has been in the market for a few years now and whenever I see it demonstrated at trade shows it always draws a crowd. Manufactured by Super Rod, famous for their cable rods, the Gekko Gripper is a cable routing tool that utilises high powered magnets to allow the user to guide a cable under a floorboard or up a wall, saving time, frustration and (in some cases) a lot of bad language.

The Gekko Gripper was designed by Manchester joiner Dave Reddy. Dave commented on how the product works, “I designed this product to make electricians’ lives easier when installing cables through floor voids because this can be a problematic task at the best of times. The Gekko Gripper even allows you to route through false walls filled with insulation.”

Be careful that you don’t get your fingers caught between those magnets though, I learnt the hard way when I tried it!

Knipex ErgoStrip

I saw this demonstrated at a couple of trade shows last year and was really impressed with its practical and compact design.

The pistol shaped ErgoStrip is a three-in-one tool that allows you to strip, dismantle and slit all common round and damp-proof installation cables, data cables and coax cables.

The tool is designed for ease of use even in tight spaces, allowing you, for example, to strip cables in flush-mounted sockets. It also assists with accuracy with ridges and length guides to help you ensure consistency with your cuts.

A great addition to any electrician’s tool bag!

Speedy Sparky

Speedy Sparky a relatively unknown product that hasn’t hit mass market yet. It has popped up in  a few trade publications and it stood out to be because it was invented by an electrician, for electricians and the idea is all about saving time on a common, repetitive job

Essentially the Speedy Sparky aims to speed up the installation of sockets during first fix. It’s like a big stencil with markings that that adhere to the latest building regulations which allow you to quickly mark to position, mark out and drill where your sockets need to be.

It’s a great concept, and the integration of a spirit level into the design is a nice touch to help ensure all markings are uniform and accurate.

I will be interested to see if this product takes off…

Wiha LiftUp Magazine Bit Holder

Ever get annoyed rummaging through your tool bag trying to find the right screwdriver?

The LiftUp Magazine Bit Holder from Wiha aims to save you the headache by providing six screwdrivers in one tool.

If you want to change to Philips’ head, for example, just press the button at the base of the handle. This lifts up and reveals five alternative blades that clip and lock neatly to the business end of the tool.

I like it because it keeps everything neat and together, is VDE rated (so it will keep you safe), plus it looks like something out of Men in Black which I suppose can only be plus point? (don’t start wearing black sunglasses on site, you will look like a prat).

StudBox

We have featured this back box solution before.

StudBox was designed to significantly reduce installation time for fixing back boxes in dry lining situations

It replaces the time-consuming and tedious practice of installing metal back boxes into stud walls attached to timber noggins and the manufacturers claim it will reduce the installation time down from five minutes to 30 seconds!

The StudBox has integrally moulded mounting flanges so that it can be hung between the faces of timber studs with centres between 380 and 450mm in a matter of seconds.  What’s more, the overall length of the box is 450mm, so there is no need to measure the height from the floor to stud work.  With the universal StudBox marked at height, the first screw is inserted and an integral spirit level allows for exact horizontal alignment – without the need for a separate tool – ready for the second screw to go in.

I quite like the addition of the little, raised points on the corners of each StudBox cavity which mark through the plasterboard slightly to provide the exact position to cut out without the need for measuring.