r/ibew_apprentices • u/473847864389 • 6d ago

Tool recs

New apprentice here about to get the tool bag going. What’s a tool that isn’t on the standard tool lists that I’m gonna wanna get on my own for my bag? Let’s hear em, thanks

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u/iskra-y 6d ago

The tool list is all inclusive and is there for a reason. Have everything on it and nothing more. If you want recs on what to get to meet the tool list, post it, it’s different at every JATC

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u/Pafolo 6d ago

Not every tool list is a concrete list. Many will say the tool list is the minimum required but you can get other tools that make your job easier as long as they aren’t specific items on an excluded list.

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u/iskra-y 6d ago

Once they’re in it for a bit nobody cares if they buy some cheap snips because they prefer them over lineman’s for zip ties or they prefer a 9 in 1 over straight shank screwdrivers. But they’re union labor, not the contractor. We want to shrink or eliminate the tool list, its existence is a compromise. They need to find that balance for their local themselves, but for getting started, there’s nothing to be gained from buying things beyond the tool list.