In this video, I show you electrical tools that are great for homeowners and DIYers. The Klein non contact voltage tester, Klein digital breaker finder, Klein wire strippers, and WAGO lever nuts are my favorite tools in my electrical toolbox. I also show you how to use the electrical tools as well. Enjoy!
My Favorite Tools And Supplies 👉 www.amazon.com/shop/theexcell...
Tools And Supplies Used In This Video👇
Klein Non Contact Voltage Tester amzn.to/3OFsrBk
Klein Digital Breaker Finder amzn.to/3ulmCzP
Klein 3 Piece Tool Kit amzn.to/3F48v7Q
Klein Wire Strippers / Cutter amzn.to/3GNGCCl
Wire Twister amzn.to/3ExAZFK
WAGO Lever Nuts amzn.to/3u2opJH
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Timestamps
Intro 00:00
First Tool 00:24
Second And Third Tool 04:32
Fourth Tool 08:52
Fifth Tool 10:25
Sixth Tool 13:08
Disclaimer: This video is all based on my personal opinion and is for entertainment purposes ONLY. I am not a financial advisor, CPA, attorney, tax advisor, electrician, plumber, housing contractor, designer, or any type of profession to give advice. I am just a consumer sharing my experiences and research. If you do need knowledge for those types of things, I will advise you to seek help for those professionals.
Being a home owner and a do it yourself kind of guy, your videos are full of great information. I love it!!
Sounds like you love DIY as much as me. The satisfaction of learning something and then doing it yourself is hard to replace. When you combine that with being a homeowner, it’s an amazing situation. Thanks for watching!
Great video. Agree 1000% to twist wires with linemans' pliers before wire nut. I found an untwisted pair last week that was loose inside the nut and heated, cracked, and melted the wire nut.
Yes, I always twist them together first. Thanks for your input!
I only pretwist wires when I’m joining more than 3 wires together. Otherwise, I let the wire nut do all the twisting.
we really enjoy the videos. very helpful we are getting ready to wire our garage with lots of household items. hot water tank 50 amp, rv outlets mini splits high bay lights low voltage for garage motors etc.
Time saving tools to say the least. Great video.
They definitely save time. Time is money so ultimately they could save you money if you look at it that way. Thanks for stopping by Lou!
Great selection!
Thank you Vince!
As an electrician just one of those useful ,Klein tester and tracker
Where as this been all my life… my hands were killing me by the end of the day… I have to convert about 10-20 old school t8/12 lights fixtures to led. This will cut my work load in half. Thanks for this video . I subscribed and liked it
Thank you so much for your videos. I am doing a complete renovation on a gut job of a house and you are a life saver. Would you consider doing some videos on how to use some power tools like miter saws, framing guns, etc... from the point of view for someone who has never touched one. You explain everything so easily and that is hard to find!!!
You’re welcome! Good luck with your renovation. I know it’s a lot of work but very rewarding. That’s a good idea for video content. Stay tuned for more Teri!
Another outstanding video. Thank you 🙏
Thank you Todd! 🔨
As always, you put together wonderful and knowledgeable. The Klein tools are all wonderful tools and great warranty (under proper usage). The last item, the wago lever nuts are one thing to check with your building codes. Some inspectors don't like this style due to being able to unlock them. One situation I've heard was if someone was checking a switch or outlet box and pulling on the wires a certain way, the clasp got released and the person didn't have the power off resulting with arking and tripping the breaker. Ideal makes a brand that is similar but hard to remove. Always make sure you strip the wires to the proper length with these to make sure a good connection is made. Nothing like putting things together and then having a outlet in a run not work. One big thing like you mentioned was about twisting the wires together first along with the right length stripped. Basically the best way when using wire nuts. One big thing is that with electric, please make sure you do things right and not cut corners and to code.Thank you for the informative video as always Josh. 👍🏼
Yes, good points David like always! Stripping wire to the correct length for the WAGO is very important. That is why I like the clear back so you can visualize the final connection. I had a couple people comment about the ideal brand. I will look into them and see if they are better or not. Yes, the tools made by Klein or hard to beat. They tend to make the best electrical products in my opinion. Thanks for stopping by David!
Would much rather use wagos than the Ideals. The ideal In-sures are the same as backstabbing.
Just in time for Christmas.
My dad was an electrician for many years and he had two of those automatic wire strippers, one of them probably goes back to about the 1940s and had strippers on both sides.
Lever nuts for the win!
As you can see 🤩 I enjoyed ur vid always use a meter to verify voltage just to be safe
Great idea 💡👍🤠💯
I do my best! Thanks for watching!
Great video!
Thank you! Stay tuned for more!
The newer Klein voltage detector with dual voltage ranges and built-in light is much better. Glad to see WAGO's made the list. I've been using their industrial cable clamp terminals for years. The 221's are fantastic. I haven't used a wire nut at all in the 1945 house I'm rewiring.
I would suggest a proper twist and wire nut for more permanent connections. Wagos are fine but you can’t beat a twist and wire nut
@@graywolf7648 the Europeans have been doing it for decades
The light appearing to go off on camera is likely to do with the FPS (frames per second) - what our eyes see and what a camera records are different. Part of power saving on LEDs is the fact that you can technically turn them off and on at rates that the eye cannot detect, so they technically aren't powered 100% of the time.
That’s a good point Jason! My frame rate is set at 30. That could definitely be the reason. I’ll try different frame rate and see what happens. Thanks for commenting!
Home Depot now sells Ideal brand “insure” lever wire connectors at the store. Good product.
Good to know Loren! I’ll check them out and see what I think. Thanks for watching!
@@TheExcellentLaborer what I like about the Ideal product is that you don’t have to open the lever to insert the wire, but can open it to remove the wire.
When you twist the wires together, it's better to strip them almost twice as much as you did, then get a perfect twist, and only then cut it with cutters to the right length. Your spiral will be absolutely perfect and all three wires cut perfectly the same length. Then you put your wing nut on.
Don't give electrical advice when you aren't an electrician..they're called wire nuts, or twist on wire connectors.. A wing nut is for a bolt. Also pre twisting is a waste of time, and pre twisting that much wire is a waste of material. Just put your conductors in the wire nut and twist it while holding an inch below the connector. When the wires start twisting it's typically secure.
@@thenextgen1able This advice came straight from an electrician friend with a long career and works much better in everything I applied it on in my own house. It's just logically better from any way you want to look at it. Note that I never said that not pre-twisting would fail, it's just a better final result when you apply what I said above. And when it comes to anything electrical, I prefer being always more on the safe side with everything as perfect as it can be.
@@thenextgen1able“wing nut” is the name of ideals wire nut. it’s a brand name and next Gen is still correct
@archael18 don’t listen to them. You’re doing it right twisting them together tight with a really good spiral and then cutting off the extra stripped wire. Another reason to do this is because in some states (California) electrical inspectors don’t want the bare ends of the wires being all chewn up from the pliers. Also. Pre twisting is absolutely essential for a good connection. I have seen so many wire nuts melt and if the wires weren’t spliced together the connection would come undone. Btw I’m an electrician in New York. The only wires you don’t have to pre twist is on stranded wires. You typically let the wire nut do all the work with those. The guy in the video is not pre twisting his wires together anywhere near enough
In the interest of safety, keep extra batteries in your supplies to insure your testing instruments are correctly powered. Be cognitive of the newest standards of "tamper-proof" receptacles, which might obstruct your "hot stick" (non-contact) tester.
What youre with the light, is that you're seeing an interference pattern between the A/C and the shutter speed. An example of this, is next time you're in traffic waiting to turn, for a little while your signals will sync up and then drift apart.
That makes sense. I appreciate your input, William!
@@TheExcellentLaborer I'm surprised you understood it with my poor grammar. Typing on a phone sucks!
Great video Josh thanks! Question about the Wago splicers - would these be up to code when wiring a new house? Thanks for all you do - I've learned a ton from your videos.
Yes they are.
I'll be there
Great!
Great videos. Get some "Okeefe Working Hands" to help with your dry cracking hands
I do you get really dry hands in the winter time. Thanks Terry for the tip!
Great Livestream 😎🛠️😎🛠️😎
I really enjoyed that myself! It’s so cool to be able to connect with fans like that. Thank you for being there!
@@TheExcellentLaborer hope to be there for your next one👍👍👍
I wonder how many people noticed that you pulled that plug out by the cord. 😆 I know that everybody doesn it once in awhile, but it does not set a good example. 😉
Like always…. very good stuff!
Good to see your comment Jose! I’m glad you liked it. Take care!
Good video❤
I appreciate that!
Thanks, gef
I've used wago style connectors off and on for years, but mostly for 12 volt. Do they meet code?
Best KZhead guy on here.. wish you did solar power
Thank you! I am looking to do a video on solar in the future. Stay tuned!
You really should check all the wires in the box to ensure there is no back feeding or miswired. On one of your, videos you wired a 12/2 for your water heater and you attached both the black and white wires to the 240v breaker.
I like to know how to trace a breaker. For example: I was outside troubleshooting an hvac condenser unit. There was no power at the disconnect. Wasn't any power at the disconnect. Where I was working was at 8 floor story building. No one knew where the breaker was, for that disconnect. All they were showing me, where all breakers main panels were. It's frustrated to start finding the main panels, and the breaker that feeds that disconnect. Your tool shows how to trace the breaker when there's power to it. But, in my case, is how to trace it when there's no power? How to locate the breaker that feeds on whatever you're working on it. Can someone advise me please. Appreciated!
I have been doing this stuff since 2005. I have never seen anyone use automatic wire strippers or wire nut twisters. I use normal wire strippers for both
I got big into car audio and bought one and ended using it for home electric, had mine almost 10 years
Good video. Your videos are getting better all the time. My only suggestion is to reduce the number of times your repeat the phrase “as you can see” . You said it about forty times in this video.
I appreciate that Ryan! I genuinely appreciate the advice on improving my videos. It is hard to break habits such as saying “as you can see “. I will definitely be sure to work on that. Again, thank you so much!
Seriously??
Now that's all I hear. Lol. I don't mind it though; simple trade off for such a great resource. Thank you for all your videos!
You're an outstanding communicator and gifted teacher Josh!
Can you use wagos and combine solid and stranded
I don’t see why that would be a problem.
yes that is the best thing about Wago's. THey are good for light fixtures and fans etc that have stranded wire.
✌️👍
Welcome back!
where, other than amazon, can i buy wagos?
Home Depot sells Ideal brand “insure” lever wire connectors.
I have only bought them on Amazon. I have not noticed them at Lowes or Home Depot but they might be there. Thanks for watching!
@@lorenrickey5481 i think i know what you’re talking about but those are only push in and not like these
@@TheExcellentLaborer Check out Platt Electric also.
@@ritchiemeza these are new. Called Insure gen 2 lever style (like Wago 221s).
Very Good!... #68 ✝ {12-9-2022}
As far as that Circuit tester goes, it's an ok reference, but don't stake your life on it!
I have a breaker finder and it sometimes gives me false readings
That is interesting. I noticed resetting the device helps it pick up better. Is it the same brand as this one?
@@TheExcellentLaborer yup. Took off the panel cover and it was a disaster. So my guess is it’s picking up wires in the wrong spot?
Go over the entire panel first with the sniffer. I have used it multiple times with no error.
Some of these tool's you better be careful, like the wirenut attachment, when I was working. guy's would use that thing and over tighten it, and it would break, and you would have to start over, or, it would crack and bread after you tucked them back in a box, next thing you know, you are trouble shooting a circuit trying to figure out why it's not working, big pain.
Tell me your not an electrician without telling me your not an electrician
10.45 eine Frage habt ihr keine wago klemmen als diese Schrott soryy
I have never pretwisted wires and I never will it is not needed
some hand lotion will also fit in the bag.
The breaker-finder does NOT work on Pushmatic breakers!!!!
Licensed Electrician here. None of these are must haves, except the GFCI tester. If your going to buy a "dummy stick"(first item) then buy a fluke, it wont give false positive by tapping it(i say not a must have because klein ones are unreliable, hence you tapping it and it going off. Nuff said) otherwise if it was reliable like a fluke, it would be a must have. Do not solely depend on a dummy stick. Then long as you understand theory of electricity, you can touch a hot wire bare handed and not be shocked. If you understand the theory of electricity, then to find a breaker to a line, you simply touch hot to ground. Then for your wire twister which is complete junk unless you're handicapped, you didn't even use it in first receptacle you showed(can tell because the wires are not twisted at all) so theres how much you yourself actually uses it, its junk. Cool in thought, utterly sucks in time and execution. Wagos cost to much to be effective, unless length of wire is an issue or stranded wire at times(I buy cheaper alternatives for this, one time use). Beyond price these are great, but I'll stick to wire nuts. Now I don't recommend doing any of this, unless you're an Electrician. On that note, most it makes sense for a Do it yourself handyman. But I'll also say, majority of my service calls are from handyman mess ups. Then for past 5-10 years, some Klein products are starting to become junk. I wouldn't trust their meters or testers.
What is a good brand you recommend
@@jaggermurlin6343 Fluke
Fluke is good, very expencive and Klein are good as well, as an electrician myself the best advice is to use good reliable tools not cheap junk , but use common sence and educate yourself on all aspects of electricity First , otherwise leave it to a trained professional
You had me till you said wagos
The Klein non contact voltage detector is garbage. I use this type of tool every day, and the way the back cap on the Klein is designed so that the battery contactornis depedant on how tight that back cap is means that when the retention clip gets loose, the tester will not reliably stay powered on. Buy a fluke , they are much higher quality and more reliable and I don't think much more expensive. I like Klein, but their ticker is a disappointment.
The wire twister is a horrible tool people over twist the wires making it a nightmare to work on later
Its good for a guy that does wiring all day long. The clutch should be used so they dont over due it.
Umm the wire nut tool, really. Guess if you have really weak hands.
Please don't use a drill to splice wires 🙈
Hey Kevin! I explain in this video that I like to use pliers you twist the wires first. Thanks for stopping by!
2:12 Does not detect the power in the neutral. I know what its like. Echoie room, no script, trying to give as much info as possible just blabbing and going with whatever comes out. You are going to make sure when you are testing an outlet to make sure to test the black wire. NO TEST ALL WIRES ALL THE TIME then test your batteries and then test your NCVT agians other NCVTs. In skilled hands a NCVT can really do much more and be safe but this explanation is dangerous. Dude. can you please think about what you want to say and write it down. What if someone has polarity reversed and they only check the black wires as you say. This video is gonna make some poor home owner wonder why the hell they went after electric jobs when there were perfectly safe shit jobs changing pipes or the toilet.
Great video!
I appreciate that. Thank you!