Electricians need specialist tools to do their job effectively and safely, so their toolbox should include a range of heavy-duty, insulated hand tools and high-tech tools they can use wherever their work takes them. Beyond the practical tools needed to do their job, there are also software tools available to help electrical contractors manage their business and juggle the everyday demands of taking calls, scheduling bookings, dispatching techs to jobs, and marketing the business.
Below, we review what we consider to be the 35 best electrician tools and apps in these two different categories:
If you are looking for a list of tools to help you manage and grow your electrical business, you can skip ahead to the section on ServiceTitan’s electrical contractor software.
» Note: Want to grow your electrical business? ServiceTitan is the #1 home and commercial service software & mobile app for home service companies. Click here to get a free and personalized demo.
Electrical Tools You Need to Do Your Job
1. Pliers
Pliers — often referred to as cutting pliers or lineman’s pliers — are a staple on any electrician’s tool belt. They are mainly used for cutting wire, or gripping, twisting, bending, or straightening wires. Any prepared electrician stocks an array of pliers in their tool box or truck, including needle nose pliers/long nose pliers, side-cutting pliers, and reaming pliers for tightening locknuts, fittings, and caps. Klein Tools, for example, manufactures a popular and trusted line of pliers focused on electrical applications.
2. Screwdrivers
Electricians use a variety of high-quality insulated screwdrivers, or a screwdriver set, another toolbox necessity, for loosening and fastening various pieces of hardware. Many professionals now carry ergonomic ratchet screwdrivers with interchangeable bits, so they're never stuck without the proper electrical maintenance tool.
3. Tape Measure
When working with wiring, it's essential to know exact measurements when cutting and stripping. A simple retractable tape measure does the trick, but available models with magnetic tips, multi-step locks, and other features make this process easier.
4. Electrical Tape
Made from plastic, vinyl, or fiberglass cloth, this adhesive material is pressure sensitive and essential for insulating wires or other materials that conduct electricity. Electrical tape prevents the electrical current from accidentally passing to other wires, and possible electrocution when touching live wires.
5. Cable Ties
Also known as zip ties, these inexpensive fasteners are essential tools for binding electrical cables or wires together. Keep your electrical space neat and organized with cable ties.
6. Electric Drills
Electricians regularly install new lighting fixtures or need to disassemble installed hardware to access wiring and other electrical components. A handheld electric drill with various bits helps speed up these tasks — and allows professionals to affix specialty drill bits (like the reaming bit, see below) for industry-specific purposes.
Cordless drills are essential tools for electricians working when power is down. DeWalt and Milwaukee make some popular power tools for electricians, including electrical drills.
7. Level
When installing light fixtures, finding precise points for placement is key. An electrical tools list isn’t complete without a standard level, as it helps electricians ensure fixtures, screws, and other installations are placed exactly where they need to be.
8. Wire/Cable Lugs
Similar to the features used on jumper cables and car batteries, wire and cable lugs connect wires to appliances, cables, and other devices in need of power.
9. Coax Connector
Coax connectors link cables to devices, while simultaneously protecting the cable from shredding. Multiple connectors exist, and keeping a variety on hand ensures you always meet your customers’ needs.
10. Wire Strippers
Professional electricians regularly strip the plastic sheathing from wires to expose the copper and make customized connections with other wiring or components. Wire stripping tools come in a variety of models and types.
11. Fish Tape
Fish tape is one of many popular electrician tools. It’s used to run wiring between gang boxes (or other electrical components) through conduit piping. Fish tape is housed in a retractable coil and can be fed through installed conduit piping. Once the end of the fish tape appears on the opposite side, wiring can be hooked to the tape and the tape can be retracted — pulling the wire along the conduit.
12. Fishing Rods
Fishing rods are essential electrician tools when installing wire through walls, below carpets, or above ceilings. Rods are typically fiberglass and include hooks on the end for easy maneuvering.
13. Terminal Block
These modular, insulated devices assist electricians when grouping multiple wires together. They’re used to connect wiring to a ground or connect electrical switches and outlets to mains.
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14. Voltage Tester
To safely perform electrical work, electrical power must be cut off in key sections of the property (usually via the circuit breaker). A handheld voltage tester allows electricians to test outlets for power, so they know when they’re safe to work on. Electricians also use this tool to confirm power has been restored.
Alternatively, non-contact voltage testers can be used to sense a small amount of current and light up when they detect one, without actually touching any surface or wiring.
15. Reaming Bit
Installing new conduits (or replacing old ones) means connecting different segments of piping together to create a wiring route between electrical components. A reaming bit attaches to an electric drill and widens the opening on one end of the piping, allowing it to connect to another segment of piping and complete a secure conduit.
16. Conduit Bender
When determining a wiring route, electricians often run wiring along the corner of the wall or in other mostly hidden areas. Conduit benders are electrician tools used to curve conduit piping to accommodate these routes and ensure the conduits remain nonintrusive and efficiently placed in the customer’s home.
17. Splicing Connector
These plastic clips help electricians make quick connections with multiple pieces of wire. They can be used with multiple cables, including device wires, telephone cables, and electrical cables.
18. Flashlights
For an electrician, working in the dark is a potential hazard. Keep essential electrician tools — like flashlights and other various work lights — handy and within reach.
Electrician Tools for Staying Safe
19. Insulated Gloves
Electrocution poses real danger for electricians, so they need to take precautions. Wearing insulated gloves provides another layer of protection from electric shocks, so include them as one of your electrical maintenance tools. Insulated gloves come in various styles for fit and comfort, so choose the type that works best for you.
20. Flame Retardant Work Shirt
Skilled and trained electricians learn how to take precautions against dangerous arc flashes, electrocutions and fires. Part of this training includes making sure they wear work shirts made with fire-resistant material to prevent serious burn injuries.
21. Safety Glasses
Electricians need to protect their eyes when closely examining electrical wiring, when they cut wire, or when they operate power tools. Apprentices and seasoned veterans alike need a pair of safety glasses on hand at every job site, as part of their essential electrician tools.
22. Rescue Rod/Hook
Rescue rods (or hooks) are used to remove large items or unconscious people who have been electrocuted from a hazardous area. Because a dangerous electrical current may still be live, emergency first-responders must use the rescue rod to pull a victim away from the electrical source without getting electrocuted themselves.
High-Tech Electrician Tools
23. Circuit Analyzers
Circuit analyzers, a digital handheld electrician tool, provides virtually instant information about the circuit connected to an individual outlet. In seconds, these electrical maintenance tools measure voltage, polarity, line voltage, reversals, and more.
24. Circuit Finders
Electricians often find it difficult to know which outlets are connected to which circuits in a house. Modern electricians use circuit finders with two main components incorporated into the device: a handheld digital transmitter and a small receiver that plug into outlets around the home. When an electrician holds up the transmitter to circuits in the breaker, the device sends a signal to the receiver to indicate which circuit the outlet belongs to.
Software Tools to Manage and Grow Your Electrical Business
Above we listed physical tools for doing electrical work, in this section, we’ll review tools for growing an electrical business. This is a space we have years of experience in via ServiceTitan, our software that helps electricians grow and run their business with tools for dispatching, booking jobs, invoicing, and even attracting calls from new customers using Google.
Below, we’ll go through the main features of ServiceTitan’s electrical contractor software.
25. Electrical Dispatch Software
Save time and turn dispatching from haphazard to a smooth operation.
ServiceTitan’s electrical dispatch software allows your dispatchers to see which electricians are available for a new assignment, who is still working on a previous one, and send out the best professional for each job.
Our dispatch software immediately shows dispatchers who to call, who is available, and what skills each technician has. This reduces job assignment errors and schedule mixups and avoids a raft of calls to your team out in the field. This is also a great way of increasing your sales as you can send out the most skilled techs to the jobs they are most suited for and sell higher-ticket services as a result.
GPS tracking shows you where your techs are located at any specific time and keeps customers updated via text message about when their tech will arrive.
This reduces no-shows and avoids electricians having to return to a job more than once if the customer isn’t there when they arrive. These messages also keep your customers happy and differentiate you as one of the best communicating electricians around — increasing the chances of customers leaving you good reviews on popular home services sites.
26. Scheduling and Booking Software
Plan ahead for regular electrical jobs and never miss another one.
ServiceTitan’s scheduling software allows electrical contractors to plan ahead and gives them the tools they need to schedule maintenance checks and other regular jobs, as well as to manage and forecast busy periods.
You can organize jobs by type and complexity and calculate how many and which techs you will need at a particular time.
Our call booking software prompts your customer service reps (CSRs) to ask the right questions and provide electricians with the information they need to be prepared for every job when they arrive. Electricians can even play back a recording of the call your CSR took, to hear the customer’s exact description of the problem they are experiencing and find out more about what awaits them on their next job.
27. Marketing Software
See what marketing and ad campaigns work best so you can do more of what works — and less of what doesn’t.
ServiceTitan’s marketing software gives electrical businesses real-time insight into the success of their advertising and marketing campaigns. In just a few clicks, our Marketing Scorecard lets you monitor, adjust, and create new campaigns, track marketing investments, and figure out exactly which ads and marketing campaigns have generated how many jobs, bookings, and income.
With ServiceTitan, you can easily assign a unique phone number to each ad campaign, making it simple to track when that number is used to book new jobs. Our cloud-based system also tracks the revenue of the ad in real time, so you get to see a play-by-play of each ad’s performance and ROI.
28. Reporting Software
Track your team’s performance at a glance.
ServiceTitan’s electrical reporting software gives electrical contractors easy access to business metrics including profit margins, marketing return on investment (ROI), and more.
You can customize your dashboard to track revenue by day, week, or month, in real-time. Keep an eye on transactions by sales team, business unit, or date range, so you know exactly what is working and what needs improving.
Monitor the performance of your technicians and CSRs by generated revenue, memberships sold, and other performance targets so you can spot who is performing the best and who needs additional training to improve productivity.
29. Software to Give Customers a Financing Option
One-the-spot instant approval financing plans for expensive jobs.
ServiceTitan’s electrical financing software gives electrical businesses a choice of financing plans they can offer customers. Instant approvals, and on-the-job financing applications improve electricians’ sales while they are out providing services.
If a customer needs an entirely new wiring system, for example, your techs can use ServiceTitan mobile to show them a range of financing options (we’ve partnered with some of the industry’s leading providers), and get the go-ahead for a high-ticket job even before they leave the site.
Offering a financing option for expensive jobs helps electricians close more business with customers by allowing them to pay in easy installments for a service they might not be able to afford otherwise.
30. Business Valuation Calculator
Check how much your business is worth right now.
Do you want to know the current value of your electrical service company? This free ServiceTitan Business Valuation Calculator can help you figure out key metrics to use for tracking growth and profitability, and show how much your local electrical business might be worth if you decide to sell it.
31. Invoice Generator
Use our free tool to generate invoices online and send them to customers by email or text.
With ServiceTitan’s free Invoice Generator Tool, your electricians can generate, save, and email or text customized invoices from a mobile device while working in the field. Eliminate paperwork, streamline invoicing, and give your electrical customers a convenient digital invoice they can pay on the spot.
Read our guide to find out more about how to price electrical work.
32. Labor Rate Calculator
Quickly figure out how much to charge for your electrical services.
Evaluate the true cost of employing electricians and determine how much your service company should charge customers for labor using the comprehensive ServiceTitan Labor Rate Calculator.
Plug key metrics — such as overhead costs and ideal net profit — into this free business tool to tabulate the billable hourly rate required to cover the cost of doing business while maximizing profitability.
33. ROI Calculator
Discover the potential profit you can generate by using ServiceTitan.
Make sure your electric service company can capitalize on all of the features ServiceTitan’s field management platform offers and yield a positive return on investment with our complimentary ServiceTitan ROI Calculator.
Discover your profit potential with higher average tickets and an increase in daily calls, booked appointments, estimates, and jobs sold by electricians on your team.
34. Service Business Grader
See how your business is performing in 30 seconds or less.
Gauge the performance of your electrical contracting company with ServiceTitan’s Service Business Grader Tool. In less than a minute, discover how your electricians and dispatchers stack up by evaluating average ticket sales, daily calls, booked jobs, and other key metrics.
35. Mobile App & Tablet
Make it easy for customers to order, buy, and pay for electrical services.
With a few simple taps on a mobile tablet, your customers can order, buy, and pay for your electrical services without leaving their home or premises.
Using ServiceTitan’s Mobile App, techs build tiered estimates out in the field with vibrant photos, manufacturer videos, and detailed product information, so customers can browse and buy at their own pace — just like shopping online.
Give your electrical customers the mobile-driven service they prefer by adding ServiceTitan’s Mobile App to your techs’ arsenal of tools.
Other key features include:
Data Access: Give techs access to all information collected by CSRs, such as customer names, addresses, contact information, outstanding estimates, job histories, property details, prior invoices, call recordings, notes, and more.
Customization: Upload your own forms and pricebooks, and manage pricing and product updates easily across the entire ServiceTitan cloud-based system.
Job Automation: Automatically trigger certain forms to appear as the job progresses, so techs know which steps to take at every stage — from diagnosis and repair to invoicing and asking for a review.
Mobile Payments: Get paid faster by capturing checks and credit cards via the mobile tablet camera, or add a credit-card swiper. If customers prefer to pay with cash, techs can accept that, too, and automatically document payment in the field.
For other helpful guides, check out our lists of best HVAC tools and plumbing tools.
To find out more about ServiceTitan, the #1 home and commercial service software (rated 4.5 on Capterra with 659 reviews), book a free demo.
ServiceTitan Electrical Software
ServiceTitan is a comprehensive electrical business software solution built specifically to help service companies streamline their operations, boost revenue, and achieve growth. Our award-winning, cloud-based platform is trusted by more than 100,000+ contractors across the country.
