Essential Tools for New Techs

 Oftentimes I get asked, mark, what tools does a brand new technician technician need? So from the perspective of being brand new with no experience, we'll have a list for you as well. You need a 10 in one or 11 or 14 in one screwdriver, slotted Phillips number one and two, a quarter inch nut driver, which is most often read, so you can identify them by color.

Yellow handle usually means five sixteenths, and these are the most commonly used. You can also buy them as nut drivers. That you can take off and put on, that can attach to your drill as well. So whatever you prefer, I recommend you get all of them and then slot it in Phillips screwdrivers, a voltage pen.

So this will indicate if there's voltage present by lighting a digital thermometer, so you can put that in the vents to check the temperature for heat and air conditioning. A good razor knife. A short nut driver for HVAC, and once you start working on them, you'll know exactly what I mean. You can also buy these bits to put in your drill and they'll go right in channel locks or water pump pliers.

The channel lock is a brand, of course, a good tape measure, which you'll use more than you think. Wire strippers and a good brand too. Make sure you buy good quality tools. Cheap tools usually don't last very long, and oftentimes they're more dangerous. Something to test a receptacle that will trip a ground fault circuit interrupter, a laser thermometer that will tell you exactly what temperature of the surface is that the light is on.

And then of course, a cordless drill. So all of this will be under $250 maybe, uh, plus or minus a few. But this is exactly what I recommend starting with, and we'll have a list for you.