11 Klein Tools Every Electrician Should Have In Their Tool Box

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Klein Tools is one of the biggest names when it comes to tools for electricians, and it's also one of the most trusted hand tool brands of this day. It's been around since 1857 and over that time it has built up quite a collection of products. These products are readily available at online retailers like Amazon, making them easily accessible to new and experienced electricians looking to build out their kit.

The brand has a ton of tools for sale across several disciplines, including HVAC, plumbing, industrial, and even automotive. Many of those tools can be used across industries, which means the brand may have some tools you may not have known about. That's where we come in. We did the work for you, and found a dozen tools that wouldn't be out of place in an electrician's toolkit from Klein Tools.

The entire list comprises of hand tools and gadgets, since that's what Klein Tools is known for. Based on our research, most electricians opt for a different brand when it comes to power tools, and we recommend you do the same. 

Of all the electrician's tools on the market, the one we saw recommended most often, by a wide margin, were the linesman's pliers. These are called cutting pliers if you're shopping for them online, and if you're shopping for this brand specifically, you're looking for Klein Tools D213-9NE Cutting Pliers. Klein sells them in four varieties with small changes in the nose construction (toothed or smooth), the cutter, and optional features like a wire stripper integrated into the design of the tool. The base tool costs $35 and ones with the optional features range from $40 to $46.

These are a pretty basic set of linesman pliers. They're nine inches long and come with both pliers and a cutting edge for cutting down wire. Some electricians are good enough with these that they can strip wire with the cutting edge, thereby negating the need to carry a separate wire stripper. Others use them as everything from hammers to bottle openers. This is a basic electrician tool and right up there on the list of tools you should get as a beginner. Klein Tools also makes a set of hybrid pliers, but the basic cutting pliers should still be high on your list. 

Being an electrician means dealing with electrical boxes, service panels, and breaker boxes, and most of those are held together by bolts and screws. This isn't necessarily news to electricians, who usually carry around a set of screwdrivers and nut drivers to open these panels and boxes. The Klein Tools 32516HD KNECT 16-in-1 Hybrid Screwdriver is a decent alternative to carrying around a whole set of drivers. It costs $29 when it's not on sale, and it's one of the best multi-bit screwdrivers on the market.

The screwdriver houses all its bits within the body of the screwdriver, making it its own storage device. It comes with flat, Philips, square, and hex bits, which covers a lot of bases in the electrical world. Klein Tools also includes 5/16-inch and 1/4-inch sockets. These are used for holding the screwdriver bits, but if you're dealing with bolts in those sizes, they can double as nut drivers. For residential use, at least, the Hybrid Screwdriver should cover all the bases. 

Klein also sells a 13-in-1 model that includes just screwdriver bits, giving you a slightly cheaper, simpler option if the 16-in-1 feels like a bit much.

For most types of electrical work, an electrician wants tools to actually measure the electricity running through stuff. This is typically the job of a multimeter, which can measure voltages in a variety of ways. There are a lot of good ones, including some from Klein Tools. The brand also makes other gadgets that can test electricity in various places. For this, the Klein Tools Electrical Test Kit is a nice all-in-one option. It includes a multimeter, an outlet tester, and a no-contact voltage tester, all in one pack for about $45. 

The multimeter supports up to 600V readings, which will cover everything in a residential electrician's to-do list. I own this Klein Tools multimeter, and it's pretty decent for common stuff like outlets or car batteries. The no-contact tester has a red LED and a loud beep noise when it detects electricity nearby, while the outlet tester has three LEDs that light up in a different combination based on the issue found in the outlet, like an open ground or a hot-ground reversed.

This trio of devices can make basic residential work a breeze and they're not too expensive. They won't work for everything but are more than enough for most home improvement tasks.

Adding to the Klein Tools gadgets that electricians may find helpful is an AC/DC voltage tester. These are slightly simpler than a multimeter but largely do a similar task. You use the contacts to measure if a source has AC or DC voltage and approximately how high it is. The Klein Tools ET40 AC/DC Voltage Tester is the brand's entrant into this space. You can get it by itself for $20 or in a set with an outlet tester and a non-contact voltage tester for around $40. 

This specific tester ranges up to 240V for AC and up to 24V for DC, making it best suited for residential use since that's about as high as those go. It's simpler than a multimeter and includes built-in test leads so you don't have to worry about losing them. According to the brand, they can handle drops from up to 10 feet and have an IP41 rating. You don't want to submerge it in water or drop it from the top of a building, but again, they're good enough for residential use

Cutting, stripping, and otherwise working with wires is part of the job for electricians and as most people already know, they wire strippers specifically for that purpose, although you can do other things with them too. The Klein Tools K12065CR Wire Stripper is an all-in-one type of tool that lets you deal with all sorts of wiring tasks. It is a bit expensive at $40, but it can replace a few different tools, so its extra versatility, plus the fact that it's made in the US, helps justify the price tag. 

So, this is really a three-in-one type of tool. You can strip wires of various sizes, cut wires, and use the small pliers nose to bend, twist, crimp, and otherwise manipulate wires. It's not quite as general use as something like linesman's pliers, but the K12065CR can do quite a lot of stuff and some of it is a little easier thanks to the varying stripper hole sizes versus having to do it by feel with linesman's pliers. 

Unlike many tools, this one should be usable almost everywhere. For instance, 14 AWG and 12 AWG wire are standard size for things like outlets and lighting fixtures in most places, and this one goes from eight to 18 AWG. 

It's pretty obvious that workers of all types need something to carry their tools around. When you can't drive a truck into the jobsite, a smaller bag to carry the essential is required. Klein Tools sells a ton of these, and the $120 62800BP Backpack is a good spot to start. It's a pretty standard backpack that comes with 40 pockets and a full zip-off section to store larger tools. There's even a USB port so you can charge a smaller tool while it rests in the bag.

As far as work backpacks go, this one is pretty good. There are more than enough pockets for most tasks and some options to accessorize. For instance, there's a headlamp bracket that's compatible with Klein Tools' headlamp. It's also made of a water-resistant weave material to keep it mostly dry on jobsites. The brand also makes a smaller 39-pocket variant that's about $20 cheaper.

If backpacks aren't your thing, Klein Tools has other options, like the 62202MB MODbox Tool Tote or the 54309MB MODbox Roll-Up Pouch. These are both smaller than the backpack and are more portable and lighter, in case you want something a little more modular and easier to carry.

Boroscopes, also called inspection cameras, are one of those tools that you don't necessarily need, but they're definitely nice to have. You can use them for all sorts of things. Electricians use them to see behind drywall, above plaster ceilings, or into small spaces. The Klein Tools ET19 Boroscope is the brand's entrant into this segment, and it's generally considered decent for the price. It costs $170 on Amazon, which gets you the device, a 9.8-foot cable, and a few attachments like a hook and a magnet to retrieve items.

It works as you would expect. Electricians can thread the snake camera into tight spaces and look around thanks to the LED light at the top of the camera, or retrieve things with the included attachments. The camera lets you find items and check for leaks, moisture, burns or other damage or obstacles.

You can also take photos and videos of what you see and download them to your phone with the dedicated ET19 mobile app. That can help you show images to customers or keep them for your reference. Everything you look at can be seen in real time on the device's 4.3-inch monitor, so you don't necessarily need your smartphone unless you're taking pictures for future use.

Nut drivers are useful for the same reasons screwdrivers are. Many electrical service panels and boxes are held together with bolts, and a nut driver lets you get access to those systems so that you can work on them. It's not a serious enough problem to need a dedicated cordless drill and socket set, so a small pack of manual nut drivers will save space and weight. The Klein Tools 65456 Nut Driver Set should be just what the doctor ordered. It comes in sizes ranging from 1/4-inch to 9/16-inch, which should cover most, if not all, of the standard sizes.

It's a pretty simple set of nut drivers. They're color coded so you can quickly see and grab the one you need. The handles are also shaped so you can use a wrench to assist you for a tough bolt, and Klein Tools says that the forged steel shaft can handle that kind of work. They also have hollow handles, giving you the option to put an extender in there for longer reaches. 

If you're looking for something more like a socket wrench, the Klein Tools 65301KNECT Impact Socket Set is also available. It features a socket wrench and varying sockets in a handy carrying case. 

A headlamp is a pretty obvious choice for electricians, who often have to work in the dark after turning off the power. Klein Tools sells a myriad of headlamps, including the 56048 LED Headlamp. This headlamp retails for $40 on Amazon and includes a rechargeable battery and an adjustable head strap. It can also attach to hardhats and Klein Tools backpacks.

It can get up to 400 lumens, a setting it can hold for four hours on a single charge. You get 200 lumens for 12 hours and 22 hours at 100 lumens. The big selling point is its mounting hardware, and that's what separates it most from other headlamps in this price range. The head also pivots, letting you adjust the angle of the light.

If 400 lumens isn't doing it for you, the 56078 Head Lamp from Klein Tools offers up to 1,000 lumens. It also has a dial adjuster to change how the headlamp throws light, from a direct light to a flood mode that throws light over a larger area. The extra brightness and functionality cost a premium $60.

OSHA reports that thousands of people are blinded every year from work-related eye injuries that could've been prevented entirely by safety glasses or goggles. Thankfully, there are tons of great safety glasses brands, and Klein Tools is one of them. The brand sells so many different kinds of safety glasses that it's probably worth your time to just browse through them all and see which ones you like. They range from pairs that look like sunglasses, even down to having polarized lenses, to full-on goggles. They also range dramatically in price, with some going for as little as $10 and others going for $50 or even more.

Which one you should pick depends on what kind of work you do. The more dangerous it is, the more hardcore your eye protection should be, meaning something like goggles. However, if you're doing a lot of work outside and it's not terribly dangerous, a pair of safety glasses with polarized lenses may be the safest option. It really depends on your specific work environment. Regardless, you should still have them, even if you do relatively safe stuff like residential work, since drywall in the eye isn't pleasant. Ask me how I know.

Insulated tools are something specifically made for electricians. The general idea is that the screwdrivers are made in such a way that, if they come into contact with a high voltage source, the electricity won't make it to the operator. Klein Tools is famous for its insulated screwdriver sets, and they should be on any electrician's short list. They cost about $40 for a six-piece set that includes various screwdriver types for different types of work. 

Unlike some cheaper insulated tools, these screwdrivers are rated for 1,000V. They either meet or exceed IEC 60900 and ASTM F1505 standards for insulated tools, and Klein Tools says that each screwdriver has two layers of insulation for added protection against electric shock. 

Screwdrivers aren't all that Klein Tools has in its insulated tools department. For example, you can get a four-pack of additional tools that includes a side cutter, a wire cutter, a wire stripper, and needle-nose pliers. These are also insulted up to 1000V with the same standards as the screwdrivers. You should still wear additional personal protective gear even with these, just in case. 

Electricians use very specific tools for their jobs, so it didn't take a ton of effort to figure out what kinds of tools those are. From there, we used several different sources, including real electricians, to gauge what sorts of tools we should be recommending on a list like this. From there, it was easy enough to look at Klein's tool collection to see if they had these tools and then finding variations that would work best for an electrician.

In addition, all the products on this list are available on Amazon with a minimum of 100 reviews (and usually many more) and an average rating above four stars, or positive coverage in established professional publications.