Steve Hewish, Approved Electrician at Turrell (Electrical Contractors), runs the rule over some of IDEAL Industries’ top hero products.
IDEAL Gen II Lever Connectors
Given that maintenance-free connectors are an everyday use item now for electricians and even heating engineers, IDEAL industries has now introduced its own improved lever connector to rival others on the market. These Gen II levered connectors are perfect for solid cables, stranded cables, and even flexible cables. When testing the Gen 1 Ideal connectors a while ago, one thing I noted was that the levers could be cumbersome and hard to use. IDEAL has clearly taken that feedback on board and developed the Gen 2, which are so much easier to use. These are a really good value, quality option, that I’d recommend you take a look at.
IDEAL 33-866 Test-Tone-Trace VDV Kit
If, like me, you’re not prolific when it comes to tackling data installation jobs the IDEAL test-tone-trace kit is a brilliant addition to your toolkit. From new installations to fault finding, it covers all bases. I’ve used it when installing new data points and even rectifying others’ poor installation of data points. With this kit it’s almost impossible to mess up your data installation, confirming all connections are correct. If they’re not, the unit will then tell you what connections are poorly connected or cross connected. The tone kit also ensures that if your cabling is altered in any way you can find your cables in the patch panel without having to route around and find the correct cable or disconnect other cables, possibly causing bigger issues with data points.
Pro Series Large Mouth Bag 18″
If you’re one of those people that wants a good quality tool bag but don’t want to pay big bucks just because of the name of a brand, I’d recommend you consider IDEAL industries’ large mouth tool bags. For a really good price, you can get a tough built tool bag that can store almost everything you could need for a busy day. I’ve been using this particular tool bag as my ‘grab’ bag for a few months now, fitting all my basic hand tools, combi drill and impact driver and a small screw tray within. With 26 pockets it is simple to organise various tools for easy accessibility, and also comes with a tape measure clip and a tape chain to keep a few roles of tape within easy reach. I’ve mostly been using it with the handles but it also comes with a shoulder strap for easy carrying. The way in which it is designed means that once you open it everything is there ready to grab, which makes it the perfect bag for apprentices through to time-served electricians.
Get more details about the full IDEAL Industries range of products here
