Essential Tools for Building
High-quality Solar Power System's
Do not buy cheap tools. You will thank yourself for years, and building a system will be MUCH EASIER.
(I make a commission for purchases made through the links below)
(I make a commission for purchases made through the links below)
Cable Cutters
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Cable Cutters
Everyone needs these cutters. These are incredible. I use them every day. Required for every size system. Cuts any wire up to 1/0 cables. I do not use the strippers on these. These are good for cutting only. Click here to purchase |
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Ratchet Cable Cutter
If you need to cut 2/0 or 4/0 cables a lot, use one of these. Most of the large heavy duty ones do not cut large cables unless you use a lot of force. This one can slowly ratchet through any size cable with ease. Really great tool. Click Here to Purchase |
Wire Strippers
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Precision Wire Stripper
Highest quality stripper I have owned. If you want to do a perfect job, use this. Great for solid and stranded wires. Perfect strip, every time. 10-22 gauge wire Click Here to Purchase |
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Small/multiple/odd wire strippers
Not as good as the strippers above, but great for odd ball wires. Also great for 6 AWG that do not fix into the strippers above, but too small to fit in the cable stripper below. Click Here to Purchase |
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Large Gauge Cable Stripper
Remove insulation on all large gauge wires up to 4/0 gauge! Lots of low quality strippers available. Avoid them and get this one. Dial works nicely and gives a perfect strip every time. Click Here to Purchase |
Small Wire Crimpers
(22-6 AWG)
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Work Horse Crimpers
My current favorite. The indentation and leverage is great. I can crimp up to 6 gauge, but I would not crimp anything under 16 gauge with them. Use the crimpers below for small wires. Click Here to Purchase |
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Manual Crimper for Extremely Small Connectors
For non-standard/non-insulated or waterproof jackets, use these. These are my go to manual crimpers for small wires under 12 AWG. Click Here to Purchase |
Large Wire Crimpers
(6-4/0 AWG)
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Good ol' Fashion Hammer Type Crimper
Can crimp up to 4/0 gauge wire and it works great! This is the lowest quality large crimping tool available, but will give you a perfect crimp everytime. Click Here to purchase |
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Industrial High Leverage Crimper
My absolute favorite! Takes minimal effort to crimp large lugs. The crimps are not as beautiful as the hydraulic crimper below, but they are solid. Update: Absolutely love this tool! I have it on my workshop desk 24/7. Click Here to purchase |
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Hydraulic Crimper
This will give you the prettiest and strongest crimp around. The only downside is changing out the dies, and the hydraulic system can leak over time. They can also break if you crimp large lugs for a few years. Very time-consuming versus the high leverage tool above. If you are perfectionist and have lots of free time, get this. Click here to purchase |
Torque Wrenches and Screwdrivers for
Electrical Terminals
If you are working with DC or AC electronics, you need a torque wrench AND screwdriver. There are lots of budget options on the market today, but it is crucial to tighten copper and aluminum to the proper torque spec. If not, the connection will loosen with time and can cause a fire. I have a lot of torque wrenches and screw drivers, these are my favorites:
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Most terminals are rated in Nm or In Lbs. This torque wrench is perfect for this application. The quality is fantastic for the price and I love it.
Click Here to Purchase |
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There are a lot of these available, but this is the original. Best bang for your buck and I still use mine a lot. Easy to adjust and just works. The head holds on to bits nicely and if you need extra torque, the included attachment helps a ton.
For the money, you cannot beat this one. If you go cheaper than this, you may regret it. Click Here to Purchase |
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Want to spend some money? This is the fluke of torque screwdrivers. Made in germany and a perfect tool. No better than the one above it in my experience, but the bits and locking mechanism are fantastic. It is designed to work with electrical connections, and once you have it, you will reach for it more than the others. Solid device.
Click Here to Purchase If you want these high quality german made bits without the torque screwdriver, click here for their standard kit |
Heat Shrink and Heat Gun
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High quality heat shrink
with Adhesive Protect large and small terminal connector joints with heat shrink. Simply slip some on and heat it up with a heat gun. Use marine grade heat shrink only! The adhesive inside is fantastic for offgrid system connections. Click Here |
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My Favorite Budget Voltage/Clamp meter
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This is the cheapest clamp meter that can do inrush current. Never had an issue and it gives me the same results as my $800 meter. If you do not want to spend a lot of money, this is the way to go.
Click Here to Purchase |
If you want to spend some money, get Fluke
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This is what I use every day. They are super expensive, but dang do they work! Most engineers and electricians that have a fluke will run them for 20+ years. I have dropped mine and use it daily, never had an issue.
The reason I bought a fluke is for doing inrush and graphing current readings on a graph for my videos. Instead of setting up a whole system with a shunt and recording and graphing everything out, I can just clamp this on a wire and instantly know what is going on. It has been a god send. If all you need is a basic DC clamp meter, they have this model: Click Here to Purchase If you want what I use every single day, this is what I use: Click Here to Purchase |
Thermal Imaging
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I use these everyday. Might be overkill for a solar system, but once you have one, you will use it often for hvac, automotive, insulating a house and so much more!
Once you finish building a system, you can easily check all the connections in seconds. I was using a klein thermal camera for some years, but this one is superior! Works so well and the pixel density is amazing. Click Here to Purchase |
Soldering Iron
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Cheap Adjustable Power supply
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I have not been able to kill this PSU. It is great for charging lithium ion batteries w/ bms. Just ensure the output voltage is set before you connect a battery.
If you want to spend more, expect to spend $400+. This one works great for manually charging individual lithium cells, and higher voltage batteries. Click here for a cheap price |
Other Tools that you probably need
My dad and I have broken a lot of tools over the years. Milwaukee are the only ones that hold up. I highly suggest spending the extra money and sticking to the fuel series milwaukee. It will save you money in the long run.
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My favorite small impact gun. If you do not have it, buy it. You will use it everyday
Click Here for a cheap price |
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The best cordless jigsaw around. I bought some other ones, and they always break/loosen after a few jobs. This one lasts for ages, and it's at a good price!
I use it to cut various plywood for mounting components, and even 2x4's daily. I even use it to trim branches on the trees in my backyard. I love this thing. Click here for a cheap price |
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Cut through walls, pipes, wires and anything you wish. Great tool. You can also open up battery cases and see what's inside, and how badly you got ripped off by an unknown seller on aliexpress.
This is what I used to cut batteries open quickly. Click Here for a cheap price |