Survey reveals electricians' tool purchasing decisions

Illinois-based hand tool company Klein Tools released recently its 'State of the Industry' survey that revealed electricians' criteria in choosing tools, what shops they patronize and how they came across different products.

In purchasing a tool, 87 percent of electricians consider durability and a high level of performance as very important factors. Twenty percent placed performance as the most important criterion, while 12 percent said durability was the primary factor. In addition, almost one-half or 49 percent regard Klein Tools as the preferred brand in terms of quality, surpassing the next brand in line, which was chosen by only 15 percent of the respondents.

Around 64 percent of electricians buy their hand tools from Home Depot, while 56 percent purchase theirs at electrical supply houses. One-third of the electricians surveyed get hand tools at industrial supply houses, and those with more than 20 years of experience are more likely to shop at such at 44 percent while those with less than 10 years of experience at 18 percent.

Fifty-five percent of electricians learn about new hand tools from colleagues. In terms of recommendations, union members, at 28 percent, are more likely to buy tools due to a coworker than nonmembers at 13 percent.

The study was conducted on about 200 online respondents from January 20 to 26 2015 by independent survey research firm Russell Research. Forty percent of the survey participants were union members.