# wiha screwdriver conductivity



## unLucky17 (Mar 6, 2009)

i have the wiha screwdrivers with the striking cap on the end (http://www.wihatools.com/500seri/533serie.htm) and i could have sworn that i zapped myself holding the grip part when i had the tip touching a live screw on a switch. was i imagining things or do they actually conduct? ive tried to look up the schematics for them but if it's true that would seem like a horrible design. being that i dropped some hefty dollars on them because of what i read on this site it seems like kinda funny no? i know they are the top of the line wiha has and other than that they are great and i would reccommend them to anyone and i will definently buy more wiha products. thanks for the help


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## w3st (Feb 3, 2009)

But they're not insulated? I know how techs can use non insulated drivers for live work but if they're not insulated you're really just taking a chance.


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## unLucky17 (Mar 6, 2009)

i felt it at the cap though, my hand was no where near the shaft of the screwdriver. if it weren't metal i wouldn't have felt anything. that's why i asked if its like one whole solid piece of steel all the way to the top or or i imagining it


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## w3st (Feb 3, 2009)

Its a strong possibility that its a full shank to the striking section. I definitely wouldnt try using them on anything live again. I've got all wiha sd's and I keep 2 complete sets, 1 insulated and 1 uninsulated. I try not to use the insulated unless it IS live; since I dont want to damage the insulation.


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## unLucky17 (Mar 6, 2009)

yeah i planned on getting the insulated ones too. good call.


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## gilbequick (Oct 6, 2007)

Straight from the description on the page: "Through Hardened CRM-72 Tool Steel Blade". 

It's a solid shaft straight to the striking cap......they're not insulated.


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## KayJay (Jan 20, 2008)

unLucky17 said:


> i have the wiha screwdrivers with the striking cap on the end (http://www.wihatools.com/500seri/533serie.htm) and i could have sworn that i zapped myself holding the grip part when i had the tip touching a live screw on a switch. was i imagining things or do they actually conduct? ive tried to look up the schematics for them but if it's true that would seem like a horrible design. being that i dropped some hefty dollars on them because of what i read on this site it seems like kinda funny no? i know they are the top of the line wiha has and other than that they are great and i would reccommend them to anyone and i will definently buy more wiha products. thanks for the help


If they put the steel cap on them for striking, it makes sense that they probably press it on the end of the shank to give it added strength.
Connect an ohmmeter to the shank and the cap and see what happens.


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## Frasbee (Apr 7, 2008)

I can see how you may have overlooked that, but I think you were being stupid by having _anything_ metal touching your skin when working on something hot.

Unlike yours, I have Stanley's demo drivers, but the handles are clear yellow plastic, so I can clearly see that the shaft is part of the striking cap.

I know yours isn't clear, but I'm still shaking my head right now...


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## paulcanada (Feb 6, 2009)

i am sure i saw a picture of those screwdrivers showing that the cap is the tip of a shaft that runs right through the screwdriver. it might have been on a resellers website and after seeing that i thought id avoid that design.

...ohm it out?

paul.


edit: i took to long trying to find the picture and then 5 guys had allready posted. sorry!


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## Lz_69 (Nov 1, 2007)

I picked up one of the extra heavy duty screwdrivers just for rough stuff and they do conduct.


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## iaov (Apr 14, 2008)

You don't get to be an old electrician by touching metal stuff attached to live circuits. Even the idea scares me.:001_huh:


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## randas (Dec 14, 2008)

Your an electrician, take your meter and check


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## unLucky17 (Mar 6, 2009)

first off im an apprentice and in school so im not all knowing and yes i make the occasional dumbass mistake. secondly i was in school when i did it. better learn there instead of the field. it was only a switch so nothing so terrible was going to happen. everyone gets zapped sometime, its just how badly u do when it happens. so i take it as a learning experience. pain never really bothered me just kinda surprised me thats all. and i just wanted to make sure. i dont have a meter or i would have checked by myself. descriptions and how its actually made could possibly differ too. i dont ever trust any description from a company so thats why i asked guys who would have used them instead. but thanks for letting me know how stupid i was cause i would have never been able to come to that conclusion myself


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## 5volts (Jan 11, 2008)

unLucky17 said:


> *i dont have a meter or i would have checked by myself*. descriptions and how its actually made could possibly differ too. i dont ever trust any description from a company so thats why i asked guys who would have used them instead. but thanks for letting me know how stupid i was cause i would have never been able to come to that conclusion myself


1. first off all you should quit doing electrical untill you get a meter. 




> *it was only a switch so nothing so terrible was going to happen*. everyone gets zapped sometime, its just how badly u do when it happens. so i take it as a learning experience. pain never really bothered me just kinda surprised me thats all. and i just wanted to make sure.


120V kills more people than any other voltage because thats what most people come in contact with.

Even a shock as low as 30V AC for 1 second can cause a persons heart to go into Ventricular fibrillation, prevents the blood from circulating through the brain.


Once, you get a meter as KayJay suggested put a ohmeter to the screwdriver. Pure continuity? 

As a Electrician personally I don't use any tools that have any metal that are part of the handles, grips. Just looking at thoose FATMAX EXTREME screwdrivers make me cringe. I use A Beater SD with a Insulated handle. I guess I'm old school, I don't wear my wedding ring to work either.

http://www.electriciantalk.com/f10/wedding-rings-3000/


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## unLucky17 (Mar 6, 2009)

im not going to stop doing work because i don't have a meter. when i get the money for one ill get it. i understand the importance of it. and i know just about any electrical current that one receives can kill. in theory u can probably get killed by static electricity. i understand that i should respect electricity and i do, it just didnt even dawn on me until it happened. but i know all of you would have seen it even in your early days of apprenticeship. i come from a college background so all of this construction stuff is new to me. ive never set foot on a construction site until this year so everything that happens is a learning experience. im learning everything on the fly and i like it that way. theory and practice are totally different and that was one of my biggest hurdles. i try to learn from people with the experience but with responses like the ones i received it now reinforces the fact that its going to take me longer to learn the trade then i thought it would


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## 5volts (Jan 11, 2008)

unLucky17 said:


> im not going to stop doing work because i don't have a meter.


O.K. Stay safe kid.


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## unLucky17 (Mar 6, 2009)

apparently u don't think before u post. might, by the slight off chance, someone else im working with have a meter? and might that person let me borrow that meter? i already said i was a dumbass for not turning off my circuit, im quite aware of that fact. but i also said i learned my lesson. i have a fluke meter that lets me know if there is a current in the wire (http://us.fluke.com/usen/products/Fluke+1ACII+VoltAlert.htm?catalog_name=FlukeUnitedStates&category=ELT(FlukeProducts)) in working on. so ill know if its live, i don't need a volt meter or continuity tester (http://www.emsco-usa.com/fluke/t3.htm) , whichever its called, for testing if its live however i do need one to test my screwdriver and that's what i didn't have. 2 different meters for 2 different things. and yes im quite aware that electricity can mess up my day, but your stupid picture and your patronage is unnecessary. maybe you forgot your humble beginnings but that's where i am right now. so your attitude and quasi sarcasm can be left at the door. i don't remember being up your ass so get out of mine


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## gilbequick (Oct 6, 2007)

Unlucky, the guys here just want you to be safe, sometimes it comes across in a harsh way because your safety is important. 

That link you posted to the "meter" you have IS NOT A METER. DO NOT RELY ON THAT THING to tell you if a wire is hot. It's a good indicator and a very handy tool to have but don't rely on it to make you're going home at the end of the day.


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## Frasbee (Apr 7, 2008)

For the record, I said you were _being_ stupid.

I didn't call _you_ stupid, because I'm well aware that everyone does make dumb mistakes.

I for instance, within my first 3 months, unaware that someone flipped on the breaker, grabbed a receptacle on both the hot and neutral screws completing the circuit. I was lucky all I felt was a little tingling in my hand so I let go. This took me about 5 seconds to realize which is a long time when it comes to electricity. Had I been grounded this may have been a different story.


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## paulcanada (Feb 6, 2009)

i am just an apprentice too. but in canada we dont have programs to goto before starting the trade. its just a couple months for school per year for 4 years with the last one being 3 months. and i think really jumping right into the field is a huge change and your right someone probably would said lets "ohm it out" and it'd be no big deal and you move on and laugh about it later. but really in the field or jobsite or wherever, and i mean this as a heads up, you are going to have to get a thicker skin. for me thats the biggest difference from times in school to times at work. and its not a bad thing really. you'll like your job more and do better if you let stuff like this roll off your back.

paul.


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## unLucky17 (Mar 6, 2009)

my school is only a year long. if someone gets into the union hall do they do simultaneous field work and schooling together. but if ur not unionized ur on ur own to learn certain things. im not particularly found of unions so i didnt join one. no biggie, just my learning curve with some stuff will be slower. believe me, my friends at school let me have it and i had no trouble at all about it. they said metal+hand+electricity=dead, flying screwdriver + eye=pirate and other equally amusing mathematical equations to let me know how stupid i was. im not denying my stupidity, i've even mentioned it a few times. what i did mind was practically everyone telling me that i was stupid, no one answered the question and people jumping down my throat. im new but not ********, if i had the mater that would check continuity i would have checked myself. but ive also learned that getting others opinions and knowledge, especially in construction, is just as useful as first hand knowledge, especially in my situation. plus id rather take people who use the tools opinions then what the company is telling me, because, by nature, they are out to sell stuff and don't really care how they do it. so thanks for the help for the people who actually helped. ive got a long way to go and hopefully ill get there with all my appendages and eyes still working as intended


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## randomkiller (Sep 28, 2007)

Well as for the use of those screwdrivers and the fact that they have thru the handle metal shafts, so what? I have had one as a beater for a while and love them, BUT who uses a beater on live work? You need to be smarter than the tools your using.


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## randomkiller (Sep 28, 2007)

unLucky17 said:


> my school is only a year long. if someone gets into the union hall do they do simultaneous field work and schooling together. but if ur not unionized ur on ur own to learn certain things. im not particularly found of unions so i didnt join one. no biggie, just my learning curve with some stuff will be slower. believe me, my friends at school let me have it and i had no trouble at all about it. they said metal+hand+electricity=dead, flying screwdriver + eye=pirate and other equally amusing mathematical equations to let me know how stupid i was. im not denying my stupidity, i've even mentioned it a few times. what i did mind was practically everyone telling me that i was stupid, no one answered the question and people jumping down my throat. im new but not ********, if i had the mater that would check continuity i would have checked myself. but ive also learned that getting others opinions and knowledge, especially in construction, is just as useful as first hand knowledge, especially in my situation. plus id rather take people who use the tools opinions then what the company is telling me, because, by nature, they are out to sell stuff and don't really care how they do it. so thanks for the help for the people who actually helped. ive got a long way to go and hopefully ill get there with all my appendages and eyes still working as intended


unlucky17
As for you young man, if you didn't have a meter I'm sure you could have found a magnet someplace and if it had a magnet on one end and was magnetic on the other, you would know it was metal all the way thru.
As an apprentice, you shouldn't be working on live circuits period. Tick tracers are not good enough to bet your life on either, use a meter, borrow it if you have to but use it. Johnstone supply has a clamp on meter on sale for the month for $29, pick one up and make it to be unlucky18.


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## Frasbee (Apr 7, 2008)

I've been working on live circuits since...well as you can see the first 3 months of doing this work.

I've worked on hot circuits, as well as hot panels, bringing in and landing breakers and circuits. It's just a matter of being properly instructed. While I wasn't always supervised, I knew enough of what not to do, and what not to touch. If I was every that uncomfortable doing it, I simply wouldn't do it.


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## randomkiller (Sep 28, 2007)

Frasbee said:


> I've been working on live circuits since...well as you can see the first 3 months of doing this work.
> 
> I've worked on hot circuits, as well as hot panels, bringing in and landing breakers and circuits. It's just a matter of being properly instructed. While I wasn't always supervised, I knew enough of what not to do, and what not to touch. If I was every that uncomfortable doing it, I simply wouldn't do it.


 
Other than troubleshooting a problem there really isn't many good reasons to work on live circuity. And my personal and company policy is apprentices don't do live work.


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## Frasbee (Apr 7, 2008)

randomkiller said:


> Other than troubleshooting a problem there really isn't many good reasons to work on live circuity. And my personal and company policy is apprentices don't do live work.


I don't think the fat cats want us in there either, due to liability, but I try to get in there when I can. Most of the foreman are accommodating.


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## 5volts (Jan 11, 2008)

unLucky17 said:


> apparently u don't think before u post. might, by the slight off chance, someone else im working with have a meter? and might that person let me borrow that meter?


No that didn't, because he that other person is a freaking MORON for allowing you the DUNMBASS to work on circuits that are hot. 



unLucky17 said:


> what i did mind was practically everyone telling me that i was stupid, no one answered the question and people jumping down my throat. im new but not ********, if i had the mater that would check continuity i would have checked myself.


They were actually being pretty kind, mentally challenged would have been the proper terminology.



randomkiller said:


> Well as for the use of those screwdrivers and the fact that they have thru the handle metal shafts, so what? I have had one as a beater for a while and love them


No problem with me that YOU have one BUBBA. I just said they make me cringe and I would never use one. Some guys I know remove the springs from their wire strippers. BIG KLEIN beater SD works fine for me.:thumbsup:



randomkiller said:


> BUT who uses a beater on live work?


A DUMBASS like unLucky17.



randomkiller said:


> You need to be smarter than the tools your using


I bet your as smart as a aluminum ladder.


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## randomkiller (Sep 28, 2007)

p_logix said:


> I bet your as smart as a aluminum ladder.


 

F U J O


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## wptski (Jun 30, 2008)

Nowhere in that product description does it refer to anything about a striking cap! General handtool safety is you don't hammer on a screwdriver, they aren't designed for that. There are other tools designed for just that.


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## randomkiller (Sep 28, 2007)

wptski said:


> Nowhere in that product description does it refer to anything about a striking cap! General handtool safety is you don't hammer on a screwdriver, they aren't designed for that. There are other tools designed for just that.


 
If you are referring to the Fat Max demo drivers, it says strike cap and striking screwdriver several places on the front of the package. That is exactly what they are designed for.


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## TOOL_5150 (Aug 27, 2007)

randomkiller said:


> F U J O


For once, I agree with you.


~Matt


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## unLucky17 (Mar 6, 2009)

so apparently no one likes you p logix. you know why that is? because you're a stupid **** that's why. your first point on your latest response doesn't even make sense. the appropriate usage of commas would have made it bearable at best. and if your going to use capitals to call someone a DUMBASS at least spell it right. i know you probably didnt pass high school, but seriously use spell check. i didnt know those screwdrivers were considered beaters, because that wasnt in the description. so i thought they were just heavy duty screwdrivers that i could strike and not break in half in cold weather.(like i said im new and it didnt even dawn on me) and how the **** am i going to learn how to work on live stuff if i never do it? is this knowledge bestowed upon me magically when i become a journeyman? because last time i checked you learned trades through doing not through being a ***** and hiding from something. if you have never gotten zapped before either your full of ****, lucky as **** or a big vagina who runs away when something scary pops up. sometimes it has to be done and it isnt going to fix itself. better to learn on low voltage and amps then higher ones for obvious reasons. go ahead and ask all the old timers how they used to check if things were live. i bet they didnt bust out their mini computer science lab of gadgets like it seems u do. 

so none of the times i said that i said i didnt realize/remember it was live, didnt realize my screwdrivers were one piece of steel or i was trained to think for academics not trade work made you think that continuing to try to be cool and try to make fun of me on the internet actually makes u look like an asshole. while im at it, for all of your "wisdom" and "maturity" accompanied by ur older age, you use way too many smilies. you know who uses smilies? teenage girls do. hope you feel good about that you ****ing douche. why dont you do us all a favor and fall off "AN" aluminum ladder, you know, the one that's apparently smarter than me but only out scores you on english tests


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## TOOL_5150 (Aug 27, 2007)

come on fellas... this is supposed to be a professional forum. 

~Matt


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## mattsilkwood (Sep 21, 2008)

unlucky, first off everybody does stupid stuff from time to time so dont feel too bad. you really do need to get a meter, you dont have to get an expensive one, they make some decent ones in the 30 to 40 dollar range. then USE IT every time. dont trust that hot stick, 90% of the time they wont lie but all it takes is one time and your dead.
as for that pic that was posted, thats far from stupid, that was a pretty mild one. do a search for arc flash and electrical burns.

lastly as a first year you should not be working live period.


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## wptski (Jun 30, 2008)

randomkiller said:


> If you are referring to the Fat Max demo drivers, it says strike cap and striking screwdriver several places on the front of the package. That is exactly what they are designed for.


Nope, I'm refering to the link in Post #1 by the OP. A screwdriver made or used for striking won't be much of a screwdriver after using it like that.


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## paul d. (Jul 13, 2008)

my big klein flat blade srewdriver is mainly a beater now that most screws we use are the combo straight /phillips type. phillips tip in the battery drill does a lot of screwing.


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## 5volts (Jan 11, 2008)

unLucky17 said:


> and if your going to use capitals to call someone a DUMBASS at least spell it right.





> first off im an apprentice and in school so im not all knowing and yes i make the occasional *dumbass* mistake.





> i already said i was a *dumbass* for not turning off my circuit, im quite aware of that fact. but i also said i learned my lesson. i have a fluke meter that lets me know if there is a current in the wire





unLucky17 said:


> because last time i checked you learned trades through doing not through being a ***** and hiding from something. if you have never gotten zapped before either your full of ****, lucky as **** or a big vagina who runs away when something scary pops up. sometimes it has to be done and it isnt going to fix itself. better to learn on low voltage and amps then higher ones for obvious reasons.


Apparently not once your pea brain swells up and you realize that gainning experience is not by working on hot circuits. But rather by testing with a meter. Not someone elses YOU'RE own and shutting off the circuit if at all possible.




unLucky17 said:


> *go ahead and ask all the old timers how they used to check if things were live*


I will thanks.



unLucky17 said:


> i bet they didnt bust out their mini computer science lab of
> gadgets like it seems u do.


I guess I'll take this as a compliment.



unLucky17 said:


> so none of the times i said that i said i didnt realize/remember it was live, didnt realize my screwdrivers were one piece of steel or i was trained to think for academics not trade work made you think that continuing to try to be cool and try to make fun of me on the internet actually makes u look like an asshole. while im at it, for all of your "wisdom" and "maturity" accompanied by ur older age, you use way *too many smilies*.teenage girls do.


 





> _F U J O_
> For once, I agree with you.
> ~Matt





TOOL_5150 said:


> come on fellas... this is supposed to be a professional forum.


F U J O


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## randomkiller (Sep 28, 2007)

wptski said:


> Nope, I'm refering to the link in Post #1 by the OP. A screwdriver made or used for striking won't be much of a screwdriver after using it like that.


 
Well I have been pounding on the one I have with lineman's and a hammer for several weeks now and it looks pretty unscathed.


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## wptski (Jun 30, 2008)

randomkiller said:


> Well I have been pounding on the one I have with lineman's and a hammer for several weeks now and it looks pretty unscathed.


Not sure why they call the Fat Max you speak of a screwdriver? Looks more like a pry bar with a handle! Does the package suggest wearing safety glasses too?


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## TOOL_5150 (Aug 27, 2007)

p_logix said:


> F U J O



You're funny! :laughing:


~Matt


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## Frasbee (Apr 7, 2008)

wptski said:


> Not sure why they call the Fat Max you speak of a screwdriver? Looks more like a pry bar with a handle! Does the package suggest wearing safety glasses too?


I think it does actually.

They work pretty well.

I don't even use the philips, but the flathead works well enough for large stuff, though I have my large keystone kleins for doing actual electrical work.

However, I don't think they're made as well as they could be, my flathead is already getting knicks and dents on the tip, and I had a chrome valadium screwdriver that wore down a lot slower than this.


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## gilbequick (Oct 6, 2007)

wptski said:


> Nowhere in that product description does it refer to anything about a striking cap! General handtool safety is you don't hammer on a screwdriver, they aren't designed for that. There are other tools designed for just that.



Again, from the product description page:

"Steel Cap"
"Through Hardened CRM-72 Tool Steel Blades"

So, it's got a steel cap with a steel blade that runs ALL THE WAY THROUGH the tool.....call it what you want but a steel cap with a steel blade that runs end to end is a striking cap with a chisel on the end.


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## wptski (Jun 30, 2008)

gilbequick said:


> Again, from the product description page:
> 
> "Steel Cap"
> "Through Hardened CRM-72 Tool Steel Blades"
> ...


What, you think that screwdrivers aren't hardened?? The Fat Max mentioned above calls it a striking cap but that one doesn't!

If the cap is connected to the blade as it seems, no electrician should carry one as your just asking for trouble. Just like one with a wooden handle should never be used either. Just like, why do they have insulated screwdrivers when your never supposed to work on energized circuits??


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## Shado (Jan 1, 2009)

unLucky17...

......as others have stated, mistakes happen, as long as you lived through it and have learned something from it, and won't repeat the same mistake....:thumbsup:

Now...as far as smileys go....I like them and use them alot also, whether to stress a point,   or lighten up the subject, :whistling2:etc....I am approaching a half century in age and GURANTEE I am not a teenage girl ( I am Biker Trash and proud of it!!! ). I have alot of milage under my feet, most good and some bad, just as others here have also. 

I am disappointed in all the name calling as it does not reflect your higher education that you stated you were trained in. As 5150 said, this is supposed to be a professional forum, we are here to share and learn from each other. Respect must come from all sides.

I am also disappointed in those that are bashing you, since they seem to have missed the fact that in post 13, I think, you said that all this happened in class. I feel that most of the blame falls on your instructor for not assessing your tools, allowing you to work on live circuits, and providing proper meters to educate you with. This sounds as if this is your 1st year in the rodeo, you will make many more mistakes in the years to come, as you know. With this lesson behind you, I hope you have changed they way you think, and will see things more mechanically minded as opposed to educatively.

You will also have to understand that when you post here for whatever reasons, the training, knowledge, experience from others responses will be based on:
1 - Those who attended a formal apprenticeship where everything was drilled into them, strict work policies, protocols, etc...
2 - Those who went a more free or lax way, and started doing it all from day one (yours truely included :thumbsup
3 - Those who were a mix of the two above.....
None of the above are right or wrong, better or worse. They each have their great points and piss poor ones. The decision for which path to follow is strictly for ones self to decide. Everyones mileage will differ.


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## randomkiller (Sep 28, 2007)

wptski said:


> Not sure why they call the Fat Max you speak of a screwdriver? Looks more like a pry bar with a handle! Does the package suggest wearing safety glasses too?


 
Yes it does, always wear your safety glasses.


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## 76nemo (Aug 13, 2008)

TOOL_5150 said:


> come on fellas... this is supposed to be a professional forum.
> 
> ~Matt


 

I fully agree Matt. Why don't you close this Pete/Marc?


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## unLucky17 (Mar 6, 2009)

higher education never taught us how to not spaz or anything like that. just because i have an education doesn't mean i don't get annoyed that whole forums of "adults" gang up on apprentices. and from what I've heard on the job "professional talk" is saved for when the suits come on the site, sometimes. if they can dish the insults and not take them that's their fault. i didnt start attacking anyone. anywhos i got my answer so if they wanna lock it thats fine, i have no probs with it at all


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## BP_redbear (Jun 22, 2008)

unLucky17 said:


> i have the wiha screwdrivers with the striking cap on the end (http://www.wihatools.com/500seri/533serie.htm) and i could have sworn that i zapped myself holding the grip part when i had the tip touching a live screw on a switch. was i imagining things or do they actually conduct? ive tried to look up the schematics for them but if it's true that would seem like a horrible design. being that i dropped some hefty dollars on them because of what i read on this site it seems like kinda funny no? i know they are the top of the line wiha has and other than that they are great and i would reccommend them to anyone and i will definently buy more wiha products. thanks for the help


I am also an apprentice (first year, although I have formal electrical training and field experience).

I have a set of these Extra Heavy Duty screwdrivers by WiHa.
(Left over from my plant maintenance/maintenance electrician days).

Either on the website or in their print catalog, WiHa had a cutaway view of this style screwdriver showing the shank extending all the way up into the cap. I can assure you that they do.

Generally what I use them for now, as an electrician, is install, assembly, and mechanical work. You know, EMT fitting set screws, anything that requires a screwdriver where a power driver cannot be used or won't fit, tapping on a conduit locknut by using lineman pliers to hit the striking cap while holding the tip of the SD against the locknut tab, etc. 

The striking caps work good to hit with as well as for being hit. If ANY screwdriver can take a beating, it is these bad boys from WiHa. 
Any screwdriver will eventually dull, and I do keep a punch in my tool bag for when something really needs to be driven in or out. Wiha screwdrivers will stay sharp longer than any other screwdriver on the market (unless another German maker works steel just as well).

Anyway, back to the point... I also have a set of WiHa's Insulated screwdrivers that I use when installing and working on devices, panels, inside J-boxes, etc. 

Even in a class environment, instructors can lose track of who is doing what, depending on the size of the class. However, it would also seem that proper procedure should also be taught when doing the work you describe:

1. Turn the circuit off.
2. Lock and Tag it out.
3. Verify that the circuit is de-energized.
4. Then work on the switch.
If the circuit is re-energized for a portion of a lab exercize, and then has to be worked on again, steps 1 through 4 should be repeated.
This should be drilled into the students by the instructor.

DO NOT use these screwdrivers for anything that even MAY be energized.


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## BP_redbear (Jun 22, 2008)

gilbequick said:


> Again, from the product description page:
> 
> "Steel Cap"
> "Through Hardened CRM-72 Tool Steel Blades"
> ...


'Through Hardened' refers to the fact that the steel is hardened throughout. (Meaning the entire shaft, not just the driver tip).

It has nothing to do with the coincidence that this particular model (530 series)of screwdriver has the shank extending all the way THROUGH the handle up into the cap. Wiha's 308 series screwdrivers are identical ECXEPT that they do not have the steel cap, and the shank does not extend all the way. (The specs on the 308 series also says 'Through Hardened').

When I say the 530 and 308 WiHa series' are identical except... (see above), I should say SIMILAR, in that they both have the hex shanks and hex bolster at the top of the shank.
308 Heavy Duty
530 Extra Heavy Duty

If I had to buy another set now, it would likely be a set of the 308s, for the durability, without the caps and the extended-through shank.
However, I will probably always have a 10mm and a 8mm straight-blade 530-series Extra HD with the steel caps as beaters, because they continue to stay sharp and drive screws for a long time.
Their insulated SDs are made of quality steel also, but are a bit smaller (in diameter, to accomodate the insulation without being too fat overall), so they can tend to twist a bit under severe torque. 
Don't misinterpret me, I have yet to ruin even an insulated WiHa screwdriver, although I DO NOT beat on, pry with, scrape with, or otherwise abuse my insulated tools. (They are there to save my life. That is what the insulation is designed to do).

Disclaimer:
I am not a WiHa hairclub member. I am only a client.


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## Tuckahoe Sparkplug (Oct 3, 2008)

Frasbee said:


> Unlike yours, I have Stanley's....


I haven't bought a Stanley tool in years since I read they moved their corporate headquarters off shore (Bahamas I think) to avoid paying taxes.


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