Tools & gear
What to buy, what to skip, and what to ask your boss for first. Budget, good and premium picks for every list.
First-year electrical apprentice tool list
Start with a basic insulated hand tool kit: screwdrivers, side cutters, pliers, wire strippers, a tape measure, a torch and steel-cap boots. Hold off on multimeters and testers until your employer tells you to buy one, and remember your boss must supply PPE free of charge under WHS law. Keep every receipt: tools are tax deductible, and WA apprentices can claim up to $1,000 back through the Construction Training Fund.
Read →First-year plumbing apprentice tool list
A first year plumbing apprentice needs a basic hand tool kit: tape measure, hacksaw, PVC cutters, multigrips, pipe wrenches, levels, files, screwdrivers and a hammer, plus the right PPE. Before you spend big, know two things: the Plumbing Award says your employer must reimburse you or pay a weekly tool allowance (currently $22.96, built into apprentice rates as a percentage) if they require you to supply tools, and required PPE on site is the employer's responsibility under WHS law. State rebates like WA's $2,000 Apprentice Tool Allowance can cover most of the rest.
Read →First-year carpentry apprentice tool list
A first year carpentry apprentice needs a core hand tool kit covering measuring, marking, cutting and fixing: tape measure, pencil and chalk line, speed square, hammer, chisels, handsaw, utility knife and a nail bag that fits. Before any of that matters you need a white card, the legal construction induction that lets you set foot on site. Budget roughly $400 to $800 for the starter kit, keep every receipt, and check your state's tool rebate scheme before you spend a cent of your own.
Read →Best work boots for apprentices
Buy boots certified to AS 2210.3 (the Australian safety footwear standard), in the class your trade needs, and get the fit right before you worry about brand. Before you spend a cent, check your award: under the Building and Construction On-site Award your employer must reimburse steel-cap boots when you start and replace them every 6 months, and if you do buy your own they are tax deductible.
Read →Best tool bags for apprentices
Match the bag to your trade and your sites, not the shelf display: chippies live out of a belt and just need a transport bag, sparkies want a backpack or closed bag for ladder work, and plumbers need an open tote that copes with wet, filthy gear. Buy tough and simple for year one, keep the receipt, and check your state's tool rebate before you spend a cent of your own.
Read →Milwaukee vs Makita vs DeWalt for apprentices
There is no single best brand out of Milwaukee, Makita and DeWalt: all three are genuine trade grade. For an apprentice the real decisions are whether you even need a cordless platform yet (most bosses supply power tools early on), which battery platform your crew already runs, and how you pay for it, because state tool rebates, award allowances and tax deductions can cover a big slice of a kit.
Read →What tools NOT to buy yet
Hold off on test instruments, big cordless combo kits, ladders and specialty gear until you know what your employer supplies and what your trade actually expects. The list is different for every trade: a first year carpenter usually does need a solid hand tool kit early, a mechanic builds a kit gradually over four years, and an electrical apprentice should not be buying test gear at all yet. Ask before you spend, because a lot of it is supplied, covered by an allowance, or claimable.
Read →How much should you budget for tools?
If you're directly employed in residential or small-business work, budget roughly $1,500 to $4,000 across your first year, spread out rather than spent in week one. On a commercial EBA site or through a Group Training Organisation you'll often spend far less, because the employer or GTO supplies most gear beyond basic hand tools. Whatever you spend, keep every receipt from day one: most of it comes back through allowances, state rebates and tax deductions.
Read →First-year HVAC and refrigeration apprentice tool list
In year one you mainly need good PPE, a solid set of hand tools, and a few pipework tools like a tube cutter and flaring set. The boss usually supplies the expensive gear (vacuum pump, gauges, recovery machine, brazing kit) while you build your own kit slowly. If you supply your own tools you get the full tool allowance under the Electrical, Electronic and Communications Contracting Award, and the tools you buy can be claimed back at tax time.
Read →First-year automotive apprentice tool list
In year one you buy the everyday hand tools you use daily: sockets and spanners in metric, screwdrivers, pliers, a few key specialty bits, and good PPE. Your employer supplies the big gear like the hoist, air tools and diagnostic scanner. Start with a solid mid-range kit, keep every receipt, and build up as you go.
Read →First-year welding and fabrication apprentice tool list
In year one you buy your own PPE and hand tools, not machines. A decent auto-darkening helmet, welding gloves and jacket, safety boots, a tape measure, squares, markers, clamps, a chipping hammer and wire brush, and an angle grinder will cover you. The shop supplies the welders, gas and consumables, so do not rush out and buy a welder of your own.
Read →First-year painting apprentice tool list
In year one you only need a modest personal kit: a few good brushes, roller gear, cutting-in and prep tools, a couple of scrapers and filling knives, a tape measure, a utility knife and your PPE. Expect to spend a few hundred dollars building it up over the first months, not thousands. The big and expensive gear (ladders, scaffold, spray rigs, compressors and most consumables) is the employer's job to supply.
Read →First-year bricklaying apprentice tool list
In year one you need a small, personal hand-tool kit: a brick trowel, a pointing trowel, spirit levels, a brick hammer and bolster with a club hammer, line and pins with line blocks, a jointer, a tape, a brush and a tough tool bag, plus your own PPE. Your boss supplies the big gear (mixer, saw, scaffold, barrows). Buy mid-range to start, keep every receipt, and claim your tools at tax time.
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