Today I went along to the Sparks Expo at the Reebok Stadium, along with another fellow student. On arrival we were pleasantly greeted by the Team from Sparks Magazine, and received a bag containing some goodies. There were numerous stalls to look around and representatives from various Companies. Some of which were also giving away a few goodies.
We managed to have a good chat with Tony cable from NICEIC about the new Regs changes, and found him to be extremely helpful. Dave meanwhile was playing quiz master to 2 teams from local colleges. The NICEIC can be followed on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/officialNICEIC
We also Spoke to the representatives from the Learning Lounge which we are both subscribed to and agree we both find it very useful indeed. I really do recommend subscribing to the Learning Lounge, the content is extremely well put together and updated regularly. I've not to date come across a better package, it's really the best value for money I've come across.
We looked around the various stalls, and watched some demonstrations, unfortunately the Tech talks had been cancelled due to lack of available space, but I'm assured they will be there at next years event.
One item that really caught my eye, as I'd seen it used in a training video, was the Wiha Torque Vario Screwdriver set. This really does seem a great investment for peace of mind when it comes to ensuring terminations are neither over-tightened or too loose. The tool is adjustable and can thus be set to the Manufacturers recommended torque settings. I have provided a link here: http://www.wiha.com/england/Onlineshop/Insulated-VDE-tools3/Wiha-TorqueV...
Ok, so the price tag seems a little high at first, and I know I won't be getting one until I'm in the trade and earning, but, for the peace of mind of a job well done, I can only believe it would be an investment. It's certainly going on my list of must-haves. They can be found on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/wihatools
Another really helpful chap was Paul Skinner from Megger. We had a look at the various products available as he explained the benefits of each depending on intended application. They seem to produce a good variety of testing equipment and anyone looking at purchasing a tester can take a look at the range here: http://megger.com/uk/products/ Megger can be followed on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/MeggerUK
Before leaving, we managed to have a chat with Cellia from SNG publishing, who are responsible for the very useful Sparks Magazine, a Magazine aimed at trainee Electricians, and packed full of helpful and informative information. The online site for Sparks Magazine can be found here: http://sparksstudent.co.uk/ Keep an eye on the site and enter competitions to win prizes. They can be followed on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/sparksmagazine
It's a shame the tech talks couldn't go ahead, but all in all it was an interesting and informative day. It was nice to put some faces to names, and to view some of the products out there. I will most definitely be attending next years event.