Mike Holt first impressions (review 3)

What Mike Holt is, and what it isn't

Mike Holt Enterprises has been the gold standard for NEC training for decades. The man literally wrote the books a lot of us studied for our journeyman and master exams. Their content is dense, accurate, and respected across the trade.

So when guys ask me how Ask BONBON stacks up against Mike Holt, I have to be honest about what we're actually comparing. Mike Holt is a publishing and training company. They sell books, illustrated guides, online courses, exam prep, and continuing education. Ask BONBON is a code reference app you pull out on a ladder.

Different tools, different jobs. But there's overlap when an electrician in the field needs an answer fast, so let's get into it.

The strengths nobody can deny

Mike Holt's illustrated NEC books are the best in the business for learning the code. The graphics make sense of articles that read like tax law. If you're studying for an exam or trying to actually understand why 250.122 sizes equipment grounding conductors the way it does, there's nothing better.

The video content holds up too. Ryan Jackson, Mike himself, the whole crew break down changes between code cycles in a way that sticks. I learned more about the 2023 GFCI expansion in 210.8 from one of their breakdowns than I did skimming the actual code book.

• Illustrated NEC code books, current through the 2023 cycle
• Exam prep for journeyman and master in most states
• Continuing education credits accepted in most jurisdictions
• Grounding and bonding deep dives that actually make sense
• Forum with seasoned electricians and inspectors weighing in

Where it falls short on the jobsite

Here's where I have to be straight with you. Mike Holt's tools are built for studying, not for looking up an answer with one hand while you're holding a wire nut in the other.

Try pulling up the receptacle spacing rule in 210.52(A) on their site while you're standing in a framed bedroom. You're scrolling through a PDF or flipping through a book. The search is okay if you know the article number, but it's not built to answer plain English questions like "do I need a GFCI in a laundry room." You end up Googling and landing on a forum thread from 2014 referencing the 2011 code.

Tip from the field: if you're using Mike Holt's PDF on a phone, bookmark the table of contents page. Saves you about a minute of pinch-zooming every time you need to find an article.

Price and access

The illustrated NEC set runs around $200 to $250 depending on the cycle and whether you grab the answer key. Online courses for exam prep are several hundred more. Continuing education bundles vary by state but expect $80 to $150 a year for the credits you need to keep your license active.

Worth it? For exam prep, absolutely. I tell every apprentice to buy the illustrated book before they buy a fancy meter. For daily field reference, you're paying for content you already know in order to access the 5% you don't remember off the top of your head.

1. Illustrated NEC book, current cycle: roughly $90 to $120
2. Answer key and workbook bundle: another $80 to $100
3. Exam prep video library: $300 and up
4. CEU bundles: $80 to $150 per renewal cycle

How Ask BONBON is different

I built Ask BONBON because I was tired of fumbling through a code book on a ladder. The whole premise is you ask a question the way you'd ask a foreman, and you get an answer with the article citation so you can verify it.

"Can I land two neutrals on one lug in a panel?" pulls up 408.41 with the relevant language. "Minimum bend radius for 500 MCM" gives you Table 312.6(A) without you needing to remember which chapter that lives in. It's not trying to teach you the code. It assumes you know the trade and just need the right citation, fast.

Tip from the field: even with a good app, take a photo of the inspector's red-tag list before you leave the job. Saves arguments about what was actually called out when you come back to fix it.

Who should use what

If you're prepping for your master's exam, buy the Mike Holt illustrated set. If you're a CE instructor or running a training program, their material is the foundation. If you want to actually understand grounding and bonding at a deep level, watch every video they have on 250.

If you're a working electrician who needs to confirm a tap rule under 240.21(B) before the inspector shows up, or wants to double-check that an EV charger circuit needs GFCI protection per 210.8(F), pull out Ask BONBON. They're complementary, not competitors. Mike Holt teaches you the code. We help you apply it without breaking your flow.

I still keep my Mike Holt 2023 illustrated book on the truck. I just don't open it as often as I used to.