Mike Holt search comparison (review 5)

Mike Holt's site has been the go-to reference for code questions for decades. His forum threads show up first on every Google search, his videos explain grounding better than anyone, and his seminars have trained half the journeymen I know. So when I started building Ask BONBON, the question came up fast: why bother when Mike Holt already exists?

Answer: they solve different problems. Mike Holt is a study resource. BONBON is a field tool. Here is what I found after using both on actual jobs.

What Mike Holt does well

The depth is unmatched. If you want to understand why 250.24(A)(5) prohibits a neutral to ground connection on the load side of the service, Mike has a 20 minute video, a forum thread with 80 replies, and a textbook chapter that walks you through the physics. Nobody else has that library.

For apprentices studying for the journeyman exam, the practice tests and code drills are genuinely the best thing available. I tell every first year I work with to subscribe.

If you are prepping for a license exam, buy Mike Holt's material. It is worth every dollar. This post is about a different use case.

Where the search falls apart on a jobsite

Try this on your phone while standing on a ladder: search "receptacle spacing kitchen island" on mikeholt.com. You get a forum thread from 2014, a product listing for a textbook, and three video results. The actual answer, 210.52(C)(2), requires scrolling and reading.

Now try the same search in Google. You get the same forum thread, plus six unrelated blog posts and an AI summary that may or may not be current with the 2023 code. Neither path gets you the code section in under 30 seconds.

The search problem is not Mike's fault. Forum search is hard, and his content was built for studying at a desk, not looking up an answer with one hand while holding a Klein screwdriver in the other.

Head to head on five common questions

I ran five questions I have actually asked on jobs through both tools. Times are from query typed to answer found.

• GFCI required for a dishwasher receptacle under a sink? BONBON: 8 seconds, cites 210.8(D). Mike Holt search: 90 seconds, landed on a forum thread where the answer was in the fourth reply.
• Minimum burial depth for PVC conduit under a driveway? BONBON: 6 seconds, cites Table 300.5(A). Mike Holt: 45 seconds to a video, had to scrub to the 11 minute mark.
• Can I use NM cable in a detached garage? BONBON: 10 seconds, cites 334.10 and 334.12 with the dry location caveat. Mike Holt: two forum threads with conflicting answers, neither cited the exhaust article.
• Working clearance in front of a 480V panel? BONBON: 7 seconds, Table 110.26(A)(1). Mike Holt: found it in 60 seconds through a seminar clip.
• Tamper resistant receptacles required in a commercial waiting room? BONBON: 12 seconds, 406.12 exceptions. Mike Holt: no direct answer, had to piece it together from two forum posts.

The real difference

Mike Holt teaches you the code. BONBON looks up the code for you. Those are different jobs, and you need both at different times.

When I am at home on Sunday reviewing why a 2023 change to 230.85 matters for service disconnects, I read Mike Holt. When I am in a crawl space trying to remember if 334.15(C) requires guard strips on a joist bottom, I ask BONBON. The phone is already in my pocket. The answer comes back in seconds with the exact article number.

Rule of thumb: if the question starts with "why", go to Mike Holt. If it starts with "what does the code say about", use BONBON.

Where Mike Holt still wins

Three areas where I would not even try to compete:

1. Exam prep. Practice tests, study guides, and structured curriculum. BONBON has none of that.
2. Deep theory. Grounding versus bonding, transformer calculations, short circuit analysis. Mike's videos are the gold standard.
3. Community. The forum has 20 years of threads from working electricians debugging weird field problems. That archive is a national asset.

None of that changes on a jobsite. On the jobsite you need an answer, not a lecture, and the lecture format does not shrink down to a phone screen with a gloved finger.

Who should use what

If you are studying, go to Mike Holt. If you are teaching apprentices, go to Mike Holt. If you are arguing a theory point with your foreman over coffee, Mike Holt has receipts.

If you are on the truck, on the ladder, or on the phone with an inspector who is standing in front of a panel asking about 408.4(A) labeling requirements, you need something that gives you the article citation in under ten seconds. That is what BONBON is for, and that is the only thing BONBON is for. The two tools cover different parts of the day, and most electricians I know end up using both.