Mike Holt side-by-side review (review 4)

Two tools, two different jobs

Mike Holt built his reputation on training. Books, videos, classroom hours, the whole package. His material teaches you the code. Ask BONBON does not teach, it answers. When you are on a ladder with a meter in one hand and the GC breathing down your neck, those are different needs.

I have used Mike Holt's Understanding the NEC since my apprenticeship. It still lives on my truck shelf. But it does not replace what I reach for when a wirenut question comes up mid-pull. This review is about that gap.

Lookup speed in the field

Mike Holt's digital products, the Code Library app and the online illustrated library, are solid reference material. The illustrations are the best in the industry, no argument. But the search is article-indexed, not question-indexed. You need to know you are looking for 210.8(A)(7) before you can find the sink receptacle rule.

Ask BONBON flips that. Type "bathroom receptacle GFCI within 6 feet of sink" and you get the answer with the citation. Both tools end at the same NEC section. One assumes you already know where to look.

• Mike Holt: browse by article, chapter, or topic index
• Ask BONBON: ask in plain language, get the cite back
• Mike Holt Code Library: requires subscription, syncs offline
• Ask BONBON: requires signal, answers in under 5 seconds

Depth of explanation

This is where Mike Holt wins and it is not close. His commentary on ambiguous sections, NEC 250.30(A) separately derived systems for example, includes the history, the CMP rationale, and the common misread. When an inspector cites something weird, that depth matters.

Ask BONBON gives you the rule and a short plain-English gloss. It will tell you that NEC 110.26 requires 36 inch working clearance in front of a 480V panel. It will not walk you through why the 2017 revision changed the measurement reference point. For that, you still want Mike Holt.

On a commercial tenant fit-out last month I hit a conflict between 110.26(A)(1) Table and a local amendment. BONBON gave me the federal answer in 10 seconds so I could call the AHJ. Mike Holt's book gave me the reasoning I needed for the follow-up email.

Price and format

Mike Holt's Code Library subscription runs around $15 a month for the full digital set. His physical books with the illustrated commentary are $150 to $250 depending on the cycle and bundle. The video courses are separate and priced for CEU renewal.

Ask BONBON is a flat monthly fee, less than a case of MC connectors. It does one thing. If you already own Mike Holt books for study, BONBON is a complement, not a replacement. If you are apprenticing and need to learn the code, buy the Holt material first.

1. Apprentice or journeyman studying for the master's: Mike Holt, full stop
2. CEUs and state license renewal: Mike Holt video courses
3. Daily field lookups, inspector disputes, bid takeoffs: Ask BONBON
4. Teaching a helper on site: both, depending on the question

Code cycle updates

Mike Holt updates his illustrated library every cycle, 2020, 2023, 2026, and you pay for the new edition. His turnaround from NFPA publication to finished product is typically 4 to 6 months. Worth the wait for the quality.

Ask BONBON updates with the cycle on day one. You can also query a specific cycle when your jurisdiction is still on 2020 while the state next door adopted 2023. That cross-cycle lookup is something print cannot do without buying two books.

Where each one fails you

Mike Holt fails you when you are in a crawlspace and need an answer in under a minute. Flipping through 1,400 pages of illustrated commentary is not happening. The app helps but still assumes you know the article number.

Ask BONBON fails you when the question is philosophical. "Why does 250.118 list those specific EGC types" is a teaching question. BONBON will cite the list. Mike Holt will tell you why the CMP wrote it that way in 1987 and how it has drifted since.

A real test: junction box fill for a 4 square with a plaster ring, three 12-2 NM cables, two devices. BONBON: 23 minutes of conduit fill worksheet skipped, answer with the 314.16(B) calculation shown. Mike Holt book: 8 minutes and a better understanding of why the numbers are what they are.

Bottom line

Keep the Mike Holt books. Watch the videos for your CEUs. But stop using them as a field lookup tool, that is not what they were built for. Ask BONBON is the tool you pull out between the meter and the phone call to the super. Different jobs, different tools, both earn their spot.

If you only have budget for one and you are past your apprenticeship, the honest answer depends on how often you are stuck looking up a cite versus how often you are studying for the next rung. Most working electricians do more of the first than the second.