Mike Holt speed test (review 1)

The test I actually ran

Picked a Tuesday service call. Old panel swap, 200A, detached garage feeder tagged on. Three questions came up in the first hour: GFCI requirement for the garage receptacles, minimum feeder conductor size with the 83% rule, and whether the existing AFCI setup on the bedroom circuits needed to be brought current on a panel swap.

I timed Mike Holt's site against Ask BONBON for each one. Phone in one hand, meter in the other, same LTE signal, no cheating. Stopwatch started when I typed the first letter, stopped when I had an answer I'd stake money on.

Not a lab test. A real one.

Question 1: GFCI in the detached garage

Mike Holt: 47 seconds. Google "mike holt garage GFCI," scroll past two forum threads, land on an article from 2020, scan for the receptacle language, cross-check against NEC 210.8(A)(2). Answer was there. Took reading.

Ask BONBON: 11 seconds. Typed "garage receptacles GFCI," got 210.8(A)(2) with the current 2023 language and the note that all 125V through 250V receptacles 150V to ground or less, 50A or less, require GFCI protection. Done.

Tip: if the garage has a dedicated EVSE circuit, check 210.8(F) separately. It's its own rule and the receptacle exception doesn't ride along.

Question 2: Feeder sizing with 83%

This is where Mike Holt shines and also where he buries you. His articles on 310.12 and the dwelling feeder rule are solid. The problem is finding the right one fast. I burned about two minutes clicking through related articles before landing on the calculation walkthrough.

Ask BONBON pulled 310.12(A) directly, gave the 83% multiplier, and listed the conductor size for a 200A service on the spot. 14 seconds.

Here's the honest breakdown on this one:

• Mike Holt: deeper explanation, better if you're studying for a test
• Ask BONBON: faster answer, better if you're standing in a crawlspace
• Both: cited the same article and the same number

Question 3: AFCI on a panel swap

This one's a gotcha. 210.12(A) says AFCI is required on new branch circuits in dwelling units. A panel swap on existing circuits isn't a new circuit, but some AHJs treat a panel replacement as triggering compliance. The code and the jurisdiction don't always agree.

Mike Holt: found a forum thread in 90 seconds with three conflicting answers, then an article that addressed it in about 40 seconds more. Good content, scattered delivery.

Ask BONBON: 8 seconds to 210.12(A) and a note flagging that AHJ interpretation varies on panel replacements. Didn't pretend to know what my local inspector wanted, which I respected.

Where Mike Holt still wins

Study material. Deep dives. If you're prepping for a master's exam or you actually want to understand why a rule exists, his explanations are better than anything an app is going to give you. The videos are worth the subscription if you're on that track.

Forum community is also real. You can post a weird install and get five electricians arguing about it by lunch. That's value Ask BONBON doesn't try to replicate.

1. Exam prep: Mike Holt, hands down
2. Long-form code theory: Mike Holt
3. Community Q and A: Mike Holt
4. Fast article lookup in the field: Ask BONBON
5. Phone-first, glove-friendly interface: Ask BONBON

Where the speed gap actually matters

On a service call, time is money and the customer is watching you scroll. If I spend 90 seconds looking up 210.8(A) on a phone, that's 90 seconds I'm not pulling wire or talking to the homeowner. Multiply that across ten lookups a week and the math gets ugly.

Mike Holt's site wasn't built for that job. It was built for learning. The search is general-purpose, the articles are long, and the mobile layout assumes you're sitting down. None of that is a knock on the content. It's just a different tool for a different moment.

Tip: keep both. Mike Holt for the truck stereo on the drive home when you want to actually learn something. App on the phone for the five second lookup when the inspector is standing next to you.

Final numbers

Three questions. Mike Holt total: about 4 minutes 17 seconds of active searching and reading. Ask BONBON total: 33 seconds. Both got me to the right answer. One got me there while the coffee was still hot.

If you're an apprentice studying for your journeyman test, go pay Mike Holt. Read the books, watch the videos, use the forum. You'll be a better electrician for it.

If you're a working electrician who needs an article and a subsection in under 15 seconds with dirty hands, that's a different tool. Use the right one for the job you're actually doing.