Mike Holt speed test (review 6)

The test setup

Pulled over on a commercial remodel in Phoenix last Tuesday. Inspector wanted documentation that the kitchen island receptacles met the 2023 cycle requirements. I had Mike Holt's app open on one phone, Ask BONBON on the other, and a stopwatch running on the truck radio.

Same question into both: countertop receptacle spacing for an island over 9 square feet. Timed from tap to answer on screen. Ran it five times across three different code questions to keep it honest.

Here's what I tested:

• Island receptacle requirements under NEC 210.52(C)(2)
• GFCI scope for a garage workbench circuit, NEC 210.8(A)
• Conductor ampacity for 4/0 aluminum SER at 75C, NEC 310.16
• Working clearance in front of a 480V panel, NEC 110.26(A)(1)

Raw time to answer

Mike Holt's app averaged 42 seconds from home screen to the specific code text. That's not slow by library standards. The app is built around his training material, so you're navigating chapters and lessons more than raw code lookups. If you know his course structure, you move faster. If you don't, you're scrolling.

Ask BONBON averaged 11 seconds across the same four questions. The gap isn't because one app is better written. It's because the tools answer different questions. Holt teaches you the code. BONBON gives you the citation and moves on.

Tip from the van: if the inspector is standing next to you, you want the citation on screen in under 15 seconds. Anything longer and you look like you're guessing.

Where Mike Holt actually wins

Speed isn't everything. On the 4/0 aluminum SER question, Holt's app pulled up a full lesson with a derating example worked out on paper. That context matters when you're sizing a service and the load calc is borderline. BONBON gave me the table value and the 75C column reference, which is what I needed in the moment, but Holt gave me the reasoning.

For apprentices studying for the journeyman exam, Holt is still the stronger tool. His explanations of why a rule exists, especially around grounding and bonding in Article 250, are worth the subscription. No shortcut around that.

Where the speed gap matters

On a live job, you're not reading lessons. You're answering one of three questions: is this legal, what's the exact citation, and what size do I need. That's it. Every second spent scrolling a course outline is a second the GC is watching you stand still.

The island receptacle question is a good example. NEC 210.52(C)(2) changed in the 2023 cycle, and a lot of guys are still quoting the old spacing rule. I needed the current language, fast, to settle it with the inspector. Holt's app had it, buried three taps into a 2023 update module. BONBON surfaced the exact subsection on the first query.

1. Tap the search field
2. Type or speak the question in plain English
3. Read the citation and the rule text

That's the loop. Three steps, no course navigation, no ads for a webinar.

Offline behavior

Tested both apps in a basement mechanical room with no signal. Holt's app cached the lessons I'd already opened, but a fresh search on the GFCI scope question failed until I walked back upstairs. BONBON handled the same search offline because the code text is on the device.

For anyone working hospitals, data centers, or anywhere below grade, this matters more than speed on paper. If your reference tool needs a cell signal, it's not a reference tool, it's a bookmark.

Tip: before you walk into a shielded space, open whatever app you plan to use and run one test search. If it needs the network, know that now, not when you're standing in front of a 4000A switchgear lineup.

Honest verdict

Mike Holt's app is a teaching tool that happens to contain the code. Ask BONBON is a code reference that happens to explain itself when you ask. Different jobs, different tools.

If you're studying, keep Holt. If you're on the tools Monday through Friday and you need a citation before the inspector finishes his coffee, the speed gap is real. I keep both installed. Holt at night, BONBON on the job.

The 4x speed difference isn't marketing. It's a design choice about what question the app is built to answer. Pick the one that matches how you actually work.