Mike Holt update frequency comparison (review 7)

What "update frequency" actually means for code references

Mike Holt's organization sells training materials, code books, and online courses. The reference content is tied to the NEC cycle: 2017, 2020, 2023, 2026. New edition drops, new books print, new videos record. That is a three-year update cadence by design.

Ask BONBON works differently. The reference data tracks the same NEC cycles, but the app pushes corrections, clarifications, and new examples between editions. If a CMP issues a TIA (Tentative Interim Amendment) under NEC 90.4, that gets folded in within days, not the next print run.

Both approaches are valid. They solve different problems for different parts of the trade.

Mike Holt's update model

The Mike Holt catalog is structured around the printed code cycle. When the 2023 NEC was adopted, the Understanding the NEC Volume 1 and Volume 2 books were rewritten, the illustrations redrawn, and the video library re-shot. That is a serious investment, and the production quality shows.

Between cycles, you get errata sheets and forum posts. The errata are real and useful, especially for the exam-prep books where a wrong answer key matters. But you have to know to look for them.

• New edition books: every three years on the NEC cycle
• Errata PDFs: posted on mikeholt.com when issued
• Forum clarifications: ongoing, searchable, but not consolidated
• Video re-shoots: tied to new edition release

Where the three-year gap shows up on the job

Most jurisdictions are one or two cycles behind the latest NEC anyway. If you are working under the 2020 in a state that has not adopted 2023 yet, a 2023-edition Mike Holt book is ahead of your AHJ. Useful for the next exam, less useful for tomorrow's rough-in.

The gap that bites is the in-cycle clarification. NEC 210.8(F) on outdoor outlets got reworked in 2020, then softened by a TIA, then revisited in 2023. If your reference was printed before the TIA, you do not know the TIA exists unless you check the errata.

Tip: before you cite an article on a permit walkthrough, check the NFPA TIA list for that section. Inspectors track them. Your printed book might not.

How Ask BONBON handles it

The app is keyed to the code cycle your AHJ enforces. Pick 2020, 2023, or 2026 in settings, and every citation, example, and calc reflects that edition. When a TIA is published, it appears as an inline note on the affected article with the issue date.

Field examples get added continuously. If three electricians ask the same question about NEC 250.122 conductor sizing in a week, that becomes a worked example in the app. No print run required.

1. Edition switch in settings, no new purchase required for in-cycle updates
2. TIAs flagged inline at the article level
3. New worked examples added based on actual field questions
4. Calculator updates, like the 2023 changes to NEC 220.87, applied immediately

What Mike Holt does better

Depth and instructional pacing. The Understanding the NEC books walk you through the why behind a rule, with diagrams that have been refined over decades of teaching. For someone studying for a journeyman or master exam, that structured progression is hard to beat.

The video library is the other strong point. Watching Mike or one of his instructors work through NEC 250 grounding examples on a whiteboard is a different learning mode than reading a reference entry. If you learn by watching, the cadence of a new edition every three years is fine, because you are absorbing the material slowly anyway.

Ask BONBON is a reference, not a curriculum. It assumes you know what you are looking for and want the answer fast.

Picking the right tool for the work

Use Mike Holt for exam prep, deep study, and building your understanding of code logic. Use a frequently-updated reference for daily field work, where the question is "what does the article say right now, under the cycle my AHJ enforces."

Most working electricians end up with both. The books sit in the truck or the shop. The phone is in your pocket on the ladder.

Tip: when you upgrade to a new code cycle, do not throw out the old Mike Holt book. Inspectors sometimes cite the prior cycle on existing-construction work, and the older edition is your fastest reference for that.

• Mike Holt: structured learning, exam prep, three-year edition cadence
• Ask BONBON: field reference, in-cycle TIAs and clarifications, edition switch in settings
• NFPA Link: the official source, useful for verifying anything either tool tells you

Update frequency is a means, not an end. What you actually want is to be right on the article, on the cycle your AHJ enforces, on the day you are pulling permit. Pick the tool, or the combination, that gets you there.