Mike Holt vs Ask BONBON (review 1)

Why Compare These Two At All

Mike Holt built the gold standard for code training. Books, videos, seminars, exam prep. Generations of electricians learned grounding and bonding from his material. Ask BONBON is a different animal, a phone app that answers code questions in seconds while you are standing on a ladder.

They are not the same product. But field guys ask me which one to spend money on, so here is the honest take after using both on actual jobs.

Mike Holt: What It Does Well

Holt's strength is teaching. If you do not understand why 250.4(A) separates grounding from bonding, his illustrations and narration will get you there. The graphics are clear. The examples are worked out long-hand. For apprentices and guys prepping for the Master's exam, it is still the best structured curriculum on the market.

His forum and newsletter catch code changes early. When the 2023 NEC dropped and everyone was arguing about 210.8(F) GFCI requirements for outdoor outlets on dwellings, Holt's team had breakdowns out fast.

• Deep coverage of grounding, bonding, and services
• Strong exam prep workbooks with practice questions
• Video library you can rewatch at home
• Active community of inspectors and master electricians

Where Mike Holt Falls Short On Site

Try finding the conductor ampacity adjustment for three current-carrying conductors in a raceway at 40C ambient while your GC is yelling about a rough-in inspection. You are not pulling up a 400 page PDF. You are not scrubbing through a 45 minute video. The material is deep but it is not built for the moment you need it most, which is between pulling wire and closing the wall.

Search across Holt's products is also fragmented. Books are books. Videos are videos. The forum is the forum. Nothing ties them together with one query.

Field tip: if you are studying for a license, Holt. If you are on a lift trying to remember box fill rules under 314.16(B), you need something faster.

Ask BONBON: What It Does Well

BONBON is built for the question you have right now. Type or voice in "GFCI required for a garage receptacle 6 feet from a utility sink" and it gives you the article, the subsection, and a plain-English answer. No scrolling. No forum threads from 2014. It cites NEC 210.8(A)(2) and tells you what changed in the 2023 cycle.

The value shows up in specific situations. Tamper resistant requirements under 406.12. Working clearances at 110.26. Conduit fill percentages from Chapter 9 Table 1. Disconnect requirements for HVAC at 440.14. Things you know but cannot always recall the exact code reference for under pressure.

1. Ask a question in plain language or by voice
2. Get the code citation with the relevant text
3. Follow up with a clarifying question if the situation is unusual
4. Move on and keep working

Where Ask BONBON Falls Short

It will not teach you the code. If you do not already understand the structure of Article 250 or how Article 310 ampacity tables interact with 310.15(C)(1) adjustment factors, a fast answer is not going to build that foundation. You need the Holt material, or equivalent classroom time, to develop the mental model.

It is also only as good as the question. Vague input gets vague output. "Is this outlet legal" without context on location, occupancy, or circuit type will get a hedged answer. You have to give it the scenario the way you would explain it to a foreman.

And for exam prep, it is not the tool. Licensing boards want you to navigate the book. BONBON is a reference, not a study program.

How I Actually Use Both

On the truck I have BONBON on my phone. In the shop I have Holt's Understanding the NEC volumes and his grounding and bonding text. When a question comes up mid-install, I pull out the phone. When I hit something I do not actually understand, like the difference between a separately derived system and a service, I go home and read Holt that night.

They solve different problems. One is a teacher. The other is a reference you can hold in one hand while holding a tester in the other.

Field tip: highlight the articles you look up on BONBON most often, then read the full Holt chapter on those topics over the weekend. That is how you turn fast answers into permanent knowledge.

The Verdict For Working Electricians

If you can only pick one and you are early career, go Holt. You need the foundation and nothing replaces sitting with the material. If you are a journeyman or above and you already know the code reasonably well, BONBON pays for itself the first time it saves you a callback over a missed 210.52(C)(2) countertop receptacle spacing or a 680.22(A)(1) pool equipotential bonding detail.

Most working guys should own both. They are not competitors in the real sense. One builds the electrician. The other keeps the electrician fast and accurate on the job.