Mike Holt what Ask BONBON does better (review 8)

Mike Holt is the gold standard for code training

Let's get this out of the way. Mike Holt built the reference library that most of us learned from. His illustrated guides, video courses, and continuing education programs are some of the best code education material ever produced. If you want to deeply understand why a rule exists, where it came from, and how it interacts with the rest of the NEC, Mike Holt is still the answer.

Ask BONBON is not trying to replace that. Mike Holt teaches you the code. Ask BONBON helps you apply it on Tuesday at 2pm when you're standing in a crawlspace and need to know if 12 AWG THHN in this conduit fill is still good.

Different tools, different jobs. Here's an honest breakdown of where each one shines.

Where Mike Holt wins

For learning and exam prep, nothing touches it. The illustrated commentary on 250 grounding, the load calculation workbooks, the journeyman and master prep courses, all of it is structured to build real understanding. If you're studying for your license, buy the books.

Continuing education hours for renewal are also handled cleanly through his platform. Most states accept the online CEU courses, and the pricing is fair for what you get.

• Deep conceptual training on grounding and bonding (250 series)
• Load calculation walkthroughs for services and feeders
• State approved CEU packages for license renewal
• Classroom style video lessons with printed workbooks
• Long form explanations of code changes cycle over cycle

Where Ask BONBON does it better

Speed of lookup on the jobsite. That's the whole game. When you're on a ladder or in a panel, you don't want to scroll through a 400 page PDF or cue up a 22 minute video. You want the answer in under 10 seconds.

Ask it a plain English question like "GFCI required in a detached garage receptacle" and you get a straight answer with the citation to NEC 210.8(A)(2) and the 2023 changes folded in. No course to buy. No module to unlock. No ads.

Field tip: if your hands are dirty or gloved, use voice input. Ask "ampacity of 6 AWG THHN in 75 degree column" and read the answer without touching the screen.

Real scenarios where the difference shows

Say you're roughing in a kitchen remodel and the GC asks why the island receptacle needs its own 20 amp circuit. With Mike Holt you'd pull up the small appliance branch circuit chapter and walk through 210.11(C)(1) and 210.52(C). Great for understanding, slow for a one minute answer.

With Ask BONBON you type "kitchen island receptacle circuit requirements" and it returns the 210.52(C)(2) layout rule, the 210.8(A)(6) GFCI requirement, and the small appliance circuit count from 210.11(C)(1), all stitched together with citations. You read it, quote the code to the GC, keep working.

1. Conduit fill on a 3/4 EMT with mixed conductors, answer in seconds with Chapter 9 Table 1 math done for you
2. Disconnect requirement distance for a rooftop AC unit, 440.14 cited with the 50 foot rule called out
3. EV charger load add to an existing 200 amp service, 220.57 and 625 series pulled together
4. Working clearance in a mechanical room, 110.26(A) depth and width with the 90 degree door swing note

Search vs study, which do you need right now

This is the real question. If you're sitting at the kitchen table on a Sunday night studying for your master's exam, Mike Holt wins. Buy the prep package and work through it. That is what it was built for.

If you're on a service call at 4:45pm and the customer wants to know if their hot tub install from 2018 is still compliant, you don't have time for a course. You need the 680.43 bonding requirements, the 680.22(A) GFCI rules, and the disconnect location from 680.13, right now, in your pocket.

Honest take: most working electricians I know own Mike Holt books and also keep Ask BONBON open on their phone. One is your library, the other is your jobsite answer machine.

Cost and access

Mike Holt's full library, video courses, and CEU packages can run several hundred dollars a year depending on what you need. Worth it for structured learning and license maintenance.

Ask BONBON runs on a flat monthly plan with no per course paywalls. You get the full 2023 NEC searchable, state amendments where supported, voice input, and the ability to ask follow up questions like "what if the panel is in a bathroom". No extra charge to dig deeper.

• Mike Holt, best for structured learning, exam prep, CEU renewal
• Ask BONBON, best for jobsite lookups, quick citations, follow up questions
• Most pros use both, they solve different problems

Bottom line for working electricians

Mike Holt built the classroom. Ask BONBON built the glovebox reference. If you're studying, go to the classroom. If you're on the truck, keep the glovebox open.

The NEC is not getting shorter. 2023 added rules on GFCI expansion in 210.8, surge protection in 230.67, and emergency disconnects in 230.85. Whatever tool gets you to the right article fastest on a given day is the right tool for that day. Use both, charge accordingly.