Fish Tape vs Cable Feeder: What's the Difference and Do You Need Both?
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If you've been in the trade for more than five minutes, you know what a fish tape is. Most sparkies have one in the van. Fewer have a cable feeder, and some aren't entirely sure what a cable feeder actually does.
Let's clear it up.
What Is a Fish Tape?
A fish tape is a rigid, coiled length of differing materials used to route cable through conduit, walls, and enclosed spaces. You push the tape through first, then attach your cable to the end and pull it back through.
It's the core tool for any concealed cable run. Rigid enough to navigate conduit, flexible enough to handle bends.
TradeKit Fish Tape specs:
- 6mm width — ideal balance of rigidity and flexibility
- Available in 30m and 50m lengths
- Designed for the kind of residential and commercial work NZ electricians do every day
What Is a Cable Feeder?
A cable feeder is a tool that controls the entry of the cable (or fish tape) into the conduit. Rather than feeding the tape by hand, which is awkward, slow, and rough going overhead or in tight spaces, the feeder gives you control over the feed rate and keeps the tape tracking straight as it enters.
Think of it as the guide mechanism for your pull. It doesn't replace the fish tape. It works alongside it.
So What's the Difference?
| Fish Tape | Cable Feeder | |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | Routes through the conduit | Controls the entry of the tape or cable |
| Used for | Navigating the run | Clean, controlled feeding |
| Works alone? | Yes | Works with the fish tape |
| Saves time on | Short to long pulls | Medium to long pulls, overhead work |
When Do You Need Each?
Fish tape alone works fine on:
- Short, straight runs
- Accessible conduit where you can hand-feed easily
- Basic wall cavity work
Cable feeder adds real value on:
- Longer runs (20m+)
- Overhead work where hand-feeding is awkward
- Situations where you're working alone and need both hands controlled
- High-volume sites where you're doing multiple pulls per day
Do You Need Both?
Yes — if you're doing this regularly.
The fish tape gets the run done. The cable feeder makes the job cleaner, faster, and less physically demanding. Together they're a proper system, not just two separate tools thrown in a bag.
Most experienced electricians who've used a feeder won't go back to hand-feeding. The time saving adds up fast when you're doing multiple pulls a week.
The TradeKit Cable Pulling System
TradeKit's Cable Feeder and Fish Tape are designed to work as a system. Built for NZ conditions. No compromises on quality.
If you're serious about the work, they belong in your van.