What is your preferred program to use and why? We might be looking to make some changes, but don't want to pay for two programs if one will do. Cheers.

I liked ETAP.
I felt it was better at customizing the arc flash output reports, where SKM seemed to say their default should be good enough. I felt their one-line creation, took a some getting used to.

Back in the 90's SKM was hands down the package to use, but that was a long time ago.

I'm an SKM fan. I've never used EasyPower but I've watched a lot of their free webinars for PDH's and it looks the most intuitive of the three. I have, and do, use eTAP when I have to per customer request. I don't care for it at all. Mostly because I'm just not as familiar with it as I am SKM. eTAP does have design tools that I don't have with my SKM license and looks useful for that but I don't often/ever have a need for them. On small eTAP projects I usually model it in SKM as well as a double check. I can tell you the end results are the exact same if the input data is identical, as it should be.

I learned to draw with Intergraph Microstation nearly 30 years ago. I got really good with it. I left that company and had to learn AutoCAD. I thought AutoCAD was terrible in comparison. I hated it. I eventually got pretty good with AutoCAD and decided it wasn't any better or worse than Microstation. Just different.

I expect it's the same with the SKM, eTAP and EasyPower. It's what you learned on or what you're used to.

I am a longtime user of EasyPower but have now used SKM for the past 3 years. I've not used ETap. EasyPower is hands down the most straightforward, user friendly application. It is visually pleasing and very well laid out. Their technical support is also top notch. I really appreciate the customization of SKM, though. Their use of customizable data blocks really aids in performing different forms of analysis on the same model and then to produce final one-line diagrams that are very informative yet not overwhelming.

EasyPower's mobile application was great the last I used it. I am in the process of trying out SKM's mobile version. I expect it is similar in its functionality.

I believe SKM has increased the amount of equipment that can be contained in a project with their top license being for 12,000 points. EasyPower, however, offers an unlimited bus license. I had one customer with a massive power system in which they wanted all services contained on a single model. The last I checked this was around 20,000 points. For situations like this EasyPower is the only software I am aware of that is capable.

My final thought is in regards to the final one-line diagram produced for a project. EasyPower has different work areas....generally you are in a modeling view and data on the one-line is relative to the design (manufacture info, cable lengths, ampacities, etc.) You have to fault the model and in that mode the one-line is populated with results of the analysis. In most cases I ended up having to produce two versions of all drawings for a project. One showed the technical design data and the second version showed the analysis results.

SKM's datablocks allow any and all data to be conveyed however you like. My final one-line conveys both the equipment design information but also analysis results. In this case, I am a much bigger fan of the output from SKM.

I'd love to hear others thoughts on ETap.

I am a long time SKM user, 20+ years, mainly supporting one client with a large system. I would tend to say I would go elsewhere if I could. Sure, the software seems eventually to give a report and one lines I can stand behind and charge the client for. Good. However, the software has many glitches/weaknesses that have been out there for a long time, and they are not updating/fixing. There are weak/problematic interface problems that were excusable 20 years ago, but remain unfixed for 20 years. They guys you can get on the phone (if you repeatedly call) are very nice and knowledgeable, but if it is a software problem, all they can do is set up a ticket and give you a work around. Having a ticket is a years long process. Software changes are slow to occur. If you get the phone message, "Leave a number and we will call you", you never get called. On the positive side, the database is rock solid. A hundred crashes per year and all I have to do is restart and no data is ever lost.