New Icon Wire Stripper/Cutter/Crimper

[Nobody-named-Olli]

I would love the disruption it would cause if Harbor Freight launched a full scale attack on the European/ German market. Online would be a no-brainer anyway, but a real brick & mortar location push, I’d love to see that. We need more competition and full range/ full line suppliers like HF.

I’d certainly welcome HF with open arms here.

Kind regards,
Olli

 

[Steel_Rain]

Since I was the OP, It was my duty to purchase one today:

 

[Beard Man]

I didn't know that ICON is a US company.

I have couple tools from ICON, seems like quality tools, especially torque wrenches.

 

[zendriver]

I didn't know that ICON is a US company.

I have couple tools from ICON, seems like quality tools, especially torque wrenches.

You are right, it isn't.

Just a brand name like Craftsman

 

[Steel_Rain]

More photos:





It’s pretty big as others have mentioned, but feels decent. Size comparison to others you may own:



I don’t have the SO version to compare it to, but I’d say for $32 bucks it’s a good investment if your application calls for it.

 

[dnschmidt]

I'm confused by the wire designations. Normally 18 solid = 20 gauge stranded in all of the wire strippers I've got, and I've got a lot, so why 16 gauge solid equals 18 and 20 gauge stranded seems odd to me. Is this the way the original Snap-On version is set up as well?

 

[willf650]

I'm confused by the wire designations. Normally 18 solid = 20 gauge stranded in all of the wire strippers I've got, and I've got a lot, so why 16 gauge solid equals 18 and 20 gauge stranded seems odd to me. Is this the way the original Snap-On version is set up as well?

I would think what is a little weirder is the #8 solid designation. I've never come across a #8 solid except bare wire for grounding electrodes.

The laser etching will probably be fixed for the next batch of them shipped from overseas.

 

[CoThG]

With all these copies that they come out with, isn’t HF more or less saying that everything Snap On makes is perfect and requires absolutely no modification or revision. Pretty flattering to Snap On.

I made a thread about this before. It's like companies who copy Rolex and the people who buy them. That's harbor freight and its customers in a nutshell who buy all the snappy / knipex rip off stuff and say it's just as good. I'm sure it is. I'm sure a fake Rolex tells time just as well (not sarcasm).

Some of us are fortunate that price isn't a factor in the tool purchasing decision and take pride in owning the original and not a cheap knockoff.

 

[niget2002]

But you've seen Mercedes, Porsche, Crystal, Diamond, Sapphire.....

Her name was Charity. And she said I was her favorite.

 

[willf650]

Ok let the flaming of me and condescending of me begin.

I'm a sudo electrician that works mainly on motors and automation so I strip more wires than your average bear but many are control cables and smaller MTW. I had high hopes for these pliers with all the hype but I will tell you to pass on them after testing them on a couple sizes of wire.

I'm not a videographer and hardly ever take videos. Here is a video I made quickly on my kitchen island with my phone taped to a water pitcher. It's 11 degrees outside so I'm not going to my work bench.
Cheesey Video

I also tried these on some 12 gauge stranded THHN and the results were not as bad but you can tell the sizing is off compared to any other stripper I have used.

I had high hopes these could be a heavier duty combo stripper I keep in my computer bag but no dice. I ripped open the package but may try to return them.

I will probably delete that video after a couple days.

 

[cgrutt]

Ok let the flaming of me and condescending of me begin.

I'm a sudo electrician that works mainly on motors and automation so I strip more wires than your average bear but many are control cables and smaller MTW. I had high hopes for these pliers with all the hype but I will tell you to pass on them after testing them on a couple sizes of wire.

I'm not a videographer and hardly ever take videos. Here is a video I made quickly on my kitchen island with my phone taped to a water pitcher. It's 11 degrees outside so I'm not going to my work bench.
Cheesey Video

I also tried these on some 12 gauge stranded THHN and the results were not as bad but you can tell the sizing is off compared to any other stripper I have used.

I had high hopes these could be a heavier duty combo stripper I keep in my computer bag but no dice. I ripped open the package but may try to return them.

I will probably delete that video after a couple days.

Wow almost makes me want to go buy a pair and try myself. That's insane never saw anything like that before. BTW nice job on the video could see all the effort you were putting into that.

 

[KnurledNut]

I'm confused by the wire designations. Normally 18 solid = 20 gauge stranded in all of the wire strippers I've got, and I've got a lot, so why 16 gauge solid equals 18 and 20 gauge stranded seems odd to me. Is this the way the original Snap-On version is set up as well?

Snap-on combines 14/18 and 16/20.
Some at ICON had a brainfart.

 

[willf650]

Ok, didn't try any of the good strippers I use for work as they are in my truck but grabbed a few extras I don't really care for that were in my tool chest.


I also tried several types of wire. The Icons will strip larger wire OK but a lot of my realm is 18 gauge wire for instrumentation and they are horrendous for that.

Here is an 18 gauge wire out of a different type of cable. All my other strippers stripped it fine. The Icons only chafed the jacket.



Honestly the $20 stamped sheet metal Kleins worked better all around for me.

 

[dnschmidt]

This is the second time ICON has screwed up wire strippers. The first was the great idea of making a right angle wire stripper that had the disadvantage of only stripping very large cables. These strippers are ideal for automotive applications because of their ability to get into tight places. However HF is now selling them on a "flashing blue light special" since the thick gauges they strip are seldom seen on cars. These new ones seem to suffer from the same problem. 18 gauge is very common particularly on lighting. Seems stupid not to be able to strip a very common wire size.

 

[four.cycle]

Oh my.
Thanks gentlemen.
Glad my local store was out of stock.

Sounds rather disappointing.

 

[Beard Man]

You are right, it isn't.

Just a brand name like Craftsman

So like a Craftsman, ICON is also a US company.

 

[zendriver]

So like a Craftsman, ICON is also a US company.

Are you familiar with either of these two names- at all?

 

[four.cycle]

^ Harbor Freight is a U.S. based company. "ICON" is the brand name of some tools that Harbor Freight imports from Asia.

Harbor Freight / Harbor Freight, Calabasas, CA / https://www.harborfreight.com/ / est. 1977 / "ICON" "Pittsburgh" brand / importer and retailer of offshore-sourced hand and power tools /

ICON / private label brand of Harbor Freight, Calabasas CA /


You can click on my "signature line" just below and download the list:

 

[Beard Man]

Now I'm not sure about ICON tools, I remember reading somewhere that it's a US company.

 

[Beard Man]

Are you familiar with either of these two names- at all?

Craftsman.

Craftsman is a line of tools owned by Stanley Black & Decker.
Stanley Black & Decker is an American manufacturer of industrial tools and household hardware.

Did I miss something?

 

[mike93lx]

Craftsman.

Craftsman is a line of tools owned by Stanley Black & Decker.
Stanley Black & Decker is an American manufacturer of industrial tools and household hardware.

Did I miss something?

Craftsman and Icon aren't companies. They are simple brand names.

 

[Beard Man]

Craftsman and Icon aren't companies. They are simple brand names.

Just like Snap-On ?

Other companies make tools for them (for Snap-On) ?

 

[LOW1]

With all these copies that they come out with, isn’t HF more or less saying that everything Snap On makes is perfect and requires absolutely no modification or revision. Pretty flattering to Snap On.

I think what HF is saying is that it can sell the same thing that Snapon sells for 50% less.

 

[mike93lx]

Just like Snap-On ?

Other companies make tools for them (for Snap-On) ?

Yes, you hit the nail on the head.

 

[liliysdad]

 

[neophyte]

I think what HF is saying is that it can sell the same thing that Snapon sells for 50% less.

Harbor Freight is usually closer to 40% of the cost of Snap-On, and pretty close in quality, at least for some items.
HF is selling directly thru stores it owns, which cuts out the extra markup Snap-On needs to add to list prices to give dealers a cut, but also means HF has to float the cost of store leases and employees, whereas Snap-On has those retail costs mostly covered by franchised dealers, with the exception of SO commercial reps who sell directly to industrial companies and schools etc.
I would suspect, HF could probably sell the ICON tools for half the price, and still make a decent profit, but HF realized they could charge more, still beat other prices on quality goods, and put money in the bank for expansion, or product development, or stockpiling during decent exchange rate periods, or having lawyer's tell SO to “go f@ck themselves”, or maybe a jet for the HF owner.

 

[four.cycle]

Other companies make tools for them (for Snap-On) ?

huh?

You thought Snap-on actually manufactures their entire product line?

 

[mike93lx]

huh?

You thought Snap-on actually manufactures their entire product line?

He's just being a troll

 

[zendriver]

I just figured we were dining on word-salad.

 

[four.cycle]

thanks.

 

[KnurledNut]

Ok, didn't try any of the good strippers I use for work as they are in my truck but grabbed a few extras I don't really care for that were in my tool chest.


I also tried several types of wire. The Icons will strip larger wire OK but a lot of my realm is 18 gauge wire for instrumentation and they are horrendous for that.

Here is an 18 gauge wire out of a different type of cable. All my other strippers stripped it fine. The Icons only chafed the jacket.



Honestly the $20 stamped sheet metal Kleins worked better all around for me.

Thanks for taking time to test these out and post your results. The pictures and video were great too. I was considering picking these up but for now it's gonna be a hard pass. Hopefully in time they will work the bugs out of them.

 

[willf650]

I wrote a review of this tool on Harborfreights website. It has yet to be posted. I'm wondering if they curate their review but this will be the test.

 

[four.cycle]

Customer Reviews: 0 - but I suppose we need to give them more than 5 minutes, right?

(Took O'Reilly's almost 12 hours to post mine on that trashy Titan adjustable I returned a couple days ago for a refund.)

 

[willf650]

Customer Reviews: 0 - but I suppose we need to give them more than 5 minutes, right?

(Took O'Reilly's almost 12 hours to post mine on that trashy Titan adjustable I returned a couple days ago for a refund.)

I did it yesterday. I assume if it's not posted by Friday they curate the reviews.

I've yet to see anyone actually use these in the countless YouTube videos posted. I think I commented on one of them the sizing of the strip gauges is off and I got the reply they worked great on #12 solid. I can strip a solid wire with my teeth.

I probably should have just stuck with the $20 Klein stamped steel version. They work better.

Picked these up this week for my "light" bag because they are lighter than my normal crimpers and these will handle 18 gauge. Using them right now

 

[terrific]

This type is my favorite type

Quick, easy and gets in tight spots

STRIPMASTER® wire stripper, 0.13 - 1.31 mm² (AWG 26 - 16)

The STRIPMASTER, AWG 26-16 wire stripper from IDEAL impresses with its precise workmanship and high functionality. Developed for professional applications, this tool enables effortless and clean stripping of a wide range of conductors and strands. Easy h…

www.weidinger.eu

Zoro sells those for really reasonable prices. I'd always assumed they were expensive, but the 10-22 AWG pair I bought was the same price as this thread's HF strippers. Blew my mind.
My dad hid his pair when we were kids because it was too fun to play with.

 

[whateg01]

I did it yesterday. I assume if it's not posted by Friday they curate the reviews.

I've yet to see anyone actually use these in the countless YouTube videos posted. I think I commented on one of them the sizing of the strip gauges is off and I got the reply they worked great on #12 solid. I can strip a solid wire with my teeth.

I probably should have just stuck with the $20 Klein stamped steel version. They work better.

Picked these up this week for my "light" bag because they are lighter than my normal crimpers and these will handle 18 gauge. Using them right now

Those are the ones I use for most everything 18ga and bigger. Well up until the stripper that I just spin around 6,8,etc.

 

[redwrench60]

I did it yesterday. I assume if it's not posted by Friday they curate the reviews.

I've yet to see anyone actually use these in the countless YouTube videos posted. I think I commented on one of them the sizing of the strip gauges is off and I got the reply they worked great on #12 solid. I can strip a solid wire with my teeth.

I probably should have just stuck with the $20 Klein stamped steel version. They work better.

Picked these up this week for my "light" bag because they are lighter than my normal crimpers and these will handle 18 gauge. Using them right now

Those are really kick *** stripper/crimpers. They strip wire well since the strip holes are close to the handles (like your favorite stamped Klein’s) and crimp well with the crimper near the tips for maximum leverage. They combine the best features of my favorite plier crimper (Klein 2005) and a simple wire stripper. Truly cut, strip and crimp wires properly in one tool when you’re trying to keep your bags lightweight or do more with less.

 

[Fedwrench]

I think it's funny that Harbor Freight is cloning an unpopular Snap On stripper/crimper. We have the Snap on version at work and they gather dust. No one likes its size or shape. I'm sure they'll sell but, just seems a little strange to me.

 

[four.cycle]

You and me both.
After a couple of the comments above, I am glad that the local HF was out of stock.
My buddy is still using my old Belden crimpers I bought when I owned the Opel.
I'm still using an old beat-up pair of Kleins. I know there's at least two or three more pairs here somewhere - Kleins and ProAmericas both.
Just sold the "Cal-Tech" (Taiwan) cheapies a couple days ago.
I just don't see this HF model being a hot seller now that the word's out on it not handling smaller gauge wires properly.

 

[zendriver]

Unless one is a professional, don’t most people have the same wire strippers from 35 years ago?

I like icon tools, but I see zero reason to make a mad dash for this one regardless.

I still have strippers that I got from the Air Force used garage sale in 1989