Does anyone really need wire strippers?

[oldschoolcraft]

I first learned to strip wires with a razor blade. Later I’d do it with any kind of diagonal cutting pliers either stand alone or the cutter built into needlenose pliers.

I heard a rumor that ”they” make electrician apprentices strip all their wires with diagonal cutting pliers for some initial time period.

I’m eyeballing up the knives electrical installation tool that has built in wire strippers and it’s a beautiful tool. But really… so we need wire strippers? Suppose a person is going to strip less than a dozen wires in a given year. Does having a specialized tool to speed up the job slightly actually make sense?

What I’m really asking, is two things:

1) does anyone just strip all their wires with a knife or diagonal cutters?
2) does the strip performed by the dedicated strippers result in a better outcome than other means? It’s a stretch to guess this but maybe the tension put on the wire is less with actual dedicated strippers?

Or is it really just a speed thing? And also maybe a bit of a reliability thing since 90% of the time I strip the wire fine but 10% of the time I cut through the wire fully and have to go further down and redo the strip.

 

[WWheeler]

Don't 'need' pneumatic or battery powered tools either, but not having them doesn't just make doing the same tasks so much more tedious and time consuming, it seems barbaric these days.

Does anyone 'need' a cellphone?

I learned how to make calls just fine with our corded rotary phones before anyone I knew had heard of a touchtone or cordless phone and there was no such thing as internet or a cellular signal.

Does anyone 'need' a color TV?

....

 

[Stelzer]

I'm not so sure the specialized tools are designed for increasing production rates so much as making it a simple task for dumb dumbs like me to be able to do as well as the pros...get a good clean strip without taking wires in the process while sufficiently separating the wire from its insulation. I could be way off base though.

 

[RTM]

Decades ago, My electrician apprentice buddy said the wire stripper is to prevent nicking the wire, as is possible with a bare blade. No big deal for your car stereo or landscape lights, but running large service stuff, where the exterior of the conductor is carrying the current, a nick can lead to failure,

Edit: I have to say, I really have no idea where you are coming from. You were postulating about buying giant sized sockets several weeks back, just in case you might need them in the future, and now you don’t want to stock a pair of wire strippers? I must have 6 or 8 pairs of them, for big and small wire, an auto stripper, a cheap pair to loan neighbors, etc. I learned to strip wire for my HO trains and cars with my teeth, but I don’t ever do it for 110v wiring, it’s always a dedicated stripper, using the correct slot or setting for the gauge wire.

 

[Meursault74]

I first learned to strip wires with a razor blade. Later I’d do it with any kind of diagonal cutting pliers either stand alone or the cutter built into needlenose pliers.

I heard a rumor that ”they” make electrician apprentices strip all their wires with diagonal cutting pliers for some initial time period.

I’m eyeballing up the knives electrical installation tool that has built in wire strippers and it’s a beautiful tool. But really… so we need wire strippers? Suppose a person is going to strip less than a dozen wires in a given year. Does having a specialized tool to speed up the job slightly actually make sense?

What I’m really asking, is two things:

1) does anyone just strip all their wires with a knife or diagonal cutters?
2) does the strip performed by the dedicated strippers result in a better outcome than other means? It’s a stretch to guess this but maybe the tension put on the wire is less with actual dedicated strippers?

Or is it really just a speed thing? And also maybe a bit of a reliability thing since 90% of the time I strip the wire fine but 10% of the time I cut through the wire fully and have to go further down and redo the strip.

That,

Plus you can get one for 5 bucks if you're only going to use it occasionally.

Razor blade, yeah no thanks.

 

[oldschoolcraft]

Decades ago, My electrician apprentice buddy said the wire stripper is to prevent nicking the wire, as is possible with a bare blade. No big deal for your car stereo or landscape lights, but running large service stuff, where the exterior of the conductor is carrying the current, a nick can lead to failure,

That makes a lot of sense.

I really have no idea where you are coming from. You were postulating about buying giant sized sockets several weeks back, just in case you might need them in the future, and now you don’t want to stock a pair of wire strippers?

If I don’t have a pair of wire strippers and I need to strip wire, I can use a razor or gently use diagonal cutting pliers.

If I don’t have a 2 1/2” socket or giant wrenches and I need to turn a 2 1/2” fastener, I’m pretty much screwed.

Now the likelihood of me needing to turn a 2 1/2” fastener is virtually zero and the likihood I need to strip a wire in the next year is pretty good. Where I’m coming from is being able to do stuff, even if it’s less efficient. I hate the feeling of being stuck and not being able to do something.

For the three times in the last two years I needed to a strip wire, I used a knife and it was fine. Even if I owned a wire stripper, which I do, somewhere, it would have been much faster to use the knife I had clipped to my pocket anyway.

 

[Hannahranga]

My industry (railway signalling) you absolutely will use stripers if you don't want to be tared, feathered and fired. On solidcore especially if you nick the wire a tad the vibrations mean it'll snap off eventually. Plus if you're doing absolutely loads of wiring they make life much easier getting consistent results. Least locally we all use the spring loaded katapult style ones.

Home wise either for house wiring or DC auto stuff imho they're nicer but not necessary.

Personal perence but swivel blade stripers are better for bigger cables plus less likely to cut yourself compared to a knife (then there's some jobsites that ban stanley knives)

 

[Firebrick43]

I first learned to strip wires with a razor blade. Later I’d do it with any kind of diagonal cutting pliers either stand alone or the cutter built into needlenose pliers.

I heard a rumor that ”they” make electrician apprentices strip all their wires with diagonal cutting pliers for some initial time period.

I’m eyeballing up the knives electrical installation tool that has built in wire strippers and it’s a beautiful tool. But really… so we need wire strippers? Suppose a person is going to strip less than a dozen wires in a given year. Does having a specialized tool to speed up the job slightly actually make sense?

What I’m really asking, is two things:

1) does anyone just strip all their wires with a knife or diagonal cutters?
2) does the strip performed by the dedicated strippers result in a better outcome than other means? It’s a stretch to guess this but maybe the tension put on the wire is less with actual dedicated strippers?

Or is it really just a speed thing? And also maybe a bit of a reliability thing since 90% of the time I strip the wire fine but 10% of the time I cut through the wire fully and have to go further down and redo the strip.

If your stripping 26 gauge encoder wires, you need a pair of stripax strippers or your going to be at it for a while, any other method is going to cut wires, which means cutting the other wires back and stripping more jacket off.

On top of that, even bigger wires you likely to knick and degrade the strands if you use a knife or diagonal cuts.

It may not matter on solid house wire but its generally hack work on stranded signal wire

 

[Dave455]

If you’re stripping a dozen wires in a year, and it’s simple single core, especially if it’s solid wire not stranded, probably not.

Not sure diagonal cutters are the tools - a small sharp knife, or maybe the cutters in a pair of long nosed pliers, would be my weapon of choice.

But what about stripping multi core cable? Very difficult to do this using a knife, without nicking the insulation of the wires inside. Bear in mind that (certainly under current British wiring regs) if the insulation of the cores is damaged you need to cut off the damaged wire and start again.

Same goes for stranded flex - if you accidentally cut one of the strands, start again!

So, if you have to do the job without the proper tools, do so, and manage as best you can. But if you want to do a professional job, in the minimum time, with minimum stress, get the proper tools!

 

[toolenthusiast]

I heard a rumor that ”they” make electrician apprentices strip all their wires with diagonal cutting pliers for some initial time period.

It’s called hazing. Do you want to haze yourself?

 

[smschriefer]

A proper tool is about doing a task in the safest and most efficient way possible. I used to do the knife method and the plier method, but then I used a crappy set of wire cutters and decided it was better. Now I use the better style that strips every wire to the same length of exposed wire and I won't use the crappy strippers. I also used to use a pair of old needle nose pliers to crimp splices, but have graduated to the proper tool. To me at least, in both instances it is about being safe, efficient and having a repeatable result that i know is correct.

 

[eejack]

I'm certain this is covered in the replies already but...

If you strip wire, yes you need wire strippers. Faster, easier, better, safer.

Sure, in a pinch I can strip a wire with a dull butter knife or the rough edge of a soup can but that doesn't mean I should. There are all sorts of specialty strippers that the layperson never has an opportunity to use but a standard pair of strippers can be a couple of dollars ( harbor freight has a pair for $4 ) and you are reasonably certain of doing a proper job with them.

The downside to caveman stripping is nicking the conductors which reduces the effectiveness of the assembly. The tools speeds the whole process up, standardizes the process and in general terms doesn't put the user in the position of using tools improperly which is safer.

 

[mike93lx]

I do almost all of my home wiring stripping with a utility knife. Small stranded stuff is with strippers. Big stuff is all knife

 

[Shoreline_]

If you don't see a reason to own them - don't. But there's a reason there's an industry for them.

 

[johninct]

I have a Snap-On pair that you stick the wire in, squeeze and you are done. One of my favorite tools.

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

Yes, especially with small sizes, stranded wire, coax and ethernet cable
I've used various knives, diagonal cutters, pliers or a lighter but strippers are easier and do a better job.

 

[N_Jay]

That what teeth are for. Right?

 

[kbuhagiar]

My electrician apprentice buddy said the wire stripper is to prevent nicking the wire, as is possible with a bare blade.

^^^THIS^^^

Before spending the majority of my career in IT and working with low voltage communication wiring, my official title was 'Cable Splicer', but our real job was maintaining signal wiring (fire alarm street boxes, police call boxes, municipal radio tie lines, etc). Working day in and day out in outside plant wiring (mostly 16 - 18 gauge solid copper) exposed to the elements. One tiny nick in a conductor would ALWAYS become a cable fault, either through vibrations or environmental exposure or both. You learned very quickly how important it was to cleanly strip each and every conductor. And before that I apprenticed with the phone company (Pacific Bell), where you work with huge multi-conductor cables (3600 pair - that's 7,200 24 or 26 gauge wires) and they emphasized that during our 6-month probationary period you would be terminated if they saw any evidence of sloppy splicing techniques (i.e. nicking conductors).

 

[qqzj]

I first learned to strip wires with a razor blade. Later I’d do it with any kind of diagonal cutting pliers either stand alone or the cutter built into needlenose pliers.

I heard a rumor that ”they” make electrician apprentices strip all their wires with diagonal cutting pliers for some initial time period.

I’m eyeballing up the knives electrical installation tool that has built in wire strippers and it’s a beautiful tool. But really… so we need wire strippers? Suppose a person is going to strip less than a dozen wires in a given year. Does having a specialized tool to speed up the job slightly actually make sense?

What I’m really asking, is two things:

1) does anyone just strip all their wires with a knife or diagonal cutters?
2) does the strip performed by the dedicated strippers result in a better outcome than other means? It’s a stretch to guess this but maybe the tension put on the wire is less with actual dedicated strippers?

Or is it really just a speed thing? And also maybe a bit of a reliability thing since 90% of the time I strip the wire fine but 10% of the time I cut through the wire fully and have to go further down and redo the strip.

I strip on average 1 wire a year and I use an automatic wire striper. I still love how easy it is and how clean it is.

 

[sparky 1971]

Nobody needs strippers. There are several other tools that could be substituted. However, I wouldn't want to be the poor guy tasked with installing 75 receptacles, 20 switches, and 15 light fixtures by the end of the day using a pair of cutters and a knife.

Nobody needs a car, there are other modes of transportation from taking a bus on down to walking.

EDIT. It's personal preference, here's what I prefer.

#16 and smaller, I use a pair of plain 'ol dykes, occasionally linesman pliers, but 99% of the time, it's dykes

Klein Tools 8 1/8 in 2000 High Leverage Diagonal Cutting Plier Standard Cut Oval Nose Uninsulated D2000-28 | Zoro

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For #14, 12, and 10 I use strippers. The same style Ideal T strippers that were popular when I started a long time ago

Ideal Electrical T-5 Wire Strippers, 10 - 18 AWG Solid, 12 - 20 AWG Stranded, Plier Nose, Yellow 45-120 | Zoro

Order Ideal Electrical T-5 Wire Strippers, 10 - 18 AWG Solid, 12 - 20 AWG Stranded, Plier Nose, Yellow, 45-120 at Zoro.com. Great prices & free shipping on orders over $50 when you sign in or sign up for an account.

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I do have a set of multi purpose pliers with a #8 hole, but have never used it. #8 through 1/0 gets stripped with my Greenlee 727 cable cutters.

Greenlee 9-1/4" Cable Cutter, High Leverage, Shear Cut 727 | Zoro

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And finally, Klein has a stripper for wire larger than 1/0. I have the set from 2/0 through 250. I doubt I will get the larger set as I have no interest in working with that large of wire. Someday it may happen and I might buy the stripper. I might also use a skinning knife.

Klein Tools 4.656" Cable Stripper, Large, 2/0 - 250 kcmil 2/0-250 MCM 21051 | Zoro

Order Klein Tools 4.656" Cable Stripper, Large, 2/0 - 250 kcmil 2/0-250 MCM, 21051 at Zoro.com. Great prices & free shipping on orders over $50 when you sign in or sign up for an account.

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Klein Tools 4.656" Cable Stripper,Large,750 -350 kcmil 750-350 MCM (21050) | Zoro

Order Klein Tools 4.656" Cable Stripper, Large, 750 -350 kcmil 750-350 MCM, 21050 at Zoro.com. Great prices & free shipping on orders over $50 when you sign in or sign up for an account.

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Klein Tools Cable Skinning Utility Knife w/Replaceable Blade 44218 | Zoro

Order Klein Tools Cable Skinning Utility Knife w/Replaceable Blade, 44218 at Zoro.com. Great prices & free shipping on orders over $50 when you sign in or sign up for an account.

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[zendriver]

When I was in the military, and I believe is true with space work, stripping an insulated wire with anything that could possibly leave even the slightest Nick in the conductive Material was an absolute no no.

 

[Garcky]

Strippers are better. I used to just grab a pair of dikes to strip most wires. It worked, but didn't do a great job. Then, when I was working more on electronic equipment, that just wasn't feasible any more. A proper stripper is faster, better, and pretty much foolproof. In a pinch, I can strip wires using almost anything sharp, but I definitely prefer a stripper.

 

[mikedodge]

Good wire strippers are a must. Not only are they quicker then trying to strip with a knife but stripping a short wire to repair something inside the dash of the car or under the hood is hard enough even with strippers. I've had to do that more then once. I've never needed a 2 1/2" socket.

The other thing about nicking the wire using pliers or whatever is that also leaves a weak spot for the wire to break.

 

[CoogarXR]

As somebody who does tons of electrical work, this post makes me cringe.

Yes, you need a wire stripper. Period.

Sure, in a pinch, we've all used whatever we had to get the job done. I've stripped wires with junk drawer scissors, driven nails with a maglite and turned screws with my tie clip. But that doesn't make it right, lol.

 

[VolvoRyan]

If I didn't have strippers, what would I use all of my $1 bills for?

-Ryan

 

[qqzj]

Your cheap.

 

[JRC3]

Dou you really need a wrench or a socket when pliers will work?



Do you really need toilet paper? lol

 

[ItsNemo]

If all you strip is 14 or 12 awg household wire, maybe you can get away with it but it would be stupid for the price of a pair of decent strippers. You sure aren't stripping 18 awg or thinner reliably that way.

I have Knipex's wire strippers which basically take the place of not just strippers, but needle nose and cable cutters...you can do all of the install work with just the one pair. I also have the channellock ones for finer stuff and a few other pairs kicking around. I will say, cheap wire strippers **** though, never sized perfectly right and don't cut worth a ****.

 

[JRC3]

I think I'd spend the $4. https://www.harborfreight.com/7-inch-wire-stripper-with-cutter-98410.html

I have two pairs of those and they are more than adequate, though I prefer my Klein pairs including a Romex sheath stripper.

 

[rmanrman]

Wiring houses or commercial buildings a pair of linesman or side cutters usually work. But if you nick a conductor and don’t have enough cable to redo its a major problem. I found that apprentices are in a hurry to prove they can do the job fast and tape up the ends not good.
If you’re doing automobile wiring you should and I own several wire strippers. The one from 22-14 gauge works great. If you need glasses have them on hand because the stripper groves are real close together and can nick or cut stands in not in the correct slot.

 

[oldschoolcraft]

It’s called hazing. Do you want to haze yourself?

Ah! I didn’t realize it was a hazing thing, I thought it was “learn the skill by hand before you get the easy way”

Hazing does explain it a lot better.

 

[AEAdam]

Ah! I didn’t realize it was a hazing thing, I thought it was “learn the skill by hand before you get the easy way”

Hazing does explain it a lot better.

Yeah, I don’t buy that answer. The pros I know use very few tools and work very very quickly. I’d be surprised if bosses would put up with new workers with large kits full of specialty tools. They want them to function with basic stuff. They send these kids into attics and crawl spaces and don’t want them coming out to get a stripper out of the truck.

 

[dnschmidt]

Seems like a ridiculous question. A good wire stripper can be bought for $10 so why wouldn't you. I'm always looking for the next new thing not how to return to the stone age. Can I use a normal ratchet? Sure. Do I do so when I've got 6 cordless ratchets at my disposal? Only when the cordless will not fit. These questions make no sense to me. Do you still start a fire by rubbing two sticks together? I've got a cheap propane torch that I use for that purpose.

 

[AEAdam]

I like the ideal pro master Pliers type that grab the wire and strip off the insulation in one motion. Klein makes a set, Even the pros in the electrical class I just took weren’t as fast. The downside is they are bulky, don’t easily fit in a pocket, and they are a special tool that allows me to be bad at using normal strippers. I have the Klein curve, but don’t like using it if I have the auto stripper.

For automotive, I have this KNIPEX gadget that has spring loaded knives that sense the wire thickness. Some say they nick the wire. Don’t know, but they sure are convenient to use. They don’t pull the wire and you don’t need much slack to do what you want.

Both of these tools are pretty expensive. But for me, they make electrical work that I hate, more palatable. And the alternative is often prohibitively expensive. I’ve dug into dash boards, and wired whole buildings without pro assistance.

 

[toolenthusiast]

I’d be surprised if bosses would put up with new workers with large kits full of specialty tools.

I have an automotive bias, but… nothing’s more annoying than the new kid who doesn’t have any tools (unless he is quickly and obviously making appropriate purchases)

 

[TxMN]

When I worked for an aerospace company, all wire strips were inspected by QC until you passed the qualifications. Never was anyone allowed to use any stripper that was not cal/certified with inspection tag attached. When they went to the shop floor the adjustment were tamper proofed with some type epoxy material. Same quality control for crimpers and only Thomas and betts products in the wire shops.

 

[RPH]

Wire up automation panels and cells. Lots of wire stripping and possible bootlace stake ons. Good stripper you like makes a difference, where you’re doing it, and the same with crimpers. I was road engineer. You do what needs to be done to make it work proper. Final fix may require additional work.

 

[Garcky]

When I worked for an aerospace company, all wire strips were inspected by QC until you passed the qualifications. Never was anyone allowed to use any stripper that was not cal/certified with inspection tag attached. When they went to the shop floor the adjustment were tamper proofed with some type epoxy material. Same quality control for crimpers and only Thomas and betts products in the wire shops.

Exactly. The "whatever works" attitude is OK in some settings, I guess, and in the DIY tool set, but not when quality matters. Besides, insulation materials used on wires have changed dramatically over the old stuff. I started out in the 1960s. Today, insulation materials are far, far better than they were, then, but are also less forgiving of clumsy people with clumsy tools.

 

[mikedodge]

Yeah, I don’t buy that answer. The pros I know use very few tools and work very very quickly. I’d be surprised if bosses would put up with new workers with large kits full of specialty tools. They want them to function with basic stuff. They send these kids into attics and crawl spaces and don’t want them coming out to get a stripper out of the truck.

The wire stripper would already be on them, being used about as much as a screw driver.

 

[onetonbb74]

I use the yellow Klein strippers and the red ones for the larger sizes up to #6. Or the ideal T-strippers. They last about a year of everyday use. Anything bigger then number 6, I use the greenlee 1903...especially on baloney/temp cord.

I have almost 10 different wire strippers in my stash. Ideal, greenlee, Klein, knipex, Milwaukee, skinning knives, etc.