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Large gauge wire stripper

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AJHD

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I need a quick, easy to use, handheld wire stripper for large gauge wire... Specifically 2/0 gauge.

I used to have something similar to the versions used with telco and networking cable, just bigger. But I can't seem to find them anywhere. So I need an alternative, or at least some help.

Does anyone have a suggestion?

I did find this one from Klein, does anyone have experience using it?

 
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AJHD

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tyyost said:
Last time this came up here this was the recommended tool - Jokari 10270

I have always used the knife and light touch approach but totally understand the point of the right tool for the job.
Click to expand...

I saw those. Knipex has a version too. They are like $10 so I may give them a shot.

I'm just using my cable cutters, a razor or knife works too. But that isn't as clean and it's frankly just a pain.

I'm able to hide my sins with heat shrink, but I want something that's quicker, easier and makes a cleaner more accurate cut.
 
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rlitman

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tyyost said:
Last time this came up here this was the recommended tool - Jokari 10270

I have always used the knife and light touch approach but totally understand the point of the right tool for the job.
Click to expand...
I have a $5 knockoff of the Jokari, and it's a disaster. The blade is sharp and easy to adjust, and the handle holds the wire firmly, but the swivel design that allows the blade to pivot freely is too far beneath the surface. You've got nearly an inch of unsupported blade between the swivel and the insulation, and that's enough to allow the blade to bend back (like it's doing the limbo) and cut shallow. So if you adjust it right, the blade will pierce to the right depth and then barely score the insulation. If you adjust it to actually strip, the cut will start with damaged strands. And that was on soft SO cable. Forget about THHN; I just couldn't get it through at all. My guess is it's fine for silicone insulation or co-ax (I already have too many dedicated co-ax strippers though), but not much more.

Jonard makes some models with a fixed blade and metal contact surface that shouldn't suffer from this flaw.

But I for one am sticking with a hook knife. The Klein only does 4 sizes. It's useless on removing the jacket from SO, SJ, 4AWG, or all other sorts of things I use a knife for now.
 
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ez-duzit

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Stripping heavy battery cable is extremely easy and fast using a sharp utility knife. A single cut, mostly through the insulation, all around. Then a single longitudinal cut along the waste, and the insulation just peels right off.
 
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Luciferi

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dutchgray

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I use a cable shear, just pinch the wire a little, roll the shear around and then just manipulate and pull off the bit of insulation you just cut.
Fine for the relatively few larger wires I deal with, works better with fine strand wire than large fixed installation power cable..
 
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AJHD

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ihateminimumwage said:
What style cable are you cutting? Stiff battery cables or fine strand flexible (like welding leads or load bank cable)?
Click to expand...

I don't have a picture of the cable spec's/jacket, but it's super stiff 2 gauge battery cable. Very difficult to work with.
It's damn near a 2 man job just to cut, strip and crimp on new terminal ends. We also use a smaller cable, but that one isn't as difficult to work with and I don't recall the gauge.

This is not one I made, but I'm attaching a picture of an example...
We have to make those large black cables for the power disconnect switch we're installing. Every machine varies as to what and how many, but we're using the same cable across all the jobs.
 

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ez-duzit

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AJHD said:
I don't have a picture of the cable spec's/jacket, but it's super stiff 2 gauge battery cable. Very difficult to work with.
It's damn near a 2 man job just to cut, strip and crimp on new terminal ends. We also use a smaller cable, but that one isn't as difficult to work with and I don't recall the gauge.

This is not one I made, but I'm attaching a picture of an example...
We have to make those large black cables for the power disconnect switch we're installing. Every machine varies as to what and how many, but we're using the same cable across all the jobs.
Click to expand...
You are vastly overstating the difficulty of a very simple job that takes less than 30 seconds with a utility knife.
BTW, you need to add some length to those shrink sleeves, at least a full cable diameter.

Here is one of the battery installations I completed recently on a 70' yacht. Many, many crimps on heavy cable.

IMG-0088.jpg
 
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whateg01

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ez-duzit said:
You are vastly overstating the difficulty of a very simple job that takes less than 30 seconds with a utility knife.
...
Click to expand...
Good job! Attaboy! You go girl! Here's a cookie. 🙄

Shame on op, and the rest of us who have bought tools to make like easier. Guess what. Maybe it takes 30 seconds with a knife. Once I set the depth, it takes about 2 seconds with the tool I bought. And I don't have to worry about nicking any strands this way. Or in jacketed cables cutting into the insulation on the individual wires.

Go be better than everybody somewhere else!
 
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AJHD

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ez-duzit said:
You are vastly overstating the difficulty of a very simple job that takes less than 30 seconds with a utility knife.
BTW, you need to add some length to those shrink sleeves, at least a full cable diameter.
Click to expand...
While I don't disagree with you, as I said that's NOT one that I made. I can't go back and fix it. It was just an example. Also, congratulations to you. Just because you don't struggle with something, doesn't mean I won't as well.
whateg01 said:
Good job! Attaboy! You go girl! Here's a cookie. 🙄

Shame on op, and the rest of us who have bought tools to make like easier. Guess what. Maybe it takes 30 seconds with a knife. Once I set the depth, it takes about 2 seconds with the tool I bought. And I don't have to worry about nicking any strands this way. Or in jacketed cables cutting into the insulation on the individual wires.

Go be better than everybody somewhere else!
Click to expand...
Thanks for the support. I am but a mere mortal man. It's amazing how this forum encourages buying tools for the mere sake of buying tools. But when someone wants to buy a tool to make their job easier, they are discouraged from doing so.
 
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kaymccampbell

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Honestly, I've been stripping big cables with just a utility knife for decades. But, that Klein tool looks nice. I just don't do it enough any more to warrant another widget.
 
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mark#3

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AJHD said:
I need a quick, easy to use, handheld wire stripper for large gauge wire... Specifically 2/0 gauge.

I used to have something similar to the versions used with telco and networking cable, just bigger. But I can't seem to find them anywhere. So I need an alternative, or at least some help.

Does anyone have a suggestion?

I did find this one from Klein, does anyone have experience using it?

Click to expand...
Yes, as a lineman I used it alot on URD(underground wires).Go to a place that sells linemen tools/electricians tools
 
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AdAstra

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The Klein in OP seems nice since it's pre-set to the right diameter, if all your wire is covered by its range.

Pressmaster Tor is similar to the Jokaris and is another adjustable option, albeit quite expensive. Relabeled as the Greenlee 1903. Also works well to get the jacket off cables made up of insulated wires.
 
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rlitman

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PCustoms said:
IDEAL Electrical 45-128
Click to expand...
How do you get the swivel blade to work?

There seem to be two styles of these tools. One has the blade fixed where you can manually adjust its angle, and the other style has the self swiveling blade like that Ideal and the Jokari and my knockoff. All of the self swiveling replacement blades look the same to me like this:
60070461.jpg

And all of those blades are only supported around the right part of the shaft, quite a bit past the second bend. Not right at the bend either, because they need room to retract the blade. So there's at least half an inch of this maybe 14 gauge steel wire sharpened to a point overhanging any support, and it always back-bends on me as soon as I try to cut, so cuts start deep and as I move it gets so shallow it's barely scoring. And yes, my blade is still razor sharp.

I still can't bring myself to spend the dough on one with a manually rotated blade, but that Weicon sure looks nice.
 
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Zewnten

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ez-duzit said:
You are vastly overstating the difficulty of a very simple job that takes less than 30 seconds with a utility knife.
BTW, you need to add some length to those shrink sleeves, at least a full cable diameter.

Here is one of the battery installations I completed recently on a 70' yacht. Many, many crimps on heavy cable.
Click to expand...
If you're just going to be a **** to everyone and brag about how awesome you think you are why don't you go back to practical machinst and hang out with all the other narcissists. Apparently you never learned about keeping things to yourself, something most kids pick up as toddlers.
 
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Rinspeed

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Zewnten said:
If you're just going to be a **** to everyone and brag about how awesome you think you are why don't you go back to practical machinst and hang out with all the other narcissists. Apparently you never learned about keeping things to yourself, something most kids pick up as toddlers.
Click to expand...




Ouch.
 
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duneslider

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What's interesting is I have a friend who is an electrician for a very large commercial company and they are not allowed to use utility knives, or any other bladed knives at work. Its all a safety thing, he said there are tools made and designed to do every job an electrician needs to do that a knife could be used for. I know that obviously isn't the case where everyone works and I personally always have a knife on me and use it for all sorts of things its not designed/intended to do. I will say when I got myself quality coax stripers and nice "automatic" wire stripers I was immediately sold! Good tools are for sure worth it!
 
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AJHD

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Funny you mention that. Technically we are not allowed to use any knives or razors blades either. I've been using my Klein cable cutters to strip the large cable I'm working with.

Anyway... I ordered this last night. It's $10 and worth a shot. I will return it if it doesn't work.

iCrimp Round Cable Stripper,Cable Jacket Stripper,Wire Stripping Tool for 1/10" to 5/8" diameter https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09PV5JXJJ/?tag=atomicindus08-20

By the way, here is a picture of what I'm working with. It's not the one in front that says " flex" on it. That's OEM. The stiff next to is what we use, and it's ******* thick and stiff.
 

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toplessHO

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my secret is something like these
test on scrap and youll find the correct dept so the conductor isnt nicked.
Trick is to not cut all the way thru then slice lengthwise and peel the piece of insulation off.
Im pretty sure im faster than the other tools used.
Oh and remove that spring.
The ones I buy dont have it,but this pic was handy.
 

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AJHD

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Update on the stripper I bought...

Cheap, but it works great thus far. I've used it a half dozen times already. If I had to find a complaint, there is no adjustment. So you can still cut through the strands.

iCrimp Round Cable Stripper,Cable Jacket Stripper,Wire Stripping Tool for 1/10" to 5/8" diameter https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09PV5JXJJ/?tag=atomicindus08-20
 
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Zewnten

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If you want something tiny I use the tubing cutter for SOS tubing and then work pays for it haha. Very similar to what you found.
 
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rlitman

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Bubba Fett

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Klein, Ideal, Jonard, and Greenlee are generally the brands that I would trust for any type of electrical tool. I also like Platinum tools for telecom tools.
 
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Carquest

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I guess I'm like the OP, weaker as I get older. I just did some 2/0 cables today and I need a better (and safer) way than using a utility knife.
 
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Firebrick43

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I used to do a ton of CNC servo motor cables with multiple conductors. A utility knife was slow and arduous or you nicked cables.

The jonard/knipex/ideal strippers were quick and didn’t nick any of the conductors if you took the two seconds to adjust it.

Some times we would have to strip a foot or more off of the outer sleeve when ran into a box. Utility knives took forever to do the length wise slice. The above tool could do it in 5 secs.
 
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