Wire Stripping Tool

[guitarbutt]

I've recently been doing some wiring and realized I don't know if I like my wire strippers that much. One pair is a basic 12-20g Klein and the other is the auto trigger style Harbor Freight. They both serve their purpose, but both could be better.

As we do here, what wire strippers are your favorite? Any and all, from the basic pliers style to the more elaborate auto adjusting pairs.

 

[mike93lx]

I use Klein 1019's for small stranded stuff and a utility knife for bigger and most solid

 

[Terra Nova]

I like the Klein 12065CR for house wiring. For automotive I use an old Craftsman Pro mini cutter/stripper/crimper set.

The self adjusting strippers are cool but mine wore out and I haven't replaced them. Should get around to that one of these days.

 

[Davefr]

Get automatic wire strippers. You'll need two sizes 8-20 and 22-30. You also need to supplement them with manual strippers because the automatic strippers need about an inch of so of loose end to grab onto. Sometimes you don't have enough slack for them to strip. Ideal, Channelock or Klein are good choices.

 

[kngelv]

I'm a big Klein guy but I will say that the Ideal T-5 strippers work a little better than similar Kleins. Their edges seem sharper and harder.

James

 

[nh_yota]

I've had these for years:

Klein Tools Electrical Wire Stripper/Cutter (10-18 AWG Solid) 11045 - The Home Depot

This compact, lightweight wire-stripping and cutting tool is designed to cut 10 - 18 AWG solid wire. The precision-ground stripping holes cleanly cut wire and aid in easy removal of insulation. A narrow

www.homedepot.com

 

[ecotec]

I like the Klein Kurve. The heavy duty one’s in TerraNova’s thread are too heavy for work, but are fine for home.

 

[4xdog]

We had a thread earlier in 2022 on this subject (one of several over the years).

Wire Stripper

I am looking for electric wire strippers that work well with 12 & 14 gauge wire. I see that Irwin and others have a side stripping tool, but I am looking for one that can strip by placing the wire in from the front. I see Knipex and other companies have one but not too sure how well these...

www.garagejournal.com

 

[kbuhagiar]

Jokari:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002BDNL4Q/?tag=atomicindus08-20

I've had mine for over thirty years and use it for both automotive and house wiring.

 

[jbfsr]

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000V6W5QU/?tag=atomicindus08-20

My preferred stripper. Simple & easy.

 

[dnschmidt]

The Jokari are the bomb but they will only go down to 14 gauge making them unusable for normal 12 gauge house wiring. For all other purposes they're great. I bought a box of TOPTUL copies and they're really good especially for automotive since you strip the wire from head on rather than from the side.

 

[ItsNemo]

No thanks on automatic strippers, I've never found a pair that are actually nice to use, so I use Channellock 908's right now.

 

[guitarbutt]

I like the design of the blue handled Kleins, and I think I've decided on knipex for automatic. Thanks for the input

 

[ThePostman]

Klein 12035, pro use, best wire stripper ever, at least for automotive. The cutters are good, and so are the pliers portion, awesome tool.

 

[Firebrick43]

Paladin Tools STRIPAX PRO 6​

If you don't like automatic strippers its because you have not tried these. For solid house wire, nah but for stranded wire, it is insane how good it is. Even little 28 gauge wire it will strip with cutting any strands if adjusted correctly which takes seconds with the orange slide on top. ​

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Even work well to remove outer insulation on prox cables and like.

 

[Monte]

 

[F-22]

Side-pull wire strippers are so odd to use for me. I definitely much prefer these:

Simple and functional. The more you pull on them, the tighter you squeeze them, and you don't "bend" the wire as you pull on it.

Over here, any professional electrician uses the plastic automatic pliers like in the post above. However, personally, I have some 80's Vessel automatic pliers like these knipex ones:

Love that satisfying "clack" when I use them. They're so fast and effortless... In my opinion best suited for automotive work though.

 

[f121]

These. $20 a pair, been using them for years and they just work. I’ve got three sets now, one in the house, one in the garage, one in my road box. I’ve also got a set of the snap on manual wire strippers, nicely made but way fiddly after using these

 

[ecotec]

Side-pull wire strippers are so odd to use for me. I definitely much prefer these:

Simple and functional. The more you pull on them, the tighter you squeeze them, and you don't "bend" the wire as you pull on it.

Over here, any professional electrician uses the plastic automatic pliers like in the post above. However, personally, I have some 80's Vessel automatic pliers like these knipex ones:

Love that satisfying "clack" when I use them. They're so fast and effortless... In my opinion best suited for automotive work though.

In my area, I have seen only a couple guys using the automatic wire strippers in 28 years as an electrician.

It is not really a thing here.

 

[4xdog]

@Monte -- is Knipex the original manufacturer of those?

I've had this pair of similar wire strippers for decades, and they're my favorite. The same basic style (and a few variations) are sold by a number of companies, but I've never known who really made them.

 

[Dave455]

Depends what I’m doing.

If it’s domestic work, then I’m only really working with two sizes of wire, and I like these Knipex, but they are pretty much a job specific tool.

In most other cases I’m with f121 above and use these el cheapo ones. I’m not one to economise on tools if there’s any compromise in performance, but these things really do work incredibly well. They work better on cable than anything else I’ve tried. The same tool is available with many brand names.

If I was doing a lot of automotive electrical work I’d probably go with something like the Knipex above. I can’t recall the original manufacturer of that style of stripper, but I can remember them being introduced.

 

[Monte]

@Monte -- is Knipex the original manufacturer of those?

I've had this pair of similar wire strippers for decades, and they're my favorite. The same basic style (and a few variations) are sold by a number of companies, but I've never known who really made them.

Jokari is the OEM of the Knipex product: www.jokari.de
Weicon is the the other manufacturer of most of the wire strippers available: www.weicon.de

 

[laser3kw]

I have the Klein Katupult I got at Ho-Depo. Very nice and precise cut to the insulation. I tried the other style I call the "grip it and rip it" type (like pictured in post #15^^^). I didn't like the way they stretched / pulled / ripped the insulation. But, maybe I haven't had a good pair?

 

[Bagherra]

I want these!!!

 

[KnurledNut]

I use these four, depending on task:

 

[lugnut71]

 

[lugnut71]

I have tried about everything, i prefer these all day long.