Wire stripping tools

[silver2000]

Wire stripping tools video

I made a video showing some of my favorite wire strippers. I show several from Vise Grip. BluePoint, electrician's scissors and even my teeth . Hope you might enjoy this or suggest others to try.

 

[raddksn]

my favorite wire stripper!

 

[silver2000]

That's awesome! I love it

 

[chaosracing]

I have a pair similar to the vise grips one you show. I have had it for many years now. It must be getting worn out because now it does slip once in a while. I forget the brand name. It also does not have the wire guide (which I would not use anyway if it had one)

I never knew about the scissors though.

 

[silver2000]

I have also noticed that they wear out over the years. As far as the wire guide. I never used to use it but then my OCD kicked in when I am stripping wire for outlets and I like getting the exact same amount of "strippage" This is a little more important if you start to use the Wagos so you constantly get the perfect strip but experience can also deliver a nice result too.

 

[Olafur]

Pictured are 3 almost identical cable cutters. Their secret is they are fantastic all-around wire strippers. I post this because with all the talk about wire strippers here - these never get mentioned. And I kid you not, you will have great difficulty finding electrician or a mechanic over here without them, since they double as cutters and strippers and do both very well and fast. I favour the Bost or Knipex versions, but many others works just fine.

Just my $02

 

[Jbullfrog]

I have one of these and it works great for smaller harness wires. It auto strips from the rear. I like them for repairing harness connections, in the field. They are rated for 14-28 gauge.

I have auto strippers like the ViseGrip, but almost all auto strippers are awkward for left handed people, we hold the tool in our left. I have a Cornwell t-rex style stripper also, but it isn't the greatest, as you have to have access to the end of the wire and clearance past it for the tool.

 

[Jbullfrog]

Most strippers for stranded wire should not be used on solid wire. It is harder and will burr the cutting edges of tools meant for small stranded wire.

 

[pepi]

my favorite wire stripper!

That's GREAT........ funny the perfect reply

Now I'm thinking who would watch a video about wire strippers ...... someone that needs to be told when to come in out of the rain ?

 

[Bryanthegreat]

I prefer Klein for my wiring needs. I usually only use the auto strippers to take the jacket off of multi conductor cables.

 

[silver2000]

I like the manual tools as well but I never seem to be able to master the results with them but they are likely more practical for someone doing it every day.

 

[jayrush13]

Pictured are 3 almost identical cable cutters. Their secret is they are fantastic all-around wire strippers. I post this because with all the talk about wire strippers here - these never get mentioned. And I kid you not, you will have great difficulty finding electrician or a mechanic over here without them, since they double as cutters and strippers and do both very well and fast. I favour the Bost or Knipex versions, but many others works just fine.

Just my $02

I have never seen this kind of stripper here in the US but am very curious now. Do you have part numbers for the knipex or bost versions? Could only find the shell ones in your picture imported through ali Express

 

[TwoInch]

Re: Wire stripping tools video

Can't do the Wranglestar "like a pro" gimmick marketing stuff.

Sent from my LGLS676 using Tapatalk

 

[HenryAZ]

If you have a lot of wires the same gauge to strip, these WIHA Industrial wire strippers are adjustable from #24->#8 AWG. The jaws form a diamond shape, are adjusted by a screw and held by a locknut. $20 and some change at Amazon.

For basic stripping, I like the Ideal T-Strippers, two sizes for smaller and larger gauge wires.

 

[Olafur]

I have never seen this kind of stripper here in the US but am very curious now. Do you have part numbers for the knipex or bost versions? Could only find the shell ones in your picture imported through ali Express

I bought the "shell" version on Ebay from China. I think they are "fake" but I am not sure.

The Knipex version can be seen here;
https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/cable-cutters/7276746/

Bost number seems to be 121.01

From this discussion:
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=370840&showall=1

I have several of those, IMHO very versatile and useful tool for cutting and stripping cables, wires, zip-ties etc.

 

[silver2000]

I like the Knipex ones a lot. They always seem to make top notch stuff.

 

[cajunfirehawk]

I bought the vise grip Erwin one on an amazon deal one day, its works very well. All one would need in a normal shop. IMHO, YMMV

 

[Wamsutta]

With my Klein's on a 16AWG wire, I have to first break the insulation with the 16AWG die and then pull the insulation off with the 14AWG die.

 

[silver2000]

I bought the vise grip Erwin one on an amazon deal one day, its works very well. All one would need in a normal shop. IMHO, YMMV

Good to know for sure.It feels well made and I see it has some adjustments for wear also that give me some confidence about long term ownership. The price is pretty amazing too.

 

[TwoInch]

With my Klein's on a 16AWG wire, I have to first break the insulation with the 16AWG die and then pull the insulation off with the 14AWG die.

Why so? What happens if you use 14awg slot to break and pull?

I know solid awg is one size smaller than stranded awg.. Does this have something to do with it?

Sent from my LGLS676 using Tapatalk

 

[Wamsutta]

If I pull with same slot that I break it with, it'll break one of the strands off as I'm pulling; that's why I pull with the larger slot.

Now if I use any of my Stride-Imperial made strippers, they never break any strands. They're a pleasure to use.

 

[JBH]

With my Klein's on a 16AWG wire, I have to first break the insulation with the 16AWG die and then pull the insulation off with the 14AWG die.

If a wire stripping tool has "dies" for different thicknesses of wire, it's probably not a very good tool.

I don't know why Americans love those stamped holey things when these are easy to use and work with every thickness of wire and insulation.

 

[f121]

These:

 

[gnxtc2]

Most strippers for stranded wire should not be used on solid wire. It is harder and will burr the cutting edges of tools meant for small stranded wire.

Usually the strippers are labeled for solid and stranded wire on either side.

Billy T.
[email protected]

 

[silver2000]

These:

This design must be patented by one company. Now that you shared this one I have seen it labeled under Irwin, Stanley and Klein. The Klein is a little different but it's the same design. Very interesting.

 

[f121]

This design must be patented by one company. Now that you shared this one I have seen it labeled under Irwin, Stanley and Klein. The Klein is a little different but it's the same design. Very interesting.

I think the patent has expired, but it may be owned by Stanley. Either way, they are brilliant and well worth the $20 or so. I do a lot of auto wiring, splicing looms into other looms for engine conversions, and they make life much quicker

 

[Wamsutta]

Usually the strippers are labeled for solid and stranded wire on either side.

Billy T.
[email protected]

Those Klein's you have pictured are the ones I have. I like the way they feel in my hand but they're finicky with wire insulation.

 

[silver2000]

Those Klein's you have pictured are the ones I have. I like the way they feel in my hand but they're finicky with wire insulation.

I have also used those Kleins with the same experience. They messed up some wires I was working on one with very little to work with. Not good for me either.

 

[Sine Swept]

I didn't see a OLFA knife, 909's or the small yellow adjustable's that I used on most 18-14 gauge wire listed in there either.

The knife is great for #1 and larger. 909's can strip wire with the anvil cutter and the ubiquitous small yellow stripper's are great once you master a little muscle memory.

 

[Wamsutta]

These are the two best I've ever used. They strip the wire easily and never damage the strands. Imperial is the OEM for a lot of different brands. The IE-155 can be had under the Craftsman and Williams brand.

Imperial IE-110

Imperial IE-155

 

[MFolks]

Stripmaster wire strippers are the type used in a production situation all day long,squeeze the two handles together and the dies come down,grip the wire and eject the insulation.

http://www.idealindustries.ca/products/tools_totes/wire_strippers/stripmaster.php

 

[scubadoober]

I picked up one of these on my last amazon.de order, but have yet to use it. Over the winter I will have some wiring to do. They are the OEM for knipex and others.
https://www.jokari.de/en/Super-4-plus-2.htm

 

[epmills]

I like the Matco/Harbor Freight style. They never seem to last long, but they work great when they do. A lot of time I don't have a whole lot of room to use any of the scissor style strippers.
https://www.matcotools.com/catalog/product/WCS190A/WIRE-STRIPPER/

Or for a lot less, the HF:
https://www.harborfreight.com/6-12-in-wire-strippers-with-pressure-adjustment-63143.html

 

[2manytools]

If a wire stripping tool has "dies" for different thicknesses of wire, it's probably not a very good tool.

I don't know why Americans love those stamped holey things when these are easy to use and work with every thickness of wire and insulation.

Except those don't work with all, all the time, and don't work with NM (non-metallic) wiring insulation. They must be adjusted for changing strip sizes. If you are only working on one size, they are great, otherwise you have a little trial & error getting it just right. No idea where you are from, but I know some European wiring has round insulation so they would be fine for, but in the USA it is oblong. The easiest way is a stripper with "dies" i guess everyone is referring to, specially for NM insulation.

2nd image is NM. If you are a residential electrician in the US, you would probably be laughed off the job if you didn't have a pair. Commercial guys that have to run in conduit, would very likely never use them.

 

[JBH]

Except those don't work with all, all the time.

They pretty much do if one knows how to use them.

While I mostly use a Wiha-branded Pressmaster Embla now, before I bought that I never had trouble using the standard manual tool. Until the Embla it worked better than every automatic tool I've tried: the Irwin "self-adjusting" one with serrated clamps on top that never grip right, the one with two knives and different hole sizes that only works well with wires that are sized exactly right, etc.

By contrast, the forged pliers-style strippers work with every type of small- or medium-sized wire I've tried: from white or yellow Romex, speaker wires ranging from 10-16AWG (including with PTFE insulation), line level cables from 22-28AWG, etc. They are generally too small for really thick stuff, such as welding cable.

They must be adjusted for changing strip sizes. If you are only working on one size, they are great, otherwise you have a little trial & error getting it just right.

Or you just ignore the adjustment screw entirely. A human with functioning nerves electrically connected to a working brain can easily feel the difference between insulation and copper!

On solid core wire the only real differences are that the pulling motion to remove the insulation using the stamped holey thing is less natural, and that one has nothing to gauge exactly how much insulation is being stripped. But stranded wire varies widely in conductor OD due to strand thickness, strand shape (hexagonal vs. round), etc. So a tool with a 1-size-fits-something-random stripping hole is not going to cut as cleanly as an infinitely-adjustable stripper.

No idea where you are from, but I know some European wiring has round insulation so they would be fine for, but in the USA it is oblong.

The shape of the insulation is irrelevant. It could be round, oblong square, spikey, etc. The only thing that matters is the shape of the conductor underneath it.

Or are you referring to the outer jacket? If so, neither stripping tool is called for. Rather, one uses a knife, scissors, or something like this:

 

[knobby]

For bench use if I want to do a clean job and do not want to nick the wire I use a thermal stripper like this
http://www.techni-tool.com/768ST026

 

[2manytools]

Or are you referring to the outer jacket? If so, neither stripping tool is called for. Rather, one uses a knife, scissors, or something like this:

Well that's an entirely different tool than you previously pictured. The previous one isn't worth a hoot for Romex. Sure you can use a knife, but not the most efficient method. I love my adjustable strippers you first pictured, but using them by feel isn't how they we're intended to be used, otherwise they would save money & not put an adjustment screw in. Not as fast feeling, than knowing it is set just right, and just go at it.

Can you provide an example of what you mean by forged & "stamped holy things," as I read them as being the same, but the last post makes me think otherwise.

 

[Wamsutta]

The Imperial IE-123 can be used to strip the outer jacket of the oblong shaped Romex 12-2/14-2 cables:

Imperial IE-123

Imperial also makes a version for Klein:

Klein K1412

 

[JBH]

Well that's an entirely different tool than you previously pictured.

Yes. It's basically a safety knife to cut the outer jacket of a multi-core cable. You adjust the knife to the insulation depth, insert the cable in the vise, spin the knife around, and the outer jacket gets cut.

I think it's useful to take a step back and define terms. "Wire" and "cable" are different things.

Wire: A single conductor (solid or stranded) wrapped in insulation
Cable: Multiple wires arrayed inside a common jacket

If there are specialty tools that let an electrician strip both a Romex cable jacket and the wires inside it, then that is useful for electricians even if it's an objectively crude tool. I've never seen an electrician use such a tool.

The previous one isn't worth a hoot for Romex.

Funny, I've used mine with to strip the ends off of wires in Romex multiple times. Obviously it's not designed to strip cable jackets.

I love my adjustable strippers you first pictured, but using them by feel isn't how they we're intended to be used, otherwise they would save money & not put an adjustment screw in. Not as fast feeling, than knowing it is set just right, and just go at it.

If you strip a lot of different sizes and styles of wire you can go by feel. If you really only strip one size and style of wire, use the screw and I guess you can clamp-and-go.

Can you provide an example of what you mean by forged & "stamped holy things," as I read them as being the same, but the last post makes me think otherwise.

They are different. One is a couple sheets of perforated sheetmetal with handles, and the other is a tool.

Using the same brand, here's an example of a "stamped holey thing":

and a forged wire-stripping tool:

 

[jayrush13]

I bought the "shell" version on Ebay from China. I think they are "fake" but I am not sure.

The Knipex version can be seen here;
https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/cable-cutters/7276746/

Bost number seems to be 121.01

From this discussion:
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=370840&showall=1

I have several of those, IMHO very versatile and useful tool for cutting and stripping cables, wires, zip-ties etc.

I don't think they sell them in the USA if I click on that link it says page not found. If I try looking up the part number on knipex usa website it doesn't find anything.

***** because I would like to try them out.