What Kind Of Wire/Cable Strippers Do You Use?

[Gary_S]

The title says it all really. I don't own any dedicated wire or cable strippers as i don't do a massive amount of work so i thought i couldn't justify the outlay. I just stripped the ends of cables with a really sharp stanley blade and being delicate.

It'd be nice to have dedicated cutters for doing it but i can't make up my mind whether to get them or just do what i've been doing until now.

Trouble is you have outer mains cable that you need to cut when attaching mains leads and i don't know if standard wire strippers would do that. Standard wire strippers seem more for the thin wire we have inside our amps.

Surely you don't need to shell for two different kinds do you?

[sluckey]

These red Kleins are what I use for electronics. They even work well on teflon insulation if you keep them shiny and sharp. Cost is $13 at Amazon or $11 at HomeDepot. I also have a yellow pair that covers 10-18 gauge. More useful to 3-wire electricians.

[Willabe]

I use them too and they work great.


              Brad     

[kagliostro]

I use this one



K

[jjasilli]

I cannot live without this tool, though I got mine for about $10 on eBay:  http://www.mcmaster.com/#wire-strippers/=kg998b

It puts no tug on the wire when you strip the tip.  So you can solder one end in the amp, run it to it's connection point; cut the wire to tried & true length; then strip that remaining end & solder it.  Really great for working on old style, true point to point connections.  Got the idea from Doug in an old post.  It works great on the finest wire up to anything you'd encounter in an amp, strips well and doesn't harm the wire.  (I've never used teflon wire)  It's a true pleasure to use this tool.  

Also, for more formidable cable, I use an old Sears model much like this:  http://www.sears.com/k-tool-international-wire-stripper-and-crimper-carded/p-SPM5781956801?prdNo=21&blockNo=21&blockType=G21  This one's more like blunt instrument than surgically precise.

[Willabe]

I cannot live without this tool, though I got mine for about $10 on eBay:  http://www.mcmaster.com/#wire-strippers/=kg998b

Which 1? A-B-C-D-.....?


              Brad       

[jjasilli]

Whoops:  K

[DummyLoad]

These red Kleins are what I use for electronics. They even work well on teflon insulation if you keep them shiny and sharp. Cost is $13 at Amazon or $11 at HomeDepot. I also have a yellow pair that covers 10-18 gauge. More useful to 3-wire electricians.

+1 - IMO, the best strippers...











... are redheads?  :p

[PRR]

You NEED a wire-stripper.

Nicked strands are a LARGE point of failure.

You do NOT want the V-blade "adjustables". While a few people have good luck with them, in computers and missiles you can be fired for possessing these on the job. Anyway they are the lowest scum on the market and usually work badly.

> you don't need to shell for two different kinds do you?

I've got three size and need another.

As Steve says, there is a size #10-#20 or so. That will cover any cord you want to wrassle and down to quite small hook-up wire. IRRC mine goes to #24?

The Klein is excellent. I have a house-brand and I had to file it to wire my garage, it just was not doing #12 right.

I had to file that one because I could not find my good #6-#16. I have another down to #30, but you don't want such hair-wire in road gear.

I have a $13 clone of that. I usually reach for anything else. Unless it is RadioShack wax insulation, this type flat-blade tends to nick a strand about the time it rips the insulation. (Ah, but for $41 you get V-blade? Might be OK.)


For small thermoplastic it is hard to beat the PATCO.

[Gary_S]

Thanks for the replies guys keep them coming.

What about these one's?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Yellow-Plastic-Handle-Stripper-Crimper/dp/B005431PB6/ref=sr_1_21?ie=UTF8&qid=1354758531&sr=8-21

[G._Hoffman]

I like the Klein ones.  I have a 10-18 and a 16-24.  I also have one up to 30, but I don't know where it is right now, and never use it.  I also really like my Patco.  I have the PTS-30 that works for Teflon and the like, and it is my choice for Teflon wire.  Most of the folks at the shop use one of the spring-loaded things like kagliostro showed, when we use them at all, but lately everybody has just been using the push back wire for most everything. 


Gabriel

[overtone]

Thanks for the replies guys keep them coming.

What about these one's?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Yellow-Plastic-Handle-Stripper-Crimper/dp/B005431PB6/ref=sr_1_21?ie=UTF8&qid=1354758531&sr=8-21

The problem is avoiding damaging the wire when stripping it. I think you will nick the wire/strands with those too.

It took me a long time to justify these, but the cost was soon forgotten when using them.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Abisolierzange-0-08-10-mm²/dp/B000T7SGWI/ref=sr_1_63?s=diy&ie=UTF8&qid=1355061407&sr=1-63
If you are using teflon wire the thermo stripper that PRR showed would be better.
There is a russian video on you tube showing these the Stripax in action and it can pre-strip the outer insulation of screened cable by placing it diagonally in the jaws. I never knew it could do that.

[G._Hoffman]

Thanks for the replies guys keep them coming.

What about these one's?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Yellow-Plastic-Handle-Stripper-Crimper/dp/B005431PB6/ref=sr_1_21?ie=UTF8&qid=1354758531&sr=8-21

The problem is avoiding damaging the wire when stripping it. I think you will nick the wire/strands with those too.

It took me a long time to justify these, but the cost was soon forgotten when using them.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Abisolierzange-0-08-10-mm²/dp/B000T7SGWI/ref=sr_1_63?s=diy&ie=UTF8&qid=1355061407&sr=1-63
If you are using teflon wire the thermo stripper that PRR showed would be better.
There is a russian video on you tube showing these the Stripax in action and it can pre-strip the outer insulation of screened cable by placing it diagonally in the jaws. I never knew it could do that.

A good set of notched blade strippers won't knick the wire if used properly.  Not good enough for aerospace, perhaps, but plenty good enough for amps, pedals, and guitars.

The thermo stripper PPR put up is the PTS-10, which is a great little unit, but won't work on teflon wire.  It is designed for PVC and the like.  It is not hot enough for teflon wire - but they do make one for teflon, the PTS-30.  I love mine, though it doesn't do great with PVC - it's too hot!   Just makes a gooey mess on the blades that you have to burn off before you can use it again. 


Gabriel

[Gary_S]

A good set of notched blade strippers won't knick the wire if used properly.  Not good enough for aerospace, perhaps, but plenty good enough for amps, pedals, and guitars.

The thermo stripper PPR put up is the PTS-10, which is a great little unit, but won't work on teflon wire.  It is designed for PVC and the like.  It is not hot enough for teflon wire - but they do make one for teflon, the PTS-30.  I love mine, though it doesn't do great with PVC - it's too hot!   Just makes a gooey mess on the blades that you have to burn off before you can use it again. 


Gabriel

How do you like the push back wire Gabriel mentioned in your last post? It sounds more convenient but i've never used it before. What are the down sides compared to conventional wire?  I know of a source for it here in the UK but it's a bit more expensive than ordinary wire.

[G._Hoffman]

How do you like the push back wire Gabriel mentioned in your last post? It sounds more convenient but i've never used it before. What are the down sides compared to conventional wire?  I know of a source for it here in the UK but it's a bit more expensive than ordinary wire.

It's OK.  I'm not wild about it for amps, though lots of people have used it.  At the shop, we're just using it for guitars, so it's a pretty low complexity thing.  It is convenient, and speeds things up considerably, since you don't have to strip the insulation.  The only way to know what you will think is to try it.


Gabriel

[cesout]

The mac daddy of wire strippers. I've tried them all and this is the best to me. You can easily strip those short wires tied down in the chassis and no wire nicking either.

[PRR]

> this is the best to me

http://www.teledyneinterconnect.com/products/stripall/default.asp
http://www.teledyneinterconnect.com/products/stripall/stripall-catalog.pdf

$300-$400+.

[sluckey]

I have a very similar thermal stripper built into the Pacekit station at work. It is super nice, especially on teflon wire. Too rich for my hobby shop though.