Buying wire strippers and pliers - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: matrixofdynamism
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 02, 2014, 06:36:40 pm
content: I am trying to figure out which wire strippers to buy and which and what type of pliers to buy. I want this to be a one time thing as I intend to use them for many years to come.I have figured out that we have thing gauge and thick gauge wire strippers. This means that I shall have to get 2 of them. I can buy the cheap ones which cost about 5£ each or the expensive ones which cost about 30£ each. Well, they both look almost the same. They both have holes with the gauge size written next to it.Then is the case of pliers. Apparently, there are different shapes and sizes. I am sure that I do not need one simple plier with a "long nose". Do you have something else in mind? There are also the ones that have like a 90 degree bent but am not sure where I shall be needing them.Oh yes, this is all for a home lab. So do you have any recommendations?

author: XOIIO
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 02, 2014, 06:39:59 pm
content: Buy a pair of automatic wire strippers, the kind that grab the wire and pull it apart, they are amazing and work on all sorts of wire sizes.Don't buy the ones with holes for each gauge, those are garbage.

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 02, 2014, 07:42:08 pm
content: A few weeks ago there was a rich thread with information about wire strippers. See if you can find it.

author: nanofrog
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 02, 2014, 11:50:28 pm
content: Quote from: matrixofdynamism on May 02, 2014, 06:36:40 pmFirst, where are you located?Setting your flag in your User Profile can really help members to supply links.Also, if you intend this to be a long lasting purchase, good quality tools won't be cheap. So if you don't already have an appropriate budget, then you'll need to shift your requirements or budget accordingly.As per needing 2x separate pairs of strippers, that may not be the case. If you take a look at some of the automatic models, they may have a range of 28 - 8 AWG for example, making them usable for most anything you'll probably be doing on a home bench. Take a look at the linked thread below to get an idea of what's out there.As per cutters and pliers, I'd suggest taking a very serious look atSchmitz. Top quality products for very decent money vs. others. In the case of pliers, they even outperform bigger brands such as Tronex or NWS's basic line (there's areview herefrom another member that you might want to read).My cutters are from other vendors (Tronex, Lindstrom, Swanstrom, Erem), so I only bought their pliers, which are absolutely top notch. But I wouldn't be afraid of their cutters at all, based on what I've seen of their pliers. As per types, I picked up the following:1 pr. short needle nose, serrated1 pr. long needle nose, serrated1 pr. flat jaw, smooth1 pr. round nose, smoothYou'll have to buy them directly if you don't want to pay more for them (they get rebranded a lot; NWS's ESD line and CK Tools for example), and have a better selection. Prices aren't bad, even with shipping and currency conversion (they use PayPal). All in (cost, shipping, currency conversion), I paid ~$28USD per pair, and they arrived in ~1.5 weeks.As per bent nose, I used to have a pair (Xcelite). But found I didn't need them very often (particularly if your straight ones have good teeth). In the rare instances that type would have been useful, I opted for curved hemostats instead as I got better results. YMMV, but hemostats are extremely handy IMHO, and you don't have to spend a fortune on them (makes them sacrificial/modifiable if needed).Quote from: XOIIO on May 02, 2014, 06:39:59 pmI use an automatic type without nests for different gauges (Pressmaster Embla; this one offers different cartridges, such as one for Teflon insulation), but there are excellent quality versions of automatics that do use nests (Ideal Stripmaster and Knipex for example).Quote from: zapta on May 02, 2014, 07:42:08 pmHigh Quality Wire Strippers - What To Buy?might be the one you're thinking of (there are others though).

author: GreyWoolfe
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 03, 2014, 12:08:41 am
content: Hemostats are a must. I keep 8" straight and curved and 6" straight in my tool bag for my job. I keep 6" straight and curved for workbench use. Disgustingly cheap at the local flea market and they last a good long time. I have good pliers in the 4 types that Nanofrog mentions, but sometimes you just can't beat hemostats.

author: KC0PPH
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 03, 2014, 04:05:37 am
content: Auto Strippers are Nice... --- Crappy thing is that if you are stripping wire less than a few inches they dont work (not enough to hold the wire)...I have a set of Palidan strippers that are 20-30AWG that i Love! They work well and are sharp and dont require me to use pliers to hold the wire... (Crappy ones I have to).As far as Pliers I use cheapo Harbor Freight pliers that I ground down to a fine needle tip... If you put too much pressure on them they bend. They work really well for dealing with small things (as i ground them into "needle" points) but cant be used for anything rough.

author: XOIIO
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 03, 2014, 05:47:17 am
content: Quote from: KC0PPH on May 03, 2014, 04:05:37 amThis style works well even on short amounts of wire.

author: nanofrog
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 03, 2014, 03:15:35 pm
content: Quote from: KC0PPH on May 03, 2014, 04:05:37 amMaybe it's the cheap ones.My Embla's don't have that problem. Haven't heard this as an issue with similar units either (Weidemueller, Knipex, Rennsteig, ...).

author: KC0PPH
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 04, 2014, 03:18:19 am
content: I have 2 sets that look like thisThey are old but work great. They came from a shop that did govt contracting and do a perfect job at stripping the wire. The problem is the top opens up and it just requires a few inches of wire to be able to hold it and strip.Maybe i just need to get into the 21st century with auto strippers.

author: nanofrog
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 04, 2014, 06:00:28 am
content: Quote from: KC0PPH on May 04, 2014, 03:18:19 amThose are automatics.Just use dies with nests instead of a single blade set that operates across the entire wire range it's rated for.

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 04, 2014, 05:17:28 pm
content: I got this one a couple of weeks ago because the project at hand has lots of wiring:http://www.aikencolon.com/Knipex-12-62-180-1262180-Self-Adjusting-Insulation-Strippers_p_2195.htmlSo far I'm satisfied with it. BTW: Knipex is a well known brand for electrician tools over here. I have several sizes of their side cutters. The smallest is about 25 years old and still cuts the thinnest wires. But I do keep good care of it by using a bigger side cutter for the heavier jobs.