Wire stripper is there a knack to it or are they just bad? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: electroniclearner820327
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 09, 2025, 07:58:59 am
content: I boughtthesea few months ago and the wire stripping capability is pretty pathetic.I am mostly trying to strip really thing wire of probably a couple of mm2 and most times they won't strip at all, only squeezing the wire, or the section off completely.Is there some knack or hack to make them more effective? Maybe sharpen the jaws like one would a knife?These turn out even less effective than carefully using a stanley knife, which is what I did before getting them.

author: Gyro
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 09, 2025, 08:21:43 am
content: The only thing those are useful for is shortening screws without mashing the end threads. They can by used for stiff insulation automotive wires, but not well, Oh and for crimping old fashioned spark plug leads. They are pointless for any electronics use and also unsafe for Red / Blue / Yellow crimp terminations.

author: Jeroen3
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 09, 2025, 08:29:12 am
content: That's about the worst tool you can get. Barely better than your bare hands.Buy a Knipex 12 62 180

author: Krisby
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: July 09, 2025, 11:26:07 am
content: I've got a Japanese "ENGINEER" PA-06 Wire Stripper. Very high quality, I recommend it. For stranded wire, it says it strips a range of wire from AGW 30 to 18, and for solid wire: AWG 28 to 16.

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 09, 2025, 11:29:29 am
content: There is no one stripper that will cover all uses, but this one covers almost none.For medium to large wires I like this style, though there are lots of variants & brands which vary a lot from excellent to useless - it's pot luck but make sure it has the adjustment screw on the back.For smallar stuff I usually just use flush-cut sidecutters. the trick is to squeeze and then release pressure slightly before pulling

author: RJSV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 10, 2025, 04:35:22 am
content: I've had no end to troubles with wire stripping.My preference, (might not pass military spec) is to cut until I barely feel the actual wire underneath, which is, actually, a very flakey method. Then, I strip the insulation, using a finger or thumb nail !This is often needing a re-do, but works for all of my shielded cable soldering pre-striping.

author: JustMeHere
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 10, 2025, 05:59:58 am
content: Those were "good" in the 80s. But they have been improved upon. You can get them to work, but you're better off with a modern pair. As someone said, good for screws, but all other aspects are not that good.

author: electroniclearner820327
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 10, 2025, 06:44:21 am
content: Quote from: mikeselectricstuff on July 09, 2025, 11:29:29 amI didn't see cause to have a dedicated stripper for larger battery type wires or even medium wires as due to the thickness it is easier to feel when you hit the metal with a blade.I got these supposed strippers because I mostly work with couple of mm2 wire and for that thin you are liable to cut them to pieces without having the tactile feedback of thicker ones as RJSV points out.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 10, 2025, 06:52:28 am
content: Quote from: Gyro on July 09, 2025, 08:21:43 amget your self a screw cutter guillotine and throw them out! Unless you need to cut a thread that is sticking out of something unweildy, you will hate yourself for not getting a hardened steel screw cutter eons ago.Unless you need metric or weird sizes of course.https://www.aircraft-tool.com/detail?id=ats-sbcIt works good enough that I finally realized I might pay it off by being able to use the screws I have and shortening them to the correct size..... instead of endlessly buying more screws.I want this one toohttps://hardcoregrinderproducts.com/products/screw-cutter

author: Ian.M
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 10, 2025, 09:35:25 am
content: +1Quote from: Gyro on July 09, 2025, 08:21:43 amThey don't even shorten screws effectively as the end almost invariably gets smeared sideways enough you need to clean up with a file before you can put a nut on it.Simply clamping the screw thread in a block of wood that's been drilled undersize and split, then hacksawing through part of the wood *and* the screw so its closely supported right up till it drops off, gives a far cleaner end that needs minimal cleanup.Alternatively use a Dremel and cutoff disc if access permits.

author: 5U4GB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 10, 2025, 02:00:00 pm
content: Quote from: Jeroen3 on July 09, 2025, 08:29:12 amI tried that style after hearing lots of good things about it and was quite disappointed, on most of the wires I tested it with the wire just slid through it without being stripped, the only stuff it would reliably strip was over-plasticised PVC. The one I've found best isthis style, just make sure you get a decent-quality one since a lot of the cheap ones also just let the wire slide through (I think Engineer made the original as the PAW-01 and then everyone else copied it, the LAOA is cheaper and easier to find than the Engineer version).Seems to be a bit of a personal-preference thing though, a friend of mine swore by the dual-guillotine style of wire stripper where two blades drop down on either side and the thing then splits apart, in theory cutting and stripping the insulation, in practice just sliding over it leaving slight scratches.

author: themadhippy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 10, 2025, 03:02:44 pm
content: for small stuff i use an old pair of unnamed side cutter for stripping as the knippex cutters are too good at cutting regardless of how gentle i squeeze.what id like is a mini pair of theseas i find them ideal for anything between 0.5-6mm,anything larger is knife time.

author: Gyro
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 10, 2025, 08:05:26 pm
content: Quote from: Ian.M on July 10, 2025, 09:35:25 amCurious, I've never had a problem with putting a nut straight onto the cut end first time - yes the end isn't the cleanest, but definitely sheared rather than smeared and the threads intact. Having said that, my pair is 50 years old now (but still going strong for that purpose alone, otherwise I would have binned them long ago), with no slack in the rivet to allow smearing. I suspect the reason is that they were made of actual steel back then. The more recent ones are probably more akin to processed cheese.For anything bigger, I just use a vise (gripping the waste) and hacksaw, ensuring that I have a fresh nut already on the screw, cleaning up the end before using the nut to re-form any remaining damage.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 10, 2025, 08:46:26 pm
content: Quote from: JustMeHere on July 10, 2025, 05:59:58 amNo they weren’t, they were shit back then, too!Good strippers have existed since at least the 1950s.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 10, 2025, 08:50:32 pm
content: Quote from: RJSV on July 10, 2025, 04:35:22 amYeah, that’s a terrible method, particularly for small wires like we use in modern electronics. (And getting worse, as modern wire seems to have stiffer insulation than older stuff.)

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 10, 2025, 08:55:48 pm
content: Milwakee has pliers that cut 4-40 and 6-32 screws, with needle nose and wire strippers/cutter. They are OK for doing electrical shit. Its not perfect though for cutting screws, but usually all you cut with it are screws for mounting light switch covers, which are weak. They are a little smeared, but the pliers are tight.Actually that original tool has one use, it seems to crimp those cup connectors ok. The ones that you put on two wires like a hat and crimp them together. But it sucks at terminals. And those cup connectors IMO are shady.

author: 5U4GB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 11, 2025, 03:06:55 am
content: Quote from: tooki on July 10, 2025, 08:46:26 pmI think they've been around since at least biblical times.

author: Terry Bites
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 11, 2025, 07:22:16 am
content: That's a mechancics tool and it belongs on the garage floor.

author: Swainster
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 11, 2025, 08:51:45 am
content: A couple of mm2 is not that thin - the wires inside household lighting cable are typically around 1.5mm2, at least in the UK. If you are actually talking about hook-up wire for something like an arduino project, then using much thinner stuff is more practical. For this type of application, silicone insulated hook-up wire is easily stripped with your fingernails

author: RoGeorge
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 11, 2025, 09:17:18 am
content: I have a few cheap no-name, different styles:This model (again, mine is a cheap no-name) is hard to tune properly. Both the core diameter of the wire and the isolation type matters. Good only if you work with a single type of wire. For multistranded wires, it almost always pulls/breaks a few strands.This one is a little easier to adjust than the previous, works better, but still not good if you work with many types of wire at the same time. I didn't use it very often.This style is one of the best, easy to adjust and very reliable, IMO.And the best I've ever touched (not mine) was based on this mechanism:Don't recall which brand exactly, it was some professional tool, very expensive and sharp as a razor blade. It was working amazingly well, even when compared with other pro brands but of a different mechanism.

author: Gyro
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 11, 2025, 09:35:30 am
content: Quote from: RoGeorge on July 11, 2025, 09:17:18 amYes, those are my favored type! They are available for different diameter ranges at various price points - you get what you pay for in terms of blade quality and alignment.I was lucky enough to pick up a NATO wire stripping set (they have boxed tool kits for specific tasks) for virtually nothing, which includes a very high quality one, complete with interchangeable blade sets for a whole range of diameters. That said, some of the cheaper ones aren'tthatbad. You do have to remember what size you are stripping though.P.S.https://www.eevblog.com/forum/chat/what-did-you-buy-today-post-your-latest-purchase!/msg4314868/#msg4314868

author: forrestc
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 11, 2025, 09:54:24 am
content: I agree - the style you bought is probably the worst option out there.For most uses, I like one in the style shown below:Note the sharp-looking knife-like edges on the stripper. I'm not sure I've ever bought a bad version that looks like this. Some are, of course, better than others, but none are even close to as bad as the one you have. You can buy cheap versions of these for less than $10 US, which are suitable for most uses, and for me, they're inexpensive enough that I can buy several so I can keep one where they're needed. For instance, with each type of crimper I own.But my favorite stripper for smaller wires is the Knipex 11-82-130, which is shown below - it will strip anything from 18-32 with the one notch, and then the cutting works really well. It's the stripper I leave on my workbench for most stripping needs. But... It's also costly. I lucked out and got one on sale for a lot less than the regular price.I'm not particularly fond of the "automatic" strippers several people have recommended, mainly because every one of those I've tried ends up damaging the insulation on the wire. I tend to have less of a problem with the two styles I've shown above.

author: JohanH
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 11, 2025, 09:57:32 am
content: Good examples above. Yes, the first mentioned ones are bad, both for stripping and crimping. I've used them for cutting screws, but they break after a certain amount of screws.For small wires, I usePiergiacomi CSP 30.1. They are cheap but good enough for tiny wires 0.05-0.5 mm² (AWG 30-20). Hakko rebrands the same asCHP CSP-30-1-D.

author: madires
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 11, 2025, 10:48:53 am
content: For wires used in electronics I'm happy with a Knipex 12 40 200 (0.03 -10 mm², AVG 32 -7). Some insulations might require a little adjustment of the cutting depth. For solid wire and large cross sections I prefer Jokari wire strippers.

author: Aldo22
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 11, 2025, 11:47:57 am
content: I have one of these:https://www.conrad.com/en/p/toolcraft-to-4861944-cable-stripper-0-15-up-to-6-mm-10-up-to-26-awg-1620648.htmlI once bought this one for CHF 10.It's quite useful for the price.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 11, 2025, 12:37:15 pm
content: Quote from: forrestc on July 11, 2025, 09:54:24 amFor what it’s worth, this variessignificantlyfrom model to model.For example, the Knipex MultiStrip 10 and PreciStrip 16 both have quite gentle jaws that don’t cause significant damage — but the flip side is that to have enough grip on the wire, they need to hold onto a longer length of the wire, limiting the minimum wire length to about 1”. (This can be a problem when stripping individual wires in a cable for small connectors that require a short jacket strip.)In contrast, the Weidmüller Stripax can grip much shorter wires, but at the expense of significantly stronger localized squeezing on the insulation, and resultant greater insulation damage.With that said, neither one causes enough damage to be problematic.For the Stripmaster tools (the style shown last in RoGeorge’s post above), some models offer different styles of insulation grips to minimize damage on different insulation types.

author: PlainName
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 11, 2025, 01:28:29 pm
content: Quote from: Aldo22 on July 11, 2025, 11:47:57 amI had one of those, and it was indeed pretty good for most stuff (but not 30AWG). After many years it started to not be so good, so I bought a new one from somewhere else (couldn't remember where the original came from). The new one was terrible, so I bought another from a different manufacturer, and that was rubbish too. I don't use any of them now

author: BeBuLamar
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 11, 2025, 01:59:45 pm
content: I tempted to get the Knipex but didn't. I used the similar one made by Phoenix Contact which is excellent but it's too expensive for me so I only used the one provided by my employer. At home I use the Ideal T Stripper, they are OK not great and not too expensive either. I have 2 of them. One for size down to 26AWG and one up to 10AWG.

author: Aldo22
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 11, 2025, 02:31:38 pm
content: Quote from: PlainName on July 11, 2025, 01:28:29 pm“Toolcraft” is a brand of Conrad.I bought it back when there were proper Conrad stores in Switzerland.It looked like a pretty robust precision tool and somehow it is.It wasn't actually on my shopping list. I bought it because it was so cheap.It has served me well for years (occasional use).

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 11, 2025, 02:40:43 pm
content: Quote from: electroniclearner820327 on July 09, 2025, 07:58:59 amOne thing to add: rather than guesstimating your wire sizes, learn what sizes you actually use, and identify them with precision, so you can select appropriate tools. That tool’s stripping cavities go no smaller than 0.75mm2(18AWG), which is gigantic for a lot of modern electronics. (Those are sizes more commonly seen in electrical, not electronics, work.Note also that many tools don’t perform best at the outer limits of their capabilities. For example, the wire size I use most often for signals is 0.25mm2(24AWG). So an automatic stripper that only goes down to 0.5mm2won’t work at all, and one that only goes down to 0.25mm2may not give as good results as one that goes down to 0.08mm2, so that my 0.25mm2is comfortably above it.(The exception are strippers which have a separate cavity for each wire size, in which case one can assume they all work fine since each is specifically designed. This is, of course, assuming the tool is of decent quality.)

author: PlainName
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 11, 2025, 02:41:06 pm
content: That prompted me to dig it out. Gosh, you can still buy them:https://www.cromwell.co.uk/shop/hand-tools/wire-strippers/wire-strippers-plier-nose-0-13-to-6mm/p/ELL5582102AWhen I was looking for a replacement it must've been before muscle memory found Google.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 11, 2025, 02:44:36 pm
content: Quote from: forrestc on July 11, 2025, 09:54:24 amFor what it’s worth, I can confirm that the Klein Tools strippers of this kind are superb. The Klein-Kurve versions (like the one shown) are comfortable. I alsoreallylike that Klein prints the cutting cavities with separate markings for solid and stranded wire; many people do not realize that stranded wire is essentially one size bigger in terms of stripping diameter, nor that most strippers with labeled wire sizes are labeled for solid wire, not stranded.

author: 5U4GB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 12, 2025, 09:35:48 am
content: Quote from: PlainName on July 11, 2025, 02:41:06 pmThat's the same as the Engineer ones I mentioned, alongside LAOA, and then a million Chinese clones of varying, down to no, quality.Wonder who the index case was for that design?

author: RoGeorge
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 12, 2025, 10:23:32 am
content: Professional Wire Stripper Review & ComparisonCatus MaximusThe channel name...

author: SteveThackery
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 12, 2025, 10:54:12 am
content: @RoGeorge posted this picture:I prefer these over all others. For me, the end pull feels more natural and easier to control than any of the side pull ones.

author: MrAl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 12, 2025, 11:28:19 am
content: Quote from: electroniclearner820327 on July 09, 2025, 07:58:59 amThose are not the best wire strippers by any means. Look for a better pair.Even the ones with the single V shaped hole are better and you adjust the screw for the depth of the insulation.

author: BennoG
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 12, 2025, 11:45:42 am
content: I have this one and never looked for an other one.Benno

author: PlainName
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 12, 2025, 02:15:39 pm
content: Quote from: 5U4GB on July 12, 2025, 09:35:48 amNo, it's the same principle but the implementation is very different. You wouldn't say that the Knippex 12 40 200 is the same as the Aliexpress clones (and they even look exactly alike), so why are the Elliot Lucas ones the same as the shit ones even when they don't even look the same!Apparently Elliott Lucas were big a while back and had 40% of the UK market for pliers and stuff. Despite that I'd never come across their name until looking up those strippers yesterday

author: electroniclearner820327
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 12, 2025, 03:43:24 pm
content: Quote from: 5U4GB on July 10, 2025, 02:00:00 pmSounds like not only a problem with this kind I bought then!

author: 5U4GB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 13, 2025, 03:26:09 am
content: Quote from: electroniclearner820327 on July 12, 2025, 03:43:24 pmI think it's a combination of personal preference and build quality, for example the style that@RoGeorgementions asbest I've ever touchedwere the ones I found to be totally useless, just slid along the insulation without doing anything, but then it was some brand sold locally and not the one in the photo which looks rather better quality. I like the Engineer/LAOA/whatever style I've referenced, push the wire in to the stop, squeeze it with a satisfying ker-chunk, flick the insulation end which is held in place by the strippers into the bin next to you... but then I've also seen totally useless Chinese clones of those that can't strip wire to save themselves.This unfortunately makes reviews and opinions a bit tough to go with, the reviewer could be comparing good-quality style X and poor-quality style Y. The OCD approach would be to find some place nearby like a makerspace that has the different styles, try them out, and then buy the exact same type and brand that you find best.

author: shabaz
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 13, 2025, 04:31:54 am
content: Quote from: 5U4GB on July 13, 2025, 03:26:09 amI found locally-sold versions in that style to be useless too (i.e. from a typical general DIY store), and the blades would slide along as you say.However, the Ideal Stripmaster brand of that tool looks very similar, but is indeed exceptional (and costs several times as much as the DIY store model). Works extremely well for a decent range of wires. It's a pleasure using that tool. But no one wire stripper is going to solve all problems. The photo shows it can fail on some wires (the failure example wire has a PTFE or similar insulation of a thinness that makes it only partially tear rather than cleanly cut) but you can see it worked very well on many of the other wires, including 30 AWG Kynar (which I use frequently)If I want a very precise cut then I use a Knipex "Precision Insulation Stripper".If I want to quickly snip and strip hook-up wire for a quick basic prototype then I use a different/cheaper tool with a set screw and jaws that can both cut and strip.If I'm doing electrical work then I use multi-purpose pliers with shaped channels for stripping the most commonly encountered wires.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 13, 2025, 08:45:42 am
content: Quote from: shabaz on July 13, 2025, 04:31:54 amThis, 100%. Quoted for emphasis.That’s why at work I have 5 different wire strippers (not counting jacket strippers for cables), and Istillcan’t conveniently strip every kind of wire I encounter. (Most recent example of a hard wire to strip, high-temperature fiberglass-insulated wire for fixing a tube furnace. Had to use a scalpel for that.)The closest thing to a truly universal wire stripper is a rotary stripping machine. But I think most of us hobbyists aren’t willing to invest $10,000 in such a beast. Heck, most businesses aren’t. (I’m fortunate that another department at work has one, and I can use it if need be.) Not to mention that they aren’t portable, so that is also a huge limitation.I’ve been meaning to order one of the small thermal strippers from Patco. Thermal stripping is also not perfect for everything, but it certainly is the lowest-conductor-damage stripping technology, together with laser (which I’ve only ever seen videos of, never in person).Quote from: 5U4GB on July 13, 2025, 03:26:09 amYep, that’s a huge problem with so many reviews. That and in many cases, a simple lack of knowledge about the subject. But I wouldn’t call the good approach “OCD”, but rather, “serious and meaningful”.

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 14, 2025, 03:43:43 pm
content: Quote from: RoGeorge on July 11, 2025, 09:17:18 amOne advantage of this type, if you get a good one, is you can strip multiple wires in one go, which can be a major time saver if there's a lot to do

author: Melt-O-Tronic
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 14, 2025, 04:00:58 pm
content: Quote from: shabaz on July 13, 2025, 04:31:54 amtoIdeal Stripmaster!I have my dad's old Speedex stripper from the early 70's that has performed very well, but the blades are now worn out and unobtanium. So recently I got the aboveIdeal Stripmasterversion of it for smaller gauges and it is FANTASTIC. I'm very impressed -- so much so that I bought another for larger gauges. The only downside is that when it snaps back, it tends to crush the freshly stripped end, but it's easy enough to avoid that just by learning how to handle the tool better.Still, my preferred tool at the bench for other than silicone insulation is my entry-levelPatco thermal stripper. With that, I never have to worry about nicked strands.

author: RoGeorge
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 14, 2025, 06:13:08 pm
content: Quote from: mikeselectricstuff on July 14, 2025, 03:43:43 pmThis other model can do that, too:Seen that in a few demos, for those flat cable for mains, with 3 wires inside. This tool can first remove the external isolation, then the internal isolation on all 3 wires at once, and can do all that without readjusting the tool, for example as in this video at minute 10:20https://youtu.be/pCTy0jY5DxM?t=620By the way, anybody knows for this latest model how to properly adjust the +/- tension wheel?I've read in a YT comment that one should: "unscrew completely CCW (towards '-'), then gently squeeze the tool handles until the jaws barely touch the wire, hold that position, and screw CW (towards '+') until the adjust wheel stops."QuoteAsking because I've removed the back cover and, by looking at the mechanism, those adjusting instructions doesn't seem to make sense. Or maybe I don't properly understand how it works.However, if I follow that adjustment procedure, the tool seems to work slightly better, but the performance is not very repeatable (I have a cheap $10 model from LIDL) so hard to tell who's the culprit, the tool quality, or the adjustment procedure?

author: John Coloccia
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 15, 2025, 01:43:15 am
content: Best I use are thermal strippers. I have an old Hakko setup. And yes, many strippers just really suck.For the mechanical plier style ones, don't squeeze too hard....score it around in a twisting motion, and yank.I like the kind with the dies that spread apart after you clamp down. They're OK.But if you don't have high end, path to happiness is score, twist and yank. You only need to get down through the insulation a little bit and the rest will mostly yank away if it's normal insulation that most have their shop.

author: JustMeHere
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 15, 2025, 02:32:57 am
content: Quote from: tooki on July 10, 2025, 08:46:26 pmNotice I quoted "good". But still, I hung around a marine radio repair shop back then, and they did use those type of strippers. The ones they had worked well enoigh.Lighten up ass.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 15, 2025, 10:17:05 am
content: Quote from: JustMeHere on July 15, 2025, 02:32:57 amI don’t see how an anal bleaching would change the fact that those weren’t great strippers back in the 80s either. Pretty much everyone here agrees on that.Adding quotes is not always clear; some people bizarrely use it for emphasis, more often it’s for sarcasm, but I couldn’t really get a clear feel for your intent here.But regardless, my point was that the best strippers in the 80s were as good as the best strippers today, and thus that the criteria haven’t changed.

author: Leiothrix
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 15, 2025, 11:02:39 pm
content: Personally the best I have found is Knipex 12 42 195.I have tried plenty of others, but I am just a hobbyist.

author: JustMeHere
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 16, 2025, 06:44:32 am
content: Quote from: tooki on July 15, 2025, 10:17:05 amYou troll. It's never appreciated. Get the bleach out.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 16, 2025, 11:47:14 am
content: Quote from: JustMeHere on July 16, 2025, 06:44:32 amI do not troll: trolling is posting deliberately provocative stuff just to annoy people. I never do that because I don’t get a kick out of annoying people.I simply corrected something I perceived to be an erroneous statement.The fact that you didn’t like hearing it doesn’t make it trolling.

author: electroniclearner820327
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 17, 2025, 06:52:36 am
content: Quote from: MrAl on July 12, 2025, 11:28:19 amOh that does sound like a simple straight forward design if I am understanding you..that you can strip all wire sizes with just the one set of jaws and just adjust a screw for difference thickness. Is that right?

author: electroniclearner820327
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 17, 2025, 06:55:48 am
content: Quote from: 5U4GB on July 13, 2025, 03:26:09 amNot OCD at all. Seems like common sense. OCD is doing things irrationally, this is a perfectly rational behavior to get a higher chance of favorable result.

author: electroniclearner820327
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 17, 2025, 07:03:48 am
content: Quote from: John Coloccia on July 15, 2025, 01:43:15 amThanks, I will try that on these current ones as I hate to waste a perfectly good pair of kit if it can be made to work. Ok a lot here will say the ones I have are not perfectly good at all but for me that remains to be seen.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 17, 2025, 07:32:04 am
content: Quote from: electroniclearner820327 on July 17, 2025, 07:03:48 amJust a point to consider: you are almost certainly going to need to get another stripper anyway. The one you got only goes down to 0.75mm2(18AWG). But in most areas of modern electronics, we mostly use wires thinner than that. I find that I use 0.25mm2(~24AWG) the most, but I use wire as thin as 30AWG. Those simply won’t even be touched by your stripper.The other thing I think too many beginners overlook when first buying strippers is the importance of a strip length stop. That lets you set a strip length and then get it consistently without effort. Consistent strip lengths are essential for neat wiring. Many connector types require accurate strip lengths. With a length stop, you figure out the right setting once and then you don’t have to think about it anymore.Don’t make the mistake I did, of trying various cheap strippers over the years because I didn’t want to spend too much. In the end I spent more than the cost of one decent automatic stripper.

author: 5U4GB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 17, 2025, 11:18:04 am
content: Quote from: electroniclearner820327 on July 17, 2025, 06:55:48 amIt is perfectly rational to some people. To most of the population it would seem at least a little bit, if not quite, crazy.If you don't believe me, try asking people who aren't already used to you doing things like this what they think of it.

author: electroniclearner820327
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 17, 2025, 03:28:57 pm
content: Quote from: 5U4GB on July 17, 2025, 11:18:04 amWell we come back to @radiolistener's famous statement in the other thread that you should not follow the majority as they are usually wrong - paraphrased.

author: electroniclearner820327
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 17, 2025, 03:32:47 pm
content: Quote from: tooki on July 17, 2025, 07:32:04 amYe the worst case of that I think must be when I was wiring up a couple of PC fans for airflow in my van. Those suckers are only about 3 strands total. I can't recall now how I did that. I think I ended up just manually doing it, carefully, scoring with the wire cutter bit of pliers. I am pretty sure the strippers didn't do it!Hmm now you mentioned it, most cases those things have been too thin to strip, even on the smallest. I have forgotten what gauge the wires I have are in my box. I think still over 1mm but even these strippers will not do them on the smallest hole most times. The best I get most tries is a slight squeeze of the wire section I want to strip!